The building of God’s house is related to the priesthood and depends on the priesthood. If we are enlightened by the Lord and have a clear view of the fact that all the believers in Christ are priests to God – the priesthood – then we will realize that the building up of the church is intimately related to and depends on the priesthood.
If there’s a body of priests to God who function in their measure by bringing sacrifices to God, entering into the Holy of Holies, burning the incense, trimming the lamps, and are one with God, then God has a built up dwelling place on earth.
How can we say that the building of God’s house is related to and depends on the priesthood? First, if we look in Exodus, the priests are the main people who not only bring man before God and bring God to man, but also take care of the tabernacle: they set it up, serve in it, do everything in it, move it, are responsible for it, and everything related to the tabernacle was related to the priests (see Exo. 19:6; 25:8-9). Where the priests were, the tabernacle was, and the tabernacle completely depended upon the priesthood.
In Zech. 6:12-13 we see Christ as the shoot coming as a priest to build the temple of God; He is the “priest of priests”, and we all as the priesthood do the same thing: we build up the church as the tabernacle and temple of God.
In Pet. 2:5 we are built up as a spiritual house (God’s house, God’s dwelling place, the church) as a holy priesthood; the building up of God’s house relies completely on the priesthood.
However, the priesthood has been lost in today’s Christianity, and so the Lord is in the process of recovering the priesthood in the church life today. In the Lord’s recovery, He is recovering the universal priesthood of all the saints; we all need to be those who first come to the Lord, spend time with Him, are filled with Him, and let Him flow through us and out of us to others for the building up of the house of God.
Eventually, the Lord will build up the church not only by Himself but together with a group of priests who are willing to cooperate with Him and be recovered to their normal function in the Body.
The Building of God’s House is Related to and Depends on the Priesthood
What God desires today is to gain a building, a corporate expression of Himself in humanity; this building is related to the priesthood and depends on the priesthood. The priests in the Old Testament had a breastplate with twelve precious stones enclosed in settings of gold (Exo. 28:11); these signify all the people of God, and they also signify the precious materials built up into and as the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:18-19). The priests were “wearing the building”, that is, the building of God was upon the priests in the Old Testament.
Today as New Testament priests we need to realize that the building up of the church as God’s dwelling places depends upon the priesthood: if there is a group of people who are filled with God and who flow out God, the church is built up; otherwise, there’s no building.
We need to realize that we are corporately being built up into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood (1 Pet. 2:5). This means that the spiritual house is the holy priesthood, and when there’s a priesthood built up, God has a spiritual house.
We are being built up into a dwelling place of God in spirit (Eph. 2:21-22); whenever we exercise our spirit, spend time with God, are infused with God, are filled with God, and overflow with the God we enjoy and experience, we are built up into the church and we build up the church as the dwelling place of God. The priesthood upholds the building of the church; without the priesthood, it is impossible for the church to be built up.
The church is built up not merely by teaching but primarily and directly by the priesthood. When all the saints are perfected to function in their measure, the church is built up directly (see Eph. 4). A strong church is one full of priests, full of praying people.
In our personal life and daily life we need to be those who are “smoked with God”, that is, we spend time with God and live in the presence of God to be filled with God, saturated with God, and permeated with God.
Our function as priests is not merely “in the meetings of the church”; all day long we need to be filled with God, burn the incense, experience and offer Christ as the reality of the offerings, trim the lamps, spend time in the Lord’s presence, and exercise our spirit to be strong and prevailing in spirit. Then, when we come to the meetings of the church, we will continue to flow out God as we go to preach the gospel, shepherd people, or meet with the saints.
Lord Jesus, we give ourselves to You to be the priesthood that You need today for the building up of Your house. Lord, we refuse to be swept away in the degradation of the church or in the confused and mixed Christianity today. We want to spend time with You, be infused with You, and be filled with You so that we may function as priests all day long. May we experience and offer up Christ as the reality of the offerings, burn the incense, trim the lamps, spend time in the Lord’s presence, bring man to God and bring God to man as priests to God for the building up of the church as the house of God!
Being Recovered to Functioning as Priests for the Building of God’s House, the Church
In order to have a built up church, God must first recover the priesthood (see Ezra 1:1-4; 7:1-7). Today the Lord’s recovery is the recovery of the priesthood (see Zech. 3:1-5; 6:12-13; Hag. 1:8, 12, 14). The priesthood has been generally lost among God’s people today, so God desires to recover the priesthood for the building up of the church as His house.
Since the priesthood upholds the building of the church, without the priesthood there’s no way for the church to be built up. Today God is sounding out a call to His people everywhere to come back to be priests to God. Are we willing to stand on God’s side to fellowship with God and allow Him to flow through us by rising up to be a priest to God?
We need to be proper priests, those who draw near to God, touch the throne of God, allow Got to flow in us, and give God a way to flow through us. As God flows in us and through us to others as water of life, the church is built up as the house of God.
If we are willing to come forward to God, fellowship with God, live before God, and allow God to flow through us, we will enjoy the riches of Christ and express the glory of Christ as priests in a full way. In this way we will bear the testimony of the church, and the building of the church will be realized among us. We need to see that the Lord’s purpose in the universe will be fulfilled only by a group of people who enjoy and express Christ in a genuine and full way. Such a group of people, as God’s corporate priesthood, will uphold the church, bear the testimony of the church, and bring in the building of God. (The Priesthood and God’s Building, p. 118)
We need to be those willing to come forward to God, fellowship with Him, live before Him, and allow Him to flow through us so that we may enjoy the riches of Christ and express the glory of Christ as priests in a full way. We must be brought back in God’s economy to the real priesthood, that is, back to our fellowship with the Lord.
We need to be brought into the presence of God and the knowledge of Him to be a real kingdom of priests. The Lord’s recovery today is NOT a movement but a recovery of the priesthood, a recovery of the function of the members of the Body of Christ for the building up of the church. When the Lord has a kingdom of priests on earth, He will have the freedom to flow out and work out His will for the fulfillment of His eternal purpose (Eph. 1:5, 9, 11; Phil. 2:13; Rev. 4:11).
We don’t have to be licensed to be a priest; there’s no need to go to a seminary or a Bible school in order to be a priest. As long as we are redeemed and born again of God, we are a New Testament priest of God, a priest of the gospel.
May the Lord recover the real prevailing priesthood in His recovery today. May all the local churches become assemblies of priests, and may building be gained on the earth through the priesthood in all the churches.
Lord Jesus, recover the churches to be priestly churches! Recover the priesthood in all the local churches for the building up of the church, the house of God! Lord, we come forward to You to fellowship with You, live before You, and allow You to flow through us so that we may enjoy Your riches and express Your glory as priests in a full way. Lord, make us those who are brought into Your presence and are brought into Yourself until we are one with You, so that You may have the freedom to flow out and work out Your will for the fulfillment of Your purpose!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. Minoru Chen’s sharing in the message for this week, and portions from, The Priesthood and God’s Building, chs. 8-15, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Exodus (1), week 12 / msg 12, A Kingdom of Priests.
- Hymns to strengthen the burden in this article:
# Living stones, we’re built together / And a house for God must be, / As the holy priesthood serving, / In a blessed harmony. (Hymns #913)
# Only serving by our praying / Will our spirits mingled be; / Stressing prayer as much as preaching – / Thus the church is built for Thee. (Hymns #848)
# In the holiest place, touch the throne of grace, / Grace as a river shall flow; / In the holiest place, touch the throne of grace, / Grace as a river shall flow. / Hallelujah! Hallelujah! / Grace as a river shall flow! (Hymns #770)
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