PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS

Priesthood of Believers

Hebrews 13:15  Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Dear friends, when we confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and ask Him to forgive us of our sins, we become a child of God.  We should willingly serve God because we are part of the priesthood of believers and one of the chief functions of a priest is to offer sacrifices to God. While the type of sacrifices the Old Testament priest would have done is different from the sacrifices performed by a New Testament priest, they are still important to be done.

The first and most important sacrifice to be done by a believer is the sacrifice of self. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1) We are to willingly die to self and live for Jesus Christ, serving Him and doing what He would have us do. This is obviously the most difficult sacrifice for any follower of Jesus Christ to make, but once we make the sacrifice of self, the other sacrifices are much easier for us to do.

The second way in which we as believers can offer a sacrifice to God as a part of our priestly duties is in our finances. It is in being generous toward God where we discover the joy of giving. It is the believer’s responsibility to underwrite the cost of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ at home and abroad. Once the financial need is made known the Holy Spirit will place within the spirit of the believer a compelling desire to help meet the need. A good example of this is found in   2 Corinthians 8:2-5 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5 And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. Years ago I heard the following statement and it stuck with me: “If God doesn't have your wallet, he doesn't have you.” Throughout my years of ministry I have found this to be true.

The third sacrifice we can make as believers is to “continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name” (Heb 13:15)   This sacrifice of praise would be to use our lips to confess the name of Jesus, our voices to sing His praise and taking time in our prayers to offer praise to Him for His great love, mercy and grace. Sacrifices of praise can be done in worship services, Bible studies, our personal quiet time with the Lord or at times when we have an opportunity to share our faith with others. We use our lips to offer a sacrifice of praise whenever we bless rather than curse; when we speak the truth rather than a lie; when our walk matches our talk.

The fourth sacrifice we can make as believers is “to do good and share with others.” (Heb 13:16) You may not have been aware of it, but when you visited that person in the hospital or when you paid a visit to that person who was lonely, the one who is easily forgotten, you were performing a priestly duty. You are doing something that pleases God.  J. Vernon McGee, a powerful preacher of the Word said, “If Christianity does not walk in shoe leather it is no good at all.” We are the hands, heart, feet and voice of Jesus here on earth. As His priest He wants us to perform the same priestly sacrifices He performed while He was on the earth. And after all, He is still here. He is found in you and in His church.  You, as priest of His Church, write the check, write the note, bake the cookies, make the phone call, knock on the door, invite, spend time with, and more importantly pray for those whom God has placed around you and need His tender priestly care; “for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”  From one priest to another, may God richly bless you, david