One of the most glorious aspects of our identity as Christians is that we are allowed and invited to minister to the eternal God of all creation! It is also one of the least talked about and least understood aspects of our relationship with God.
Revelation 5:10 says “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” As Christians we have a priestly role as the ones who will serve and minister to God. For most believers this sounds good but also a bit mysterious and usually is relegated to something that ‘we’ll figure out when we get there’!
We may not fully grasp the magnitude and nature of this identity and role until the age to come, but it is critical for us to grow in our understanding of this now, in this age, because it has significant consequences for our lives.
King David was one of the first people who really understood this reality. The Lord spoke about it in great detail to David and called him to set up a worship and prayer ministry that came to be known as the ‘tabernacle of David’. Essentially, David set up the first night and day house of prayer, where singers, musicians and intercessors came together and ministered before God in different shifts, and it continued literally 24 hours a day!
There is a lot to say on this topic but let me offer the following summary to stir your thinking:
- In King David’s day, the tribe of Levi was set apart for this priestly ministry: “…the LORD chose them (the Levites) to minister before him forever.” -1 Chron. 15:2
- In Isaiah’s day, the Lord revealed that his desire was that Gentiles (non Jews) would also be invited into this priestly role as those who would minister before the Lord. “And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him…these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.” -Isaiah 56:6-7
- Jesus came to announce that the Kingdom of Heaven was coming to the earth and told us to pray: “…your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” -Matt. 6:10. This makes it clear that God wants to be ministered to on earth as he is ministered to in heaven.
Let me recap what I’m getting at:
- God has said that he desires to have people come before him and minister before him forever and enjoy his infinite glory and splendor.
- Since he wants this to continue forever, it means this desire did not stop with the establishment of the new covenant and it is still God’s desire in 2011! God’s plan has been to make it possible for non-Jewish people to be able to serve the Lord in this priestly way.
This is an honor and privilege beyond description! If you went up to the 24 elders in heaven who are gathered in worship around the throne of God, there is NOTHING you could offer them that would tempt them to even consider leaving their role of ministering before God!
We need a greater revelation of the glory and splendor of the God that we love and serve and the honor that has been given to us to come and minister before Him!
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Jim
