Anyone who has been born again and becomes a disciple of Jesus Christ is, by New Testament definition, a priest. The apostle Peter made this very clear – twice.
1 Peter 2:5 (NIV)
”you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house
to be a holy priesthood,
offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.
It’s pretty clear, right? As a devoted Christ-follower you are a priest – part of the royal priesthood of all believers. The first ministry of a priest in ancient Israel was to minister unto the Lord Himself. This was a first priority before ministering to the people. And no priest ever carried out that ministry without very serious consecration – serious self-purification and sanctification - in careful preparation. In fact, God gives to Moses specific instructions for the consecration of the priests in Exodus 29, that is, Aaron and his sons.
Exodus 29:1 (NIV) "This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may [be able to] serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without defect.”
What follows are detailed instructions for the process of consecration, including the blood sacrifice of a bull and a ram. This consecration process took seven full days and included an offering of atonement for sins.
Exodus 29:35-37 (NIV)
"Do for Aaron and his sons everything I have commanded you, taking seven days to ordain them. 36 Sacrifice a bull each day as a sin offering to make atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it. 37 For seven days make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches it will be holy.”
This is serious business. Now, I am not suggesting here that every Christian has to follow this ancient Israelite consecration process. That ancient ritual was for Moses to apply to the priests back in the day. The same process doesn’t apply today – but the same principle still does, because God is still God and He still requires priests to properly prepare – consecrate themselves – before presuming to minister to Him. As the first priests in Israel had to learn proper, careful and exacting personal consecration to be able to minister to the Lord in holiness, we too need to come as priests of God – that’s who we are - with the proper preparation, as holy people. We need to come consecrated and ready to minister to Him of a Sunday in worship, as a priestly people - not hungover, or partied out or with all kinds of muck still on us from our wanderings during the week. This is a first priority of the royal priesthood. And so, participation as a priest of God is a requirement for which we consecrate ourselves. It is not an option. It never was. It is a priority.
Such consecration preparation requires careful attention to detail and solemn respect and reverence unto the Lord. We are to ensure that our ministry to the Lord as a “nation” of priests will be acceptable to Him, and enjoyed by Him. By all means have some fun and recreation on the weekends or during the week. But be sure to set aside plenty of time to consecrate yourself as a priest, ready to minister to the Lord. We minister first to Him, which is why the sabbath is holy and must be kept holy as a priority for God’s people – other pursuits are not holy. Of course, some of us by virtue of our vocations sometimes miss worship in our 24/7 world. I am sure God understands this. But this is quite different from choosing not to function as a priest when you clearly have the responsibility.
The instructions to Moses in Exodus 29, were designed by God to reflect His holiness. This is why everything had to be consecrated. And this is precisely why, in verse 44, God says, “I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. I’m going to make these places holy. I’m going to make these people holy, who are serving in this way. Aaron and his sons.” God’s response to consecration is His holiness being made manifest to us. Just think on that for a moment!
When the consecrated priests of God have gathered together to minister to Him, God responds and makes them holy. In that specific environment God makes us holy like He is, even if only briefly for a time in worship, so that we can enjoy Him and receive from Him in a way not otherwise possible. These are the richest of times for God’s people gathered unto Him – life-giving, life-changing experiences of holiness which can never come from our world. This is where heaven touches earth …
This is why we take worship so seriously – as priests of God. And what we receive from Him in that holy, sacred encounter, we quickly carry into the world to share with others.
1 Chronicles 16:29 (NIV)
“Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before Him. Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness.”
Psalm 29:2 (NIV)
“Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the splendour of His holiness.”
Psalm 96:9 (NIV)
“Worship the LORD in the splendour of His holiness;
tremble before Him, all the earth.”
Consecration: preparing yourself through purification and sanctification, as a priest able to properly serve the Lord. It is not achieved in a hurried few minutes on the way to worship. It’s not a worship service we “go to”, it’s priestly ministry to the Lord, to which He graciously responds. If you have time this week, have a read of the painstaking process of consecration that King Solomon oversaw with the priests of the day in preparation for the dedication of the new temple (1 Kings 8 & 9; 2 Chronicles 5). It took days, and once consecrated they ministered to the Lord - and He responded … the cloud of the Lord’s presence filled the place. Holy fog saturated the inside of the temple. It was overwhelming …
2 Chronicles 5:14 (NIV) “… and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God.”
Teach your children these things, help them to see worship as a crucial thing, and show them how to consecrate and enter in …
Think on these things. Get ready to minister to the Lord on Sunday.
Ps Milton