Imparter Embodied

By Laura Springer with Jeff Barnhart

Passages: Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:14-15; 4:14-16; 10:19-25; 12:1-4; 13:1-6; 1 Peter 2:7-10

Key Idea: Jesus, the Imparter of grace and glory, God of very God, made himself human to embody God clearly in ways we could understand. He lived among us, gave his life for us, and rose from death to deliver every human who trusts him from slavery to sin and to eternal connection with himself. So likewise, we who trust Jesus embody this Imparter, transmitting the whole of his message and portraying him clearly through sacrificial kindness and generous care that others can understand. 

~~~~~~

Veiled in flesh, he came:
Jesus, God and Human,
Revealing shrouded Glory,
Offering eternal Grace.

Creator and Sovereign,
He became one of us,
Taking our flesh and our bones,
Shedding his human blood,
To bring us into God's heart.

So we, knowing our utter inability,
Fall on his grace.
And he, sharing his glory,
Makes us his body.

This One who became Son of Man
Makes us children of God,
Eternally joined by love:
One family and one priesthood.

Yet here in dust and under the sun
We sojourn,
Carrying his glory and grace
In stories,
In logic,
In care.


Who writes Academy? Laura has an MDiv in Christian Education, a ThM in Systematic Theology, and a PhD in Educational Studies. She also serves TFB as a guitarist (primarily) and singer in TFB's worship band. Jeff has a Certificate in Biblical and Theological Studies and is currently working on an MA in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care. He also serves as kitchen lead for TFB's Family Dinner, co-lead in the Young Adult Ministry, and as TFB’s bookkeeper.

The Priestly Duty of Proclamation

by Laura Springer, M.Div., Th.M., Ph.D. 

Key Verses: Matthew 5:13-16; Luke 10:11; Romans 1:16-17; Colossians 4:2-6; 1 Peter 3:14b-17

Key Idea: The priestly duty of proclamation accurately and clearly declares Jesus as the one crucial message in a world filled with polarizing passions.

We live in a world of polarizing and passionate causes. There are many good things to say. But there is only one necessary thing to say: Jesus is Lord, and only Jesus saves. Every official word we speak must center on this good news, and this good news must be the measure of all we declare. Unless the good news of Jesus is our primary concern and message, everything else about church is meaningless.

Make sure the message is accurate and clear. Eternity is on the line, and eternity gives meaning to life. Therefore, our message about Jesus must be accurate and clear. Our proclamation is accurate when it flows from our immersion in Scripture. The message is clear when spoken in the languages and cultures surrounding us. But accuracy and clarity are still not enough. We must proclaim Jesus with gentleness and grace to respect the hearers without ever compromising the truth about Jesus.

Focus on Christ in all things. Everything about us is all about Christ, or it should be. We learn to focus on Jesus by reflecting on his glory in straightforward, correct ways and sharing what we know with others. When everything around us prioritizes human concerns, we proclaim Jesus. When those around us speak against us, we proclaim Jesus. Therefore, let us focus on Christ and choose to be ready with his truth no matter the surrounding circumstances.

Live Christ in every direction. Worship is life; it is not merely a gathering on Sunday morning. Our everyday actions and regular words shine the love and glory of Jesus in ways that others will understand. Whole-life worship speaks through the cultures and languages surrounding us and tells the truth about Jesus clearly and accurately.  As whole-life worshipers, we immerse ourselves in his Word in the company of our brothers and sisters so our lives and words might proclaim and portray Jesus wherever we are. We help one another become whole-life reflections of Jesus so we may influence others toward Jesus’s Kingdom, proclaiming and portraying him at every favorable moment. We hold one another as friends and siblings, knowing each other well enough to help one another be better proclaimers. As priests of God, we proclaim the good news without hesitation through every aspect of life, work, and speech to make known God’s gift of life in Christ.

The good news of Jesus is eternally weighty, and our proclamation of that good news ought to be driven by that weight, moved forward by God’s intention, and focused on Jesus. Jesus, our Great High Priest, Savior, and Lord, is our primary message and the perspective through which we understand the polarizing passions that fill our culture. Therefore, let us take every favorable moment to proclaim and portray him. Let us place his Kingdom above all other concerns, evaluating all we do as priests by his measure. Let us center our declarations on Jesus, align our lives with Jesus, and measure our success by Jesus. Let us be a community of passionate, worshiping priests who proclaim him out of our deepening knowledge of him and toward his glory.

The Priestly Duty of Praise

by Laura Springer, M.Div., Th.M., Ph.D. 

Key Passages: Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 2 Samuel 7:22; Psalm 40:5; 150:1-6; Malachi 11:10; Colossians 3:16-17; Revelation 5:6-10

 

Key Idea: Praise is our description of God proclaimed for his glory in ways that build up fellow believers and point outsiders to him.

Musical praise is great, but it is not enough. Bands and choirs, drums and organs are some of the tools we use to praise God together. But if we make any one of them a requirement, we are missing the most important thing about praise. Praise is declaring and displaying the truth about God so that others might see his glory and praise him now and forever. 

We praise God to bring him glory. Praise describes God to God for his glory. It is an intimate and awe-filled proclamation of our love and respect for him, sometimes in words and always in action. Praise is our duty as priests, for his greatness and love compel us. It is our joy because God has given us more than we can describe. Because we take praise seriously, we spend time in his presence, enjoying his Word and talking with him about life. We praise him when we are gathered and when we are alone. We praise him when we are going about our daily lives and when we are learning about him as we study his Word together. 

We praise God to build up fellow believers. Praise describes God before our fellow believers so all might grow to love and serve him better. It declares what we know to be true about God from our study of Scripture. It models love for God across generations and cultures, across styles and preferences. It shapes how we see and treat one another. It helps bind us together as God’s family, sisters and brothers working together to carry out our priestly sacrifices of praise.

We praise God to point outsiders to Jesus. Praise displays God's grace and goodness before outsiders so they might give him glory. It declares the truth about God in regular words and displays God’s greatness in regular actions. Praise uses character, emotion, and action to form a setting in which outsiders might turn toward God and hear the good news of Jesus.

Praise does not need a band, though bands are great. It does not need a choir, though choirs are great. Praise has one basic ingredient: our love for God. Our love for him is our response to his love for us, and praise is our decision to show that love through trust and obedience. It is our ongoing decision to be his priests and to carry our sacrifices of praise into his presence whenever and wherever. It is seeing the universe and its people as the creation of our glorious God and living out that glory in every action and word.