SERVANT LEADERSHIP
Kings and Priests part 4
In the last article we saw The Everlasting Order of Ministry we call The Order of Melchizedek instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper. So far, this series has traced God’s desire for a kingdom of priests, from the First Order of Ministry exemplified by Abraham to the Order of Melchizedek. Now, we explore how believers live as priests through servant leadership.
Jesus initiated God’s Original Intention
Jesus instituted the Order of Melchizedek, making us “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9, NKJV). As Hebrews explains, “If perfection were through the Levitical priesthood… what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek?” (Hebrews 7:11, NKJV). Jesus, from the tribe of Judah, became “a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4, NKJV), not by genealogy but by the power of His resurrection. Unlike Levitical priests, who died and were replaced, Jesus is our eternal High Priest, enabling us to approach God directly. In the New Covenant, Jesus makes us priests, but living this calling requires servant leadership. I wonder, how do you see yourself embracing your priestly role today?
The Second Order of Ministry, the Levitical Priesthood, was a system of priestly intermediaries. But in the Order of Melchizedek, we can all go directly to God the Father.
The Priesthood of the Believer
In the Old Testament, when a descendant of Aaron turned 30 years old, he could begin to function in his position as a Priest. During those years of waiting, they were trained in the order of “the worship and service of the Tabernacle” along with other areas they were to minister in. This is a “type” for us. We need to grow in our Personal Spiritual Relationship with Our Father and learn how to serve the Body of Christ before we really walk in the position of “kings and priests” too.
In our order, we can pray to the Father both individually and corporately: “In that day you will ask in My name… for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me” (John 16:26-27, NKJV). As priests, we first grow in prayer, worship and service. It is reminiscent of the Old Testament priests reaching maturity at 30 before they could minister in the Tabernacle of Temple. Our growth in our role as a New Testament priest prepares us to walk in spiritual authority in the realm of Royal Priesthood.
The first steps we take in personal priestly prayer, worship should draw us into servanthood. Once we develop this life of worship and servanthood, the Lord will begin to train us up in the way we should go (Pro 22:6 NKJV) by placing us into situations that test our maturity. And, as we follow Jesus, walking “in His steps” (1 Pet 2:21 ESV), spiritual authority will be imparted to us enabling us to function as Kings under Christ.
In the Early Church there was a continual demonstration of the Kingdom of God among the Apostles and in the members of the Church because they were “of one mind and one accord”.
(Acts 2:1, NKJV) Personally, I too once relied on others to pray for me until realizing I could be a New Testament priest under Jesus. That began a transformation of my relationship with God. A good question to ask yourself is “Am I approaching God directly as a New Testament priest?”
In the Early Church, church members were taught that they were part of the “Royal Priesthood and Holy Nation” (1 Pet 2:9 KJV). Everyone was taught about their calling to be a New Testament Priest. But something happened in the Early Church to change that. And the remnants of that change still affect millions of Christians today.
What happened was that the Church became a religious institution and eventually, through more divisions, it split up into a multitude of religious institutions we now call Denominations.
Most Christians today do not understand the concept of what it means to be a New Testament priest. Consequently, they just look to those in charge to minister for them. They live under a quasi-Levitical Priesthood.
Today the Church does not resemble the Early Church of the first century. The question to ask then is, if it was the Lord’s will was for the church to be a Royal Priesthood and a Holy Nation, how did it stray so far from His intentions?
The Nicolaitan Error
In the First Century a Leader named Nicolas perverted his leadership role in the Church and created 2 classes within the church. By the end of the first century, the Nicolaitans, meaning the rulers of the laity, created a clergy-laity divide, stripping believers of their priestly role reducing the church to a quasi-Levitical priesthood system.
This division created a ruling class of clergy who told the people what to believe. As time went by, they were even told not to read The Bible!
Early on, Jesus warned the church saying, “You don’t love Me or each other as you did at first! … If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand” (Revelation 2:4-5, NKJV).
We see how the Lord hated the Nicolaitans’ deeds, which turned leaders into rulers distorting church leadership. (Revelation 2:6, NKJV).
But Jesus also said, “But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.” Revelation 2:4-6 (NLT2) This showed his utter contempt for those who perverted the church.
The Clergy and the Laity
Jesus showed us how He wanted those who led His church to act when He called His Disciples together and said to them, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else.” Mark 10:41-44 (NLT2)
It didn’t take very long for God’s People to become abused by the Clergy class that had risen to power!
First, the Nicolaitans stripped believers of their priestly role by creating a clergy-laity divide. And the division became more widespread and by the end of the 4th Century, as the Roman Church gained control, true leaders were hunted down and removed, and the world entered to the Dark Ages.
Are you being relegated to a menial role in your church? Are you letting others diminish your priestly role? Far too many Christians are settling for second best like the Israelites of Moses day did. It’s time for Believers to seek the Lord concerning their role as a New Testament priest and fulfill Jesus’ priestly desire for them.
The Restoration
It breaks my heart to see believers cheated of their priestly calling, but God is restoring His original intention for the church. I have hope because today, the Holy Spirit is stirring the hearts of believers giving them the desire to embrace their place in the Order of Melchizedek!
This is part of the final restoration of all things spoken by the prophets (Acts 3:21, NKJV).
As New Testament Priests in the Order of Melchizedek we don’t need a priest or anyone else to be an intermediary for us. We can approach God in prayer and worship and find ways to serve too.
It would be great to see believers from all walks of life rise into their priestly calling. I hope you have been thinking about how you can function as a New Testament priest through prayer, worship and service in your church in His name.
As priests in the Order of Melchizedek, we pray, worship and serve. And as we mature we are granted the privilege of entering the Royal aspect of being Kings and Priests.
Priest Serve; Kings exercise Spiritual Authority under Christ to advance His kingdom.
In the next article I’ll explore this concept of spiritual authority and walking in the Royal Priesthood!
Take a moment and share this article with a friend
And, leave a comment. Let me know about your personal journey
And, if you’re new to my Substack, you can get a Free Subscription and get access to all of my articles.
We are servants of the Most High God