I AM RESTORING THE PRIESTHOOD
“’And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.'
These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel" (Exodus
19:6).
It
was late February of 2001, and I was standing on the spot where Martin Luther
declared his famous speech before the Diet or court, held in Worms, Germany. I was sobbing uncontrollably as I sensed the power of the
Holy Spirit surge through me. As His words gushed forth, I
proclaimed:
“I am blowing my wind upon the
church.
I am restoring worship.
I am restoring the priesthood.
I will move upon My people in
Germany.
I will move upon My people in the
nations.
I am beginning a new reformation.”
I
was in Germany on a prayer assignment with Intercessors International,
co-founded by Floyd and Beth
Alves. We were getting acquainted with German businessmen who had invited
us to be personal marketplace intercessors for their corporation. While
there, one of the businessmen took another intercessor and me to Worms, the
site of Martin Luther's trial. In April of 1521,
Martin Luther was called to make an appearance before the Diet.
Everything he had written and spoken about would be questioned. The Diet was
not only a gathering of church officials from the Roman Catholic Church, but
involved the Emperor himself. According to Roland H. Bainton, Martin Luther was
“a simple monk, a miner’s son, with nothing to sustain him save his own faith
in the Word of God.” (Roland H.
Bainton, Here I Stand (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1950), p. 181.)
Over a two-day period,
Luther underwent an extensive examination of his writings about justification
by faith and the priesthood of all believers, among other doctrinal
topics. To the demand of the Diet, that he renounce his heretical
beliefs, Luther responded by declaring:
“Since then your
majesty and your lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns
and without teeth. Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason—I do not accept the authority of popes and councils,
for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the word of
God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is
neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen.”(Roland
H. Bainton, Here I Stand (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1950), p. 181.)
Now,
centuries later on the same location, the Lord was proclaiming a fresh wind of
reformation and revival. The focus of the Lord’s words was on the
restoration of the priesthood of all believers –
not
a priesthood that is defined by
clerical collars
liturgical
robes
or religious
rituals and liturgies.
not
a role filled by professional pastors and priests.
God’s
desire for the priesthood is declared in Exodus 19:4-6 – the first reference of
God’s chosen people being called priests.
“'You
have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and
brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep
My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for
all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of
Israel."
The
Lord was speaking to the whole house of Israel. He had delivered them
from the clutches of the Pharaoh, and He was making covenant with them at His
Mountain. God declared that those who obeyed His voice and kept His
covenant would, as a treasured people, have the privilege of
serving before Him as priests
entering into
His very presence
communing with
Him*
AND
NOW AS PRIESTS - ENTER YOUR DESTINY AS KINGS AND PRIESTS ACCORDING TO THE ORDER
OF MELCHIZEDEK - THE PRIESTLY ORDER OF OUR LORD AND KING JESUS!
*Thomas Schlueter, Return of the Priests
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