What is a holy
convocation?
Knowing
and believing that Jesus Christ is our High Priest should also raise our
consciousness in knowing and understanding what it means to have a holy
convocation because the main duty of a high priest is to officiate and be the
mediator between God and man and with reference to Jesus Christ we are told; “For
there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1Timothy 2:5).
We should also bear in mind that when Moses was about to
build the tabernacle he was divinely instructed saying; “See that you make all
things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain." Signifying
that, the earthly tabernacle was a copy and shadow of the heavenly tabernacle. But
today, with the real tabernacle in heaven and with Jesus Christ our High Priest
we are told that; “Now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as
He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better
promises” (Hebrews
8: 5-6).
We have also been duly instructed saying; “But Christ came
as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect
tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the
blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy
Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of
bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies
for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is
the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the
transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive
the promise of the eternal inheritance” (Hebrews 9:11-15).
Therefore
the crux of the matter is; “For every high priest taken from among men is
appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and
sacrifices for sins.” And the reality is, Jesus Christ is no exception. For we
have been duly instructed saying; “Now this is the main point of the things we
are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the
throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the
true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.’
“For
every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One (Jesus
Christ) also have something to offer. For if He were on earth, He would
not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the
law; who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was
divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said,
"See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the
mountain." But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as
He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises”
(Hebrews 5:1; 8:1-6).
And
so the logical question is, is there a protocol, an appointed time ordained by
God for Jesus Christ our High Priest to offer to the Father an offering on our
behalf! Since the rationale for the offering is to cleanse our conscience from
dead works to serve the living God because, God is light and does not associate
with darkness and this is what we have been admonished saying:
“This
is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is
light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with
Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk
in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and
the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness: If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and
His word is not in us” (1John
1:5-10).
Therefore,
the main objective of having a holy convocation is to offer the Lord the food
for His offerings as we have been duly instructed saying; “These are the feasts
of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an
offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a
sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day.’
Now
please note carefully that this offering is besides (or in addition to
observing) the Sabbaths of the LORD, besides our gifts, besides all our vows,
and besides all our freewill offerings which we give to the LORD” (Leviticus 23: 37-38).
Because
the rationale for this offering is to cleanse us from all sins so as to be
presented holy, sinless, blameless and irreproachable in the presence of the
Father and to have fellowship with Him and His Son who is officiating as our
High Priest and also with one another and therefore, the appointed times which
the Lord commanded saying; “Command the children of Israel, and say to them,
'My offering, My food for My offerings made by fire as a sweet aroma to Me, you
shall be careful to offer to Me at their appointed time” (Numbers 28:2).
Thus
signifying that, this command has not been abolished but rather has been
reformed in order to fulfill the second established will of the Father and thus
establishing the new and living way to the throne of grace so as to have
fellowship with one another and with the Father and the Son. Therefore, the most important integral component of true worship is that of offering the Lord the food for Hs offerings.
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With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph