One of the topics I am very interested in is the status of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the church today: whether the gifts have ceased or whether they continue to exist. The body of Christ is divided on this subject; there are cessationists who believe the gifts have ceased since the death of the apostles in the New Testament and continuationists who believe that believers can still operate in the gifts even today. The gifts here specifically refer to the charismatic gifts: prophecy, speaking and interpreting tongues, healing, working miracles, word of knowledge etc. The term “charismatic” comes from the Greek word “charisma,” which means “gift of grace” or “gift of God’s grace”. I am a firm believer that these gifts continue to exist in the body of Christ today for a number of reasons. I won’t go into much details today. This is a topic that I wish to take my time to address extensively as time goes on, so you can call this my initial thoughts on the topic and not a conclusive one.
Admittedly, it is very appalling to see how these gifts have been abused and used to exploit people in the church. Charlatans have crept into the church, distorted the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and led many astray because they parade themselves as prophets, healers and deliverance ministers. It is understandable and actually necessary for us to be alarmed about how the gifts of the Holy Spirit are abused in the church today. I have often said that there is not a single good gift, that the Lord gives, that human beings haven’t abused. I believe, as the scripture says, that all good and perfect gifts come from above (James 1:17). In my study of the bible, I see how human beings or the children of God (both in the old and the new testaments) have abused every good gift God gives. Kings and judges have abused the authority and power given to them; prophets have abused the anointing God gave them etc. It is almost as if the abuse of good gifts is inevitable. However, I think our attitude towards the abuse of God’s gifts should align with God’s. So long as the LORD hasn’t ceased giving gifts to men, we dare not cease believing there are genuinely and divinely gifted people out there who have a specific assignment in this generation. In any case, the bone of contention regarding this topic is if the LORD still gives charismatic gifts, isn’t it? I will tackle this question from one angle: the universality and timelessness of the words spoken by Jesus and confirmed by his apostles.
The opening verses of the book of John tell us that Jesus is the Word of God and this same Jesus is God. This idea presupposes that Jesus in himself is the eternal Word of God and is at the same time the message God wants to communicate to this world and especially to believers. In fact, nothing was created without the Word of God, hence our entire existence and experience on this earth is made possible by the eternal Word of God. For this reason, I am very particular about Jesus’ words dotted all over the New Testament. I believe he came to live a life that is exemplary and compelling for all Christians in whatever stage in human history to emulate. I also believe his message is a universal and timeless one, which means he came to speak to all people and for all time. Did Christ ever deliver a message to a specific group of people that was ONLY relevant to them in that time in human history? Certainly! However, even those statements have existential and eternal value for all people and for all time. Let’s take a close look at what Jesus said in Matthew 11:21 to understand this issue, he said:
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes
In this story, Jesus was addressing the unrepentant people in the cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida who had been witnesses to many mighty miracles he had done. Despite the fact that Jesus wrought mighty works amongst them, they still didn’t believe in him. Therefore, he rebuked them and stated that people living in other cities (Tyre and Sidon) would have repented if they had been witnesses of those mighty works. Here, we can clearly say that Jesus was speaking to a specific people at a specific time in human history. The people of Chorazin and Bethsaida being the primary recipients are also the main subject of this message: their unrepentant hearts was the reason Jesus said what he said. However, what Jesus said has some serious value and application even in our world today on a collective level and on an individual level as well. Meaning, this portion of scripture can be applied to individuals and groups of people who have witnessed many mighty works of Christ yet refuse to repent.
On the other hand, there are statements that Jesus made that are for all people and for all time. We will look at one of such statements recorded in Mark 16:17-18:
And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.
Coincidentally, prior to this passage, Jesus had rebuked the apostles for their unbelief and the hardness of their heart. Similar to what he told the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida.
Although the primary recipients of this message are the apostles, Jesus opens this message up for all people and for all time by using the phrase “those who believe”. “Those who believe” are not a specific group of people trapped in a specific time in human history. These are individuals who believe in Jesus Christ as the saviour of the world and have accepted him as their LORD regardless of what point in human history they exist in. These individuals are the target group of God’s rescue mission executed by Jesus on the cross and finalized in his resurrection. The statement of Jesus in the passage under discussion is a portion of what Christians call the Great Commission which is Jesus’ instructions to his disciples, after his resurrection and before his ascension, to propagate the gospel globally. The apostles are dead and gone, however, the Great Commission is still being carried out today. Although the apostles were the primary recipients of the message, Jesus was saying these things to the hearing of all people and for all time. Therefore, we need to take the words of Jesus seriously even in this day and age – as seriously as the apostles did.
The reason why I have stressed this point is that two of the signs that Jesus mentioned will follow “those who believe…” are spiritual gifts: speaking in tongues and healing the sick. If this is so, then how did our brothers and sisters come to the conclusion that the gifts of the Spirit were for a specific group of people for a specific time in the ancient world? “Those who believe…” as a universal and timeless statement reminds me of the “whosoever…” in John 3:16. This verse in John is arguably the most popular bible verse. I doubt the right interpretation of the verse is “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son. That whosoever believes in him in the ancient world, will not perish but have everlasting life”. It is erroneous to read John 3:16 with this understanding. Jesus spoke to all people and for all time in both John 3:16 and Mark 16:17-18. Jesus stated categorically in the latter passage that two of the signs that shall follow all who believe in him are speaking in tongues and healing. For this reason I do not subscribe to the cessationist doctrine. I believe strongly in what Jesus said and its implications to the world and the body of Christ today.
On the day of Pentecost, Peter addressed all who had gathered after hearing the 120 in the upper room speaking in tongues. The bulk of Peter’s message was a prophecy recorded in Joel 2. In fact, he didn’t just quote the passage but he explained to his audience that the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost is actually a fulfilment of what the Prophet Joel prophesied:
And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
Acts 2:16-18
God has said he will pour out his Spirit on all flesh. “All flesh” here signifies that the outpouring of the Spirit of God will not be the reserve of any special group of people, for God does not discriminate. The outpouring of the Spirit of God will not be limited to a specific gender, age bracket, race, social class etc. What we do know is that the prophecy was expected to be fulfilled within a specific time in human history called “the last days”. The last days, span from the day of Pentecost until Christ comes. It is a term that is widely used in scripture. Often in the New Testament, a lot of signs and global events are stated that will characterize these last days. This is the conclusion I drew from Peter’s address: if Peter claims the day of Pentecost is a fulfilment or the beginning of the fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy, then since we are still in the last days, we should expect that the same manifestations of the Spirit will be seen in the body of Christ. Since the outpouring of the Spirit is characterised by prophecy, then it isn’t consistent with the timelines of Joel’s prophecy when we say the gift of prophecy ceased at some earlier point in human history. So long as the last days remain, we will still see the outpouring of the Holy Spirit characterised by the signs prophesied by Joel, which includes spiritual gifts.
The Apostle Paul also made a lot of statements that communicated at least the universality of spiritual gifts to a certain degree. “Universality” here refers to the fact that the gifts are not reserved for a special group of people: which is exactly what Joel prophesied and Peter confirmed on the day of Pentecost. In writing to the church of Corinth, Paul said in 1st Corinthians 14:5 that “now I want you ALL to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy…”. Paul expresses his desire for every single member of a church, regardless of their background, to speak in tongues, better yet, to prophesy as well. “ALL” means all; no one left behind and no one excluded. Paul expected the entire church of Corinth to manifest the gifts of the Spirit, especially speaking in tongues and prophecy. Later in the same chapter, while instructing the church of Corinth on the need for orderly worship, Paul again stated in verse 31 that “For you can ALL prophesy one by one…”. Again, “ALL” means all. Everybody in a single church can prophesy and it shouldn’t be described as “charismania” but it should be seen as the fulfilment of biblical prophecy and the practising of sound doctrine.
Cessationists have coined the term “charismania” to describe individuals, movements and denominations that emphasize the widespread use of the gifts of the Spirit. I have also coined the term “Pharismania” to describe the excessive scepticism of those who constantly deny, disapprove, misjduge, doubt and question the existence and use of spiritual gifts in the body of Christ today. This is because their actions remind me of the Pharisees in John 9 when Jesus healed a man who was born blind.The Pharisees, instead of rejoicing at the news of this miracle, rather commenced an investigation to be sure, not for good reasons, that the man was indeed born blind. They interviewed his friends, family and the man himself in the process. All that mattered that day was that a blind man was healed. But the sceptics concerned themselves more with the non-issue of the day than the miracle. This is the level of scepticism that cessationism brings to the table. It is sad to say that cessationism is adorned with the same level of hyper-scepticism that the Pharisees opposed Jesus’ ministry with. Hyper-scepticism is not a sign of maturity. Hyper-scepticism is not discernment. Hyper-scepticism is a sign that you lack faith in the word of God and the person of Jesus.
]]>But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today”, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin – Hebrews 3:13
Glad to have you here once again to read my blog. I read Hebrews 3:13 some time ago and was intrigued by the phrase the deceitfulness of sin. This blog post is basically a summary of my thoughts on the phrase . It is my prayer that as you read this post, you come to the realization that sin is deceitful and will never fulfil its meagre promises.
In the book of John, we see Jesus admonish his followers two times to believe in him because of the works he does. I believe “the works” stands for the miracles he did. Specifically, in John 10:38, he said “… even though you do not believe me, believe the works…”. Then in John 14:11, he said again, “believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on the account of the works themselves”. Jesus expects his followers to believe in him either because of the words (the message) he spoke to them or on the account of the works (the miracles) that he did. This is the reason why we see the gospel writers detail so many of these supernatural acts of Jesus in their epistles. They did this to help the reader or believer build their faith in Jesus because of the numerous supernatural acts that he did that validate his calling. That is why John said:
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. – John 20:30-31
John also said:
Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. – John 21:25
Jesus’ miracles and wondrous signs were recorded to help boost your faith in him. The believer is not called to a life of blind faith. God expects us to believe in Jesus after a careful consideration of his ministry – which is a combination of his message, miracles and mission. This is why a careful study of the miracles of Jesus is a vital exercise every believer must undertake to know him and his power and to believe in Jesus as the messiah.
In the visualization above, we have a summary of the supernatural acts of Jesus. The bible mentions that Jesus did many miraculous things that were not written. However, the ones that were written with accompanying details have been visualized above. In the book of Luke alone, there is a record of 3 different instances that Jesus healed an unstated number of people in 3 separate meetings. In Luke 4:40 it is written that he laid his hands on a number of people and healed them of all their diseases and sicknesses. The setting of this narrative gives us the impression that it wasn’t a great number of people: Jesus had visited Simon Peter at home to heal his mother-in-law then at sun set the people in the vicinity started bringing in their sick relatives and friends for healing. However, in the second instance in Luke 6:19, Jesus was in the midst of a great multitude. The term “great multitude” is tautological because a multitude is a large number of people hence for the Bible to describe the crowd as such indicates the size of the gathering and perhaps that the number of people there was uncountable. In this case, since the number of people gathered was huge, Jesus didn’t lay hands on them. The Bible says “…power came out of him and healed them all”. It could have been 200 people who were healed that day; it could have been 700 or even a thousand. We cannot tell. All we know is that Jesus had the power to heal every sick person at a meeting that attracted a “great multitude” of people. Finally, we are told in Luke 7:21 that “In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight”. Again, we see that Jesus healed an unstated number of people in this gathering. The bible referred to all those who were present at this gathering as “crowds” (Luke 7:24), this gives us a fair idea of how large the gathering was and perhaps the number of people affected by the miraculous ministry of Jesus that day, because the text did say he healed “many” of them.
I say this in agreement with what John said in John 21:25, that Jesus did many awesome miracles that were not captured in the gospels; it would have probably taken a library of books to record them all. Just to reiterate, the visualization above looks at the supernatural acts of Jesus that were recorded with accompanying details in scripture. Three times we read in the gospels that Jesus raised the dead. Two times we are told that he fed thousands of people with very little food. In reference to casting out demons, it occurs in the gospels specifically two times and on all these two occasions the act was not linked to sicknesses. But as you may already know, it was the custom of Jesus to heal sick people by rebuking and casting out demons from them (eg. in Matthew 9:32). Those instances I have included to the data on the “healings” that Jesus did.
From the visualization above, it is also clear that healing tops all the recorded supernatural acts of Jesus. It is closely followed by what I have termed “miraculous acts”. This term refers to the many wondrous acts of Jesus that do not necessarily border on ministering to people directly but are supernatural nonetheless. Examples of such acts are turning water into wine, walking on water, calming the raging seas etc. These acts had an indirect impact on people but they weren’t directed at them.
Below is another visualization that looks at the breakdown of the supernatural acts of Jesus according to how many times they are recorded in the gospels. Matthew and Luke recorded the highest number of miracles amongst the 4 gospels. Although John recorded the least number of miracles, he was careful to give us a picture of the enormity of Jesus’ supernatural ministry. Perhaps he adopted hyperbole in his description of Jesus’ supernatural ministry when he said that the whole world could not contain the books that would have been written detailing all of Jesus’ miracles. John walked closely with Jesus and so was privy to the many miracles that he did from a front-row perspective. I have no cause to doubt him or any of the gospel writers on their accounts of the works of Jesus.
We have already discussed the purpose for the recording of Jesus’ miracles, but allow me to reiterate. The miracles of Jesus were recorded so that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ and the son of the living God (John 20:30-31). This Bible Data Story was written with the aim of shedding some light on the miracles of Jesus from the perspective of a data storyteller. The end goal is so that you will believe that Jesus is the Christ and the son of the living God. If he is the same yesterday, today and forever, then we can believe that he is still in the business of healing as many people as he did in one meeting when he ministered to a great multititude. And he is more than able and willing to perform miracles in and with our lives. It is my hope that your faith will be stirred up to believe in him as the son of God and then as the mighty healer and miracle worker that is proven beyond reasonable doubt in the gospels.
Find the dataset on my GitHub account here.
]]>Just as obeying the terms of consecration leads to tremendous benefits, disobeying the terms of consecration can lead to severe consequences. Throughout the scriptures, we are privy to the stories of people who followed through with the instructions God gave them in their consecration. On the other hand, there are stories of those who did not obey these instructions, and regardless of their background and affiliation to God, they still faced severe consequences for their actions. In the final part of this series, we will take a look at the consequences of not keeping to the terms of consecration.
Before we delve into this topic fully, I would like to talk briefly about “subjects of consecration”. This will answer the question, “what/who can be consecrated?”. Although I haven’t made the classification until this point in the series, allow me to state emphatically that human beings are not the only subjects of consecration mentioned in the bible. Especially in the Old Testament, we see the consecration of “things” as well. Which is very interesting because it makes one wonder why God will put so much value on objects. My initial response to this question is that God is uncommon (Holy) by nature therefore, any person affiliated to him and anything associated with Him must reflect his nature. This is why God often uses people or things that are consecrated unto him.
On the basis of what I have shared so far, I will be looking at the topic of the consequences of flouting the terms of consecration regarding,
Individuals can either disobey instructions given to them to keep or disobey instructions regarding the handling of things/people that are consecrated to God. In both cases, there are severe ramifications that we need to pay close attention to and learn from. We will take a close look at both instances throughout scripture in the following paragraphs of this piece.
Consequences of flouting the terms of personal or communal consecration
As has already been established throughout this series, God often gives specific instructions to individuals and groups of people that sets them apart from everyone else. This is what consecration is all about. Often, we are told the consequences that these individuals will face if they don’t obey the instructions God has given them. Some of the consequences are dire; in some instances it travels through generations.
In our anchor bible passage (Exodus 19:22 and 24), we see the emphasis that the LORD places on his children following the terms of their consecration to the letter. God gives specific instructions concerning the state the Priests should be in before they approach him. The Priests were an already consecrated group of people (Numbers 8:5-22) but for this particular event (in Exodus 19) the LORD was manifesting physically in their midst hence they needed to further consecrate themselves before they drew near to him.
What are the consequences for the Priests who flout this instruction?
God stated unequivocally that if any Priest draws near to him without being consecrated, he would break out against him. Basically, the instruction to the Priests was to consecrate themselves before they approach the LORD lest he passes a severe judgement that will lead to their destruction. The Priests did not face the consequences stated because they obeyed the terms of consecration. However, in the story of Samson, we see how he went against the terms of his consecration to divulge the source of his power to Delilah leading to his destruction. It is important for us to take the terms of our consecration very seriously. Sin is consequential. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) and we cannot continue to sin that grace should abound. Aside from sin, we are told in the New Testament to walk worthy of the call upon our lives (Ephesians 4:1). This is incredibly important and needs to be given due attention. To walk worthy of your calling is to be in consistent remembrance of your calling and acting accordingly. Your calling determines your level of consecration, therefore if you are fully aware of it and never lose sight of it, you will be able to walk worthy of it.
Consequences of flouting the terms of handling or engagement with consecrated things.
In the Old Testament we are told of wars and the conquests of Israel’s enemies in Israel. Israel won some of its wars especially when they were living according to the will of God and they lost wars when they rebelled against God. One thing recurs often when Israel loses its wars: the enemies of Israel enter into the temple and carry away the vessels dedicated to God. Here are a two examples of the seizing of the articles in the House of the Lord by Israel’s enemies:
These vessels in the temple including the Ark of the Covenant are all sacred “items” dedicated to the God Israel. In fact, in 1st Kings 8:4 the vessels are referred to as “holy vessels”. Throughout this series, we have made the point that holiness is not necessarily sinlessness but being set apart for God or being “uncommon”. Therefore, it is safe to say the vessels were consecrated to God. Israel’s enemies who desecrated the vessels by making use of them like they would any ordinary vessel or in the case of the ark, placing it next to their god, faced some very terrible consequences. This is a typical example of what it means to desecrate a sacred or consecrated “article”. Treating a consecrated vessel as you would a regular one typifies desecration. Lets take for example King Belshazzar and his desecration of the vessels of the house of the God of Israel; in Daniel 5, he throws a party and requests for the vessels of the house of God so he, his lords, his wives and concubines could drink from them. The holy vessels of the house of God were reduced to ordinary party cups or wine glasses. They didn’t just drink from the vessels but also praised idols while at it. Almost immediately after this act, Belshazzar faced the consequences of his actions. He was killed that very night and another took his place. Again, in Exodus 19:12, the LORD orders Moses to set boundaries around Mount Sinai. This was to indicate uncommonness and separateness because the LORD would descend on the mountain to talk to His people. We can say that the mountain was consecrated unto the LORD in the brief moment that He descended on Mount Sinai. Hence, there were consequences for any person or animal that came close and touched the mountain. The penalty for flouting this rule was death by stoning. The man or animal that draws near to the mountain was not to be touched but stoned to death. Such a fatal punishment for touching a mere mountain it seems, right? However, the point is, when God attaches himself to anything it becomes consecrated and therefore there are terms of engagement that are set for everybody to follow, in this case, even for animals. This is what it means for a thing to be consecrated or set apart as holy to the LORD. This is what it means to flout the terms of consecration in handling consecrated items.
All I’ve been trying to say in this post is that, there are consequences when you desecrate or treat a consecrated person (including yourself) or article as ordinary. There are consequences that can be fatal and sometimes even affect generations after you. Therefore, we need to be intentional and circumspect in the way we carry ourselves about as consecrated individuals onto the LORD.
]]>Consecration demands that you ‘desist from…’ and/or ‘indulge in…’ something. In the scriptures, God sometimes instructed his servants to either desist from things that were not necessarily sinful or to indulge in things that may appear to have no implications on holiness. Consecration goes beyond sinlessness. Instructions that God gives often form the basis of the individual’s consecration or what I have loosely called the ‘terms of their consecration’.
Let’s take for example the mighty judge, Samson. There was some mystery surrounding his birth indicating that he was going to be an extraordinary person. The Bible states that Samson’s parents had been without a child because his mother was barren. An angel appeared to Samson’s mother before his birth to instruct her to desist from eating anything unclean and drinking wine during the pregnancy. In Judges 13:14, the angel appeared a second time and met with Manoah, Samson’s father, and his wife to give an even stricter instruction. The angel instructed the woman not to eat or drink anything from the vine. The fact that she had to be instructed this way implies a few things, but here are 2 of them I noted:
The angel gave these commands because of the special seed the woman was carrying. An uncommon seed requires an unusual pregnancy. This basically sums up the truth about consecration: anything set apart for God should be treated as special.
Samson’s mother was not the only one given instructions to follow to ensure that Samson remained a consecrated individual to God. The angel told his mother that the boy would be a Nazarite to God from birth, which means that no razor should touch his head. Samson was expected to keep dreadlocks on his head not because getting a haircut was sinful but because Nazarites kept the locks of their hair to honour the covenant they had with God (Nazarite vow in Numbers 6:5).
In our walk with God, he may instruct us to desist from doing certain things that are generally not sinful and instruct us to indulge in things that may appear to have no implications on holiness. These activities will form the basis of our consecration and distinguish us from all other men. It is important to note that we don’t become consecrated by following specific and personal instructions God gives to others. Doing this may help us in our general Christian walk or actually prove futile and even detrimental to us. This is why a personal relationship with God is essential in everything we do. Once we develop a close walk with God, he sets us apart from all other men by giving us personal instructions to follow: things to desist from and others to indulge in.
Nobody should institutionalise the terms of their personal consecration as a doctrine in the church for others to practice. In establishing what is doctrinally good for the Christian walk, the bible recommends the word of God and the word of God alone. To this effect, Paul advises Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that all scripture is God-breathed and profitable for doctrine, correction, etc. Hence, nobody should expect what they deem as the terms of their personal consecration to become common Christian practice. Take, for example, a Pastor who has been instructed by God to desist from watching movies. Once this man of God heeds to this instruction, he is consecrated. However, if he makes it a doctrine in his church, it is very likely the entire church is slipping into sheer religiosity or legalism. Or if Samson gathered men in Israel and forced them to take the Nazarite vow of never cutting their hair. These men would have never been as strong as Samson because the Nazarite vow he took was the terms of his personal consecration. Therefore, his power was not in the locks of his hair but in the obedience to the personal instructions God had given him.
In Deuteronomy 14, the Lord makes a list of clean and unclean animals; clean animals being the ones that the Israelites were allowed to eat and the unclean ones being the ones they were to desist from eating. The list was made across various kinds of animals: 4-legged animals, birds, and fishes. I am not going to highlight the details of the lists but rather focus on a statement the LORD made twice in the same chapter (in verses 8 and 10). In the two verses, after God listed unclean animals he ended the instruction like this ‘…is unclean for you’. This statement implies that this instruction was not for everybody on earth but specifically for the children of Israel. People from other nations could very much eat ‘unclean’ animals and it wouldn’t necessarily be a sin in the eyes of God because he did not give them this same instruction. This statement affirms the point I have been making so far: certain things could be clean for everybody’s consumption but unclean for you. While reading Deuteronomy 14, I wondered why God expected his people to eat some animals and not others. The answer is in verse 21 when the LORD instructed his children not to eat any animal that had died naturally. He said, “for you are a people holy to the LORD your God”. As a consecrated group of people, the LORD expected the Israelites to eat specific animals, desist from eating others and abstain from eating animals that died naturally.
In Exodus 19, we see God issue some instructions to the children of Israel through Moses. The first of these can be found in verse 5:
Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;
Exodus 19:5 ESV
For the Israelites to become God’s treasured possession, set apart from all other tribes and nations of the earth, the LORD expected them to obey his voice and keep his covenant. This is similar to the instructions Paul gave Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:20-22 indicating that if anyone desires to become a vessel of honour in the master’s house, he must cleanse himself from that which is dishonourable.
To conclude, I would like to take us back to Exodus 19, to the story of the consecration of Israel before the LORD descended on Mount Sinai to deliver the law to Moses. In verses 10,14 and 15 the LORD gave the following instructions to the people through Moses:
God expected them to wash their garments, desist from having sex and stay ready or remain in earnest anticipation of the meeting with him. The Israelites were expected to follow these instructions for 2 days before meeting with God on the third; God called it consecration.
Feature image: @frankfmx on IG
]]>We certainly cannot talk about consecration without making a single reference to cleansing. Consecration involves the purification and cleansing of an individual, a group of people, artefacts etc. at the Lord’s command or request. The cleansing process could be a ritual or an actual washing of the person in question to make them fit for the Lord’s presence or an assignment.
When we say an individual is being consecrated, we are saying the person is undergoing a purification process which will produce holiness. Holiness is a command therefore we must subject ourselves to the process that allows us to carry out this command. God commanded the Israelites through Moses in Leviticus 19:2 saying “you shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy”. Apostle Peter echoes this command in 1 Peter 1:16. Holiness connotes sacredness, uncommonness, and being set apart or distant from that which is mundane and profane. To be holy is to be like God in character, conduct and deed. It requires putting off the old nature and its demands and putting on the new man which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator (Colossians 3:10). Believers all over the world are undergoing this same process of being made perfect and holy. This is what consecration is all about.
When it comes to cleansing during consecration, the bible often talks about it in two ways: physical cleanliness and cleanliness of the heart. There is an emphasis on the former in the old testament and an emphasis on the latter in the new.
In the anchor bible passage for this article, God commands Moses to consecrate the children of Israel in preparation for his meeting with them. The terms of this consecration required the Israelites to wash their garments (Exodus 19:10). This indicates the necessity of a clean appearance before the LORD which is similar to the purity laws outlined in the book of Leviticus. Therefore, the LORD’s command to the Israelites to wash their garments before meeting with him is very consistent with his character. He is holy hence anybody who wants to draw near him must cleanse themselves from filth. Without holiness, it is impossible to see God (Hebrews 12:14). When God manifests physically in a place, your physical appearance and the cleanliness of the environment are very crucial. This idea is evident in the verse below:
“You shall have a place outside the camp, and you shall go out to it. And you shall have a trowel with your tools, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig a hole with it and turn back and cover up your excrement. Because the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you. Deuteronomy 23:12-14
The above passage builds a bridge between the cleanliness of the environment and holiness. Prior to this command, it seems the Israelites eased themselves within their camp. This is an environmental problem that could have led to outbreaks of diseases and whatnot. However, the LORD addresses this problem as a spiritual one that has implications on the holiness of the people and his closeness to them. God says, because he walked in the midst of their camp to deliver them and give up their enemies before them, they must be holy. In this case, their environment must be clean.
Wherever you intend to host God must be clean and devoid of filth. That includes physical locations like temples and prayer rooms. However, in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 6:19), we are told that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we are expected to keep the temple (our bodies) as sacred as possible and homely for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
This leads me to the next point…
God is very much concerned about the state of the human heart: how sinful it is or how hungry it is for righteousness. God who is Spirit outlined several purity and hygiene laws in the Old Testament because he walked in the camp of the Israelites and in some cases he manifested himself physically to them. In whatever space God chooses to appear, it is our responsibility to make that space clean and habitable for him. Be it a physical space or in the heart.
God is concerned about purity at all levels and in all aspects of a person’s life. Be it in their thoughts, actions, appearance etc. God commands all of us to be holy as he is holy: without spot, without blemish. God wants us to be pure, without any impurities existing in us. In 2 Timothy 2:20-22, Paul makes an illustration that puts the responsibility of becoming an honourable vessel in the LORD’s house on the believer. He put it this way:
Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
There are many vessels in the master’s house; some are honourable, others are dishonourable. If anybody would put in the work to cleanse themselves from dishonourable activities, the master will set them apart as holy and use them for every good work. When the Apostle speaks about being cleansed from that which is dishonourable, he isn’t referring to physical appearance here. He is referring to sin and in some cases mundane activities. That which is common among men is usually unholy or unlike God. In the New Testament, appearing physically clean and honourable is good, however, being clean in your heart should be the top priority to us all. Jesus made this clear when he rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23 in what is popularly known as “the 7 woes”. Between verses 25 and 28 Jesus rebukes the Scribes and Pharisees in this manner:
The Scribes and Pharisees appeared most righteous among all men. They put in a lot of work to appear clean (kindly read Matthew 23). They put a lot of effort into physically distinguishing themselves from the average person. But they paid very little attention to the cleanliness of their heart. There was greed, self-indulgence, hypocrisy, lawlessness and all manner of uncleanness in their heart but they focused on their appearance before men. They cared very little about their appearance before God. This was the reason why Jesus rebuked them sharply. There are lessons here for all of us: we need to put a lot more effort into cleansing ourselves from that which is dishonourable and indulge in that which is honourable. It is only then that we will become vessels set apart for honourable use.
How do we cleanse ourselves from that which is dishonourable as New Testament believers? The answer is in what Jesus told the Pharisees: First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, so that the outside also may be clean. Although, physical cleanliness is important the priority should be the cleanliness of the heart. Once we start from the heart, it will be projected on the outside. The Scribes and Pharisees had it in reverse; they thought being physically clean would make them more acceptable to God.
To be consecrated is to be conformed to the image of God. Conformity is a proximity issue. You are more likely to conform to the image of the closest person to you. Therefore, in all our pursuits, we need to be deliberate about pursuing God and drawing close to him on a minute-to-minute basis. Jesus made a statement in Matthew 23:17 that captures this thought perfectly. He said the gold in the temple is made sacred because it is in the temple. Gold is valuable in and out of the temple. But gold is only regarded as sacred or holy when it is within the 4 walls of a temple. Where you are and who you are close to determines whether you will be successful at living a consecrated life or not. Choose to draw close to the Holy one and he will expose the uncleanness of your heart and grant you grace to cleanse yourself from that which is dishonourable.
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]]>In the bible, consecration is revealed as the setting apart of an individual, an artifact, or anything at the LORD’s request or command. Setting apart means to separate something and make it special or distinct. It can also mean being distant or separated from the crowd. When God commands that a person be set apart for him, it means he has a special assignment for them. Therefore, he will require the individual to operate with a different mindset from that which is common among men and to be unique in values, conduct, and deeds. Not all men enjoy the privilege of receiving assignments from God hence the one who has been set apart for a specific assignment should know that he will journey on a road not common to the ordinary man. Anybody who is destined to journey on a road less traveled must be prepared to be different from the average person.
The concept of “setting apart for special use” is present in the everyday life of the average person. For example, people often reserve nice, costly, or flamboyant clothes for special occasions. These clothes could hang in the wardrobe for days, months, or even years until there is a special occasion that befits the wearing of such clothes. This very much typifies how God sets people apart for special use. He first chooses them, then separates them from the lot and prepares them, often behind the scenes, to be used for special assignments. It is one of God’s observable ways of dealing with his children both in the Old and New Testaments of the bible as shown below:
Old Testament reference – Numbers 8:14 | New Testament reference – Acts 13:2 |
“Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the people of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine. | While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. |
In the first verse, God commands Moses to separate or set apart the entire tribe of Levi from among the people of Israel for the LORD. Before God made this statement, he instructed Moses to perform some purification rituals to cleanse the Levites. God, after he struck down the firstborns of the Egyptians, consecrated for himself all the firstborns of Israel. In effect, every firstborn Israelite belonged to the LORD. But on the occasion of commanding the consecration of the Levites, God replaced the firstborns of Israel with the tribe of Levi (v 18). The Levites, on this day, were set apart from their brethren, to belong to the LORD and to perform the special assignment of doing “the service for the people of Israel, at the tent of meeting…”. From that day forward, the Levites were tasked to take care of the tent of meeting and also to make atonement for the people of Israel that there may be no plague among them (v. 19). In this story we can see the theme of “setting apart for special use” clearly illustrated.
In the second verse, we see Paul and Barnabas being set apart for a special assignment. According to the story, there was a group of Teachers and Prophets who were fasting and worshipping God in the church at Antioch. While doing this, the Holy Spirit instructed them to separate Paul and Barnabas for the work which he had called them to do. This is quite similar to the instruction given to Moses about the Levites. In this case, the special “ritual” that was done afterward was the laying of the brethren’s hands on Saul and Barnabas, after which they were sent off to go and execute the task the Lord intended for them to do. Right after this, they went to Cyprus to preach the word of God and perform miracles.
In the anchor verse for this article (Exodus 19:23), we are made to understand that in consecration, boundaries are set around the consecrated thing and little or no access is given to it. I will explain. God scheduled a meeting with the children of Israel. As you would know, the characteristics of all physical meetings include the venue, date, time, and the individuals involved. In this case, the venue was the camp of Israel, the date was three days after the meeting was scheduled, and the attendees were God and the entire congregation of Israel. God, being the “chairperson” of this meeting told Moses that he would “…come down on Mount Sinai”. This means that during this meeting, God would be “seated” or “stationed” on Mount Sinai. God is holy, hence, anywhere he dwells must be treated as such. “Anywhere” here includes the hearts of men. He gave Moses clear instructions as to how his “seat”, Mount Sinai, should be treated during the meeting. God expected his “seat” to be consecrated and the attendees of the meeting to be consecrated as well. He commanded Moses to consecrate the children of Israel for two days by washing their garments (v 10) and by staying away from sex (v.15). About the mountain, he said in Exodus 19:12:
And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death.
One interesting fact about this instruction is that even animals would be put to death if they touched the mountain. Having direct access to the mountain was such a grievous act that the person or animal that did it would not be touched but stoned to death.
In verses 21 and 22, the LORD elaborates on this instruction by telling Moses to warn the people not to penetrate the limits Moses had set around the mountain. He also instructed the priests to consecrate themselves before they came near the mountain lest the LORD breaks out against them. In this passage, we understand that the mountain had been consecrated unto the LORD therefore he permitted little or no access to it. Why? Because he was going to be stationed on Mount Sinai. It is very important that as a consecrated individual you set boundaries around you. Not everybody should have access to you nor should you be influenced by any thought, philosophy, idea, or way of life. You must learn to set boundaries around you. Imagine how Samson’s life would have turned out if he had a strong principle against going near Philistine women or allowing them to have access to him. Who or what has access to you is very important in your consecration. The following are a few thoughts I noted down on this sub-theme:
In conclusion, as a person who is undergoing consecration, you must learn to keep the terms of your consecration. Carry yourself with dignity and respect. Just as Moses treated Mount Sinai, do the same with yourself. For the Holy Spirit of God is domiciled in you (1 Corinthians 3:16). Walk in this consciousness and do not indulge in unholy things and overindulge in the mundane. Set boundaries all around you. Not everybody is supposed to have access to you nor are you supposed to be influenced by any and every person. You are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, act like it.
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]]>The simple dictionary definition of consecration is “the action of making or declaring something, typically a church, sacred”. To declare something sacred is to enshrine it as a hallowed thing. Anything sacred isn’t common or ordinary. A sacred temple isn’t a place you can walk into without obtaining permission and/or observing the proper protocols. All throughout scripture, we see God command his children to consecrate themselves or consecrate certain things to him. These are always people or things that he claims ownership of. They belong to the supreme being of the whole universe therefore they cannot be ordinary or like every other created thing.
The theme of consecration can be broken down into so many sub-themes that come together to give a good picture and understanding of what the concept truly means. In this series, I am going to explain these sub-themes and how we can apply them to our lives. The first sub-theme of consecration to be discussed borders on being chosen by God from the lot. To be consecrated is to be chosen. This idea is evident in both the Old and the New Testaments as shown below:
Old Testament verse: Exodus 13:1-2 | New Testament verse: John 15:16 |
The Lord said to Moses, “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.” | You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. |
From both verses, we see God selecting a certain group of people among the lot. It is very important that we realize that consecration is initiated at the command of God. No man out of his own volition can consecrate himself or declare himself sacred to God without God giving him express instructions as to how to go about it. In the words of Jesus, “you did not choose me, but I chose you…”. In the scriptures, we see two kinds of consecration. I have loosely termed them as Group Consecration and Individual Consecration.
Group Consecration
There are special groups of people that God consecrated to himself in both the Old and the New Testaments of the bible. In the Old Testament, we see God ask Moses to consecrate firstborns, the priests, the Levites and in some cases the entire congregation of Israel. Sometimes it is a lifelong commitment, other times it is momentary for a specific activity or event (Numbers 6:5). Take for example the consecration of the Levite tribe of Israel, God told Moses specifically to “take the Levites from among the Israelites and ceremonially cleanse them” (Numbers 8:5). Prior to this, God had consecrated to himself all firstborns of Israel. He did this on the day that he struck the firstborns of Egypt in the last plague. But later on, he consecrated the Levites to himself as a replacement for the firstborns of Israel.
The nation of Israel was consecrated to God among all the nations of the earth as well. God consecrates groups of people. He claims ownership of them by choosing them from among the lot.
In the New Testament, we see groups of people being consecrated to God as well. The apostles were chosen by Jesus and he affirmed this in John 15:16 (posted above). Salvation is a form of consecration as well. On this side of the cross, I believe that salvation is the first experience of consecration that anybody can have. Jesus said in John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day”. No one becomes a Christian unless God draws the person. The entire family of believers around the globe has been specially handpicked by God to be conformed to the image of his dear son.
Individual consecration
All throughout scripture, God works with and through individuals. He chooses them among a great number of people and uses them to achieve some amazing feats. We will take a look at two such individuals who were chosen even before their birth.
To be consecrated, you are chosen first among the lot, set apart, then told what to do and/or what to desist from. You don’t ‘do’ to become, you are first chosen before you can act on the terms of your specific consecration. You will see that the terms of the consecration of different groups and individuals in scripture are not the same. Compare the consecration of the priests to that of the Nazirites, they are completely different. That is why it is always important to walk closely with God and find out what he expects you, as a believer, to do or desist from to fulfill the terms of your consecration. We have been chosen by God as consecrated individuals, appointed to perform specific tasks on this earth. We must endeavor to fulfill our part of this gracious experience by following the instructions given to us by God, and he will also honor his part.
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]]>In my perspective, there are two kinds of errors:
1. Institutionalised error
2. Sensational or trendy error
Institutionalised Error is mostly found in churches that have a long history of keeping their traditions and culture. I would refer to these churches as Sequoia (tree) churches. Jesus said this about the Pharisees in Mark 7:8 “you leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men”. Here Jesus posits that church tradition can very much be in contradiction with the commandment of God. Therefore, the continuous upholding of tradition over the commandment of God is what I have loosely termed as institutionalised error. The Pharisees in the New Testament were guilty of this.
Sensational or trendy Error is mostly found in churches (and propounded by men of God) that spring up seemingly from nowhere and suddenly emerge into prominence. I refer to these churches as mushroom churches. In 2 Timothy 2:7. Paul speaks of two individuals (Hymenaeus and Philetus) who were spreading a false doctrine and leading people into more ungodliness. I don’t know how long this movement lasted but from what Paul said, we can tell they had some followers. In Acts 5, Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, also mentioned 2 men (Theudas and Judas the Galilean) who emerged on the scene with false doctrines. Both of their movements garnered the support of the people. Gamaliel was even specific in the case of Theudas; he said Theudas’ movement had a following of 400 men (Acts 5:36). But the 2 movements died when the two men died. Sometimes this is what happens when the error is sensational and trendy. Because the movement was based on a false doctrine and had no deep roots in scripture, it easily topples over when the leader is no more.
Mushroom churches often idolise the man of God and Sequoia churches idolise church tradition. Both of these cultures are recipes for error. If we are going to have a holistic view of error we need to understand that it can breed in any and every church so long as Jesus isn’t the center of the ministry and sound biblical teaching is not upheld in high esteem. One can make the case that Sequoia churches are Mushroom churches that have stood the test of time and have institutionalised the sensational error they preach. This could be true, my focus, however, isn’t to point out this progression but to state that these two extremes in doctrinal errors and churches exist at every point in time. Therefore, a good church is a church that regularly takes inventory of its doctrines, culture and traditions and ensures that they still align with the word of God no matter how long they have been upheld or practised. Where there is the need for change, change must be effected. And where there is the need to further institutionalise or crystalise a doctrine or tradition, measures must be put in place to ensure this.
Do not think you are safe from error merely because of the denomination you belong to. Do not think your church is too old to be in error. Or your church is too young to slip into error. Do not think your pastor is too trained to slip into error. Do not think your pastor is too anointed to slip into error. Do not think your church is too institutionalised to allow error to find its way into the pulpit. Your church’s traditions could be so institutionalised and crystalised not because the integrity of the word of God is being protected, but because the traditions of men are being regarded more highly than the word. It takes a lot to deal with both kinds of errors mentioned above, but it must be done and done well.
We should all commit to the discipline of studying the word thoroughly and regularly and be guided by it, especially in the selection of the church we attend and the men of God we listen to. A well-balanced prayer and bible-study lifestyle is key in submitting to the leading of the Holy Spirit and discerning error no matter how trendy or institutionalized it is. We should be led by the Spirit and not by our own thinking as to what is sound teaching and what is not. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the spirit of truth for a reason. We find the truth of God’s word when our studies are guided and led by him. He is ever ready and willing to lead us into all truth.
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