Reading: Acts 3

This is a bit of a different take than we’ve been doing, instead of diving into just a single verse or a few verses, we’re going to use the entirety of the chapter, so make sure to read the entirety of Acts chapter 3.

First thing first, straight from the start, we learn in verse 1 that Peter & John (most likely the other disciples as well) participated in a daily hour of prayer together, we are told that this is three in the afternoon. This is important in that we all should take part in praying together. Next we move on to the story in this chapter where Peter heals a lame beggar. We are told that he was by the temple gate called Beautiful where this man would beg every single day. We are told that this man was lame from birth and so he would not have been welcomed into the temple because he was lame. Then we see Peter do something super awesome...he says “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you, In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” The man was then instantly healed, this man had most likely never walked on his own, or stood by himself, he certainly always had people helping him in most things that he did.

Now, this man being able to walk was spectatular, but this wasn’t the only miracle performed...because he was healed, he was able to enter the temple for the first time in his life. He was walking and jumping and praising God. The other people in the temple were filled with wonder and awe when they saw this man that they recognized. They walked past this man often and probably thought to themselves “oh, this poor man.” and every once in a while they might have given him money. They were simply amazed. So much so that they ran to Peter to John, and most likely began lifting praise to them, but Peter shut that down real quick, he said that through the name of Jesus alone could someone be healed. He gave credit where credit was due.

This is a good reminder to us that whenever we are sharing Jesus with other people and those peoples lives become changed, or we invite people to church and those people come to Jesus, it is Jesus alone to who deserves credit, not us. We must humble ourselves and thank Jesus for allowing us to be his hands and feet in this broken world. We need that constant reminder that through Jesus alone can we be saved. Good works and everything else that seems like a good way to get to heaven is not good enough. We must have Jesus. He is the one and only way.

Dear Jesus, thank you so much for your call to live as you did. Thank you for the power to heal people by faith in you Jesus. You give us the authority to do so much, and Jesus anytime we accomplish something for your kingdom we want to take credit but Jesus, that credit all belongs to you. I pray that you allow us all to see that. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

First off, Happy Birthday to my Grandpa, Cecil Key. Have a great day sir! 

Reading: Acts 2

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hears, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. ’” 

-Acts 2:42-47

Wow, this is just wow. The early church was doing a lot right. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship”, this means that they were not only trying to get to know Jesus but also getting to know each other. This is super cool because they would also listen to the apostles about what Jesus had said and then they also would get to know their fellow Church members. We are told that all of the believers were together...they were all together to praise God. These believers were so intertwined that that would sell their own property or possessions in order to help out whoever had a need.

We are also called to this, what a great model given to us by the early church. When we recognize that someone in our Church needs help we should help them. Let us not hog our resources, but rather, let us share them. When someone has needs let us help however we are able...with energy, financially, time, possessions, etc. Living in this way will grow the Church. Even those who don’t have much money, you have time, energy, and maybe a lawn mower if your brother or sister in Christ needs to use one. Don’t hold back, share all you have.

Dear God, thank you for this awesome Church model that we are to live by. Jesus, I pray that I myself am more willing to volunteer my resources to build your kingdom and that everyone else does as well. You are so good to us God, thank you.

In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

Reading: Acts 1

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’” 

-Acts 1:8

We know this verse. It’s a common one. “This is our calling.” says so many people. I agree. Wow, Jesus tells us this. The text is red in those red print bibles. Jesus is very clear here.

Step 1. Receive the Holy Spirit

Step 2. GO SHARE THE NEWS THAT JESUS HAS SAVED THE WORLD

I LOVE  to talk about sports. Like wow, ask me anything about the NBA, NFL, Premier League, D1 Football, or D1 Basketball and I guarantee I will talk your ear off. Other people like to talk about music or work, or cars, and whatever else. But what I’m always wondering is where is the Jesus talk? I feel like yes there is a time for sports talk or music talk or car talk or whatever else...but why isn’t Jesus talk happening first or during the conversation? I’m not talking about when you first meet a person, sometimes slow and steady is the best way to lead a person to Christ (I recommend to pray the moment you meet someone for God to reveal a way to shine the light of Christ on them)...no, I’m talking about when we first get to Church or meet up with a small group or just someone who we know is a fellow believer. It’s always something small talk related first and then maybe Jesus gets mentioned. Jesus isn’t only for Sunday school and the Sanctuary, Jesus is for everywhere always. I would like to see us as Christians asking each other about how often we’re in the word or if Jesus has revealed anything to us that week. (we don’t have to share deeply...a simple yes or no is sufficient.)

I challenge you all (myself is always included in these challenges) to start your next conversation with a good Christian friend something like this “Hi, how has your walk with Christ been this week?” and I can guarantee you will have better conversations that hit deep to the heart with this person as you do this more and more. It might not work the first time but eventually, it will. Now, why this verse with that challenge? This is where things get intense...now that you’re comfortable with your Christian friends...maybe try a non-believing friend. Ask them how you can pray for them, and then do it, right there. Then give a good verse or something of encouragement and then talk your small talk if that’s where the conversation goes. Make disciples of all nations, I’ll use this verse again and go a completely different direction on it..probably soon, but this one is just as important.

Dear Jesus, help us to see how you want us to speak to our friends, co-workers, and families. Let’s not begin with angry political talks but instead to talk about positive Jesus related things or sad things that we can lift up in prayer. God we know you call us to make disciples of all nations and Jesus we just ask that we can do this and even make disciples of you out of friends, co-workers, and family members.

In your name, I pray, Amen.

First off, I would like to apologize for my absence. Saturday was my birthday and I had every intention of writing a devotional but honestly just couldn’t find time for it as part of my family came to Greenville and celebrated with me and we just had a good time. I am back and I will do my best to remain as consistent as possible. Once again, I apologize. But here we go!

Reading: Hebrews 13

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

-Hebrews 13:8

It’s so easy to read the Bible and think “Wow, this is so weird and no way it applies to me in any way at all.” or “Jesus did all this in this day but what is he doing for us? Why can’t I watch Jesus perform miraculous things?” But verse eight of Hebrews chapter 13 is so clear...JESUS IS THE SAME TODAY AS HE WAS BACK IN THAT DAY...and get this….JESUS WILL ALWAYS BE THE SAME. As we have been through Hebrews, we’ve learned a lot and been convicted a ton. We learned or were reminded that Jesus is greater than the prophets, angels, and even Moses. We learned or were reminded that Jesus is God in human form, fully God and fully human, as he was tempted and suffered a human death. We are convicted to not harden our hearts, the writer of Hebrews depicts the Word of God as alive. We were told that because Jesus was perfect in every single way and was without sin, that he was able to die for all of our sins and thus guarantee those who believe in and follow him, eternity. We learned or was reminded soooo much about faith; to grow in it and to live by it. We are told that Jesus’ blood is what saved us, and we are told about our race that we are called to run as Christians. And all of this is concluded in reminding us that this same Jesus who came to earth, raised people from the dead, healed the sick, set the oppressed free, showed us how to live, empowered women in a culture where they were treated as nothing, and then was put to death on cross, died, and then rose again. THIS IS THE SAME JESUS. I don’t know about you but whenever I hear that this is how God remains to be I am just so filled with joy. God loved us so much that he came to earth in human form. God loved us so much that he died on the cross for our sins. God loved us so much that he performed many miraculous things. God loves us so much that he came to earth in human form. God loves us so much that he died on the cross our sins. God loves us so much that he performs many miraculous things. Look for them, they are there.

Pray that Jesus opens your eyes to what kind of miraculous things he’s doing in the world today. Pray that you can be hands and feet for these miracles. He’ll put you where he wants you. Thank you, God. Amen

*This concludes Hebrews. I hope that everyone has learned at least one new thing and has been impacted positively. We will begin a new book tomorrow. It’s a good book, but one that probably won’t be chapter to chapter based as Hebrews is.

Reading: Hebrews 12

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,”

-Hebrews 12:1

If you didn’t read Hebrews 11 yesterday, please do so now. Because that “great cloud of witnesses” is outlined there. This great cloud is:

Abel- The first martyr in the Bible

Enoch- The Man Who Walked with God

Noah- A Righteous Man

Abraham- Father of many nations

Sarah- Mother of many nations

Issac- Father of Esau and Jacob

Jacob- Father of the 12 Tribes of Israel

Joseph- The Interpreter of Dreams

Moses- The Giver of the Law

Joshua- Faithful Follower

Rahab- Spy for the Israelites

The Greek word translated “witnesses” is the origin of the English word “martyr” and means “testifiers, witnesses”. These people know just how powerful faith in God is and what it can and will accomplish. Because we have this evidence, why do we question? Why do we doubt? Why do we not run with a full sprint into God’s call for us and by faith listen and do purely and only what we hear or feel The Holy Spirit directing us to do. We should so easily flee from wrongdoings, flee from sin that so easily entangles, by faith we know that God has us and by these witnesses, we have testimonies that prove that God has us if we put our faith in him. “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” v.1b This is a crazy thing but it’s exactly what God wants us to do. We have a race marked out for us. We are meant to run it. This Christian life is not meant to be a sprint...but a marathon. We are called to stay on course and live by faith until the very end. A marathon is explained by GQM as “a strenuous test of fitness and endurance.” So what does this mean? This means that we are expected to remain strong and grow as we practice faith, stamina, commitment, discipline, and self control. We can only complete this race if we work on stamina. There is no way that right now I could complete a 10k run, it’s just not possible for me right now because I haven’t developed the stamina to be able to do that. I have not put in the work for that and so I can’t complete a 10k run, let alone a marathon. In our Christian walk, it’s evident that we need to examine ourselves and see if we are putting in the work to be able to run this marathon of faith. Are we in the word of God daily? Are we studying it, doing more than simply reading it? Are we praying as often as we can? Are we truly doing what we can to be as much like Jesus as we possibly can? And if we answer no to any of those questions, then we are not quite where we need to be. Look at yourself in a mirror and look closely at yourself...where do you slack? Admit to yourself that you do slack and then work on that. Make a personal plan that proves that you are committed to this goal of growing closer to Christ and becoming more like him. Make sure that you are disciplined in actually accomplishing your new set goal. Read, Pray, Love Others. I would say it’s a simple 3 step process…

1. Find where you slack

2. Figure out how to fix that

3. Fix it

But, It simply is not. This takes commitment, discipline, stamina, and most importantly faith. Good luck. I’ll let you know that I’m working on praying more, that’s where I’m slacking the most. I’m preaching to us all, not just you, but also myself. The Bible tells us what to do and so I’m going to try to be better, get my stamina built up by practicing as much as I can. I gotta get into prayer more and more. How can I continuously falter from talking to my creator who requests that I talk to him? I gotta grow, we all gotta grow. Prepare for this marathon, it’s gonna be a bumpy one. The best part of this marathon is that no matter our age group, we’re all in the same category and get to run after the same prize of Jesus!

    Dear Jesus, thank you for this race. It’s not an easy race, it’s a race that takes preparation and practice. LORD, I thank you for the opportunity to read your word daily and to speak with you often. Jesus, I thank you for letting us know exactly how we need to live for you. God, I pray that everyone reading this feels convicted and is willing to set a goal to find themselves closer to you. You’ve got this God.

In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

    Reading: Hebrews 11

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” 

-Hebrews 11:1

I’m gonna keep this one short...we have to live by faith. By faith we lift up prayers to a God we do not see but by faith, we know that God is real, if we see him or we don’t. Hebrews 11:3 tells us that “by faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command so that what is seen was not out of what was visible.” By faith we believe that the world was created by God and that he has full control over it. We dive into the Bible because we believe that it is God’s perfect word. We are told in John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” and we believe this by faith. By faith we pray for others, by faith we give tithes to our church and we give money to good-Christian organizations. I'm gonna cheat and use quite a bit of information from the Hebrews 8 devotional. But this is IMPORTANT. Read it again or skip to the prayer, This is short if you stop now, pray about it. This is good stuff. By faith, we seek to help those who Jesus would help. By faith, we help set the oppressed free. (not diving into this at this moment but check this website out, your life will be changed. https://www.setfreemovement.com/) By faith, we feed thousands of hungry people. Jesus gives us the blessing that says “HEY, YOU CAN DO ALL THESE THINGS AND MORE. We are instructed time and time again to give to those in need, and that’s an encouragement I give you.

As most of you know, I was in Kenya, Africa for two weeks this past summer, and wow I am forever changed. I got to see the kids that live in Kenya and attend schools at ICCM (International Child Care Ministries), and I saw where my $30 a month was going, and now I know that I did not make a mistake by accepting God’s call on my life to sponsor a child in Kenya. You might not feel ‘directly’ called by God to sponsor a kid or to give money to the hungry somewhere in Asia, but that’s exactly what this new covenant is. These are the works that Jesus has been doing. He tells us in the Bible, his holy, perfect word to do exactly this; to feed the hungry and look after orphans and widows in their distress. I know $30 sounds like a lot and I’m not saying “sponsor a child or you’re doing this wrong”, I am simply using this as an example. I, an 18 (until Saturday Woop Woop), year old, college kid who works maybe 6 hours per week is affording this. In a 30 day month that’s a dollar per day, and in a 31 day month, it’s not even a dollar per day. Try not to buy a drink from McDonald's (or your favorite fast food restaurant) on your next visit and instead get a water. Boom a dollar saved. 30 of those and you’ve blessed a child with food for another month. If you’re interested in this, I’d encourage you to check out http://www.childcareministries.org/ . I’ve seen the results of this with my own eyes and wow what a blessing. I would like to repeat THIS IS NOT THE ONLY WAY. Live as Jesus did, read the Bible and figure out what that means… just a little hint, he tells us exactly what that means in Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  Live this way and we can reach exactly what we read in Hebrews 8 and “THEY WILL ALL KNOW ME.” Wow, this just sounds perfect to me, and I’m sure it does to you too. But we all think to ourselves just as the Pharisees would “How in the world do we do that?” The answer is simple...by faith. Remember this “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” -Matthew 17:20

Pray to Jesus that you will grow your faith. Pray and ask that you'll get into the word more so that you'll grow closer to Christ and in turn grow faith so tremendously. Put your faith in God and he'll be there for you. Amen.

    Reading: Hebrews 10

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” 

-Hebrews 10:24-25

We are a community of believers and we must meet together in order to continually grow. Yes, you can read your Bible and pray on your own time but no, I don’t think that’s enough. Jesus calls us to live in community. We know that the Bible tells us that it is good when we live together. Psalm 133:1 "How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!" If you want to bring up people being saved... how do we lead people to Christ? How do we share Christ’s love with others? Well, let me quickly help you out. COMMUNITY. We are told in Acts: 46-47 that “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” The believers ate together with glad and sincere hearts..and in result...people were being led to salvation.

Good Christian Community = Changed Hearts

We are also told in the Bible that we are ONE body, and every member of that body plays a different role “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:4-5 This is super cool to think about, well at least for me. This is saying that we all have special skills that we should use for God. This is saying that EVERYONE serves a purpose in God’s kingdom. If you don’t believe in yourself and think that you are nothing, just know that God believes in you and has a unique purpose for you to serve his kingdom. If Christian Unity, Salvation, and Purpose aren’t enough for you to believe in going to church, well, know this. “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20” Jesus is in that church, he’ll be there with you. Jesus has got you wherever you go. But just know that he calls us to community and I encourage you to find yourself a good community, a good church, and good Christian friends to help you grow closer to Christ.

Pray that Jesus will show you good friends who will lead you to closer to Christ. Ask Jesus for the will to want to go to church. And then just go. You won’t regret it. There are also many Wednesday night services so feel free to check out one of those somewhere tonight!

    Reading: Hebrews 9

“For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” -Hebrews 9:24-28

Christ died one time. One time. It’s estimated that since the creation of the earth, there have been about 108 billion people on earth. We don’t know when Christ is going to return, but what if he came right now as you are reading this? Do you know what that means? That means that one death = sins purified of OVER 108 billion people. One death. How sad it is that so many of that 108 billion never accepted the free gift of salvation through Jesus, but nonetheless, Jesus still did what he did for all of us. Let’s take the number of people in the highest populated city in the US. New York City has 8.538 million people living there. Take that and multiply it by about 12,500 and that’s how many people that Christ died for in that one death. AND THAT’S ONLY IF HE CAME BACK AT THE TIME YOU STARTED READING THIS & IF YOU READ THIS FAR, THAT MEANS HE DIDN’T & HE DIED FOR EVEN MORE. Now I have no idea when Jesus is coming back, but wow, just look at those numbers...stats don’t lie. Jesus did something that no one has ever done or will ever do. He altered the lives of EVERY PERSON TO EVER WALK THIS EARTH...even if they didn’t know it. If you are yet to accept this free gift, please do. It’s FREE. Wow, I know how much I love free stuff. I miss going to Sam’s Club and getting free samples on Saturday mornings, that always brought me such joy...because it was free. I know that the free gift of cheese on a cracker from Sam’s Club is nothing in comparison to Christ’s free gift, but think about it. Any person would take the free food to help lower their hunger for the moment they’re in, but so many reject the free gift of eternal salvation hanging out with our creator who loved us so much that he came down to earth in human form and then suffered the most shameful death where he died and SHED HIS BLOOD FOR US. I repeat...if you are yet to accept that free gift. Please do. If you are interested in doing this and have questions, feel free to message me and I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible. If you’ve already accepted Christ’s free gift. Good. Now let the knowledge of just how crazy it is that Christ died for all sinners sink in. God is so cool.

Pray to God and once more say thank you. Thank you Oh God for dying for me. Thank you Oh God for dying for my family. Thank you Oh God for dying for my friends. Thank you Oh God for dying for my enemies. Thank you Oh God for dying for us all. Your blood sets us Free. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

    Reading: Hebrews 8

“This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. NO LONGER WILL THEY TEACH THEIR NEIGHBOR, or say to one another ‘KNOW THE LORD; because THEY WILL ALL KNOW ME, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. ” 

-Hebrews 8:10-12

    WOW. As I read that I just think “WOW!”, Oh, how great this will be! A day when we no longer have to evangelize, but rather all of creation will bow in reverence to God and live as Christ did. As we read in chapter 6, we are to move on from the elementary teachings of Christianity, this is the end goal. We are to all live knowing the LORD.  In John 14:12, Jesus tells us “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father.” Jesus tells us that if we believe in him, we will do the works he has been doing. Jesus is talking about miracles. Jesus says that believers in him are capable of raising the dead, feeding the hungry, freeing the oppressed. Jesus gives us that good old fashioned Old Testament ‘blessing’. Maybe you missed it, but Jesus says that WE WILL DO THINGS GREATER THAN HE DID. WHAT???? How do we do that? Well, by faith. By faith, we seek to help those who Jesus would help. By faith, we help set the oppressed free. (not diving into this at this moment but check this website out, your life will be changed. https://www.setfreemovement.com/) By faith, we feed thousands of hungry people. Jesus gives us the blessing that says “HEY, YOU CAN DO ALL THESE THINGS AND MORE. We are instructed time and time again to give to those in need, and that’s an encouragement I give you.

As most of you know, I was in Kenya, Africa for two weeks this past summer, and wow I am forever changed. I got to see the kids that live in Kenya and attend schools at ICCM (International Child Care Ministries), and I saw where my $30 a month was going, and now I know that I did not make a mistake by accepting God’s call on my life to sponsor a child in Kenya. You might not feel ‘directly’ called by God to sponsor a kid or to give money to the hungry somewhere in Asia, but that’s exactly what this new covenant is. These are the works that Jesus has been doing. He tells us in the Bible, his holy, perfect word to do exactly this; to feed the hungry and look after orphans and widows in their distress. I know $30 sounds like a lot and I’m not saying “sponsor a child or you’re doing this wrong”, I am simply using this as an example. I, an 18 (until Saturday Woop Woop), year old, college kid who works maybe 6 hours per week is affording this. In a 30 day month that’s a dollar per day, and in a 31 day month, it’s not even a dollar per day. Try not to buy a drink from McDonald's (or your favorite fast food restaurant) on your next visit and instead get a water. Boom a dollar saved. 30 of those and you’ve blessed a child with food for another month. If you’re interested in this, I’d encourage you to check out http://www.childcareministries.org/ . I’ve seen the results of this with my own eyes and wow what a blessing. I would like to repeat THIS IS NOT THE ONLY WAY. Live as Jesus did, read the Bible and figure out what that means… just a little hint, he tells us exactly what that means in Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  Live this way and we can reach exactly what we read in Hebrews 8 and “THEY WILL ALL KNOW ME.” Wow, this just sounds perfect to me, and I’m sure it does to you too. But we all think to ourselves just as the Pharisees would “How in the world do we do that?” The answer is simple...by faith. Remember this “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” -Matthew 17:20

Pray to God and ask how you can live as he did on this earth. Jesus is the perfect covenant and in conclusion one day we will all know him. God is so cool. Pray to him and seek his wisdom on how you can be like Jesus in your daily life. Jesus, we thank you for your blessings on our lives and we seek a way to use these blessings to further your kingdom and your way. Amen.

    Reading: Hebrews 7

“But because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” 

-Hebrews 7:24-25

After reading Hebrews 7, you’re definitely going to be wondering... “Who in the world is Melchizedek?” I understand the question, I also had this question when reading it...sorry but I don’t have much of an answer. If you turn your Bible to Genesis 14. You will find in verses 18-20 the first mention of Melchizedek. It says in the NIV “Then Melchizedek king of Salem (Jerusalem) brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram (later renamed Abraham), saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.”  

We know from the Old Testament that the priests came in the order of Aaron, through the Levitical priesthood. This is how the law was written, but yet Jesus had to come from a different priesthood, not from the order of Aaron but from the order of Melchizedek. This is because just as verse 12 says “For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also.” The same priesthood existed throughout the old covenant, but Jesus, the bringer of a new and greater covenant had to come from a different order of priesthood. The text tells us in verse 16 that Jesus was not made priest based on regulation as to his ancestry, but on the basis of the fact that THIS MAN IS ETERNAL. HE IS GOD. Because Jesus has a permanent priesthood (v.24), he is able to SAVE us entirely. Jesus is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens...this man because he is perfect and because his blood was poured out for us is the FINAL ATONEMENT. Jesus, the Son, has been made perfect forever.

Thank Jesus today for his difference in priesthood, that he came and fulfilled the law of requiring that he must come from a different priesthood for the law to be changed. Jesus made a new covenant and it’s beautiful.

Romans 10:9-10 sums this up perfectly:

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. “