THE CURRENT MINISTRY OF JESUS

"Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens" (Heb 7:25-26, NKJV).

Devotion 10 of 11

JESUS IS BUILDING HIS CHURCH

With all of the talk about church growth, it is refreshing to consider what Jesus is doing. He is not inactive, He is building His church--now! His effort is God-ordained, God-blessed, productive, and lasting. "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Mat 16:18). What Jesus told Peter He would do, He is presently doing! He is adding to the church daily those who are being saved (Acts 2:47). He is also strengthening His church, ministering through the individual members to prepare and orient them for glory (Eph 4:16; Col 2:19). When the purpose of God has been completed, there will be a vast number that no man can number, out of every kindred, and tribe, and nation--His church (Rev 7:9)! They will be the result of His own work! He is the Builder of His own house. Any work that we accomplish is effective only because we have labored with Him (1 Cor 3:9)! Jesus did not cease building in the first century! Praise God, He is still building His church!

Great Shepherd of the sheep

"I am the good Shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine" (John 10:14). "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant" (Heb 13:20). "For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls" (1 Pet 2:25). "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away" (1 Pet 5:4). The thought of an inactive Shepherd is foolish, and has been spawned in hell. The great Shepherd of the sheep is active in leading and feeding them. When we "returned" to the "Shepherd and Bishop of our souls," a very real association began. As Shepherd, Jesus is building His church. He is making them equal to the challenges of this present evil world. He is showing them the Father, opening the Scriptures to them, and leading them in paths of righteousness. He is truly, a "great Shepherd" of the sheep.

Sprinkling the blood

The blood that was shed upon the cross had to be presented in heaven itself (Heb 9:24). Following the presentation of that blood to the Father as an atonement, Jesus now sprinkles the conscience of His people, purifying them from the contaminating effects of guilt. This cleansing is indispensable to our spiritual service. "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Heb 9:11-14). This is a present ministry, being accomplished for the saints of the most high God! The purging of the conscience is not a one-time event. It is required regularly because of the defiling effects of sin. While those in Christ are not dominated by sin, they still strive with it. They are "under grace," but still must "deny ungodliness and worldly lusts" which assert themselves from within (Rom 6:10-19; Col 3:5; Tit 2:11-12). Were it not for the blood of Christ, and His administration of it, our conscience would driven us from the presence of the Lord long ago.

We have an Advocate with the Father

"My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous: And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:1-2). You must not allow your sin to keep you from God. Jesus is engaged in a present ministry for you. If you do sin, provision has been, and is being, made for you. You have an Advocate with the Father; One that favors you, and will speak for you. This declaration would be utterly powerless if Jesus were inactive! He is engaged in a ministry NOW, for us! He supports us by representing us to the Father--and the Father cannot and will not turn Him down!

-- TOMORROW: " . . . AND YOU! --