HEART OF A PRIEST
PART FOUR
THE ROYAL PRIESTHOOD
“To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men,
but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones,
are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood,
to offer up spiritual sacrifices,
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ”
I Peter 2:4 – 5
The language of the New Covenant is one that conveys the thought, power and purpose of God in His people. We are living stones by VIRTUE of coming to THE LIVING STONE. In coming to HIM we learn, discover and partake of HIS qualities and heart. There can be no building up into a corporate expression that glorifies HIM if we are not walking in HIS TRUTH, LIKENESS and CHARACTER. We ARE living stones (plural) that are being (present tense) built into a Spiritual HOUSE (singular) for HIS GLORY. It is not a church building; it is not a ministry (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor or Teacher). Rather it is a CORPORATE HOLY PRIESTHOOD that will in truth offer SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES UNTO GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. The only purpose of the individual ministrations in HIS HOUSE is to PRODUCE this priesthood within the lives of the individual living stones.
Throughout the New Covenant we read over and over of the value and preciousness of the individual expression but here we see the cry for the summation of all ministries into the SINGULAR expression. We do not read of the Bodies of Christ, families of God, faiths of Christ, houses of God, and other plural concepts.
“So we, being many, are ONE body in Christ,
and every one members one of another”
ROMANS 12:5
“For we being many are ONE bread, and ONE body:
for we are all partakers of that ONE bread”
I CORINTHIANS 10:17
“For as the body is ONE, and hath many members,
and all the members of that ONE body,
being many, are ONE body: so also is Christ”
I CORINTHIANS 12:12
“But now are they many members, yet but ONE body.
And the eye cannot say unto the hand,
I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet,
I have no need of you”
I CORINTHIANS 12:20
There are far too many scriptures to list here for the sake of brevity, but even in these few examples we MUST recognize the discrepancy between what we see here and the abomination of what we see in the “Christian Expression” around us. Our FAITH must reveal HIS HEART and purposes. FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN. If I believe in this ONE HOUSE and this ONE ROYAL PRIESTHOOD then with every fibre of my being I should interact with the people of God around me to this ONE END. If our lives resemble the ONE LIVING STONE (which was rejected by the RELIGIOUS builders of HIS DAY) then it must be that our lives not only be rejected by the religious builders of our day, but that we find ourselves in truth being built into a SPIRITUAL HOUSE by becoming that ROYAL PRIESTHOOD to see it to completion.
Men who are content to live outside of the “institutions of men” without love and concern for the spiritual wellbeing of HIS people know not the HEART OF GOD. ALL THINGS ARE TO BE SUMMED UP IN CHRIST! ALL THINGS ARE TO SEE HIS PURPOSES FULFILLED IN HIS PEOPLE! That is the heartbeat of those who have seen, heard and felt HIS HEART in this hour. THERE IS ONE BODY, ONE SPIRIT, ONE HOPE OF OUR CALLING, ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISM, ONE GOD AND FATHER! It is unto this END that we live and because of THIS TRUTH we NOW labour that we may present EVERY MAN complete in Christ! That is the only purpose of ALL ministry; though the individual expressions are all unique and different this is the ONE END to which we labour. Our lives must be true to this ONE THING and how we actually interact with the people of God on a daily basis IS THE REVELATION OF OUR FAITH IN THIS MATTER!
“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called
in one hope of your calling;
One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all,
who is above all, and through all, and in you all”
EPHESIANS 4:4 – 6
Brian Troxel
