The Priesthood of all believers: the doctrine that each member of the body of Christ is a priest of God and should be actively participating in the body of Christ. All believers are kings and priests in the kingdom. But who are all believers? Those who have accepted the sacrifice that Jesus made and are living in the increasing revelation of the Lordship of Jesus.
So all believers can be adults, teens, or children who have taken this step. This is generally accepted in the body of Christ, but what is not accepted is that adults, teens, and children should be actively participating in the body of Christ and using their God-given gifts. Too often our structures and systems lead us to an educational system where a teacher teaches adults, children, and teens.
My heart cry this month is that as you read the terms "all believers", "everyone", "body of Christ", "each member", "church", "small group members", etc., you will remind yourself over and over that these terms apply to every generation. When I ask people where children are mentioned in the Bible, they repeatedly recount baby Moses, David on the hills, Samuel in the temple, etc. However, they rarely talk about children when seeing the words" the whole community", or when seeing the phrases such as "Israelites" or "Church". Yet we need to remember that these phrases include children and teenagers.
So in thinking about the mobilizing of all believers I would like to remind us of the basic foundational values of the small group:
-
All (adults, youth, and children) are ministers
-
All (adults, youth, and children) are called to win others
-
All (adults, youth, and children) are called to serve
-
All (adults, youth, and children) make small group the priority
-
All (adults, youth, and children) are empowered for service
-
All (adults, youth, and children) participate fully
-
All (adults, youth, and children) are receivers and givers
-
All (adults, youth, and children) are hearers and doers
This is the kingdom - this is God’s army. This is family! The Priesthood of all believers means that everyone is mobilized!