Praying as Royal Priests

This Sunday, we kicked off our new series called “What In The World?” We’re starting to ask what in the world we are here for, why the church, what’s our purpose…

What’s the mission of the church?

Over the next few weeks, we’ll answer this question from different angles  – but they’ll all point towards the same idea:

To bring God to people, and people to God.

As a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), in the simplest possible terms, that’s exactly what we’re called to do and to be as a church, and as the Church. Bring God to people and people to God. That’s what priests do…they mediate between God and people, represent God to people and people to God…they bring God to people and people to God.

We are that – his royal priesthood – “in order that” we share God’s mighty acts with the world around. It’s that “in order that” that we forget too many times! On Sunday, we talked about how we fit in the entire biblical story, from Genesis to Revelation, and how God has formed us for His purposes, for His mission – in the meantime.

And from the biggest of all possible pictures, now I want to go to the most focused picture: to you.

How is God calling you to be a “royal priest”? How might you bring God to someone, and that someone to God? Who is that someone? Has God placed anyone on your heart in that way?

Maybe you have the answer to those kind of questions already, and you can simply go and do it. That’d be great. Sometimes it works like that.  But I know that for others, it’s not so clear. And that’s why I made the final “Prayer Point” in the bulletin this week to be exactly that:

Pray for ways we (you) can bring God to people and people to God.

In an effort to move us towards intentional prayer for our vision and mission, that’s what I want to challenge you to do this week: pray for ways that you can bring God to people and people to God. Pray for who. Pray for eyes to see the ‘who’ that you can’t see right now. Pray for inspiration as to how to reach the ‘who’. Pray for power from the Spirit (read Acts 1:8, as the men’s bible study did this morning!). Pray for opportunities. Pray for God to work in you, and that God will also then work though you.

That’s it. Pretty simple, but pretty vital too. After all, it’s what we’re here for. So let’s pray that way.

Thank you,
Matt