NEWSLETTER - JUNE 2006

VERSE OF THE MONTH:
“Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Exodus 19:6 (NIV)

IN THIS EDITION:
Our Priestly Ministry
Events

OUR PRIESTLY MINISTRY

A few months after the people of Israel came out of Egypt, God spoke to Moses and reminded him that it was Him who had brought them out of Egypt. He had carried them on eagles’ wings and brought them to Himself (Exodus 19). At this time God called the people a “kingdom of priests”, a group of people who would give themselves to Him, who would love Him and obey His covenant. As we know, later in the story Aaron and family were set aside specifically to perform the priestly duties.

Let me pick up the story in Deuteronomy 10:6-9; Aaron dies, his son succeeds him and the people continue their journey. In this familiar story we are told two seemingly unimportant facts. Aaron dies in a place where there is a well and then the people move to Jotbathah – a land with streams of water – where the Levites are set apart to serve God.

Why are we told about the well and the streams of water?

A well is a place where water is stored. It is a place to which people come. We need spiritual wells. We need places where we can fill our buckets! We need places of refreshment where we can receive from the Father once again. We all need wells.

However, unlike a well a spring is more constant. It keeps on flowing! Jesus teaches us that if we come to Him and believe in Him then streams of living water will flow from within us (John 7). A spring starts within us and flows out to those around us. It refreshes both us and others.

The well and the spring are not unimportant geographical facts. They tell us of the change that is happening as the anointing moves from Aaron to the Levites. Aaron had been the sole source of life yet this was now available to ALL of the priests.

We are ALL priests - 1 Peter 2:5. We ALL have this life within us.

The priests were given certain duties: to carry God’s presence, to stand before Him and minister (worship and sacrifice) and to pronounce blessings. The Levites had no inheritance of their own – God Himself was all they needed.

Too often we are hung up trying to find our ministry! We ask what we must be doing to serve God. We are distracted by function, job titles or position. As we seek a ministry we forget that we are the ministry.

Jesus reveals our true ministry in John 6:28-29: then they asked him, “what must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” Jesus underlines for us that ministry is not function but who we are. Jesus’ ministry was defined by one thing - he was a son of the Father. God’s pleasure in him was because he was a son, not because of the things he did.

Our role as priests is to carry His presence, to stand before Him and to pronounce blessings. The Father’s heart is that He alone would be our inheritance. As He becomes all that we need, streams of living water will arise from the depths of our being and flow out from us. We will be satisfied with Him. No longer will we work for things that spoil or run out (John 6:27) but we will be spoilt by Him and His presence.

We all need wells. We need places where we can go for renewal and refreshment. Yet as His love soaks through our hearts we will find that we become a spring. We will cease striving for acceptance through function and will find His favour in simply knowing we are His son or daughter. As we become a stream we will also become a well to which others will come.

Jesus spent his whole life doing his Father’s business; he was a well and a spring.

EVENTS

We are pleased to be able to host Barry Adams (Father’s Love Letter – www.fathersloveletter.com) in Abingdon, Oxon. Barry will be with us on Saturday 1 st July for an evening celebration of the Father’s Love. The venue for this is Sunningwell Village Hall, a small village on the outskirts of Abingdon. The meeting starts at 7.30pm. Barry is also with Abingdon Community Church on Sunday morning, 10.30am John Mason School. For more information and a map please visit www.afathertoyou.com/signposts/adams.html or click here to contact us.

During June, James and Denise Jordan have a series of meetings at various venues in Scotland – see www.afathertoyou.com/signposts/events.html for more information.

“Experiencing Father’s Love” is a week long school being held in Hemel Hempstead from 2nd to 8th July. James and Denise Jordan and Barry Adams are the main speakers, for more information please contact Jeff Scaldwell, or phone 01442 216621.

Other events are on our Events page www.afathertoyou.com/signposts/events.html

In His Love

Mark Gyde