A Kingdom of Priests

A priest in the generic sense is one who offers service and sacrifice to god on behalf of another. In Judaism the true priests were sons of Levi and were set in  office by God. Even within the sons of Levi were certain divisions and only the sons of Aaron could hold the office of high priest. Yet even in such a rigid priestly systems of \sacrifice and worship we read that Israel was a kingdom of priests (Exo 19:6). A clue into God’s desire to be near all of His people. We also find this inclusiveness in the response to the two elders who were prophesying within the camp of Israel in the desert when it is said “I wish all my people would prophets and that God would put His Spirit upon all of them.” (Num 11:29) And in the very beginning God walked with Adam in the garden, even bringing the animals to him to see what he would name them. Bottom line, God is a Father who desires nearness to His children, and we are all His children in the sense that we are of His creation.

Now a strange thing has happened. We have changed the desire of God and set our minds against Him. All of God’s reaching back toward His people has been met with resistance and is still met with resistance today. How so today? Our institutional systems of religion reserve the power, presence and love of God to a select few who mediate on behalf of the people. The people then are lulled to sleep, only aroused enough to periodically offer a monetary gift or good deed to satisfy their conscience, all the while living as strangers to a God who desires to be their Father. Your Father. One of the greatest detriments to our relationship with God is the clergy/layman mentality. No individual is closer to God than another by position or birthright, it is only by faith in the work of Christ. No other way is provided to enter into the presence of God, and no other way is needed. There is to be no separation between man and God and there is to be no priesthood offering sacrifices on our behalf. The only sacrifice is the body and blood of Jesus and the only priest is also Jesus, who mediates a glorious covenant that allows the believer to receive the very Spirit of God, the thing Moses desired in Numbers 11:29.

We have all agreed that the “church” is not the building, and many have agreed for the death of the “one man show” we call a church service, but we need the release of revelation and power within the church to set at liberty all those who name the name of Christ. Every voice is important to God, every person is a priest. We must reject the confining and controlling systems of “religion” that constrict and confine through fear those who desire to enter in. We are shutting up the way for ourselves and others who desire to come in. All who are thirsty come and drink of the waters of life, God is not far off nor is He holding you back, He is calling you near and if you caught a glimpse of Him you would repent.