The Chapel Light - December 2009

I know it’s the holiday season, and if I were politically correct I’d write something about Thanksgiving or Christmas, but what’s on my heart right now is a little doctrine that is often overlooked: the priesthood of all believers. I’d like to expound on that in this month’s Scrip for just a bit.     In most of the ancient religions there were “priests.” Priests were religious specialists who mediated between God (or among pagans, the gods) and men. They knew the secret words, the secret formulas, the secret rites that could fix things for people with the deities, and that gave priests a certain divine power and the confidence that goes with that power. Very often knowledge of that power led priests to abuse their power amongst the pagans, the Jews and the medieval Christians.     In the 16th century, medieval Christianity went through a “reformation” under the leadership of men like Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin and Menno Simon. These men differed on many little things, but in their protest of the Roman Church (and its priesthood) they all held to one precious concept: the priesthood of all believers. According to the Bible, these “Protestants” said, the old priesthood of Levi that held sway–and very often corrupt sway–over the people of God was broken by the cross of Jesus Christ and done away with. There is now only one mediator between God and men –one High Priest, as it were, according to the book of Hebrews–the Lord Jesus Christ; and we believers are all his brothers and sisters, made holy by Him, and we ALL have the role of priests. Both Peter and John said that the church is a “kingdom of priests,” and on the day of Pentecost the apostle Peter quoted the prophet Joel to demonstrate that now the Holy Spirit is given, not only to prophets and priests and kings, but to men and women and even servants- even female servants, and when we have that Holy Spirit, we can be confident in our relationship to God. We have no need of a priest to do the “religious work” for us; we are priests ourselves–and we can act accordingly. We can go to God for men–and we can talk to men for God. We have been told that we have that kind of access to our heavenly Father, and being His ambassadors to men is our calling and our responsibility.     What does that look like applied in the church? Well, for one thing, it means that the pastor is not the only person that can minister or lead ministries. In fact, my expectation is precisely the opposite–I want to see other leaders raised up to “take the bull by the horns” in various ministries and make things happen. I want to see people moved and motivated by the Holy Spirit, ministering in ways that are comfortable to them as worn slippers. I want to see people using their differing gifts. Ministering to others goes beyond preaching and teaching, as important as those things are. Not everyone is a preacher or teacher. Some people have a passion to help children. Some people like helping poor or disadvantaged people. Some people like providing money (or things) for needs of people or other ministries. Some people are planners and organizers; some people love executing what has been planned for them. Some people are prayer warriors. And some people are counselors, or listeners, weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice. Some are leaders, and some are followers. Everyone has a niche, and everyone should work with their God-given passion in a niche that feels comfortable to them. They should do that with all their might.     I, as the teaching elder/pastor, should not be seen as an indispensable part, a necessary component, of every meeting and every ministry that goes on here. I have limited gifts and limited passions–as does everyone. If you have a passion for the work that is laid before you–knock yourself out at it for Christ! I don’t need to be there to “bless it” or to “give it my blessing”–as though somehow I have something in my person that makes your work officially approved.         Yes–get what you want to do approved by the elders, submit to whatever organizational details–rooms, times of meeting, etc.–they give you and take into account their counsel and oversight and directions in carrying out the ministry; they’re trying to maintain decency, efficiency and order in the things that we do. They are “overseeing” everything; they see the big picture. But please don’t feel that if the pastor isn’t personally involved with what you’re doing that somehow you’re disapproved or unwanted or unimportant. Quite the contrary–if I’m not there it’s usually because I am completely confident of your leadership and your passion–and I am relishing the fact that you don’t need me as a babysitter. Knock yourself out for Jesus!!!     Folks, my ideal for Mountain View Chapel, the thing I long for, the thing I’m aiming for, the thing I want to make happen, is a church that is a self-sustaining body–a body full of people passionate for various tasks and busy at them for Christ; a body full of people who are willing to take responsibility for their tasks and who use their gifts and who go forward without prodding and poking and babysitting; a body that has levels of trustworthy and competent leadership; a body so knit together that when the day comes for me to be called home to be with the Lord, another gifted and competent teacher will be able to step in and take my place, and all of the rest of the work will continue on without missing a beat.     That, I believe, is a crucial application of the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers.