Prophet, Pilgrim, and Priest – Part One

 

For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.

Ezra 7:10

When I was a first year student at Dallas Theological Seminary, I received a letter of orientation to campus life. On it was a removable adhesive label with my mailbox, combination, student ID number, and few other common and needed pieces of information. We were meant to peel the label, attach it to a book, and carry it for reference. I realized I was looking at it at some point almost every day. I wanted to make the most of something that I knew I would turn to again and again, so I wrote “Ez 7.10” on it to remind me not just how to get along on campus, but also why I came to seminary in the first place.

I had come to a deep faith in Jesus as my Savior in my early twenties. I wanted to know the Word. In a world of words, I was starved for truth. I wanted to learn the bible well. I also wanted to live the life to which it called me. I had a passion to encourage others in their faith. I wanted to tell what The Truth.

What I have come to realize as the Lord has led me on this journey is that when a pastor enters the pulpit and speaks the Word of God for the People of God to understand and act upon, he must wear three hats to accomplish this task. He must speak as the Prophet who hears the Word of God, the Pilgrim who shares his spiritual life journey, and the Priest who serves others.

 

THE PROPHET (Eternal – The Mystic)

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

1 Thessalonians 2:13

The Bible is True.

The preacher must receive the word as the distinct, unique, very word of God if his heart and mind are to engage it and be engaged by it properly.

He then speaks as a Prophet. He has heard the Word of God, and so he must speak for God. Peter says, “whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God…—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. [1 Peter 4:11]

First and foremost, the pastor speaks from the bible without diminishing its authority or inflating his own. The message has to represent truthfully what God says. That means we must know what we believe about the bible.

We believe the Bible is true in the truest, highest and most objective sense. It is the very word of God. Though it comes through the instruments of people, it is protected by the power of the Spirit of God. It reveals the person of God. Literally this happens in the most unique way. The biography of God is written through the lives of the People of God. [For more on this thought, listen to the series, the People of God, from the Terra pulpits.]

We believe that the Bible brings us to the reality of Jesus himself. There are several verses worth building ministries around. We steep our lives in them until their rich realities stain our soul. We don’t try to bring them up; we don’t have to. They continually flow out of us. For me, the indelible mark of Jesus seeing the Bible being about revealing Himself so that people may come to Him, has colored my faith, practice and teaching (John 5:39ff).

We believe the Word of God, inspired and applied by the Spirit of God, changes in the People of God. The Word of God is effective. It is “at work in you believers.” It is described as sharper than any two-edged sword. It cuts into the intimate parts of us (Heb. 4:12). The bible is carefully laid out as a book to inform our minds, purify our hearts, and shape the work of our hands. That balance of head, heart and hands will help us as followers. Be clear and be sure that the word is growing you in all those areas.

To be good prophets, we must be people who listen. We need uninterrupted time with the Word of the Lord and the Lord of the Word. American culture has ingenuity for efficient productions. It has shaped our country in both economy and mind-set. We celebrate streamlined pragmatism. However, it is not smarter or quicker production that makes messages that speak with a prophetic voice. That is the work of homiletics and rhetoric, which are certainly a part of the skill set of preachers. But skilled speakers are truly only as valuable as their content.

Dwell in the Word to find its Truths.

While the bible has many applications, (we know this in our own lives by finding different responses at different times to the same passage) it has one interpretation. It may be worked out many ways, but it means one thing.

Saturation will help you see the text better. Put down pegs and make camp on a piece of scriptural text for a time. Read it morning, noon and night. Take notes on it. Looking at the text through multiple lenses will help you read the text multiple times profitably. The way I study the bible for personal benefit and preparation was so effective for me, I taught it to the small group leaders and elders at Terra Nova. It became known as Lectio Coram Deo. I recommend it to you. You can find more on this bible study approach here.

Jesus Christ is the focus of the Bible’s Truth.

The Truth of the Word Reveals Jesus Christ.
When Jesus spoke to the Pharisees, he made it clear that the scriptures alone were not an end unto themselves. The scriptures, in all their prophecy, poetry, and history speak of Jesus. They tell the story of Jesus. They make the promises of Jesus. When we are steeped in Scripture with this same purpose in mind, we become like Christ. After all, we are Christians and not Biblians.

To tell of Jesus in the neatest, briefest sense is to tell the Christ event. It is the story of God with the People of God in 3 acts. In the incarnation we discover Immanuel, God with us. He speaks to us. He becomes the bible’s ultimate prophet. In the crucifixion, we discover not just the goodness of his nearness, but also the depth of his love. On the cross he dies for us and becomes the most effective priest the bible knows. After his resurrection, we come to know Jesus, the Lord. All power is given to him (Matt 28) and he sits the right hand, the position of power, of the Father, until his final return to vanquish the last vestiges of opposition to the rule of God.

When we encounter God through the Bible, when we listen to His voice, we find Jesus. The promise of a deliverer echoes from the pages of the past. “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” thunders from the heavens. The prophecy of the return of the King and the Kingdom to come moves the needle as we point the compass of faith forward. To know the bible is to know Jesus. We have to ask questions of the text whose answers can only be found in Jesus.

Incarnation : Christ the Prophet.
Does it speak to what he says to us? Or what it says about Christ?

Cruxifixction : Christ the Priest
Does it speak of sin and sacrifice?

Resurrection : Christ the King
Does it reveal rule and rebellion? Is there a promise of his rule and care?

Make it Relational.

One of the best ways to steep in the revelation of God is to dialogue with God about these things. Next time you are reading a text, rather than noting or listing things you see about God, try writing them to Him. For example, “You are merciful. You give life.” You can pray these truths back to Him as worship.

As we enter the Word, the Word works through us. It makes us and shapes us. Pastors must share that path. Pastors must be pilgrims. Pastors must be those who follow Jesus, before we can serve well as the priests who minister Christ to others.
Next week will expand on this in Part Two of this blog; “Pilgrim Before Priest”