THE VEIL

Have you ever put up a "wall" or "disguise" so as to "run" avoidance from someone or something. I am guilty and have seen this in other people. With some people I have found it is a self-defense mechanism. Something threatens them or makes them uncomfortable and they retreat behind......."The Veil".

Father God established a Veil with His people.  However, He was not threatened or acting in self-defense. Humanity's distrust and disobedience toward God created the need for this Veil. Father God will not tolerate sin in His immediate presence, so He banished Lucifer and kept humanity from The Tree of Life by placing Cherubim in the path with a flaming sword guarding the way back after The Fall (Genesis 3) - a type of Veil.

Further on in history, the relationship between God and His people required that God place a Veil in the design of The Tabernacle of Moses and later Solomon's Temple. The Veil was the major divider between two sections, the most inner and most respected area called The Holy of Holies and the Holy Place located right outside the curtain. This was to remind the people of the broken relationship with God and His Holiness.

I have awesome news!  The Veil has been torn in two!  Split right down the middle.  How?  Only through and at the moment of the Sacrifice of Father God's Word made flesh - Jesus Christ.

• "And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." (Matthew 27:50-51)  

Therefore, the Good News is God's Holy, immediate presence can now be Directly Accessed!  Through Jesus as our Intercessor, our Atoning Sacrifice, believers can reverently speak to Father God or pray directly.  No bishop, no cardinal, no priest, no pope needed to pray for you. Just you, Jesus, The Father and His Holy Spirit. The Veil was torn for - "whosoever believes" - and the benefit is that believers - "shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16)!

Now, with that great news I speak to the Believers in Christ.  Do you have a "Veil" covering up who you are in God?  I encourage you, if you have a Veil - with God's help, remove it.  The dependencies a person has in his/her life apart from God are a heavy determining factor in the make-up of one's Veil. Things like insecurities, bad habits, misconceptions can "thicken" up a Veil in a hurry. It is a healthy thing to have a balanced dose of skepticism and guardedness, but to hide behind these things all the time is not healthy, especially as a Christian.

I believe that God has a plan for every one of us - individually and corporately. As His Body or Ambassadors, everyone's plan is to influence the lives of those around them for the Glory of God. Some are "planters".  Others are "caretakers".  But God is the molder, shaper, sustainer, and nutrients of all that is done. (My paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 3:6)  This influence can manifest itself in the form of a simple kindness like taking someone out to lunch or helping them move. Or our influence can reveal itself by being there for someone as they go through a divorce or when someone finally makes the decision to give their heart to The Lord. It requires genuine, authentic involvement in someone's life with your own Veil discarded so that your extension of friendship, brothership, or sistership is taken sincerely.

We all are called to share the Light, Jesus, with the world!  As far as I can tell, nowhere does it say in Scripture that a certain person like a Pastor, Elder, Usher, or church staff has the exclusive responsibility for sharing the Good News with everybody. No. In fact, 1 Peter 3:15 admonishes all believers -

• "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,"  

And because Believers in Christ have the answer, we should not want to hide it in any way, shape, or form.

• "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16)

So, my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, I strongly encourage you - view yourself through God's eyes, through God's Word. Our Veil is the hindering force in this equation. The Holy Spirit said it so eloquently through Paul to the church in Corinth many years ago and it still applies today. Here is that Scriptural gem from The Lord -

• "Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."  (2 Corinthians 3:12-18)

Therefore, if you have a Veil, counsel with The Lord for it to be lifted. David in Psalm 3:3 says that God is -  "My glory and the lifter up of my head."  And you know that if God is your glory and your lifter of your head, He can sure take care of that Veil and allow His Light to shine through you!