My Part (Now)

In the days of Ezra, the Israelites needed to figure out their part in the Temple-rebuilding project.  The same is true for us today.  The Temple today is God’s Church.  Church members are the living stones being built into the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? (1 Corinthians 12:12-17 ESV)

Our first mistake is often thinking that there are only a few “important” roles in God’s Church.  This simply isn’t true.  Every role is God-ordained and necessary for the healthy building of God’s Temple: The Church.  We cannot say about another person in the Church, “I don’t need you.”

Our second mistake, then, is saying that there is no role for ourselves.  We have many reasons for not actively participating in the Body of Christ, but the end result is the same: we don’t participate.  But God has called you to ministry just like God has called me.  God has appointed you a role in His Body just as God has appointed me.  Each of us is necessary to the fulfillment of God’s Plan.  We cannot say, “I am not needed.”

For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:11-15 ESV)

There will be common pieces to our roles.  They are created by God.  We are appointed by God to these roles.  We report directly to Christ, the Head of the Body (Church). We are connected to one another and we cannot break that connection.  Our roles will be used to build up the Body (Church) into Christ (the Head) so that we all become more mature, experiencing the fullness of God’s design and desire for our lives.  Our part of God’s Plan will help one another walk together with God.

How about you?  Do you see that you have been called by God to participate in the building of His Temple?  Do you recognize that you have been called to ministry?  Do you know what part God has appointed you to fulfill?  Are you living out your part of God’s Plan?

Their Part (Then)

The Israelites are returning from captivity to rebuild the Temple of the LORD.  The process began by identifying who would return and who would fill the roles of priest and Levite.  This would be important spiritually as well as economically.  Spiritually, the people in these roles needed to match God’s requirements for the people.  Economically, this would determine who will live off of the tithes brought in by the other eleven tribes.  Many priests and Levites were identified for the return trip and rebuilding project.

Another group returned at this time from the towns of Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Kerub, Addan, and Immer. However, they could not prove that they or their families were descendants of Israel. (Ezra 2:59 NLT)

Some groups thought they were descendants of priests and Levites, but they didn’t have the paperwork to prove it.  This created a problem because they all want to do this return and rebuild in a way that is walking together with God.  So, they did exactly what they should have done.  They asked God.

They searched for their names in the genealogical records, but they were not found, so they were disqualified from serving as priests. The governor told them not to eat the priests' share of food from the sacrifices until a priest could consult the LORD about the matter by using the Urim and Thummim--the sacred lots. (Ezra 2:62-63 NLT)

Whether these families end up as Levites or not is actually secondary to the story.  What’s more important here is that they wanted to walk with God, so they asked God.  They allowed God to lead.  They had the humility to accept whatever role God had in store for them.  The Israelites were, once again, walking together with God.

How about you?  Do you have difficulty determining your part of God’s Plan?  How do you go about finding out?  Do you search the Scriptures?  Do you turn to God in prayer?  Do you let God lead your decision-making process? Do you want to walk together with God?

God’s Plan (Now)

Back when the Israelites were returning to rebuild the Temple, they started identifying people who qualified for specific roles like Levite or priest.  That’s because these people were ordained by God to fulfill specific roles.

But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. (1 Corinthians 12:18 ESV)

In God’s Church today, the same is true.  God ordains (sets apart) specific people for specific roles in His Body – The Church.

If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. (1 Corinthians 12:19-20 ESV)

The key difference between then and now is the number of roles and people involved.  Back then, 1/12 of the tribes were set apart for special God-ordained roles in Israel.  Today, every member of God’s Church is set apart by God to serve in some special way.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. (1 Corinthians 12:21-24 ESV)

When we think about people being set apart for ministry, we usually think of “big roles” like pastor/teacher, elder, overseer, or deacon.  The reality, though, is that every person in God’s Church is set apart for ministry.  Sometimes the most “modest” of ministries are the most impactful.

But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. (1 Corinthians 12:24-26 ESV)

God’s Plan back then looks much like God’s Plan today.  God wants to empower, equip, and encourage us all to walk together with God.  Now, however, we are all called and set apart to participate in God’s Team.  We cannot say to someone else, “I don’t need you.”

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. (1 Corinthians 12:27 ESV)

How about you?  Do you see God’s Church as God’s Team?  Have you ever thought about every member being called by God?  Have you ever thought about every member being set-apart as a minister?  Have you ever said in your mind, “I cannot say, ‘I don’t need you.’”

God’s Plan (Then)

When the Israelites returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity, they started to identify the people and groups who were going to do specific jobs in the LORD’s Temple once it is built. It may seem strange that they are identifying workers for a role that cannot be lived out yet, but these roles are necessary to live out God’s Plan for their day. Back in the days of Moses, the people were afraid to approach God.  So, God gave them prophets (starting with Moses) who would speak the Word of God to the people.

These are the priests who returned from exile: (Ezra 2:36a NLT)

In addition to the prophets, God gave them priests who would intervene on behalf of the people.  These priests performed all of the animal sacrifices, reminding everyone that rebellion against God is a serious thing.  The wages of sin is death.  The animal’s death and sacrifice would be a reminder of that truth.  Priests were set apart for that role.

These are the Levites who returned from exile: (Ezra 2:40a NLT)

In addition to the priests, God gave them people to maintain the tent and (then later) the Temple building.  These people would pack up the Tabernacle (tent) and move it whenever God’s people would move.  When they settled into the land that the LORD gave to them, they maintained the Temple building that was built.  This Tabernacle/Temple was the place where people could draw near to God.  It was also the place where the animal sacrifices took place.  It was important to maintain this place well.

These people were not allowed to be just anyone.  The roles were created by God.  The people were selected by God.  People in the tribe of Levi would maintain the Tabernacle and Temple.  Only certain Levites, descendants of Aaron, could serve as priests.  They needed not only the right genealogy, but the right lifestyle as well.  Priests, especially, were held to a higher standard of Holiness.  This would give all of the Israelites a picture of what it looked like to walk together with God.

How about you?  Have you ever taken the time to see God’s Plan through the Israelites of the Old Testament?  Do you see how the roles of prophet, priest, and Levite are all important?  Do you see how they fit into God’s Plan?

A Worker

Here is the list of the Jewish exiles of the provinces who returned from their captivity. King Nebuchadnezzar had deported them to Babylon, but now they returned to Jerusalem and the other towns in Judah where they originally lived. (Ezra 2:1 NLT)

The Israelite nation isn’t really a nation at this point in history.  They had been captured by the Babylonians and deported into captivity.  Now, because the LORD moved the heart of the Persian king, the remaining Israelites get to return to their home towns.  Not only that, they get to rebuild the LORD’s Temple.

Their leaders were Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. This is the number of the men of Israel who returned from exile: (Ezra 2:2 NLT)

Ezra tells us the account and spends an entire chapter naming the people and, when the numbers are too great, telling the number of people who returned for this Temple-building project.  This is a piece of Scripture that most of us glaze over or skip, but it’s important enough to make it into the pages of Scripture.  Why?  It’s simple.  People are important to God and this is God’s story.

For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building. (1 Corinthians 3:9 ESV)

In our day and age, people are still important to God.  God includes us as a part of God’s story as well.  The Temple we are building is not made of stone.  We are building up the Temple which is God’s Church.  We are living stones, being built up as a residence for the Holy Spirit.  Not only that, we are the workers who are doing the building process.

How about you?  Do you see God building up the Church around you?  Are you a part of the Temple where God’s Sprit dwells?  Are you building up God’s Church? Are you a worker?