Welcome to April!
Dear Patheos Friends, Welcome to the month of April! A friend shared this April Fool’s Day quote warning me to beware of stupid pranks; “Believe nothing, trust no one, just like any other day.” I appreciated the joke, and thought it was interesting since April Fool’s Day was a travel day to our state capital with some fellow patriots. We are now officially in spring with many things to celebrate and observe for everyone this month. The best celebration this month for Christians around the world being the resurrection of Jesus Christ – Savior of the World! Shoutout to everyone that has a birthday during this month! Blessings and love!
Action Packed Month
April is an action-packed month for many causes dear to our hearts. It’s National Child Abuse Prevention Month- as everyone continues to raise awareness about child abuse prevention and nurture a safe environment for children in homes, schools and churches. Along same lines, it is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month- with all we are seeing within the church collective, this is a cause that God’s people are amplifying to ensure awareness, accountability and support of all survivors. It’s also Autism Awareness Month, National Donate Organ Month, Stress Awareness Month, Financial Literacy Month, Passover for all our Jewish brethren commemorating the Israelites’ liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt, Arbor Day, Earth Day, National Jazz Appreciation Month, National Garden Month, National Pet Month, World Health Day and National Volunteer Month. That’s a full month of advocacy being the hands and feet of Christ for any of the preferred causes dear to your heart.
Christ Cornerstone
We continue our discipleship series with a focus on our priesthood calling as God’s chosen people. In a few days believers in Christ around the world will celebrate the biggest cornerstone of our faith- Easter as it is known and resurrection as the Bible explains. Since many people are right in the middle of the lent season, let’s look at this critical calling for all Christ followers. In the Old Testament, God chose the tribe of Levi (one of the 12 tribes of Israel) for the specific purpose of working and helping the priests who were descendants of Aaron (brother of Moses) to take care of the temple where the ark of the covenant was housed. The Levites were responsible for teaching the law, cleaning the tabernacle, worship, sacrifices and being gatekeepers (Numbers 1: 50-53, Numbers 8: 24-26, Exodus 19:22).
New Breed of Levites
Fast forward to the New Testament, God chose a new breed of Levites. Everyone who has been born again is now a priest because of the finished work of Jesus Christ- our High Priest. His sacrifice for us on the cross, paved the way once and for all by offering up Himself in our place to all believers to enter into this high and holy calling of priesthood (Hebrews 7:27). What a Savior we have! What a gracious God we have! And what a seal we have in the Holy Spirit!
Your Priesthood Calling
Friends, if the only thing we grasp during this lent season is our priesthood calling, we have done well to grasp an unshakeable foundation to our faith in Christ Jesus. Examine the scriptures for yourselves this high calling we have because of Christ. Hebrews 9:11-12, “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” Hebrews 10:11-12, “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” 1 Peter 2:5, “You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In