There is an account given in 1 Kings 18 which I am confident that most of our readers are familiar with. It’s about when Elijah the prophet called out for a showdown between his God, the God of the Jews, and Baal, the god of the prevailing king and the citizens of Israel. Elijah said,
“Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table. And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well-spoken.”
1 Kings 18:19,24
Then Elijah addressed the people present and said,
“And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye (do you hesitate) between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.” 1 Kings 18:21
That is such a great question! People who have been around me for any length of time have probably heard me argue against Christians trying to maintain what I refer to as “dual citizenship”, that is they try to live with one foot in the Kingdom and the other foot in the World, endeavoring to maintain a life dividing their loyalties and enterprises between God and man.
Personally, it is not up to me to judge another person for the way they live their lives, but if they go by the term “Christian”, whether we like it or not, it changes everything. Suddenly their lives are subject to inspection and criticism by believers and unbelievers alike, and more often than not all parties are dissatisfied with what they see. The Christians find you too “worldly” and the unbelievers find you too “holier than thou”. Basically, your credibility is undermined no matter where you go. This would be a great time to ask ourselves that question, “How long are you going to hesitate between two beliefs? If your Lord is God, follow him: but if this world is your god then follow it!” Either way, make a choice.
That brings me to the message today. Recently Virginia and I have been watching a Bible Study with Andy Stanley Called Brand New. He is teaching that before Jesus came along, the Jews, and in fact, most cultures had in place something called the Temple model, which always employed the same four basic requisites.
Sacred place
Sacred texts (Specifically for the Jews, the Ten Commandments, and the other 600 Levitical laws)
Sacred men who interpreted the texts (always men)
Sincere/trusting followers
In the case of the church, these requirements were fulfilled by
the temple, the scriptures, the priesthood (always men), and the followers.
Pastor Stanley contends that Jesus came with a completely new model. The believers are meant to take the place of the temple
“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?” 1 Corinthians 6:19 (NLT)
Stanley also maintains that the sincere followers of Christ (both men and women) have also become the priesthood and that with the Holy Spirit living within each of us, we are all able to interpret the sacred texts and make and mentor more new believers! Talk about a game-changer! The temple is eliminated. The sacred texts are open to every believer. The Sacred men, the keepers of the keys have been eliminated. The whole playing field has been leveled, or perhaps more accurately put elevated.
That is some pretty exciting stuff! That is unless you are a temple builder or one of the sacred keepers of the keys. It was only to be expected that the change would not come without some resistance. Priests liked being priests, sort of a cut above the common person. They liked the temple because it gave gravity and presence to the priesthood and their message. So as much as they were able some of these obsolete practices were incorporated into Jesus’s brand new model. Unfortunately, the result of this is confusion regarding the message and the approach of the body of Christ.
Rather than reading the scriptures themselves and listening for the Holy Spirit’s interpretation, many are content to let the pastors (priests) tell them what they should believe and how they should respond. Rather than developing an intimate relationship with God Himself (an opportunity brought to you and bought for you by Jesus’s death on the cross) we allow others to stand between us and the Father. Imagine yourself going before a parent or someone you love and who loves you, with a defense attorney at your side to ensure your acceptance, because you are painfully aware of all the ways you have failed your father’s expectations. All your father wants to do is to brush your defense attorney aside and wrap his arms around you and tell you he loves you, but you insist on keeping that degree of separation, even though it’s breaking both your hearts.
I know it sounds ridiculous, but that is what happens when we mix the old and the new models. The old model makes us aware of how far we are from holy, and the new model tells us that all of that is simply water under the bridge (or in church language, “covered by the blood”). So again, it’s a great time to ask the question. How long will you hesitate between two choices? If the old ways are better, healthier, then follow them. If Jesus’s brand new way is better, then follow that, but quit hesitating!
Because as the old saying goes, “He who hesitates is lost.”
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