PASSION WEEK SERIES: DID THEY REALLY KNOW WHO HE WAS?

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In Christ, Mark~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed shouted:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Matthew 21:1-11

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today, we’ll pause our study of the Book of Deuteronomy to enter into a series of messages on what is referred to as “Passion week”. Beginning today, Palm Sunday through Easter, we will walk with Jesus as He makes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem and start the countdown to the end of His earthly ministry by crucifixion before being resurrected in power and into authority three days later, defeating death and the grave.

We begin with this passage from Matthew:

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed shouted:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest Heaven!”

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” Matthew 21:1-11

I think the first thing we need to note here is that this wasn’t a random, impulsive, event.

Like so many other aspects of Jesus’ life, prophecy had predicted what was to come and in this instance, the prophecy had come from the prophet Zechariah who foretold of a future king who was coming who would be righteous and victorious, a king who was worthy of their shouting and rejoicing.

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!

See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9

And so as we look at the scene painted in our scripture passage from Matthew’s Gospel, we see that Jesus, the king Zechariah told of, had now come to Jerusalem but as He did, I wonder about this…

Did the people who gathered to greet Him really know who He was?

Yes, Zechariah had said that a King was coming, and not just any king (small "k") but rather the King of kings and Lord of lords, a King that deserved all the pomp and circumstance of any other king who had come to Jerusalem and more. That pomp and circumstance was evident in the way the people responded to Jesus, following the customary traditions when any royalty would come to the city.

We read where some spread their cloaks out on the road while others cut branches from trees and placed them on the path Jesus would travel on, paving the path before Him. And there weren’t just a few people there for God’s Word tells us that crowds went ahead of Jesus shouting and proclaiming the following praises to Him:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest Heaven!”

You see, it’s clear that the people who came to welcome Jesus to Jerusalem knew something about the man who was riding the donkey across their cloaks and palm branches. They acknowledged Him as David’s son, a man in the lineage of their beloved former king who had a reputation for being someone who was after God’s own heart. And they declared Jesus as being blessed, seeing Him as having come in the name of the Lord and calling for adoration to come on Him from the highest heavens.

But did they really know who He was?

I think we get a sense that they didn’t for within the clamor and excitement over Jesus’ arrival as He moved from the road into Jerusalem itself, we read where His coming caused quite a stir in the city, leading people to ask on simple question:

“Who is this?”

The question show us that the people truly didn’t recognize this Man who had come with great fanfare, this Man who had been predicted through prophecies of old, this Man who rode into the city as the Messiah, not on a warhorse but rather humbly on a donkey.

So what answer was given regarding the curiosity over Jesus’ identity?

We see it in our scripture passage:

“This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

It’s interesting that they knew more about where Jesus had come from than who He was. In regard to that, we see that they didn't view Him as the Messiah or the Son of God who had been sent to save them and all mankind but rather as a mere messenger, a prophet who had been sent to speak to them. With this, it’s of little wonder why the people would be shouting something completely 180 degrees out from “Hosanna!” after just a mere five days, demanding this be done to Jesus:

“Crucify Him!”

And when they got what they wanted, we go to the cross and find the crucified Christ saying this to the Father, a statement that only affirmed that the people in Jerusalem were clueless about His true identity?

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Luke 23:34

If the Jewish people had really known who Jesus was, they wouldn't have falsely accused and convicted Him, brutally beat Him, and then execute Him. They would have continued to treat Him as royalty long after He rode across the cloaks and palm branches on the road into Jerusalem. But they wouldn’t open their hearts and minds to God to understand and discern that He had sent His Son to save them and all other sinners of the world.

Today, we have so many people in our world who either don't know Jesus at all or think they know Him but really don’t for if they did, they would respect and revere Him in their lives. They would be proclaiming His greatness and goodness while bowing down to worship Him. They would strive with every ounce of their being to live like Him in all that they do, seeing Him as the greatest role model ever. And they would realize that without Him and the salvation found only in believing in His name, they have no hope in this life.

My brothers and sisters, as we enter this final week of Jesus’ life, let our prayer be that all would come to really know Jesus as the scriptures define Him:  

That He is the Good Shepherd who was willing to lay down His life for us, His sheep (John 10:11).

That He is the Lamb of God who gave Himself up freely as a living sacrifice to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

And that He is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25), the Savior of all who would come to save all who would place their trust and believe in Him as the only way to God the Father (John 3:16, John 14:6).

This is who Jesus is.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

GOODBYE TO AN EYE FOR AN EYE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”

“If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you. The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”

Deuteronomy 19:15-21

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In the closing verses of Deuteronomy, chapter 19, we find the Lord continuing to speak through Moses on the theme of justice as it applies to witnesses who might come forward and report crimes. The scriptures tell us that “one witness (was) not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed”. Instead, the “matter (was to) be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses”.

In other words, one person could not come forward and make a false claim against another with the malicious intent of them being harmed.

So what happened if there was a conspiracy against someone? Couldn’t a person get others to say they witnessed the same thing he or she did in order to still get their way?

Well, that could have happened but we see where the Lord puts in a provision that would hopefully deter anyone from bearing false witness.

“The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, then do to him as he intended to do to his brother.”

The hope here was that the “rest of the people (would) hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you”.

In the end, Israel was to “purge the evil from among (them)” and “show no pity…life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot”. The penalty was to match the crime. Nothing more, nothing less.

This mindset would last in the scriptures until Jesus came on the scene. During His first formal teachings during the Sermon on the Mount, He said this:

"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

“You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:38-48

Why were these teachings important?

Imagine if the “eye for an eye” principle had remained in place after Jesus was crucified. Anyone who falsely accused Him would have been subject to the same fate He went through. In other words, there would have been a lot of crucifying going on.

But Jesus didn’t come to destroy or avenge. Rather, He came to forgive and He did so out of love, even love for His enemies. In His life, Jesus didn’t just preach these words from the Sermon on the Mount and then not back them up. He modeled them perfectly just as He did everything else in life, and in doing so, taught His disciples, past and present, how to deal with the same matters ourselves.

Given all this, a few questions:

1. Have you been ever been wronged by someone in life to the point where you felt (or maybe still feel) the need to get even?

2. Do you find yourself looking for ways to make someone feel the same level of pain, hurt, and suffering that they brought on you?

3. Has someone made you angry to the point where you feel consumed and blinded by it?

If your answer to one or more of these questions is “yes”, I encourage you to go to the scriptures and see how Jesus handled what was the greatest injustice in the history of mankind. For after being wrongly accused, convicted, and sentenced; beaten and then nailed to a cross before being lifted up to die, Jesus didn’t strike out at those who were mocking Him. He didn’t ask His Father to send legions of angels from Heaven to kill everyone who had something to do with His crucifixion.

No, Jesus simply said these words:

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34

Friends, if Jesus, the One through which we owe our identity as Christians, could do forgive in those circumstances, then we can follow His lead and do likewise. We need to forgive as He did just as much as we do everything in life as He did.

Today and every day, let us honor our Savior by giving thanks for the example He set and then commit ourselves to replicate His every thought, Word, and deed…and that includes forgiving our greatest enemies.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

OUR HOLY CITY OF REFUGE

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In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and houses, then set aside for yourselves three cities centrally located in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess. Build roads to them and divide into three parts the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that anyone who kills a man may flee there.”

“This is the rule concerning the man who kills another and flees there to save his life - one who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought. For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought. This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities.”

“If the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as He promised on oath to your forefathers, and gives you the whole land He promised them, because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today - to love the Lord your God and to walk always in His ways - then you are to set aside three more cities. Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land, which the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.”

“But if a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him, assaults and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities, the elders of his town shall send for him, bring him back from the city, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die. Show him no pity. You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, so that it may go well with you.”

“Do not move your neighbor's boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess.”

Deuteronomy 19:1-14

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

One thing that we see God make clear in the scriptures is that He commands and expects justice. He sets the standard for this and does so in a perfectly just way, and as we see in our scripture passage for today, this included protection for the innocent which is the chief premise behind establishing “cities of refuge”. Look again at the opening fourteen verses of Deuteronomy, chapter 19:

“When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and houses, then set aside for yourselves three cities centrally located in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess. Build roads to them and divide into three parts the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that anyone who kills a man may flee there.”

“This is the rule concerning the man who kills another and flees there to save his life - one who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought. For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought. This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities.”

“If the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as He promised on oath to your forefathers, and gives you the whole land He promised them, because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today - to love the Lord your God and to walk always in His ways - then you are to set aside three more cities. Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land, which the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.”

“But if a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him, assaults and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities, the elders of his town shall send for him, bring him back from the city, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die. Show him no pity. You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, so that it may go well with you.”

“Do not move your neighbor's boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess.”

Deuteronomy 19:1-14

Here we find God commanding the Israelites to “set aside…three cities centrally located in the land” after entering Canaan. They were to “build roads to them and divide (the land) into three parts…so that anyone who kills a man may flee there”.

The reason this was important was that not all killings were intentional. Just as we see in present times, tragic accidents could and did happen but in biblical times, this unintentional killing of another would put a person at risk. They would face death themselves at the hands of an avenging family member of the deceased and this is the chief reason why God ordered for cities of refuge to be put in place for an innocent person who took a life by accident could there and be protected.

In our passage, we see an example given as to how someone might kill another unintentionally. We read a scenario where “a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him”. This man had no intent to murder his neighbor; the death happened by accident. Still, the scriptures tell us that danger loomed as an “avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death”. This is why the city of refuge was needed…so “innocent blood (would) not be shed in (Israel’s) land”.

So what would happen if someone fled into the city of refuge even though they had killed with intent?

God’s Word tells us “…if a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him, assaults and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities, the elders of his town shall send for him, bring him back from the city, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die”. The Lord makes it clear here that the cities of refuge were reserved for the innocent.

As I thought about the innocent and a place of refuge, I couldn’t help but think about our Savior, Jesus. We know He was innocent and yet was crucified on Calvary’s cross and on the surface, it would appear as if evil had won. But Christ’s death was necessary so God’s greatest miracle could be performed, raising His Son from the tomb, delivering Him from death to eternal life and back into the heavenly city of refuge from which He had come. From that point on, no one could ever pass a deadly judgment upon Him again for He ascended and was placed in honor at His father’s right hand, safe there until His glorious triumphant return when He would set creation straight and restore God’s order and justice to earth.

The good news for us is that Jesus opened the gates to God’s heavenly “city of refuge” for anyone who would believe and trust in Him as Savior. Christ’s victory over death was extended to us as well, not because we’re innocent like He was and deserve it, but because He has paid the penalty for us and purchased our pardon. He covered our sin debt with His shed blood, a blood that washed us clean and redeemed us while bringing the sure promise of abiding with our Savior and Father God forever. Further, in the holy city of refuge, the New Jerusalem, no enemy will ever be able to come after us ever again. We will be perfectly at peace because we are perfectly protected.

As we rejoice in this truth, let us give thanks to God for the gift of His Son Jesus, our precious Redeemer and Friend.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

BE CAREFUL WHO YOU LISTEN TO

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.’"

“The Lord said to me: ‘What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to My words that the prophet speaks in My name, I Myself will call him to account. But a prophet who presumes to speak in My name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.’"

“You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?’ If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him."

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we have continued to read about God’s guidance to the Israelites in advance of their entry into the Promised Land, we have most recently seen Him instructing His people on what not to worship in Canaan as well as to who they should and shouldn’t associate with. As we love further into chapter 18, we see the Lord cautioning them on who they were and weren’t supposed to listen to. Look again at those words here:

"The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.’"

“The Lord said to me: ‘What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to My words that the prophet speaks in My name, I Myself will call him to account. But a prophet who presumes to speak in My name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.’"

“You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?’ If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him."

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

Here, we find God telling the Israelites that they would be dispossessing nations who listened “to those who practice sorcery or divination”, two practices that He didn’t permit Israel to be a part of. The Lord didn’t want His people listening to them and so we see Moses letting his brothers and sisters know who they were give their ears to. For it had been the voice of God that the people had heard ever since leaving their Egyptian enslavement and it was that voice (and that voice only) that they were to listen to in the future. That voice could be heard directly or as we see in these words, through an appointed messenger:

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.”

Indeed, the Lord had told Moses, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him” and He always does what He says He will do. In the past, He had spoken through Moses and would soon do the same through Joshua who would lead the Israelites into Canaan but many other spokespeople were to follow. Some would be legitimate while others would be counterfeit (i.e. false prophets).

So how would Israel know if they were dealing with a prophet who was truly speaking a message from the Lord?

The final portion of our passage answers that question.

For scripture tells us that if what a “prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken”. This was the litmus test that served as an assurance for Israel, a way to know who they should and shouldn’t believe.

There would always be a potential danger that someone could come forward and lead Israel astray, falsely speaking on behalf of the Lord and so we find Him showing His people, past and present, how they could check the reliability, validity, and believability of the prophet. If what he or she (there were prophetesses in the Bible) said came true or took place, then the message was from the Lord. Otherwise, the message was false and fabricated.

Today, there are plenty of people who claim to be sharing messages from the Lord. Some even choose to label themselves as prophets or prophetesses. Unfortunately, as in biblical times, not all of them are legit and so we need to apply the same principles that we read here in Deuteronomy and test everything before we believe it or trust the messenger. The only difference is that we have the Bible which is the complete and inerrant Word of our Lord. Everything He says to us is found within the sixty-six books between Genesis and Revelation.

Given this, there is no need for anyone claiming they have some additional word from God that isn’t contained or supported by the Word He has already given. If someone does share something, stating that the Lord provided them the words they speak or write, we should pray over what we read or hear, asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Additionally, we should be getting into God’s word to validate what we’ve been told. Using these two things in tandem will expose falsehood and assure that we won’t possibly be led astray.

In the end translation, God’s cautionary warning stands true. As believers, we need to be careful about who we listen to.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

REMEMBER GOD'S CHOSEN LEADERS

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“The priests, who are Levites - indeed the whole tribe of Levi - are to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the offerings made to the Lord by fire, for that is their inheritance. They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the Lord is their inheritance, as He promised them.”

“This is the share due the priests from the people who sacrifice a bull or a sheep: the shoulder, the jowls, and the inner parts. You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your sheep, for the Lord your God has chosen them and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the Lord's name always.”

“If a Levite moves from one of your towns anywhere in Israel where he is living, and comes in all earnestness to the place the Lord will choose, he may minister in the name of the Lord his God like all his fellow Levites who serve there in the presence of the Lord. He is to share equally in their benefits, even though he has received money from the sale of family possessions.”

Deuteronomy 18:1-8

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As I look back on the spiritual road that I’ve traveled with the Lord, the road of my Christian walk…I can clearly see how blessed I have been to have awesome spiritual leaders and mentors, all who played an important role in making me the spiritual leader I am today.

It all started back when I was growing up in the very small western Pennsylvania town of Brookville. During my youth, my mother took me to the local Presbyterian church and the senior Pastor there was Reverend Darr Briggs. He was really someone that I looked up to as a young man trying to learn how to spell Jesus.

I remember that he never had a harsh word for me but always sought to encourage and edify in my faith and I think this is why I loved going to church so much, discovering gifts that God had blessed me with. At that time, it was playing the trumpet and I played with the choir, accompanying them on selected anthems. I also would serve as an acolyte, carrying a candle lighter/snuffer down the aisle to light and extinguish candles at the start and conclusion of services. To this day, my memories of time in church are more vivid than any others from my growing up and I hold gratitude in my heart for the blessing of my first pastor, Reverend Darr Briggs.

My next church involvement came after a nine year drought in my life. I had joined the Navy and left my beloved Brookville Presbyterian Church as well as Reverend Briggs, ending up stationed on the other side of the country in Stockton, California. Unfortunately, I never sought a church home there and as a result, my spiritual life became a dry wasteland. I didn’t lead my family spiritually and subsequently, my family fell apart. In 1989, after returning to the east coast and Norfolk, Virginia, my marriage ended in divorce and I hit rock bottom.

I vividly remember my heart attitude. I couldn’t believe what was happening to me because I was living the lie that so many non-believers live, convinced that I was a good person. After all, I didn’t drink or do drugs. During my marriage, I was completely faithful and dedicated to my wife and kids, never going off to do my own thing when I was home at the expense of spending time with my family. And while all these things were commendable, none of them was as important as leading my family spiritually. My allowing my relationship with the Lord to die on the proverbial vine led to a steep cost being paid. I found myself at the lowest part of my life but it was there that God - our awesome, loving God - came to my rescue and brought me “Amazing Grace”, both literally and figuratively.

For in 1992, I was working as a volunteer at a Norfolk elementary school when the Lord led me to the assistant principal, a woman by the name of Grace. On that day, we would speak for a few minutes about our plans for the weekend before she was called away to the office but in the moment, something told me this was no chance encounter. I felt a special push to get to know this woman more and little did I know at the time that it was the Lord doing the pushing.

And so I sent flowers to the school for Grace and asked if she would go to dinner with me. She accepted and from that first date, we began dating regularly. As we began to spend time together, I remember how she made it crystal clear that if we were going to be in relationship with one another, the Lord had to be first. I quickly told her I was good with that but inside, I was a raging ball of anxiety with many questions rushing to the surface of my mind.

“I haven’t been to church in years. How will God feel about that?”

”Will I remember the Old from the New Testament? And concerning that, where is my Bible anyways? I can’t remember the last time I used it.”

Well, as I would learn later, God was feeling anxious as well but it was a good anxiousness for like the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), He was excited to welcome me home, wrap His arms around me, and show me just what I had been missing all those years I chose to walk without Him.

Well, Grace and I would marry and begin to our life together as one flesh on the sure solid foundation of Jesus Christ. We began attending Bayside Presbyterian Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and there I would be pastored and mentored by the Reverend Dick Keever. For the next 14 years, I would go on to learn so much from Dick as he developed me spiritually and groomed me for special leadership roles in the church. I began to teach youth Sunday School and then adult classes. I was selected and ordained as a church elder and served three terms on Session. And I would lead church worship if either Dick or his associate pastor were away. Indeed, the Lord truly blessed me with the Reverend Dick Keever who played a key part in making me the Christian leader and man I am today.

Grace and I felt called to move our ministry to a new church and we ended up at Bayside Baptist Church in Virginia Beach. Drawn there by the Holy Spirit, we were blessed by the leadership of Pastor Mark Pullen, probably the strongest preacher I have ever heard. His sermons were always true to the Word and I recall how he was able to preach without prepared notes. All he needed was the Lord to give him the words to speak. At Bayside Baptist, I began to teach youth and adults again, was ordained as a Deacon, and served as a worship leader with the church’s music ministry, using my gift of singing in the choir, performing solos when needed, and leading the congregation on hymn singing every other week.

Finally, the Lord had yet another move in mind right toward the tail end of the COVID era and we found ourselves at Atlantic Shores Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, now renamed Crossway Church. The lead Pastor there, Ron Jones, is a dynamic preacher who Grace first heard on the radio under Something Good, a ministry he founded that is now also broadcasting on television. We have been blessed to be a part of this body of Christ where I am once again teaching adults and serving on the Counseling ministry, having recently gained certification as a Biblical Lay Counselor.

So why spend so much time and space sharing this with you?

Because I feel we don’t give our spiritual leaders enough credit or attention and they deserve better than that. As I am now ready to begin my latest calling from the Lord, Chaplain of the Virginia Beach Correctional Center, I am seeing first hand just how challenging it is for those who are leading spiritually at the highest levels. It’s definitely not for the faint at heart, that’s for sure.

As we look at our passage today, we see where quality spiritual leadership was important to God and if it was important to Him, then it should be important to us. To that end, here are three points of emphasis we find in these opening eight verses of Deuteronomy, chapter 18:

First, God chose His spiritual leaders.

We read where “…the Lord your God has chosen them and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the Lord's name always.” Indeed, these spiritual leaders were hand selected and we should note that not everyone is entitled to lead at the highest levels. Only those God selects and appoints are able to do so and this is why I am so thankful for the men God chose to lead me: Reverends Darr Briggs and Dick Keever and Pastors Mark Pullen and Ron Jones.

Going back to our passage today, given that spiritual leaders were chosen, the scriptures further tell us the following:

“The priests, who (were) Levites - indeed the whole tribe of Levi – (were) to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They (were to) live on the offerings made to the Lord by fire, for that (was) their inheritance. They (would) have no inheritance among their brothers” because “the Lord (was) their inheritance, as He (had) promised them.”

In other words, the Lord wanted the Levites to be fully focused on carrying out the work God wanted them to do. They weren’t supposed to worry about what they had or what they might receive from the world but were to rely on God for their provision.

Today, pastors are paid from the church treasury which is funded by the offerings and tithes of the congregation. The spiritual leaders of today still rely on God’s provision through His people in order to have what they need to live and this leads to the second point:

God expected the people to care for His chosen spiritual leaders.

Going back to the scriptures, we find these words from God:

“This is the share due the priests from the people who sacrifice a bull or a sheep: the shoulder, the jowls, and the inner parts. You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your sheep, for the Lord your God has chosen them and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the Lord's name always.”

The Israelites, God’s chosen people, were to ensure that His appointed leaders were properly taken care of. And notice that they weren’t supposed to just give the Levites their leftovers. No, our verses for today make it clear that the Levites were to receive the firstfruits from the people, their very best.

Then and now, God gives His best to His people and He expects that they will give their best back to Him.

With this, some questions comes to mind that should challenge us:

How well do we give back to God what He has first given to us?

Do we give Him our firstfruits or does He receive our leftovers, our second best?

Do we really give as we should to the church so that God’s chosen spiritual leaders are provided for properly?

I encourage you to seriously ponder these questions and respond accordingly, if need be. The Lord knows what we do and don’t do, that’s for certain.  

As I get set to close, one final point…

God called His leaders to go and minister wherever He chose.

Let’s go back to the Deuteronomy 18 passage:

“If a Levite moves from one of your towns anywhere in Israel where he is living, and comes in all earnestness to the place the Lord will choose, he may minister in the name of the Lord his God like all his fellow Levites who serve there in the presence of the Lord.”

The Lord did and still does call on His spiritual leaders to move and continue their ministry work at the places He chooses. Speak with any minister who has been doing it for awhile and they will tell you about all the places they have been, sharing their own testimonies about their ministry experiences at each place they’ve been. Very few spend their entire ministry career serving the same congregation.

And so we should always carry a great appreciation for our spiritual leaders who consistently and persistently display and incredible dedication to serve the Lord and those He has given them to shepherd. As we appreciate them, let us also pray over them because they, like we, are always under spiritual attack from the enemy who would like nothing more than to take down every spiritual leader that God raises up.

In response to this message and the Word we’ve looked at, I hope that you will take an extra minute this Sunday or next to tell your pastor, the one God has chosen to spiritually lead you and your family, how much you love and value them and what they do in service to the Lord on a daily basis. Maybe you could also send them a nice thank you card with an added gift card to a restaurant or Christian book store if you can swing it.

The bottom line is that we should be thankful for our spiritual leaders and let them know it. If it was a priority for God, let it be a priority for us as well.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.