DAY 30 MORNING Read Revelation 22:1-21
1,2, CHRONICLES: JESUS CHRIST IS THE NEW TEMPLE, THE PLACE OF GOD’S PRESENCE
1 and 2 Chronicles track the spiritual history of Israel and Judah covering a similar period to 1 and 2 Kings. When they are read in the light of the New Testament, it is helpful to take note that Jesus was himself a new temple, the place of God’s presence. As Solomon prayed and fire came down from heaven, so Jesus prayed after his ascension, having returned to the Father, and fire came down from heaven on Pentecost, on his body that remained on earth, the church. The chronicler has a special interest in the hope of a future kingdom and the line of David is the focus of his attention. Although there are identical passages in 1 and 2 Kings those parts of the narrative that are unique to 1 and 2 Chronicles include the dynamic answer to Solomon’s prayer when fire comes down from heaven and consumes the burnt offering and the glory of the Lord fills the temple. 2 Chronicles 7:1. Solomon’s completion of the building of the house of the Lord, 2 Chronicles 7:11 is followed by the appearance of the Lord to Solomon and the wonderful encouragement that the Lord has heard Solomon’s prayer, and the promise that the Lord gives Solomon that “if my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal the land. 1 and Chronicles is a strong message that obedience leads to God’s blessings and revival. Jesus Christ will be the fulfilment of this promise of God’s presence filling the temple. The gospel of John makes many illusions to Jesus and his embodiment as the temple of God when men and women come to him, rivers of living water will flow from within them. This book encourages us to devote our “ heart and soul to seeking the Lord.” Essentially the books of Chronicles retell the story of Israel, as in Kings but the emphasis is more on the centrality of worship and the accounts of all the evil kings of Israel and Judah relate to the extent to which they sought God and humbled themselves before him or not. Clearly the chronicler believes that the future for Israel lies in a restoration of a heart of worship to Israel. The Gospel of John, uniquely interprets Jesus as pointing to the temple of his body. [1] Jesus Christ is the New Temple, the place of God’s presence.
MISSIONARY MONKS: IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA 1491-1556[2]
Ignatius of Loyola was raised in Northern Spain and although not a professional soldier was involved in military campaigns, and his leg was crushed by a cannonball. While recovering he was converted to Christ. He spent time in a Dominican monastery, where he started his “Spiritual Exercises”, a rich devotional resource used by many today. He spent many years studying theology. On August 15, 1534, Ignatius Loyola met with six friends. They made strong vows of obedience to the Pope and were committed to reconverting heretics, and converting pagans to the Catholic church. Effectively they were a monastic order, willing to go wherever they were sent by the Pope. This was the beginning of the Jesuit Order that became a new Roman Catholic missionary movement. Francis Xavier was one of the first companions of Ignatius Loyola, and he travelled to India as a representative of the king of Portugal. Jesuit missions extended to Japan, China but also to the American continent, to Canada and South America, most notably Paraguay. [3] Ignatius of Loyola regarded Christ as “the inspiring King sent by his Father on a mission to conquer the world, in order to win all humankind to faith and salvation, and calling for conspirators who would volunteer for this enterprise.”[4]
CLICK ON BOLD and you will be directed to Joshua Project website with more information for prayer.
PRAY for “the Turk in France the thirtieth largest unreached people group in Europe, whose language is Turkish and whose primary religion isIslam. There are 220,000 and they are 0.0% Christian and 0.0% evangelical. ”[5] We pray for a Disciple-making movement to break out among the Turks in France. We pray for a spiritual hunger that would be satisfied in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
DAY 30 EVENING Psalm 146-150, Re-read Psalm 150
PSALM 150: PRAISE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST FOR HIS SURPASSING GREATNESS.
PSALM 150:2b “Praise him for his surpassing greatness.” I want to close this journey of looking for Jesus in the psalms, by looking at the surpassing greatness of Jesus Christ our Lord. I am mindful of Brueggeman’s concern[6]. He said that treating the Psalms as claims about Jesus Christ, in the tradition of Augustine may avoid the abrasive and offensive elements of the psalms, but be less helpful. In his book ‘Praying the psalms’ however, he does encourage us to see the Jewishness of the prayers of Jesus as he prayed the psalms … ( and therefore the rawness of Jewish faith out of which the Psalms speak) “and therefore a warrant for christological interpretation.” Psalm 22 and Psalm 110 both provide warrant for Christological interpretation, and point to Jesus’ surpassing greatness. If we see Jesus, prophetically revealed in Psalm 22, many years before He walked on this earth, we can be encouraged today that Jesus, when at his very lowest point, crucified and God forsaken he trusted in God to deliver him. The apparent defeat of the cross turned out to be the greatest victory of all time. Psalm 110 also speaks of the surpassing greatness of Jesus Christ who is now lifted to the right hand of the Father and all his enemies must bow at his feet, quoted in Matthew 22:41-46, Mark 12:35-37, Luke 20:40-44, [7]and Psalm 110 is referenced in Hebrews saying Jesus is superior to angels, high priest, prophets, and every sacrifice.
“At the end of the movie The Return of the King, there is an added dialog between Aragorn and the four hobbits, that isn’t in the book. Aragon, the newly crowned king of Gondor approaches the hobbits, and they bow in his presence. Aragorn lovingly corrects them and says, “My friends, you bow to no one.”. If the greatest king bestows the greatest honour, then there is no higher honour, no higher position of authority to which you can obtain. When God the Father gives to the Son the position on his right hand, there is no higher honour. Christ can receive. Jesus isn’t just better; he is the best. He isn’t just greater than; he is the greatest. But the right hand is also the position of power and strength. When we call someone a leader’s “right-hand man,” we mean the man who is best at executing the will and purpose of the leader. And given the majority right-handedness of the world populace, most weapons are held in the right hand. When you face a man in battle, you better pay attention to your enemy’s right hand. And the deadliest, most dread warriors will typically unleash their power from their right hand. And so, when God the Father describes his almighty power, his power for war and for battle, he says it is Jesus, his Son. Jesus is the embodiment of the all-mighty strength of God.”
Andrew Walker says [8] “To many evangelical Christians the divine calendar with its fasts and feasts celebrated by Catholic and Orthodox Christians all over the world seems mere “religion” with little life…He says “on the contrary the Christian Year, offers a real Christ-centred alternative to the secularized view of time ” Andrew Walker goes on to say, “when 21st century Christians celebrate Easter they are in one very real sense closer, in time to Christians in the sixth century celebrating Easter, than they are to people in ordinary time, the previous year. The Christian year compels the very shape of time itself to bow the knee to Christ. It teaches us to submit the rhythms of our own lives, to the story of Jesus, that our time is not our own to determine. It also takes us through seasons of hope and penitence, of feasting and fasting, of joy and sorrow.”
The ends of the earth are now on our doorstep! Many of the refugees and asylum seekers now in Europe are from unreached people groups. It is time pray for a new army of missionary monks, wild horses released to this new frontier. Is it also time to rediscover our Orthodox Christian roots and to unblock deep wells of humble pure devotion to the surpassing greatness of Jesus Christ and to read the Old Testament the Emmaus way, seeing Jesus afresh in the sacred text. We need our hearts to be kindled afresh with a passion for Jesus the Living word as we take the gospel to the least, the last and the lost in our cities. Lord, unblock the well!
PRAYER I praise you Lord Jesus Christ for your surpassing greatness!
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[1] Hays, R, Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels, Baylor University Press, 2016, 281.
[2] Smither, E.L. Missionary monks, Cascade books, 2016, 166-182 (summary).
[3] Neill, S. The history of Christian missions, Penguin, 1964, 126-7.
[4] Ganss, Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises and selected works, 60, 229-70, quoted in Smither, E.L. Missionary monks,70.
[5] Data provided by Joshua Project https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/18274/FR
[6] Brueggemann, W. Praying the Psalms, Authentic, 2007, 43-46
[7] Holland, J. Footstool theology December 11, 2023 https://solaecclesia.org/articles/footstool-theology-christ-will-conquer/
[8] Walker, A.G and Parry, R.A, Deep church rising : rediscovering the roots of Christian orthodoxy, SPCK, 2014,142.
UNBLOCKING THE WELL OF THE LIVING WORD 
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