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“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9 NKJV)
Under the Old Covenant, the priesthood belonged exclusively to the tribe of Levi under the leadership of Aaron (Num. 3:10-12). But under the New Covenant, every born-again believer is a priest to God under the leadership of Jesus Christ, the great High Priest (Heb. 3:1, 4:14, Rev. 1:5-6).
Peter writes, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Pet. 2:9).
Although the service of the Old Covenant priests to God was primarily physical and served only as a shadow of the good things to come, they offered us an opportunity to learn about ministering to the Lord.
Unlike the Old Covenant priests, the believers today are not expected to serve or minister to God in the oldness of the letter but in the newness of the Spirit (Rom. 7:6). The Old Covenant priests ministered to God primarily in three ways. Examining these ways and, more importantly, the underlying truths or principles is wise.
First, the Old Covenant priests ministered to God by tending the seven lamps in the holy place.
The priests’ responsibility was to keep the lamps burning continually before the LORD.
Exodus 27:20-21 – NKJV
20 “And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually.
21 “In the tabernacle of meeting, outside the veil which is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel.
The New Covenant priests are not called to attend to any physical lamp but spiritual lamps—God’s Word and Spirit. The Scripture reveals that God’s Word and Spirit are spiritual lamps.
The Psalmist testifies, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psa. 119:105 NKJV). Apostle John also testifies, “Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.” (Rev. 4:5 NKJV).
As a New Covenant priest, you minister to God by diligently attending to God’s Word and Spirit. Just as the Old Covenant priests attended to the lamp of God daily before the Testimony and kept it burning, you must also pay close attention to God’s Word and the leading of God’s Spirit daily (Rom. 8:5-6).
Paul admonishes, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Col. 3:16 NKJV).
“Do not quench the Spirit.” (1 Thess. 5:19 NKJV).
When you ignore, disregard, or disobey the voice, the leading, the prompting, or guidance of the Holy Spirit, you are quenching or putting out the light of the Holy Spirit in your life, thus failing in your primary responsibility as a New Covenant priest.
Similarly, when you fail to read, study, listen to, meditate, and act upon God’s Word, you neglect your central ministry as a priest to God (Josh. 1:8, Psa. 119:11, Mal. 2:7).
Second, the Old Covenant priests ministered to the LORD by burning sweet incense every morning on the altar before the ark of the Testimony.
God commands, “Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it.” (Exo. 30:7-8 NKJV).
The Old Covenant priests were forbidden from coming before the LORD without a censer full of burning coals of fire and his hands full of sweet incense, lest they die.
God warns, “And he shall put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the Testimony, lest he die.” (Lev. 16:13 NKJV).
What is the sweet incense God expects from us today?
Our prayers and praises!
The book of Revelation speaks of “golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Rev. 5:8 NKJV).
The Scripture also commands, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” (Heb. 13:15 NKJV).
As a New Covenant priest, you must continually offer prayers, worship, praises, or thanksgiving to God. You are expected to pray always and not faint. You are also expected always to praise God in all circumstances (Luke 18:1, 21:36, 1 Tim. 2:8, 1 Thess. 5:17-18).
Third, the Old Covenant priests also ministered to the LORD by offering or burning sacrifices on the altar of bronze before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.
The priests must ensure that the fire on the altar never goes out by ensuring that it never lacks sacrifices.
God commands, “And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.” (Lev. 6:12 NKJV).
As the New Covenant priests to God, the believers today are not expected to offer any animal on an altar as a sacrifice to God. However, the believers are expected to offer, present, or yield their bodies to God as a living sacrifice.
Paul admonishes, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Rom. 12:1 NKJV).
Beloved, you minister to the LORD by presenting members of your body as instruments of righteousness to the LORD, not as instruments of unrighteousness to sin (Rom. 6:19).
Paul admonishes, “And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” (Rom. 6:13 NKJV).
Friend, seek to fulfill your foremost responsibility or ministry to the LORD as His priest this New Year by attending daily and continually to God’s Word, yielding promptly to God’s Spirit, offering daily and always sacrifices of prayers and praises to God, and presenting your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
What about your ministry to people as a New Covenant priest?
Find out in the second part of this piece.
Prayer:
This New Year, I choose to fulfill my ministry as a priest to the LORD. So, help me, Lord, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
OUR mandate is to preserve the faith of the Apostolic Generation.
Eniyekpemi Fidelis Oyinpreyebi.
Ewpower by El- Bethel Christian Network.
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