We are now into our third week of our September series exploring different images of church and community, as found in Scripture.
This week, Rev. Augustin explores what it means to be a member of the Royal Priesthood (I Peter 2:9).
The priest, originally, was appointed by God to intercede on behalf of the people. It is interesting and important to note that the priesthood is not something we can choose or volunteer for. In fact, it is initiated by God when He call us.
According to the Bible, the priest’s responsibility was to:
- intercede on behalf of others for God’s blessings to be poured out into their lives
- pour out the grace and power of God into the lives of those around us
Unfortunately, over time and throughout history, the idea of a priest changed into a sort of “elevated” position. Martin Luther restored the idea of the Church community being priests especially over two key points:
- All of us have the privilege of access to God
- All of us have the responsibility of serving
Thus, we are all called to be priests to everyone around us. It is our responsibility to intercede on behalf of others for God’s blessings to be poured out into their lives as well as to pour out the grace and power of God into the lives of those around us. Now, this cannot be done without true care and concern for those around us.
As priests, God therefore calls us to a whole new level of caring for the people we represent!
With today being Malaysia Day, the one thing we can do for the country is to be priests for the nation – to intercede on behalf of the nation to God. We should be like the watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem, who give themselves no rest as they call on the Lord (Isaiah 62:6). Can we certainly take our prayers up a notch – not giving ourselves rest as we call on the Lord?
