One of the main reasons why people refuse to make a
clear distinction between the holy and the profane, and refusing to teach the
difference between the clean and the unclean it is because of dishonest gains, and fame. But there is a protocol by
which one can appear before the Almighty God, and it is by abiding by the
instructions which says; “by those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy;
And before all the people I must be glorified.' (Leviticus 10:3).
Now to regard the Lord as holy, one must also himself
be holy, for it is written; “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be
sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at
the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves
to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy,
you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for
I am holy" (1 Peter 1:13-16).
Now there is one and only way by which one becomes
holy, and it is by eating of the things by which the atonement was made. For
thus it is written; “Then Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram,
and the bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
They shall eat those things with which the atonement was made, to consecrate
and to sanctify them; but an outsider shall not eat them, because they are
holy” (Exodus 29:32-33).
It is therefore the requirement of everyone who seeks
an audience with the Lord to, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness,
without which no one will see the Lord:” And what gives one the assurance and
boldness to draw near to the Father is as the apostle Paul says; “ Therefore,
brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new
and living way which He consecrated for us through the veil, that is, His
flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a
true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10: 19-22).
It is imperative that believers understand their
status as members of the church. Those who constitute the church are regarded
as, “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His (God's) own
special people, that they may proclaim the praises of Him who called them out
of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now
the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy”.
As a nation of priests and the Lord's chosen people,
our main objective is to, “Come to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by
men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being
built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1
Peter 2: 9-10, 4- 5).
As a nation of priests, our objective is to be holy to
our God and not profane the name of our God, for we offer the offerings of the
Lord, and the bread of their God; therefore we shall be holy. It is for this
reason believers have been duly instructed saying; “I wrote to you in my
epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did
not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous,
or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the
world.'
“But now I have written to you not to keep company
with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an
idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner --- not even to eat
with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are
outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God
judges: Therefore, "put away from yourselves the evil person" (1 Corinthians 5:9-13).
The high calling of the believer is that of holiness,
and therefore have been admonished saying; “Do not be unequally yoked together
with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And
what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial?
Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the
temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God: As God has
said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and
they shall be My people" (2
Corinthians 6:14-16).
So how could this group of people called the church be
a sanctuary for sinners? Except it has been converted to the synagogue of
Satan! One should be careful not to misconstrued the church's commission which
is to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all things that I have commanded you;” with the status of the one who
has been delivered from the power of darkness and conveyed into the kingdom of the Son of God's love, in
whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
The growth of the church comes not by inviting the
world into the church, and allowing it to become a sanctuary for sinners, but
by those who gladly received the word becoming baptized; And continue
steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread,
and in prayers, praising God and having favor with all the people, and the Lord
will add to the church daily those who were being saved.
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With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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