Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, Question 6

 “Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health,” Donald S. Whitney. 2001. NavPress

Question 6:  Do You Delight in the Bride of Christ? (notes, excerpts and highlights from Chapter 6) “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” (Hebrews 6:10)

So, who is the “Bride of Christ?” The Bible doesn’t say anything about Jesus being married when He was on the earth! So, what / who is this “Bride?” 

Scripture tells us about this Bride in a couple of places directly, and in other places alludes to the Bride and Her Bridegroom in parable or figurative speech. Look, for example, at Revelation 19, verses 5-9 (NASB); those who sang in or attended the Messiah concerts that St. Christopher’s used to hold will recognize in the verses words from Handel’s  “Hallelujah Chorus”. In verses 7 and 8, the Bride promised to the Lamb, who is the Bridegroom - one of the names for Christ - is identified as the collective body of saints, whose way is righteous and holy before the Bridegroom.  

So, who, then, are the saints? Canonized individuals who have died and have subsequently been elected as saints by church councils? No – the Bible is very clear that the saints are those persons born again by Spirit, and thus are those within whom the Spirit of Christ indwells, and who have been set apart by God from the world to be transformed into the image of Christ. The saints have been chosen by God from before time. The saints are each of us in whom the Spirit of Christ lives! We have been in God’s plan for all of eternity! That is why the epistle writers could address the members of the churches to whom they wrote as “saints”.  The Bride, then, is the Church – the collective Body of Christ – the saints, that has been in existence for millennia. The author, Dr. Whitney, refers to saints as “authentic Christians”. One of the first instances of this designation of “saint” is used by King David in Psalm 16:3. The Hebrew word translated “saints” is qadas, which corresponds to the Greek word hagios, are both words meaning “something set apart, holy, made sacred, consecrated – chosen ones of God.” Other passages include Romans 8:9, Daniel 7:18, Roman 1:7, Romans 12:13, 1 Corinthians 1:2, Ephesians 1:1,3-4,15, 1 Thessalonians 3:13 (look up the word “saints” or “holy ones” in your personal Bible). It is by the Holy Spirit within us, and the blood of Christ that purifies us, that we are made saints by God, and through the Spirit-written Word of God that continuously cleanses us when we apply it to our lives. We cannot become saints through any human means. Being a “saint” does not make us perfect persons in Christ during our earthly journey – not hardly. Rather, being a saint is a position God places us in – through God we become something sacred, a people called by God and set apart by God for His purposes.

Jesus loves the Church[i], His Bride. In Ephesians 5:25-30, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to compare Jesus’ relationship with the Church to that of a husband who loves his wife and is willing to give his life for her. The Spirit also gave to Paul the content of what we call Ephesians chapter 4, which iterates how we are to be the Church; verse 32 ends the chapter stating that we are to have compassion for one another and forgive just as Christ forgave us. In Ephesians 5:1-2, Paul finishes that thought with an imperative for the Church to walk in love as Christ loves, to imitate His love for His Church. The author reminds us that if we are one with Christ, then we will love the things He loves.(see John 14:11-12; John 15:9-17) That means we must love, have compassion for His Church. Do we delight in the Church? Do we find joy in the presence and the ministry of Christ’s people, both in their congregational form and as individuals? 

About the saints: as we have been studying the Bible letters or epistles, we have as yet to come upon a perfect church to whom the apostles and disciples wrote. Nary a one. That has remained the same for millennia; a local church filled with saints does not make it perfect. Recall the letters to the churches at Corinth, Galatia, and Ephesus (not to mention the several churches in Revelation). With that reality in mind, to delight in the Church of Christ and all of its members is not always going to be a pleasant or easy venture. Within the Church, each individual who has been made a saint by God is still undergoing a lengthy transition through sanctification in the journey to completion of God’s purpose in each of us. We are apt to be rubbed, or to rub, others in the Body Christ the wrong way. Does this surprise God? No, which is why the training, transformation -- the sanctification, can be a little painful at times because the Spirit is ‘scrubbing out’ those aspects of our character that do not resemble Christ. We are to strive to work in harmony with the Spirit’s work in us, praying unceasingly, doing our daily “oblation” or cleansing through intentional meditation on God’s Word, particularly on how to live and interact in love with the Church – which standard Jesus sets as how the rest of the world will identify “authentic Christians.” When we begin to see the Church as Christ knows it and realize what a privilege salvation through Christ is, that we have God living inside us in the Spirit of Christ – who touches everything in and about us, we will begin to look for the Christ in others.

Which leads to the question by the author: “Do you delight in Her company?...For the Christian, the presence of the ‘saints who are in the earth,’ just by virtue of their being saints, evokes delight. When authentic Christians assemble in a local church, the omnipresent God dwells in their midst in a special way.” (Ephesians 2:21-22; 2 Corinthians 6:16) Do we delight in worshiping corporately as a gathered assembly? Is it a priority for us to be present on a Sunday for worship with the saints or to engage in Bible study with the saints? Do we have conflicting priorities? As noted above, “growing Christians will readily delight in being with the saints of God because the delight involves the very presence of God Himself living within ordinary people” who belong to God. Do we view each other that way? 

The author further asks us, “Do we delight in the Bride, the Church willingly?” That is, do we look forward to fellowshipping with the members of the Body and Bride of Christ, or must we be coerced to do so? Quoting the author: “Something is amiss when a person participates in the life of a church only because of the forces of ‘ought’ (i.e., doing what one ought to do or is expected to do)…the child of God does not have to be persuaded (emph. added) to delight in the supernatural spiritual sweetness found only in God’s Church. Delight in the Church is inborn in those who are born again.” 

“Do you delight in Her activity?”, the author asks, citing Paul’s example at 2 Corinthians 11:2,23-28 and 2 Timothy 2:10. He further notes that the “work of Christ’s Church is the greatest, most soul-satisfying enterprise in the universe. Nothing compares – career, family, conquest, success, wealth, politics, retirement – nothing! … it is the only eternally enduring work we can do. Those who are not committed to the work of the Church are not just extremely short-sighted and self-defeating, they also forfeit an incredible privilege.” If there is any hesitancy on the part of believers to serve the Church in a ministry – not just showing up for meetings with limited interest, but to rather roll up your sleeves and get ready to do some real labor, picture Jesus in a flipped script at John 13 handing the towel to one of His disciples and commanding him to wash His feet! Jesus was definitely thinking of each of us who have been born again at that moment recorded in John 13, verses 12-17. 

The author offers a few suggestions on how to delight in Christ’s Bride:

·       Grow to see the Bride of Christ and Her work more as Jesus sees Her. Jesus loves the increasing clarity of His own reflection in the Church and her ministry. He gives His Bride the beauty of His holiness. What are three examples of the beauty of Christ’s holiness that we can each identify in our local church? Are our spiritual eyes seeing through a maturing faith that causes our visual acuity to become sharper and more penetrating? (2 Corinthians 4:16) The more our eyes perceive Jesus’ Bride and Her work in the way He does, the more you will love Her and it as He does.

·       Demonstrate delight in the Bride of Christ in ways that will make a real difference. The work of the local church is the work of Jesus in the world. Where does the church of Christ we attend need help? Undoubtedly, it makes its needs known regularly. Are we listening? Can’t find your niche? Then take the initiative and create a ministry that will serve God’s people and glorify His Name. Give heart and time and money and zeal to the Bride for whom Christ gave His life. How long should one do this? For as long as you can say of those who have the Spirit of God, “They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight” – i.e., for as long as Christ loves His Bride.

Consider this, suggests the author: In God’s Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5), how much space will be devoted to how the stock market fared daily, which NFL team, soccer team, or college team consistently held team records for achievements in their relative sport; on how the presidential elections shaped the political environment; on who won Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Tonys? On who won the Olympics? Or about what products Apple will develop in the next 100 years? Won’t God’s Book of Life instead “be dominated by actions in and through local churches, deeds that passed unnoticed at the time by people the world overlooked? By the names of those who suffered for the Name of the Lord? By the names of those who loved the Lord and ministered to His saints – won’t these fill the pages? Written in gold letters on the flyleaf may be this inscription, “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His Name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” (Hebrews 6:10) Psalm 149:4 tells us that “the LORD takes pleasure in His people.” Do we? (compare 1 John 3:11-17)

I truly got to see the author's heart in this moving work, and am grateful for that privilege.

*The foregoing represents my personal reflections on a study by Dr. Donald S. Whitney, Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health. (2001. By Donald S. Whitney. NAVPRESS. ISBN 978-1-61747-187-2) Quotations and excerpts are from that source, unless otherwise identified. For the 2023 Lenten season I provided these thoughts to my local congregation's Bible study group. The questions are not, however, constrained by a particular liturgical season, holiday, or age group: these are questions every Christian may find useful in fulfilling God's command at 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test!" The church at Corinth looked a lot like many of our churches today.

 

 

 

 

 

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[i] The “Church”, with a capital “C”, is the universal body of Christ that has existed for millennia and is chosen by God for His Son. (see John 6:35,37,44)

The Spirit at Work in Believers' Lives, Part 7

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Pray in the Spirit at all times

A key part of a believer's spiritual armor is prayer - prayer in the Spirit. Ephesians 6:18 speaks about this defensive/offensive weapon in our spiritual armory, "Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints."

Let us pray.

Holy Spirit God, attend our prayers and make this house and our hearts Your home. Lord, descend with all your gracious powers, we pray, Holy Spirit come!

Come as light, teach us, and reveal our need – our hidden and secret weaknesses show us. Stir within us a desire to have peace with You, to turn from darkness and to become light. Lord lead us in that narrow path of life where all the righteous go.

Come Holy Spirit fire! Purge our soul with your Spirit-wrapped Gospel. Cause our hearts to burn with desire to know You and worship You in truth, so that our soul and body may be a holy offering in our Redeemer’s name. O Spirit, shape us to look and be like Christ, and empower us to do His will always.

O Spirit - Come as the dew and refresh us with a fresh anointing of You. O Emmanuel – Spirit of God with us and in us, may Your life-creating power move freely in this place and through us, and unify us in Your purpose.

Holy Spirit come as the dove of true peace founded in Your precious love. Produce in us Your Love, so that it flows into us deeply and teaches us how to be a humble community ready and eager to do Your will and glorify Your name in our thoughts, in our words, and in our deeds.  May You draw us nearer to the Father and the Son, may you speak your Word into us and sanctify us with your truth.

O Holy Spirit, come. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

                                                         Adapted from Hymn #509, 1982 Hymnal.

The Spirit at Work in Believers, Part 3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Putting on Christ

Romans 13:14 says “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” Colossians 3:5 instructs “Put to death therefore, whatever in you is earthly…these are the ways [the lifestyles] you once followed.” And John 3:5 is clear: ”Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.”

There was a gentleman whose life was spent 110% with the business that made him wealthy, powerful, and arrogant. He engaged in ruthless practices just enough within the law to achieve success. And by the standards of many he really was a very successful man, even though on the inside his heart was not right. He was living what some of us might call “the dream.” He was kind of like the immoral businessmen in shows like “Mad Men.”

But–God had purposed from before time to make him one of His children. It was not because the man was smart, looked good in a suit, or because of his impressive resumé. No, it was God’s grace being worked out through the Holy Spirit that would cause the man to become aware of his sinful life and pride, and the need for God’s forgiveness. The Spirit created in him the desire to repent and bow down before God’s throne of grace. In that moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit sealed him for God. The change he sensed in himself was powerful and compelling.

When he came to church on the day of his baptism (his church immerses believers in a baptismal pool), he chose not to wear a baptism robe for the ceremony. Instead, he chose to be baptized in one of his ‘power suits’ because for him it no longer held the power and significance of his former life. He wanted to die to that former self and put off ungodly practices such as greed, idolatry, and immorality – all those things he associated with his past life, taking them down into the baptismal waters to show the change the Spirit had created in him. And then to be raised up from the water to show he was being raised to new life, reborn spiritually and clothed instead with Christ. Only the Spirit of God can raise us from spiritual death to new life in Christ, and testify to our hearts that we are God’s.

This man was not a priest or special clergy – he was like any person in our family, in our jobs or schools who is in need of the Savior. A businessman who would come to know true wealth in Christ. Romans 8:11: “the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you; He who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through His Spirit that dwells in you.”

Messiah snippets, part 2

What then is the Gospel? Are they just the readings the priest does on Sunday? Or the 4 books of the Bible at the front of the New Testament/second half of the Bible?

‘Gospel’ is the English translation twice over of the Greek word euangelion, which means good message or good news and pertains to the good news that “Christ is coming, Christ has come, and Christ will come again.” Simply put, the Gospel is Jesus and his propitiary sacrifice – He is the reason we have breath, He is the reason we can love, He is the reason above every other reason for why we are here and for where He has placed us. He died in our place, because as sinful humans, inheriting the sin nature of Adam, we were under the condemnation of death, because the 'wages of sin is death.' God viewed us as spiritually dead, and unable to commune with Him. Not until repentance - a decision to choose Christ to be our Lord and Savior and turn away from the rejection of his sovereignty, so that the blood of Jesus' sacrifice for us restores us to a right standing with God. We have life because Jesus died instead of us and all of our sins we have ever committed and ever will commit can now be forgiven because of his death on the cross. That's why he cried out on the cross, because the sin burden of all mankind became charged against him, resulting in a separation from the Father who cannot look upon sin because He is so Holy. Thus, the Gospel message is at the heart of God’s purposes and relationship with his human creation.

That He would pierce eternity to be in communion with His people is not a simple matter. Many people enjoy the Gospel message sung to them in the beautiful work of Handel, yet I wonder how many find it a call from God?

We continue…

Isaiah 7:14 (prophecy) and Matthew 1:23 (fulfillment) “Behold a virgin will conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel, God with us.”

This is the greatest gift God has given us – Himself in Jesus and His Spirit. Do you know that when God calls you out from all of time to become one of His children, He regenerates you (i.e., you are born again – given a new spiritual life in Christ), and then – miracles of all miracles – He comes to live in us. Emmanuel – God with us. (Romans 8) His habitation creates a new life for us and in us, and enables us to live out lives that submit to His love. So, He came to live on earth, He came to live in Mary, and then He came to live in us. In the future, He will come again (but that’s another part of Messiah!!).

The air continues: Isaiah 40:9; 60:1 “O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold thy God! Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.”

Being a prophet in ancient times was not the easiest job. Being a prophet of God Jehovah whom He used to foretell and forth-tell His Word to people could be downright life-threatening. The good news that God’s prophet was tasked with carrying to the people could be received either way, yet the news was life-giving. So that everyone will hear, a prophet could go to a high elevation to make the pronouncement. The weightiness of this particular message would necessitate the prophet or heralder to get up into the high mountain – the news would be echoed off the mountain walls and carried for miles! God emboldened His messengers to speak His Words. He put the Words into their mouths. The good news to the remnant of Judah signaled restoration and reconciliation was near. The light of the world has come. (John 1:1-18)

Jesus, the Light, came into the world, bringing His healing to a hurting people. He spoke from a mountain glad tidings to people gathered there, and they saw their God walking among them in the flesh. The glory of the Lord, and His grace and high favor had risen up on them. Their faces were alit by the divine presence. Today, we are the heralders. We are tasked to bring glad tidings to a lost and hurting world. We are given the Words of God that will reconcile people to Him. Nothing man can create or make up can accomplish the power that the words of The Word can. We are a privileged people to receive them and share them. Only through the message of this gospel can the glory of the Lord be seen on His people. Anything less is a shallow light.

The mood changes, but the message continues to be sounded, now beyond the remnant of Judah. The male voice says (Isaiah 60:2, 3; 9:2) “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.  ³And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. …²The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Beyond the remnant of Judah – to the Gentiles. That is us! This is indeed good news – God’s message of salvation and reconciliation would embrace those who were non-Jews and not proselytized. His promise to Abraham was that his seed or offspring would bless the world; Jesus fulfills that prophecy. God calls a people from beyond time that would include all tribes and peoples of the earth to become His in a new relationship. He has called us forth from darkness – from alienation from Him, from spiritual death,  into the glorious light of Himself. (Ephesians 2:1-10) He has given us His Word – His message of Light, and true enlightenment to sustain us in that life in the Light. The ‘kings’ coming to the brightness of thy rising may refer to the so-called wise men who followed the light to where Jesus was born. How wise are we? Do we follow the light?

And, then, in a series of heralds, the birth of the Messiah is announced, and Handel is first inspired from Isaiah’s prophecy in chapter 9:6 to score “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
The virgin named Mary – a teenage girl betrothed to the man Joseph – carried Jesus within her. She was not a popular girl any longer. Her friends deserted her. Her father and mother were ashamed; the family name was dragged in the mud. In those times a young woman who was perceived to have had sexual relations outside of marriage could be stoned to death - both she and any child she was carrying. God's law concerning marriage and sexual purity were still in effect. Everyone shunned her; even her fiance could not believe that she would wrong him like that! He was cut to the heart for he loved her. Yet, Joseph - a man broken by what he thought was deceit, and particularly believed to be a crime, decided with much anguish and pain to settle the matter quietly and not bring her before a tribunal. His sacrifice was rewarded by God's message to him explaining what had befallen Mary and the miracle into which his own life would be enmeshed.  As wondrous as this miracle was, it was clear that carrying Christ within one’s self does not always engender kind responses, not even from those closest to us. Yet, the joy that Mary would see, the faith that God had given her to continue this labor of love, helped her and eventually, her husband Joseph to press on.

Their faith - no doubt tested severely on the trek to Bethlehem - yielded the fruit that changed the world. A son – a progenitor, giver of life – was born. Not just a child, but one who is the Mighty God and Everlasting Father. A ruler whose power would supersede human government. His name – Jesus, which means God is salvation – forth-told what His purpose on earth would be.

We, too, who have accepted God’s invitation to let Him dwell in us, will at times face difficulties because of that relationship. Yet, think of the fruit we are yielding – we are God’s instruments to carry life to persons through this transforming Gospel message. His indwelling Spirit makes it possible for us to achieve what no program no matter how noble, and no self-help set of seven principles can achieve – He empowers us even in the most challenging of times, to bring Jesus to others. What He has done is truly Wonderful!

Handel's Messiah - Not Just Another Music Score!

When I first experienced this work performed at our church, it was an eye-opener (and heart-opener and mind-opener, and subsequently a Bible-opener). It is as far away from being ‘just another concert’ as you standing in your living room is as far from Jupiter, and even farther away than that! Because it is the Gospel message directly from the Bible; it carries a life-saving urgency. The Messiah came and is coming again! A couple of notes of applicability from the sheet music of Messiah …

           Opening voices: Male voices sound the prophecy, exhortation, and God’s Grace provision. God’s people can feel comforted and assured that God will carry out his promised restoration of His people. He forgives sins. He has sent his messenger to make a pathway, to clear the way for the Anointed One – the Messiah. His promised restoration will raise up His people again, and in contemporary times, we are His messengers, we proclaim the Gospel and coming of Christ. His Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to receive the Messiah by breaking our mountains we have set against God in our sinful condition, and raises us to spiritual life.

Isaiah 40 --  ¹Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.  ²Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins. ³The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  ⁴Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
Then the choir – all voices – forthtell the immensity of the Anointed One’s coming

⁵And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Many people shun the truth of the Word – Jesus – but are happy to celebrate a holiday that is said to be about him. Just because folks reject him does not make him to be a nothing, or to be inconsequential – it is like being in front of a tsunami and saying it cannot bother you because you’re in a Hummer. The immensity of the wave is terrifying. On the other hand, those who have accepted Christ the Messiah as their Lord and King, and have been brought into fellowship with him, sense the immensity of God in another way. They already enjoy a revelation of God’s glory – measure by measure – within their lives. When brought into the family of God, God installs in us Himself in the presence of the Holy Spirit so that the Shekinah Glory remains with us and in us. All can witness God’s glory in those in whom God is present – if we continue to let our light shine before men and women. Why? Because God says so – He has purposed a people from before time and has brought them into His glorious light. (Matthew 5:16; 2 Corinthians 4:4) What He also says in this very short verse is that regardless of whether or not you accept the Messiah, you will see the Glory of God – either in a positive way, or in judgment.

                Malachi 3:1-3. Male voices speak of God’s preparation of His people for the day of His coming, and the choir responds

¹Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.  ²But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: ³And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

Fuller’s soap was a cleanser that was used to scour and scrub wool and cloth. In ancient times, cleaning a wool fabric was not as simple as taking it to the dry cleaners, or using Woolite. If you have ever seen the wool on a sheep, you recall that the wool is full of impurities and is dirty. The person called a Fuller had the job of taking the cloth woven with that wool and scrubbing and rubbing against a rock or other hard surface until it was reasonably clean. These were some very strong-armed folks. Hand-washing made extreme. Likewise, the task of purifying precious metals like gold and silver requires very, very hot fire to burn the impurities away. It is not an easy job standing in the heat of the furnace all day then processing the metal for purity. That is where the ‘karat’ and fineness designations fit in – they describe the purity of the metal.

For the ancient Israelite priests – the sons of Levi who were the only Israelites permitted to be priests, they understood the need for purification – they were handling sacred things, and standing before the very presence of God within the tabernacle and temple. They had to be made holy by God because they were entering a holy place. The blood of a perfect lamb would be sprinkled on the priests to cleanse them of their sins. Their clothing was made to specifications designed by God. It was and still is a fearful and humbling thing to stand before the Creator! And terrifying to come before Him unprepared. Without being made pure by God’s standards, it was impossible for the priest to offer up anything of worth to God. The book of Malachi speaks to how the priests had become wicked and had trashed the word of God. They worshipped other gods and mistreated the people. They refused to be sanctified and purified as God prescribed. Their offerings were worthless before God. Today, we are in the same situation. As a called-out, redeemed people, God has appointed us as his “holy nation of priests, a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9) and we are tasked with the responsibility of carrying out worship in our spiritual temples - our bodies. We are purified, made pure by the fire of His Word (Jeremiah 23:29) and His transforming Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11, Romans 15:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20), so that our worship can be acceptable to God. We who subject ourselves to the authority of the Word, are cleansed and we are also washed in the blood of the Lamb, as the Israelite priests were during the cleansing ritual. (see Eph. 5:26; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 7:14; 1 Peter 1:18-20) If we reject God’s Word and authority, and do not submit to His Holy Spirit’s counsel, we are in the same predicament as those priests spoken of in Malachi chapters 2 and 3, and come under the judgment of God.

            Next time, we will look at the succeeding airs and chorus pieces in “Messiah” so as to understand what we are saying when we share this Gospel with others.