You are a Priest
GodWords Newsletter #6
In this issue:
A short thought from yours truly
A few links to useful stuff
A recent GodWords article
The song that’s on my mind right now
❤️ You are a Priest
You may be thinking, “Who… me?” Yeah, you. If you’re a Christian, you are a priest. That may not be your job, but it’s your role in God’s Kingdom. Let’s see some Scripture!
You are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood. - 1 Peter 2
You are a royal priesthood. - 1 Peter 2
Jesus has made us to be a kingdom and priests. - Revelation 1
These passages - and more - were written about believers… men, women, and children who have trusted God with their lives. If you’re born again, these verses are talking about you. You may not think of yourself as a priest, but you should. That’s what the Bible says about you.
As a former pastor, I joke that I used to be a “professional Christian.” There’s a serious point behind the joke: the difference between a regular Christian and a professional Christian is that one works for free and the other gets paid. That’s it. Spiritually speaking, we are all priests. I don’t write these words to bring down those who make a living as ministers, but to raise the standard for everybody else. We have work to do!
Let me encourage you to take a few minutes to think about what priests do. With a few exceptions, I would suggest that everything on your list is something that you, and every other follower of Jesus, can do. You can study the Bible, share the gospel, hear someone’s confession, baptize believers, intercede with God on another’s behalf, and so on.
It’s plain and simple: you and I were intended - by God - to perform the duties of the priesthood. ❤️
🔗 Useful Stuff
Is the James Ossuary Authentic? - An ancient Jewish bone box is inscribed with the words “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.” Is this artifact authentic? Is it a forgery? A short but thorough look at the evidence.
New study: More sexual experience does not make you a better relationship partner - Most of you probably know this, but it’s definitely something that most younger people need to hear.
God Wants Us to Serve the Undeserving - Just reading the title of this article should cause us to think, and the rest is good. This especially resonates with me: the Bible never says to avoid being taken advantage of.
💡 The Doctrine of the Trinity
The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most contested of Christian doctrines. As you might imagine, any attempt to explain or describe God might be met with skepticism or disagreement or outright condemnation.
🎶 NEWWORLDSON: Radio Ghost Town
This is one of my favorite songs. The lyrics are clever, the music is great, and it’s got a vibe like The Matrix.
The resistance
Took a hit when our leader was nailed to a tree
But they couldn't kill Him,
So they're trying to tell us we're already free
🚀Quotable
Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
You used to be paid to be good.
Now you’re good for nothing.🤣🤣🤣