Institution

Hebrews 8: 1 Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. ² There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands. ³ And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too. ⁴ If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law.⁵ They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.” ⁶ But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.

How "personal" is your faith? God has given His Son Jesus to make it possible for us to have the "priesthood of the believer" and thus carry His message wherever we go. Jesus gave us an example of how powerful this "switch" in the system is in John 14:¹² “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. ¹³ You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. ¹⁴ Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! Greater works than Jesus? In the above scripture in Hebrews, the writer helps us see that the "greater works" are all part of the Lord being in our heart and us seeking His will for our life in our faith walk. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for each of us to give us this holy priesthood.

Our "personal" relationship with Jesus is just that, PERSONAL. He has equipped you and me to "live out" our faith in our everyday faith walk, and we deepen that relationship by spending time in prayer with the Lord and time in His Word as we learn more from our heavenly Father. Paul said never to stop praying, and his guiding words about this personal relationship should be taken to heart. We have been handed the keys to life that has a plan for our individual life, and God has challenged us to holiness and to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, which involves our whole spirit, soul, and body. Because of the blood of Jesus, we will walk in His grace and in the freedom He applies to our account so we can live this life. Why not live it? We have a tendency to live in "holy huddles," and then we make it a "club" and, and then we digress back into the first covenant ever so slightly. The following verses tell us what Jesus did to change to a new covenant that empowers us to live the life He has called us to live as individuals.

Thus, we have this "personal relationship" with Jesus that He died to make happen, and to continue growing in that relationship, we must get to know our Lord and the directions for living this spirit-filled life. Boy! This sure makes a daily time in the Word very important, and in that we must yield to what the Word of God tells us as explained by the Holy Spirit that was sent to us. Paul speaks to this in Ephesians 5:¹⁵ So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. ¹⁶ Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. ¹⁷ Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. ¹⁸ Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, ¹⁹ singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.²⁰ And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul also hits this in Galatians 5:¹⁶ So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. ¹⁷ The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. ¹⁸ But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

You are not part of an institution. You are part of a "faith," and Jesus gave so much to make that distinction. Don't water it down by trying to be a part of a club, because you are already a part of the church, and God is working through you as an individual and growing you as an individual in your faith as you grow with other believers

The Pilgrimage Continues

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David Warren