A Priesthood Of All Believers

A PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS

     “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”  I Peter 2:9-10  In verse 18 Peter wrote… “Love the brotherhood.”

Terms like “royal priesthood,” and “love the brotherhood,” should help us to realize that God’s family of believes in the body of Christ have a duty to love and accept all others in the family.  But do we?

On any typical Sunday morning it is not out of the ordinary to see the same people congregating with the same people.  Consequently, new members feel left out and unaccepted.  This is especially true of new     converts.  One of the reasons for drop-outs shortly after their conversion is that they don’t feel welcome or accepted.  Visitors to our assemblies will either feel the warmth of a welcoming church or the cold shoulder of  people who could care less.

Do we really believe in the priesthood of all believers, or do we believe in a priesthood of a few who like what we like and think like we think?  Is it too hard to give others a warm smile and welcoming handshake.             Remember the church at Rome was admonished to “Greet one another with a holy kiss.”  Romans 16:16 

A book I have in my office is titled, Just Walk Across the Room.  It teaches lessons on how to welcome others into our space.  There is no place where people should be made to feel welcome any more than in the Lord’s church.  If we truly believe in the priesthood of all believers we will make a genuine effort to welcome others when they come into our assemblies.    In fact, as much as anything we do in the church, one of the most            important  factors in bringing others to Christ is how people feel when they visit the church.