Priestly Kingdom
Ex : 19:6 “You shall be for me, a priestly kingdom and a holy nation”.
1 Pet 2 : 9 “ You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. Gods’ own people”.
In Christ, we are a holy nation of royal priests. We are chosen to be God’s own possession and He created us to be “royal priests” for Him. We have to serve God with all our heart, but priesthood goes beyond simply going to church, reading the Bible, and sharing the Gospel.
What does it means to be a “priest” of God?
The scriptures tells us that all those who are in Christ are His royal priests. In the Old Covenant, under the Mosaic Law, it was the tribe of Levi who served as priests for the entire nation of Israel. But this was not God’s original intention for His people. Even in those days, He looked forward to a day when He would have an entire nation of priests. (Ex: 19:5-6)
As royal priests, we have priestly duties…
1.To serve the people. Priests serve the church community. Even Jesus (who is referred to as our High Priest) humbly washed the feet of His disciples. We have to serve others without any expectation to be served in return.
2.To intercede on behalf of others. When we intercede in prayer, we are “intervening” on behalf of someone else. We intercede for their healing, their restoration, or their salvation. Very easily our prayer lives become self-focused but God wants us to prayer for those around us.
3. To offer spiritual sacrifices. Heb 13: 15-16 tells us to lift up sacrifices of praise to God. Under Mosaic Law, the priests offered animal sacrifices to God, but Jesus put an end to that system on the cross, becoming our ultimate sacrifice once and for all. Now we have the privilege of offering spiritual sacrifices to our Father by surrendering all we have to Him.
4.To share the priesthood with others: Being a nation of priests, we are not alone in our priesthood. We get to share our duties with all those who are part of the Kingdom of God. Our crucial duty is to lead others into the Kingdom, creating a larger nation of priests!
5.To live set apart. The Levites, the chosen priests of Israel, were set apart to perform the priestly duties and led a different life than the people they served. In the same way, we are called to be holy and set apart for God.
6.To proclaim God’s goodness. As royal priests, we have the privilege of proclaiming the Good News to the world. Our God is an awesome God indeed!
7.To spend time in the presence of God. Prior to Christ, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies where God’s presence dwelt. (only once a year) When Christ died, the veil was torn in two allowing all to enter and approach the Father.
The scriptures tells us, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit because the presence of God now lives inside each one of us.
As royal priests, we have direct access to the presence of God and are empowered by Him to carry out all our priestly duties.
A Great Blessing bestowed by God upon each one of us. Amen.
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