Episode 32: 3 People You Need for Dynamic Growth
SUMMARY
How do I maintain the vision God has for me? Who is advising me as I walk with Jesus? What does it mean to live with healthy boundaries? These are common questions for those who want to see dynamic growth take place in their lives. In this episode, Milo and Olivia explore the roles of prophet, priest, and king and how these roles inform our lives.
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PODCAST NOTES
Title: 3 People You Need for Dynamic Growth
Hosts: Milo Curtis and Olivia Curtis
Download the Companion Notes PDF
INTRODUCTION
How do I maintain the vision God has for me? Who is advising me as I walk with Jesus? What does it mean to live with healthy boundaries? These are common questions for those who want to see dynamic growth take place in their lives. In this episode, Milo and Olivia explore the roles of prophet, priest, and king and how these roles inform our lives.
Fortunately, we have a “Saviour who is a prophet to instruct us; a priest to atone and to make intercession for us; and a king to rule over and protect us.”
Role 1: The Prophet is a voice that disrupts my life.
The prophet disrupts our lives by offering a compelling vision of who God is and how we ought to live.
When times are good, the prophet reminds us of the false securities that comfort brings and how they can lure us to forgo our love, devotion, and obedience to God.
When times are difficult and trying, the prophet reminds us that our pain, frustration, uncertainty, and agony are temporary and that a day is coming when all will be made right. In our daily lives the prophet offers words of encouragement or gentle admonishment to steel our focus, to run with endurance, and to live with the expectation of Christ’s victory.
The prophet speaks a message that cuts through the noise of a busy world and compels us to remember that our salvation rests in Christ alone, and our devotion to Him must be unwavering.
Role 2: The Priest is a voice that connects me with others.
If the prophet lays out a vision for who God is and how we ought to live, then the priest serves as the facilitator to guide us along that road.
The priest reminds us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
The priest draws the community of believers together through tradition and common ritual so there can be a fellowship that is tightly bound through a common culture.
The priest’s chief concern is that sin is confessed, forgiveness is experienced, new converts are brought into the fellowship, and that the victors among us share their testimonies and pass on their wisdom.
Role 3: The King is a voice that establishes healthy boundaries.
While Christ is King of His church, He appoints regents who are charged on His behalf with maintaining healthy boundaries and ensuring there is margin for the priest and prophet to execute their responsibilities.
The king is intimately familiar with the work that God is doing in His people and is keenly aware of the threats that seek to unravel those efforts.
External to the life of the church, it is the king that stands up to the enemies of the church with a wisdom and shrewdness that are mindful of the political landscape.
Internal to the life of the church, the king establishes an infrastructure that supports the redemptive efforts of the Holy Spirit and seeks to minimize the interruptions and distractions that would disrupt that work. The king succeeds when people experience the redemptive work of Christ and are able to seek first His Kingdom without interruption.
CONCLUSION
In his book, Leading with a Limp, Dan Allender warns, “The king left alone will become a dictator who hates chaos. The priest on his own will fall into accommodation for the sake of avoiding conflict. A prophet alone will indulge in drama and self-absorption for the sake of escaping boredom. They need one another to elude the trap of their own narcissism.” In a similar manner, we can enter into our own narcissism if we do not allow God to use these voices to shape our lives. Forming a triad of voices who are distinctly qualified for a specific office and unified around an intensely clear vision serve as formidable counsel for the cause of Christ and against the efforts of the evil one.
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Theme Music: Love Poem by Soyb
1) Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 461.
2) Dan B. Allender, Leading With a Limp (Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbrook Press, 2006), 186.
3) Hebrews 12:1-3.
4) John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles, II.15 (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960), 495.
5) Ibid., 495.
6) The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Eph 2:8–9.
7) Allender, Leading With a Limp,191-192
8) Ibid.,192.
9) Curtis W. Freeman, “Mediating Ministry and the Renewal of the Church,” American Baptist Quarterly 31/4 (Winter 2012), 393.
10) Allender, Leading With a Limp,198