Christians and Holiness in Evangelism
I had sometimes wondered how the Ark of the Covenant was safely transported in Old Testament times. That is, it was kept inside the holy place within the Tabernacle, and only the high priest could enter in to this place:
“And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant . . .But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:” -Hebrews 9:3-4,7
And yet, the Israelites were always on the move, and out of necessity would have to take down the tabernacle, the veil, and also transport the Ark. But how could this be done when the place was so holy that only the high priest could go in, and only with the blood of a sacrifice, and only once a year?
There was a covering
I don’t know how many times I must’ve skimmed past this reading in the Old Testament during my devotions, but a few days ago, I finally noticed it. When they were transporting the holy things, they used a covering:
“And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony with it: And shall put thereon the covering of badgers’ skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof.” -Numbers 4:5-6
Christians today: what this covering means to us
So we see, that something that was so utterly holy that men would literally die to look upon it, was completely nullified of its visible glory by being covered. (It was still not to be touched, but carried on poles.)
And do we not today have a force that is of equal brilliance dwelling within our hearts? For Jesus our Lord has said: “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23).
And we are to let the light of this divine presence shine before men. Just as the glory of the Lord could literally slay men who handled this glory lightly, so God in a spiritual sense uses His Word to “prick” men’s hearts and break them open and make them manifest before Him. Not for their complete destruction, but for their salvation!
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. -Hebrews 4:12-13
And if we have such a powerful Helper within our souls, what hinders us from being more effective witnesses for others?
Sin is a covering
In the very same way that the covering on the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament was used to shield others from God’s glory, sin in a Christian’s life shields others from God’s power, love, and salvation.
Having sin and iniquity in our hearts shades out and hides God’s power. For all intents and purposes, even though we are still the same underneath it all, sin will cover our words, our thoughts, our actions, and our prayers: so that nothing will be of supernatural effect. We will be ordinary.
God has called us to be extraordinary
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:12). What did He mean: “because I go to my Father?” Jesus said that several times in the gospel of John, and He was referring to the fact that once He has been crucified, died, and rose again (thus going to His father), that He would then subsequently send us the “Comforter,” that is, the Holy Spirit.
So in essence, Jesus was saying that we will not live ordinary lives! He will send the Holy Spirit into our lives to empower us! We have an infinite opportunity with God’s indwelling presence. Our dreams are as big as we let God make them; they are as vast as His infinite power. We but one thing gets in the way…
Repent
Most people think of repentance as something that is for the lost. Repentance is only for the unsaved. But this couldn’t be farther from the truth! Many churches in Revelation, written to God’s own people, are repeatedly told to repent.
Simply put, repentance means turning from our own ways, and acknowledging and following instead in God’s ways. It means taking ourselves out of the boss’ chair, and letting Jesus sit down in our place.
A good video devotion I made a while back, which is also a chapter featured in Tears from a Lonely God (#8) is entitled, “Unshade My Light,” and it deals with this very same subject in more detail.
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. -Matthew 5:14-16
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