YOU ARE A ROYAL PRIEST, NOT JUST A LAYMAN

THE CHURCH MUST REINVENT HERSELF

Ekklesia was a legal Greek outpost with a minimum of two or three members with full authority to rule the city or the state. Paul addressed the Athenian Ekklesia on the Mars hill (Acts Chap. 17). The Romans continued using the term Ekklesia and the system at Yeshua’s time. The smallest Ekklesia of two or three had the presence of the Roman Emperor in their midst and therefore had full power and authority to dislodge other kingdoms and impose Roman diktat (Acts 19:38,39). 

Yeshua rejected the temple and the synagogue models and used the familiar secular structure, the Ekklesia as a “Lawful Assembly” for advancing His Kingdom (Acts 19:38-41). His smallest Ekklesia would consist of two or three believers. He assured them of His presence in their midst and therefore they had the authority to lock the Gates of Hades and unlock the Holy Spirit and impose divine diktat on planet earth (Matt. 16:18,19). His Ekklesia is the divine outpost of heaven on earth with presence and power to impose Kingdom laws over all the other laws. Yeshua has ordained and anointed us to dislodge demonic kingdoms and fill the earth with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14). The Ekklesia is designed to battle for the souls of men. But if the church does not know its identity, authority, role and destiny then the battle is already lost.

While the Greek and Roman Ekklesia were governmental structures, the Ekklesia of Yeshua is a redemptive and transformational entity. The mighty Greek and the Roman Empires tried to decimate the fledgling Ekklesia but overtime they were not only redeemed and transformed but became the epicenters of Christianity throughout the rest of world. 

There are many nations today that are gospel ready. The NT model of rapid expansion is not based on the financial muscle power of the Church, but on the limitless power of the Holy Spirit. Sadly, the legacy Church is more interested in making a fast buck than in getting on soul saving fast track. Paul quoting Isaiah accurately predicted about the modern church, “Hearing they hear, but do not understand; and seeing they see, and not perceive, they have stubborn hearts. Their ears are stopped up, and their eyes are blind. They cannot see or hear or understand.” Only if they would turn to God they would be healed.” “Therefore, be it known to you that the salvation of God is sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear.” (Acts 28:26-28)

The Church needs to hold a critical dialogue on her mission and mandate to rediscover, if not to reinvent, herself. For the Church to maintain a united front against the Devil, all her divisive structures that discriminate against sinners should be removed. She must not remain exclusive but instead become inclusive, which means “sinner friendly”. All those who love the Bride must stop chasing the Holy Grail of traditions and unite to liberate sinners living in bondage to hell. 

The Church must stop corralling people into a lifetime of captivity in the containment zone. Instead, it should conduct a local, city, national and global scan to find out the gaps and then do a “deployment audit”. A panoramic view of the church landscape reveals a colossal waste of her precious cargo.

THE CHURCH NEEDS RADICAL RESTRUCTURING

The clergy-laymen divide remains unconstitutional. The word “layman” in the Church means non-entity. However respectable or influential a person you may be in the secular world, you are just “a cipher and a layoff.” Your only duty is to add yourself to the membership and pay the church tax. However, even after fulfilling all the sacraments, there is no assurance of your making it to the Paradise.

The clergy are custodians of institutionalized faith. Not surprisingly, through manipulation and non-transparent methods, they stonewall any change. These institutions are driven through financial muscle power and exercise authority through worldly power structures. Yeshua died to abolish oppressive structures and replace them with liberty, equality and fraternity, to bring in a horizontal church governance. The church needs radical restructuring to restore democracy from the dominance of the autocratic ecclesial nobility to the domain of ordinary believers.

FROM CHURCH REGISTER TO THE BOOK OF THE LAMB

If you wish to be an active member of a church, then you will be handed the collection plate. If you show more zeal, then you will be made the secretary of the prayer cell; and if you talk too much, then you will be made a member of the executive committee where nobody will have time to listen to you. In any case, no attempt will be made to make use of your God given gifts. During elections, it does not matter how many identity cards you hold, if your name is not in the voter’s list, then you will not be allowed inside a polling booth.

Make sure that your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life while you are here on earth, because “by no means can anyone enter, whose name is not written in the Book of the Lamb (Rev. 20:12, 15; 21:27). Having your name written in the church register is optional, having it written in the Book of the Lamb is mandatory. The seventy members of the Sanhedrin, the ruling senate of the Jerusalem temple, including the High Priest, who crucified Yeshua, never made it to heaven. In contrast, the seventy disciples who obeyed Yeshua by going out 2x2 as laborers got their names written into the Book of the Lamb (Luke 10:17-20).

BRINGING FORTH FRUIT THAT REMAINS IS THE BENCHMARK

The Lord has chosen us specifically to “go and bring forth abundant fruit that remains (replicates) then I will ask the Father to give whatever you ask.” (John 15:16). Incidentally, getting whatever, you ask in prayer is conditional to your bearing reproducing fruit (disciples that make disciples). No fruit-no answer to your prayers. We must remember that every believer will be known by his fruit rather than by his religious activities (Matt. 7:16-20). We do not glorify God by doing all those religious things, “And this is how God is glorified when you bring abundant fruit, then you shall be my disciples (John 15:8). The best way to glorify God is to save abundant souls, the more the better. A pastor will not be known by his sermons but by his ability to make his flock fruitful (soul savers). Yeshua guarantees that if you abide in Him, you will bear fruit. If you have no fruit, then obviously you are grossly mistaken about your relationship with Him. The consequences of not bearing fruit (saving souls) is being cut off and thrown into the fire. (John 15:5-8; Gal. 4:19; Col. 1:27; Acts 17:6).

NO MINORITY COMPLEX BECAUSE WE ARE ONLY A REMNANT

Priests are always a minority and royal priests even more special (1 Pet. 2:9; Exo. 19:5-6). The Greek word eklektos means, “separated” or “called out.” God has chosen us to possess the land, not because we are holy or great in numbers (Deut. 9:5-6; 7:6), but because He loved us and chose us to be His holy priests, so that we may proclaim His great glory among the lost (1 Pet. 2:9). He has promised, “Five of you will chase a hundred and a hundred of you will put ten thousand to flight” (Lev. 26:8). “Fear not little flock for it has pleased the Father to hand over the kingdom to you.” “For many are called but few are chosen to reign on earth” (Luke 12:32; Matt. 22:14; Rev. 5:10).

FUNCTIONS OF THE ROYAL PRIESTS

1. Intercession: The Greek word entugxano means “to plead on behalf of someone else.” There is a big gap between Holy God and sinners, and He is looking for those who will plead on their behalf. If this does not happen, then those people will be lost because of their sins, but their blood will be upon us. God is always looking for intercessors because He does not want anyone to perish (Isa. 59:16; Ezek. 22:30). As our High Priest, Yeshua has been interceding for the past two thousand years for every tribe, language, and people that they may stand before the throne of God. Therefore, as God’s priests, it is our duty to follow the example of our Lord (Heb. 7:25).

2. Offer Sacrifices: In the OT, God said that His house was to be a house of sacrifice (2 Chronicles 7:12). God said that He will accept all the heathen brethren from different nations as an offering, and He will make priests of them (Isa. 66:20-21). In the New Testament, Yeshua said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” This means that prayers need to be offered for peoples of other faiths, so that they will also have an opportunity to enter the kingdom of God (Mark 11:17). Paul says that as a priest, he offers Gentiles as a spiritual sacrifice (Rom. 15:16).

As NT priests, we no longer offer animal sacrifice, rather we offer peoples of other faiths as a spiritual sacrifice, pleasing to God. In the OT, only perfect animals could be offered on the altar. Today, too, we must properly disciple people, baptize them and equip them until each one becomes a fisher of men. Only then will they be useful priests to God. Anything less would not be a perfect offering and your church would not qualify as, “A House of Sacrifice” or as a “House of Prayer for all nations”. It is in our own interest for us to function as full-fledged priests in the neighborhood and workplace where God has placed us, reproducing many priests and so filling the earth with the glory of God (2 Chron. 7:12; Mark 11:17).

3. Spokesmen of God: As a priest, you speak on behalf of God for

whatever you say becomes oracles of the living God (1 Pet. 4:11).

“For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, and people should seek the law from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts” (Mal. 2:7).

First, a priest of God is expected to have a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. Secondly, people should come to him to seek clarification on matters of doctrine. And thirdly, as a messenger of God, he should be going to the people to share with them the whole counsel of God. The knowledge of God is called Theology, which forms only a small part of the Scriptures.

Yeshua taught practical skills. He spoke about sowing seed, harvesting, catching fish, finding lost sheep, convicting those who contradict and so on. He showed to His disciples how to deal with the sick and how to cast out demons. These are all practical skills that cannot be taught in a classroom and must be coached in the harvest fields. As priest of your family (Deut. 6:2) and community (Mal. 2:7), you must teach the knowledge of God while coaching disciple-making skills in the harvest field, so that they can effectively practice their faith.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (Hosea 4:6).

4. Priests and kings: The term “royal” denotes governance that is not based on vertical power structures, but on horizontal relations, the meek inheriting the earth, as exemplified in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:1-11). Yeshua, through His shed blood, has made us priests and kings to reign on earth (Rev. 5:9-10). Yeshua is the King of kings and we are servant-kings who obey His constitution (the Bible). He appoints whomsoever He likes, even the basest of us, and therefore has authority over all the kings of the earth (Dan. 4:17, 25, 32). It does not yet appear that way, for His priests do not even know that they are kings, nor that they should govern on behalf of the King of kings. Joseph, Daniel, Nehemiah, Esther, Mordecai, Elijah, Samuel and all the others were governing priests and prophets. They were de facto rulers of nations who ruled through prophecy.

No nation other than God’s people, has the authority to rule (Dan. 2:44). Only you have the authority and responsibility to bring in a righteous government on behalf of the King of kings. The government is upon His shoulders and not on some political party. He is our Head and we are His hands, feet and shoulders. Therefore, the government is really upon us, even though Satan is currently ruling through political parties by default, despite having no authority to rule (Dan. 2:44; 7:18, 27). As servant kings, we have the power of attorney to reign on earth. 

But first, we must be liberated from the “laymanship” of the legacy church. Yeshua proclaimed liberty to all, including those held captive by the legacy church. We must break every extra-biblical yoke that the church puts on. Then the ordained/ordinary divide will be blurred, and the oppressed will be set free and they shall arise, shine and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed with the healing of the nations (Isa. 9:6; 58:6; 60:1-3; Deut. 15:6; Luke 4:18).

5. Multiplication: We are a generation of priests. If we do not reproduce, the priesthood will come to an end. God’s vision is that ”from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, His name shall be great among the Gentiles who will burn incense and offer sacrifices in His name” (Malachi 1:11). Offering sacrifices and burning incense was a priestly function in the Tabernacle. Now every Household is an altar where incense (intercession) and lost souls are offered as living sacrifices.

“The things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men (anthropoid = men and women) who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2).

When we fulfill all these requirements, will we be true priests offering praise and worship in spirit and in truth. Worshipping once a week without fulfilling our role as priests remains spurious. Just saying “Lord, Lord,” is not enough, lest one day He simply say, “I don’t know you” (Matt. 7:21-23).

YOU ARE AN ORDAINED PRIEST

Do not let your feelings deceive you, for whether you feel like it or not, you are the CEO or the Janitor, if you are a believer then you are a royal priest, and you ought to function as such. You were chosen, anointed and ordained by God Himself the day you accepted Yeshua Messiah as your King. He made you a priest and a king by His precious blood. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and ordained (KJV) you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain (reproduce)” (1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6; John 15:16). Do not be ashamed of the gospel. Submit to God and gather a small group of the lost and practice your faith. Remember, when two or three gather in His name, it is already an Ekklesia, and you are about your heavenly Father’s business (Luke 2:49).

THE HARVEST HAS BEEN RIPE AND READY FOR 2000 YEARS

The disciples thought that there were four months until the harvest, but the Lord said the harvest is ready now. Like Yeshua’s disciples, we have this wrong notion that the that people of other faiths are not yet ready. However, according to our Lord, the harvest has been ready for the past 2000 years. That is why He commanded, “Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest.” And when the disciples lifted their eyes from the food they had just brought, they saw a Samaritan woman bringing her entire village to Yeshua. The problem with us is too much focus on food and too little on the harvest. Yeshua was also food focused but His food was, “My food is to do the will of the Father” (John 4:34-35).

LET MY PEOPLE GO

Religious demons keep religious Christians captive within their religious buildings. There is a huge potential locked up in pews that must be set free. Yeshua came to proclaim liberty to the captives and to set them free (Luke 4:18). Yeshua is soon coming back to put down all the illegitimate power and authority structures, even in the Church (1 Cor. 15:24). An ordinary potato that sells for twenty cents per kilo can have great value addition. Processed and made into chips, it sells for $2 per kilo. Similarly, a “pew potato” has no value until processed (equipped) and released from the shackles of tradition and allowed to go out jumping as a calf or heifer released from the stall, unleashing huge potential of ingenuity and creativity. This will set a church growth trajectory that churches adopting the house Ekklesia model are experiencing (Matt. 24:14; John 4:35).

If only a handful of Christians had the courage to swim against the tide, quit decorating their pews and catalyze innovative ministry initiatives in their own communities, neighborhoods, offices or in the marketplace, then there would be a distinct possibility of transforming their cities and the nation. Yeshua sent us to proclaim the gospel to the lost of this world, they are still waiting.

THE OPEN DEBATE

The world is understandably cynical about the incoherent, uncaring church, because there is a wide disconnect between the church and the people. We need to initiate open, candid dialogue regarding her role and mission in the world. It should not be like a college debate with a lot of hot air but no action. Nor should there be harping on nostalgia and sentiments about bygone glories of yesteryear. Dissent, discussions, debate, dialogue and agreeing to disagree, are signs of vibrancy and the essence of openness. This will lead to cold clinical diagnoses of the gnawing cancers, opting not for cosmetic surgery but for implementing radical therapy. This bold step will give space to the Holy Spirit to impart a fresh vision, an apostolic/prophetic foundation, and propel us towards the goal of world evangelization by uniting Christians of different expressions, around the world.

SPYING OUT A SPIRITUAL LANDSCAPE PRECEDES INTERCESSION

If the church is serious about repossessing territory usurped by Satan, then she must find out the tactics and techniques of the usurper, and then plan an appropriate strategy for counterattack. No army in the world can lay a successful strategy without information obtained from espionage. Effective hostility against the Devil must be preceded by detailed intelligence gathering through surveillance and spiritual mapping of his strongholds. Moses and later Joshua sent spies to Canaan to find all the details of the people, places, and the layout of the land (Num. 13). Nehemiah surveyed the ruined city of Jerusalem in the middle of the night. Paul visited the temples of the Athenians to learn about their religious practices and studied their texts before giving a masterpiece of contextualized sermon without once mentioning Jesus or quoting from the Bible. Initially the skim off was very little but later Athens became the head quarter of the churches of the East.

Perceived threats in the report to Moses frightened those with a grasshopper mentality. Their rebellion drew down the wrath of God. Rapid fire intercession by Moses and Aaron, running through the camp with burning incense and praying for their atonement saved them otherwise, the entire rebellious crowd could have ended up as a pile of ash. Even so, 14,700 died (Num. 13:17-20; 31-33; 16:42-50).

TIME FOR PRAYER JOGGING, NOT JUST PRAYER WALKING

Joshua chided the Israelites for being slack in taking possession of the kingdom that God had given to them. He asked them for a detailed survey report in writing, so that he could reallocate their territories (Josh. 18:3-9). The church needs strategists like Joshua who are researchers and have a vision for possessing God-given territories, based on facts and not assumptions. We need intercessors like Moses, who during hostility against him, prostrated himself and prayed while Aaron ran amongst the people. Even though millions are dying today of the plague of sin, Christians do not survey their own areas of influence and are, therefore, so ignorant of the facts that few take the risk of running between the living and the dying, interceding for their atonement. We need prayer joggers to intercede (1 Thess. 5:17) to delay His coming, so that none may perish (2 Pet. 3:9).

COMPETENCIES OF AN EKKLESIA PLANTER

Like an elder, the Ekklesia planter should be “moral and hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict” (Tit. 1:8-9). Today, the house Ekklesias are cobbling their way into unreached places and communities, finding the lost and filling the gaps with the gospel and giving marching orders to the existing spirits. The Ekklesia planter who knows the mystery that the Gentiles will become inheritors of the kingdom (Eph. 3:6) must also know that the Messiah in us is the only hope of glory for the lost (Col. 1:26-29).

An Ekklesia planter must be multi-competent besides being equipped in the Word, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work” (2Tim. 3:16,17). He must harness all the different ministry-gifted folk who are available in the Ekklesia (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:28-29). He must coordinate the diversity of gifts to function in unity. When these are fulfilled, spontaneous multiplication of Ekklesias ensues. The key to successful discipling of the nations is to utilize every member as a resource person. Then the Ekklesia will be “a glorious Ekklesia, not having spot or wrinkle, holy and blameless” (Eph. 3:5; 5:27).

TALK YESHUA’S LOVE TO PEOPLE OF OTHER FAITHS

The early Ekklesia was Christocentric and Gentile focused. They met informally all the time outside of formal meetings. In the Roman Empire, 80 percent of the population were illiterate. Even the literate did not have the written Scriptures. The only theology they talked about was how the Jewish Scriptures testified about Yeshua (John 5:39). The focus of their gatherings was always the lost person. 

We must stop baiting, bashing and humiliating others to win an argument. Instead, we must touch their heartstrings by talking Yeshua’s love for them. Almost all religions and cultures have the Messiah embedded in their traditions and scripture. We must find out and use as these as bridges, thereby incarnating Yeshua into their culture, redeeming entire communities (Rom. 2:15; Acts17:23, 28).

GEMS:

• A critical mass of Christianity exists almost in every country now, which, if empowered and strategically deployed, it could ignite a radical demographic shift in our own generation.
• The church needs an urgent “deployment audit” of the huge spiritual storehouse of gifts and talents rotting in pews. If harnessed, it could bring about an exponential growth and multiplication of Christianity.
• If you are not getting the results you expect from your labors, then maybe you are using the wrong tools, like eating soup with knife and fork.
• Yeshua said “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Being a follower is not enough. You must become a prolific fisher of men to be a true disciple of Yeshua (Matt. 4:19).
• Give a man fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and feed him for a lifetime.
• Yeshua empowered His disciples to heal the sick, to expel demons, to raise the dead, coaching them practical skills to convince, to convict and to convert those who contradict (Luke 9:1-3; Tit. 1:9).
• Yeshua did not make members; He made disciples. He taught His disciples to catalyze disciple-making movements that plant healthy, reproducing Ekklesias (Luke 10:1; Matt. 4:19; 2 Tim. 2:2).

Copyright © 2023 Dr. Victor Choudhrie

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