In the grand tapestry of God’s divine plan, we discover a beautiful thread of purpose woven throughout the pages of Scripture. It is the call to behold the beauty of God and to live as priests who invite others into this wondrous experience.
God’s Original Design: Beholding and Expanding
From the very beginning, God placed Adam and Eve in a garden where they could behold His glory. They were commissioned not only to enjoy God’s presence but also to extend it to the nations, expanding the divine garden of communion.
Mount Sinai: A Priestly People Gathered
Fast forward to the time of Mount Sinai, where God gathered a corporate people around His presence. These chosen ones were given a sacred duty, to become a priestly nation representing God to the world. The essence of their mission was to behold the beauty of the Almighty and share it with the nations.
David’s Tabernacle: A Prophetic Glimpse
The story of David and the tabernacle he established in Jerusalem offers a prophetic glimpse of what was to come. It emphasized extravagant singing and revealed the calling of Israel to be a priestly nation. The resonance of worship and the presence of God marked this period as a beacon of God’s desire for His people to behold His beauty.
New Testament Churches: Echoes of the Past
The apostles recognized that New Testament churches were like “temples,” echoing the pattern of David’s tabernacle. They viewed the church as a place where the community collectively beheld the beauty of God. The church wasn’t a replacement for what came before, but rather an expansion of God’s yearning to dwell among His people.
Beholding God’s Beauty in Community
Why does God dwell among His people? So they can behold His beauty, be transformed into His image, and represent Him to the world. Therefore, our church models should be designed to facilitate the community’s shared experience of beholding God’s beauty.
The Foundation of Discipleship: Corporate Beholding
Corporate beholding isn’t just a spiritual exercise; it’s foundational to discipleship. It’s the starting point, the very essence of becoming a disciple.
Missions: More Than Evangelism
But corporate beholding doesn’t end within the walls of our churches. It’s the launching pad for missions. The purpose of missions is to form new communities that, like the church, will behold God’s beauty. These communities can only be established by laborers who have themselves been shaped by beholding.
Paul’s Vision: Behold and Sing
In a poetic twist, Paul described his mission as a call for the Gentiles to sing. Yes, you read that correctly, to sing.
The Core of Paul’s Mission: Singing as Worship
Paul wrote that Jesus came to confirm God’s promises to the patriarchs and to enable the Gentiles to glorify God through praise and worship. He quoted Old Testament passages to show that Jesus had come to bring the Gentiles into the priestly calling of Israel.
Paul’s Priestly Ministry: Bringing the Gentiles In
Paul emphasized that through Jesus, the Gentiles were being included in Israel’s priestly calling, to sing praises to God. The extravagant singing that marked David’s time as a priestly expression was now an integral part of the Gentiles’ priestly ministry, and it was something Paul ardently championed.
Carrying God’s Name: A Priestly Duty
Paul’s missionary journey involved being transformed into God’s image by the Spirit, becoming a representative of God among the nations. His mission was to bring the Gentiles into the priesthood, and singing was at the heart of this calling.
Inviting Others Into the Priesthood
Now, we are presented with a profound challenge. Do we live as priests in our respective contexts? Are we inviting the people around us into the priesthood? And do we recognize that singing is meant to be a prominent expression of our priestly calling?
Missions: Enlarging the Priesthood
Missions is more than just evangelism; it encompasses a broader scope. While evangelism is a crucial first step, it’s just the beginning. Paul’s mission wasn’t merely to convert the Gentiles but to form new priests and living temples where they could behold God’s beauty. This is the ultimate goal of missions.
Paul’s Ambition: A New Foundation
Paul, the most prominent New Testament missionary, saw his mission as enlarging the priesthood by establishing new temples in the nations. This, he believed, was the essence of his calling as a missionary.
Our Shared Ambition: Sparking Temples and a Singing People
Now, we must ask ourselves, do we share Paul’s ambition? Are we willing to follow in his footsteps, embarking on the mission to spark new temples and produce a singing people in the nations?
Conclusion: The Priestly Calling
In conclusion, our eternal calling as priests is of utmost importance. The patterns set by ancient Israel must find greater expression in our lives as history unfolds.
Three Assignments of the Priesthood: Access, Speaking, and Creating
The three key aspects of our eternal priesthood are to access the glory of God, to speak about the glory of God, and to create a context for others to experience the glory. These assignments define our priestly calling, and they should guide our daily lives.
Our Natural Inclination: Beholding, Speaking, and Sharing
Our natural inclination is to gaze at things that are majestic and beautiful, to speak about what fascinates us, and to invite others to share in our fascination. It’s part of our human nature and our priestly calling.
Priority: The Eternal Calling
Therefore, let us prioritize our eternal calling as priests, orienting our lives around these three assignments. By doing so, we’ll not only fulfill our temporary assignments but also experience the beauty of God, share it with others, and create spaces for others to encounter His glory. This, my friends, is the essence of the priestly calling.
A.F.O.S.O.M., an anonymous contributor, involve with MFAM, helping Unreached People Group (Southeast Asia) Believers be connected with other authentic believers and helping to strengthen their faith. A.F.O.S.O.M transitioned from Islam to Christianity when he was 16, he attends a Singapore charismatic church, and writes for ‘Beholding Messiah‘ blog.
This article is my personal notes that I read from the book “Discipleship begins with Beholding” by Samuel Whitefield.
