June 19, 2005

Penecost 5

Out of the Stands and Into the Game -2

Just to get a rise out of me, a buddy of mine at a factory I worked at used to call me “the Priest.” And he loved calling me “the priest” in front of people, in settings like the lunch room.

I’m sure he thought he was very funny for a number of reasons. First, this was his way of announcing to everyone that I was studying for the pastoral ministry, which he was sure they’d think was ridiculous. Second, I did not even remotely dress like, look like, or act like their stereotypical image of a priest. Third, my friend couldn’t tell the difference between a priest and a televangelist, and had not been within miles of either at any point in his life.

Finally, he knew in fact that I was not studying to be a priest, at least not according to his and the rest of the factory workers’ limited stereotypical view of what a priest is: a celibate monk-like servant of God wearing a dark robe. And with all the other negative images that could be associated with being a priest, this buddy of mine thought he could get under my skin by calling me his priest. He thought he was the funniest man in the world.

I have been asked the same thing at several doors I’ve knocked on in this neighbourhood. “So, are you a priest, then?” “No, I’m not a priest.” Not in the way you are thinking about a priest! But friends, since I have the opportunity to explain it in the proper context today, you know what? I most certainly am a priest! And guess what? So are you! What!? Me, a Priest? That’s right. That’s exactly what you are!

Before Jesus came, God worked through a select group of people called priests. Aaron, the brother of Moses, served as the first priest and his sons carried on the priesthood. Old Testament priests mediated affairs between God and the people. If you wanted to pray to God, give Him a worship offering, or confess your sins, you couldn’t go directly to God. You had to go through a priest. God is serious about sin. Your sins separated you from Him, and He showed that by making sure a curtain in the temple hid his presence. The only ones who could go past that curtain were priests. You needed a priest to get to God.

But Jesus’ life and death changed all of that. All those sacrifices the priests made only looked forward to the one sacrifice that would count. Jesus was the one sacrifice that was necessary. His sacrifice connected us back up with God. The barrier of sin was removed. To make it clear to us, the temple curtain even ripped in two on the day Jesus served as our priest!

From that moment on, instead of a few, select priests empowered by the Holy Spirit to act as mediators with God, suddenly every one of Jesus’ followers became a priest! Jesus shattered once-for-all the need for the special Levitical priesthood of Aaron’s family. Now, we are God’s holy priests! We have become His people. We have received his mercy! He sees us as “not guilty.” This means that today we have direct access to God. We don’t have to call a priest or a pastor every time we want to worship, pray, or confess our sins to God.

It also means that we become priests to one another. And what does a faithful priest do for his people? Prays and intercedes for them. Encourages them. Watches over them. Confronts them. Grieves with those who grieve. Rejoices with those who rejoice. And makes sacrifices. Not bloody ones. As priests, we offer our bodies as spiritual sacrifices, dedicating our entire lives to his service. We offer Him our skills and abilities, our money, our time and energy, our all. We do this to draw people to Jesus. As a result, people feel loved, nurtured, secure, and blessed.

Imagine a congregation in which every member took his or her priesthood as seriously as the priests of the Old Testament did! As seriously as Jesus took his priesthood! Imagine a church whose members got out of the stands and into the game of serving as the royal priesthood that they are! A church like that would change the world around it! What? Me, a Priest? Yes!

In Eph. 4:11-12, it says that God has uniquely equipped some of these priests to train others to serve. “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” Instead of the OT system with a select group of priests, everyone in the congregation is a priest, with a few teachers and pastors among the priesthood who are called to equip those priests for ministry. The “equipping servants” would be pastors and staff ministers, and those equipped to do the ministry, the “volunteers.”

Whenever this plan of God’s has been put into practice, good things happen for the Kingdom. Everybody wins! The equippers win each time they see God use the volunteers they have recruited, loved, trained, and empowered. The volunteers win, because they get the thrill of moving from the spectator’s stands to the playing field. They become the instruments God uses to change people’s lives with the good news of Christ. The surrounding community wins as it receives the service of a loving, united, multi-gifted team of priests serving Jesus. And most importantly, God wins because He has the pleasure of seeing his children carry out his plan of sharing his Son with the world!

But friends, this version of a priest isn’t what my buddy at evco Plastics was thinking about when he referred to me as a priest! And why not? What has happened? Even though the early church started out with this beautiful concept of the priesthood of all believers – with every member an active minister – during the last couple of centuries, most churches have gone back to the Old Testament model! Here’s what it often looks like...

A small congregation of people is formed by a missionary or church planter. Shortly afterward, they tell their called pastor how they want him to serve them: “Pastor, here is what we want you to do: Preach. Teach. Marry. Bury. Make hospital calls. Visit members. Counsel the confused. Evangelize the community. Conduct meetings. Raise money. Print the bulletins. Do announcements. Pray for the sick. Organize fun fellowship events. Call a staff minister to help you with most of the above. Make sure the church is growing. And then get us some land to build on. Do this, and, don’t worry, we’ll make sure to pay you.”

When the congregation pays the called workers to do all the ministry, here is what happens: The church ends up with a few overworked professionals, paid by them to fulfill the whole scope of priestly functions, while everyone else remains in the stands, their gifts and abilities wasting away from lack of use! Unfortunately, this is how most churches operate today, but it doesn’t have one bit of Biblical support! Keeping the real priests in the stands and off the field will leave congregations weak and ineffective. Does this describe us?

We expect doctors to treat us, not to train us to treat others. We expect lawyers to give us expert advice, not train us to understand the legal system like they do. Likewise, don’t we want pastors to serve us, not train us to serve others? Do you ever get frustrated with me because you want me to be like your doctor and lawyer? Because you want me to perform my “priestly function” for you instead of helping you to do it for yourself as one of God’s holy children?

Have you ever wanted to shout at me: “You’re the priest! Not me!” Well, the Bible says, “If you follow Jesus Christ, YOU are a priest!” What? Me, a Priest? God doesn’t want his children to come to church with a consumer mindset. “Serve me,” they say. “Teach me. Pray for me. Fix my kids. Counsel my spouse. And if you don’t do all of this well, I’ll go find another church.” We can’t serve God as consumers. We’re priests! What? Me, a Priest? That’s right!

But hey – you are not the only ones who have been at fault here! I am also to blame. When I, or any other pastor, staff minister, or teacher who has been called to equip those sitting in the stands consider ourselves the only people worthy of doing ministry, when we give you the message by our words and actions that the Holy Spirit could not possibly work through your lives and service, we would be disobeying the instructions God has given us.

Have we done this? Yes. Why? Maybe we never learned how to delegate properly or build a team. Maybe we’ve been insecure, afraid to share responsibility, or afraid that someone might be better at something than we are. And so we have often worn ourselves out doing the work of the ministry, while bored potential volunteer ministers have remained in the stands and off of the field. Missing out on all the action. People, if this has been the case, forgive us.

Then, let me remind us today that we all are priests. Let me challenge and help me equip you to get out of the stands and into the game. You have the Holy Spirit working within you! You can tell others about Jesus and share forgiveness with them! You don’t have to go to Seminary to make a difference in your church! You don’t have to have a diploma on your wall to get involved in ministering with God’s Word and serving people. God has chosen you to join his team and change the world with his grace! He is calling you into the game!

A game Jesus won for us! He went to the altar for us and filled the one priestly role that we couldn’t. He gave his life for us to make us holy, forgiven, and accepted by God. And to make us priests who can come to God now – without anyone’s help but Jesus. Everybody wins in this game! And God is glorified! (healing of relationships story – 1 Pet.2:12)

When we all carry out our roles, when those who are called to equip others really do equip others, and when volunteers show up to be equipped, empowered, and entrusted with ministry, everybody wins! The equippers, those being equipped, the church, and the community. And God gets the glory because all of this was his idea! He is glorified when others come to know Him through our priestly work.

So if you are still sitting in the stands and not serving, come down and get into the game! If you are sitting here right now, thinking: “What? Me, a Priest?” realize that God has made you his priest, and that’s an honor! Accept the honor! Imagine what would happen in our church if every priest and priestess, the equipper and the equipped, actually lived according to God’s plan for them! Our community would be changed with God’s love! People would be transformed with the forgiveness Jesus won for us! Get out of the stands and into the game! Amen.

Portions and thought content from this sermon were taken from: The Volunteer Revolution. Bill Hybels. Zondervan Publishing. 2004.

 

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