November 30: REFORMATION HIGHLIGHTS and the SANCTUARY (part 2)
You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece…You shall make seven lamps for it…so that they give light… Exodus 25:31,37
The Church of England was considered Protestant, as it claimed to reject Romanist doctrines. Yet she unwittingly retained a number of its teachings which allowed a spirit of coercion directly back into the church. Scarcely a handful of generations had passed before the Church of England, under the power of the monarchy, compelled worship as they deemed fit. Private gatherings for prayer and praise were strictly forbidden as heresy and punishable under civil law. As in the days of the Apostolic church, persecution actually served to further the gospel message. Amid this repeated cycle of spiritual darkness, John Wesley emerged as a light-bearer for God. Wesley’s wrestlings brought him to the unwavering belief that God’s word prepared individuals to witness for Him in the world. Though he was scorned and harshly criticized for it, his belief that Jesus was both willing and able—by His word—to equip individuals to “Let your light so shine…” (Matthew 5:16) bore a marked contrast to the dark Roman doctrine that only the priest could read or interpret Scripture and only the priest could represent Christ to the world. In addition, the Roman church claimed power to pronounce people as saved or damned, based upon their cooperation with the dogmas and demands of the pope. Incredibly, the Church of England was bearing a striking resemblance to the Church of Rome.
You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it. Exodus 30:18
Roger Williams arrived on American shores as a young man. He had been disillusioned by the Church of England, as it had failed to fully separate itself from the practices of the Roman church. He is probably most famous for advocating separation of church and state, as such unions historically—repeatedly!—lead to persecution of those who believe in living by the dictates of their own conscience. Significantly, he stood unflinchingly for believer’s baptism, as taught in the Scriptures. Then Philip said [to the Ethiopian eunuch], “If you believe with all your heart, you may [be baptized].” And he [the eunuch] answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” (Acts 8:37) Roger Williams helped to establish the first Baptist church in America. The doctrine of believer’s baptism is an affront to the Roman teaching of infant baptism (and the horrific dogmas attached to it).
Thus, the beauty, glory, and freedom symbolized by the golden lampstand, illuminated by the oil of the Holy Spirit, and the bronze laver of washing were being established in the minds of those who sought instruction from the Word of God.
“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38
“No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.” Luke 8:16