“I have looked, and behold, a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof.” Zechariah 4:2
Dear Ones:
Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord seeks to give to His people Israel, comfort in the midst of her difficulties and trials, most of which are the result of her own doing. This is seen in chapter forty. The Lord then proceeds to reveal to His people what is in His heart to accomplish in them, as revealed in chapter forty-one. In chapter forty-two, the Lord seeks to restore the vision of the Messiah to the people so that they again will see Him as their example, their “very present help,” and deliverer. However, it is in chapter 43, after seeking to restore the soul of the people through the revelation of their true state before God, and His gracious dealings with her, that He speaks of a new beginning, but one which will result in Israel becoming again what she was originally intended to be. Israel was created, designed, and blessed by God, in order that she should give the light of the life of God, of Christ, to the world. “‘Ye are My witnesses,’ says the Lord, ‘…and My servant whom I have chosen: that you may KNOW and BELIEVE Me, and UNDERSTAND that I am He: before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me.” (v.10) The calling of Israel to know God, and to be the witness of WHO and what He is, to the then known world, is the same as that of the church, the body of Christ. That which is the difference between Israel and the church does not lie in the fact of their mission to be “witnesses” of God to the world. It is in the magnitude of the revelation. When the Spirit of God was poured out on the day of Pentecost, the ministry and the mission of the church, was magnified beyond measure, as the revelation of God was greater, more defined, and powerfully demonstrated.
In the Old Testament, we find that God revealed Himself to individuals, and to the nation of Israel. Though the experience of the Spirit’s working varied with different individuals, and was measured and limited to the nation of Israel, yet the majestic manifestation of God, and the testimony of His blessing, guidance, and power were known through much of the then known world. However, on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God was poured out upon ALL flesh. According to Joel’s prophecy, and Peter’s preaching, “…your sons and your daughters shall prophesy (declare the living truth of God).” (Acts 2:17) We see this affirmed and declared by the disciples, both men and women, by “…the wonderful works of God” being declared in different languages to the Jews who had congregated in Jerusalem. Jesus had told the disciples before Pentecost to “…wait for the promise of the Father,” the outpouring of the Spirit. He then added: “And you shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Here is the mission of the church, and the Means by which that mission is accomplished. The “witness” of the church is both that which worshipfully “beholds the beauty of the Lord,” and then declares Him by the life lived and word of truth proclaimed.
The story of the spreading flame, that testimony of the Spirit in and through members of the body of Christ, was and is remarkable from that day. After the initial blessing of the outpouring of the Spirit, with so many individuals becoming believers, there would eventually arise persecution, and consequent dispersion. As a result of the persecution, but also the leading of the Spirit, the testimony would then spread throughout the then known world, to be seen and heard by Jew and Gentile alike.
Dear Father, Give us, as members of the body of Christ, to be light and life bearers by the Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad