Tuesday: Missionaries and Worship Leaders
Isa: 66:19-21
What is the meaning of survivors bringing people from the nations as an offering to the Lord? Isaiah 66.19-20.
God sends survivors of His destruction out to the ends of the earth, to people who do not know about God, “and they shall declare my glory among the nations” (Isa: 66:19, NRSV).
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This is one of the clearest Old Testament statements of the theme of missionary outreach. In other words, not only are people to be drawn to the Hebrew nation, but some of the Hebrew people will go to other nations and teach them about the true God—a paradigm that is explicit in the New Testament. Though there was Jewish missionary outreach between the time of return from exile and the time of Christ (Matt: 23:15), the early Christians spread the gospel rapidly and on a massive scale (Col: 1:23).
Just as the Israelites brought grain offerings to the Lord at His temple, so the missionaries would bring an offering to Him. But their offering would be “all your kindred from all the nations” (Isa: 66:20, NRSV). Just as grain offerings were gifts to God that were not slaughtered, the converts brought to the Lord would be presented to Him as “living sacrifices” (compare Rom: 12:1). For the idea that people could be presented as a kind of offering to God, note the much earlier dedication of Levites “as an elevation offering from the Israelites, that they may do the service of the LORD” (Num: 8:11, NRSV).
What is the significance of God’s promise to “take some of them as priests and as Levites” (Isa: 66:21, NRSV)?
The “them” in verse 21 refers to “your kindred from all the nations” (NRSV) in the previous verse. These are Gentiles, some of whom God would choose as worship leaders, along with the priests and Levites. This is a revolutionary change. God previously had authorized only descendants of Aaron to serve as priests and only other members of the tribe of Levi to assist them. Gentiles could not literally become descendants of Aaron or Levi, but God would authorize some to serve in these capacities, which had previously been forbidden even to most Jews.
Read 1 Peter 2.9-10. To whom is Peter writing? What is he saying? What message does he have for each of us, as members of a “holy nation” today? Are we doing any better than the original people (Exod: 19:6)?
(34)
One of the interesting bits about the story of Moses is recounted in Exodus 34:
Moses had just been on Mount Sinai in the presence of God, and when he came back down to the Israelite camp, his face shone from the experience. Moses had something to say to the people of his relationship with God and his experience; and it showed. Moses did not just have words to give the people, he had an experience to share.
Winding forward to 2021: We put a lot of emphasis on sharing the Gospel but that often equates to sharing words. For our sharing to be effective we must the experiences with God to be shared. Does our face shine, revealing where we have been and the time we have spent with God. Of course I don't mean that in the literal sense, but I think you know what I mean. Do we have a spiritual experience to be shared that "glows in the dark" or is it something like head knowledge that we are trying to share.
When I think back to the big influences in my spiritual life, I don't think of learning doctrinal texts (although I am glad I did learn them) but I think of those people who shared their stories and experiences with me, creating a desire in me to have what they were experiencing.
If we are to be missionaries we must have something more than words to share. Do our faces "shine", revealing we have had an experience with God?
Maurice how many times have you been in a gathering and people are asked to give their testimonies, do you find its the same people that gave testimonies in church? What about the other people that come month after month even years, do those people have a testimony? What I have found out is, many come to church just to hear what other people have to say/their business. I think anyone with such mentality is not walking with Jesus and just fooling themselves. I, like some others like to give testimonies. The more I give a testimony, the more the Lord give me another one, and the more I prove that the Lord that I serve is real. Every testimony I gave openly is a means of drawing myself and others to Jesus. It shows his power to do what he says. To provide and protect.
I am very skeptical of those who have no testimony because they are of no help to me when I need encouragement. I might as well go to the man on the street who does not profess that he knows Christ but he might give me something to hold on to in hard times. E.g that person might me someone who plays the lotto and have faith that he will win someday, then one day he wins. He is a man of living faith in his lotto. That can encourage me.
Lyn with a lot of Love, this is a bit over critical. Nicodemus would come to Jesus at night and Christ would not regard him as a lesser person simply because he could not come to Him openly. Am sure your statement would rub some of your church friends the wrong way. I want to join Peter in saying that the Holy spirit has given us different gifts and personalities, but non should regard his/her gift superior to the other brethren's gift hence looking down upon the other. That's how pride starts rearing it's ugly head. God bless you though for your missionary work on this blog.
Lyn, I have always enjoyed reading your posts and I find them to be encouraging, but what you have just posted made me roll my eyes. Comments like this are the reason people like me and my family are finding it hard to return to church. Judgemental much?? Yes!!
I do not really care why people come to church. If they walk in the doors, God must have called them in and they are fair game for God’s love. My job is to mingle with them as one desiring their good, showing sympathy for them, serving their needs and winning their confidence. The power of prayer and of God’s amazing love will put them in the hands of the One who knows every weakness, lifts every burden and heals every sin-sick soul.
Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the Lord your God. Lev 19:4
'What message does he have for each of us, as members of a “holy nation” today? Are we doing any better than the original people (Exod: 19:6)?
Many times we throw around the term 'holy nation' but before we get to the verse with being a 'holy nation' that nation has to fulfill the requirements of Jesus before they can be call a 'holy nation'. Hear what the Lord requires of his people.
Exod 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, THEN you will become a 'holy nation'. No one can go to school and become a part of an elite club of 'holy nation', that's not how it works. Do we realized it follows the wilderness of Sinai experience? In verse 8, all the people answered together and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. We read out of 603,550 men of war that was counted Numbers 1:46, 20yr old and above that left Egypt only 2 made it into the promised land. It was only those 2 that meant it and kept their words. The others died in the wilderness before reaching the promised land. What about us spiritual Israel?
Thank you for your thoughts, Lyn,
I appreciate your significant input to SSNet discussions.
I agree that there is great value in sharing our testimony. However, may I respectfully suggest that we need to be careful about making assumptions about people who do not speak up in meetings. You say "I am very skeptical of those who have no testimony because they are of no help to me when I need encouragement."
I have known many people over the years who are shy about speaking in a group, but are very gifted with sharing one-to-one in private lives and social settings.
God can use people of all different personality types in all different settings.
Thank you for that comment, Peter. I think sharing in meetings has a lot more to do with personality than whether people have nothing to share. Remember Romans 14:4. It's easy to assume everyone should be a Christian like us, but we must be careful not to judge.
Thanks Peter for the contribution. I am one and I feel within me whether or not I publicly share my testimony. God sees the heart that I'm everly grateful to him. Speaking in gatherings, I feel shy sometimes.
We, "Spiritual Israel" will never fully be a "Holy Nation" until God Himself is our King, and that will never happen until Jesus finally claims that title for good, when He returns in Power and Great Glory, soon and very soon.
Go into all the world. For some of us all the world may be our neighbors, and those we come in contact within the vicinity of 100 miles. Whether it is local or overseas, our prayer should be, give me Lord the mind of Jesus, make me Holy as He is, may I prove I have been with Jesus who is all my righteousness.
The study guide author states:
"God sends survivors of His destruction out to the ends of the earth, to people who do not know about God, “and they shall declare my glory among the nations” (Isa: 66:19, NRSV)."
This shows us that some of the prophecies given through Isaiah took place before the end of the world because after the Second Coming and the 1000 years all the survivors will know the LORD.
After Jesus ascension this instruction is given again in the Great Commission:
Matthew 28:19-20
19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The good news is that each is given spiritual gifts that are suited to our personality, not all will stand up in front of the crowd and give a testimony, some will work in the background, some will be helping those in need. The Holy Spirit through Paul tells us not to look down on those whom we consider to have the lessor gifts:
1Cor 12:27-28 Amplified Bible
27Now you [collectively] are Christ’s body, and individually [you are] members of it [each with his own special purpose and function]. 28So God has appointed and placed in the church [for His own use]: first apostles [chosen by Christ], second prophets [those who foretell the future, those who speak a message from God to the people], third teachers, then those who work miracles, then those with the gifts of healings, the helpers, the administrators, and speakers in various kinds of tongues.
And most exciting the Spirit of Prophecy tells that some of the saved will fly to other planets and share their experiences with unfallen beings.
But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. Acts 13:14
Missionaries and Worship Leaders
Who is a missionary? - one who is from a religious group who tells others, whether far or near about Jesus and perform ministries of services- education, health, literacy, social justice and/or economic development.
Who were missionaries in the bible- In the OT, Prophets were missionaries. In the NT, Paul was the first missionary Acts 13:1-4, then the disciples- the twelve and the seventy then the church began to grow as they also became missionaries.
Who are Worship Leaders- a worship leader has nothing to do with a song leader but is one who is ready and willing to lead a group forward with plans for the organization.
So a missionary and a worship leader is anyone who is led by the Holy Spirit and is working to tell and show others about the love of God. Our work/labor much reflect what Jesus did on earth. He show us how we ought to live.
Am I called to be a missionary and a worship leader? yes, I am.
Yes!! To God be the glory!!
The last few verses of the Book of Isaiah are a bit difficult to understand, though I can see why the author chose this title for this quarter’s last lesson. I suppose the manuscripts recording Isaiah’s ministry of the Word of God to His people are complete, but find the last verses a bit of an unfortunate jumble. It helps, when reading, to focus on ‘spreading the Light of the Glory of God’.
It appears to me that these last few verses are addressed mainly to the children of Israel who will soon experience the loss of their entire homeland and to be taken as captives to Babylon and other nations; to be dispersed among all nations and tongues. As they settle among the people of other nations, they continue to live as the Children of Israel, retaining their national, religious identity.
What the kings of the conquering nations considered to be the destruction of the People of Israel, the nation Israel, their God used to scatter His *Seed*, His children, among these foreign nations to ‘declare His Glory among the Gentiles’, impressing them to want to “come and see His Glory” for themselves.
I read Isa.66:18-22KJV to mean that the surviving people of the nation of Israel, the ones who escaped or were taken captive during their various wars are set: “as a sign among them (the other nations); that God *sent* them to become His Light among those Gentiles. v.(20) “And they (the Gentiles) shall bring (let the people go) ”all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations ….”.
The Gentiles will gladly allow them to go home to “my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD", as the children of Israel come back *as a cleaned vessel* into the house of the LORD. And not only do they come, but also some people from heathen nations - (21)”And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the LORD.”
It appeared as death, destruction and captivity for the children of Israel, the chosen people of God, but they became a living testimony of the Glory of God. In their struggle for survival, God drew near to them as they worshiped Him by identifying themselves by His Laws and so lived according to His Will.
As God, in the passing of time, restored His House of Worship at Jerusalem, He drew His people back to their homeland to again meet Him in their Temple.
Experiencing the hardship of isolation during their captivity, they focused their hearts and minds to restore their religious, communal living and so became a ‘clean vessel’!
Wherever man finds himself, whatever the circumstances, God calls him to leave the darkness of their mind behind and come into HIS marvelous Light of Hope and Perseverance to so declare His Glory.
Go to all the world. The delivered demoniac wanted to be part of the team of the 12 Apostles, but Jesus said to them to go to their relatives and neighbors and there tell what "Great Things" God had done for them. And that is where most, if not all, of us need to be witnesses for Jesus and just "Tell what great things God has done and is doing for us." Not all are called by God to be Apostles, prophets, Teachers, etc. and etc.
It seems to me that these "missionaries and worship leaders" that will be brought home with the children of God are those who have become grafted in and adopted by God's family. Sound familiar? Where do we find the concept that we are the adopted of God, grafted into the divine family through Jesus, qualified to replace those who died in the rebellion, to take their places in the heavenly assembly to extol the works of God, and travel to yet other places to tell the story of redemption? I think Isaiah through Inspiration saw a lot farther ahead than A.D. 70 through 2021.
The very words of the Apostle Paul that says that "In Christ we are Abrahams' seed and heirs according to the promise," is the "Scriptural Proof," that we are "Grafted" into and adopted by God to be part of God's special end time people, even though we are still "Gentiles," by blood.
Indeed we are called to reach out to the people who are out in the cold, apart from just teaching about our God n salvation what else can we do so as to change the lives of this people for good
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. Prov 15:1
I always ask myself if the bible was not written about thousands of testimonies how would humans be encouraged? I am 100% sure that the bible was not written from human knowledge but was written by holy men as they were inspired by God. Had those testimonies not written about men and women in their everyday struggles, we would have doubted the power of God to do what he says. If unholy humans had written the bible, they would have cover up the bad and terrible things and only show the good ones that men can applaud. Testimonies are there to encourage each other in their struggle. The bible is there to encourage each other in our struggles. Men and women who the Lord called perfect, holy and righteous all had their struggles with sin and overcame. I saw and read from their testimonies in the bible I can become an overcomer. And they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the words of their testimonies Rev 12:11. I like these words from one of my favorite author.
When God’s people see the great need of sinners’ being converted, turned from the service of Satan to serve the living God, the testimonies borne in the Sabbath service will be filled with life and power. The members of the church will be living witnesses for God, and they will testify with joy of their experience in working for souls. Thus it should be. A living church is a working church. {Ms106-1902.6}
I like to look at our TV programs showing men and women who were caught in addiction how they are delivered from the grips of sin. They are a blessing to many others. What Jesus can do for some he can do for all. It is by their testimonies others will be encourage and brought to the saving grace of Jesus.