Christian Living on Priests

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A Kingdom of Priests

Author

Keywords

Scripture

1 Peter 2:9, Isaiah 11:6

When the Hebrews, recently enslaved but now free, were gathered at Sinai to begin their formation as a free people, God spoke the words that defined them over against their four centuries of slavery i...

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Adapted from Luke 22:15-16, John 13:34-35, John 3:14-17, Hebrews 10:19-22

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 22:15-16, John 13:34-35, John 3:14-17, Hebrews 10:19-22

Grace to You and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by hi...

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Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement) in Detail

Author

Timothy Keller

Keywords

Scripture

Exodus 30:10, Hebrews 7:27, Leviticus 16:11, Hebrews 10:19-22, Leviticus 16:32-34, Hebrews 9:7

A week beforehand, the high priest was put into seclusion—taken away from his home and into a place where he was completely alone. Why? So he wouldn’t accidentally touch or eat anything unclean. Clean...

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The Non-Religion

Author

Timothy Keller

Keywords

When Christianity first arose in the world it was not called a religion. It was the non-religion. Imagine the neighbors of early Christians asking them about their faith. “Where’s your temple?” they’d...

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A Roman’s View of the Jewish Faith and Its Interaction with Egypt

Author

Tacitus

Keywords

In this excerpt by the Roman historian Tacitus, we get insight into the Jewish faith from an ancient, extra-Biblical account. We also see how the Israelites took the first commandment seriously: The...

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O Lord and Father of the household of

Author

Hughes Oliphant Old

Scripture

1 Timothy 2:1-2, Galatians 6:2, Romans 12:10, Micah 6:8, James 5:16

O Lord and Father of the household of faith, we thank you for the gift of faith worked within us by your Holy Spirit. We thank you for having called us to yourself, for consecrating us to your ser...

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These Impious Galileans

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 22:37-39, Matthew 25:35-40, Luke 3:11, Ephesians 5:2, Acts 2:42-47, James 2:14-17, Galatians 2:10, Psalm 72:12-14

A passage often referred to in order to describe the sacrificial, countercultural quality of the early church comes to us interestingly enough, from one of its strongest critics, known later to histor...

liturgy

Prayers of the People, Form III

Keywords

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, James 1:27, Romans 12:15, Micah 6:8

The Leader and People pray responsively Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church; That we all may be one. Grant that every member of the Church may truly and humbly serve you; That your Nam...

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The Importance of Holiness in the Bible

Author

Kevin DeYoung

Keywords

There’s no question holiness is one of the central themes in the Bible. The word “holy” occurs more than 600 times in the Bible, more than 700 when you include derivative words like holiness, sanctify...

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The Origins of Hocus Pocus

Author

Mike Cosper

Keywords

Why worship in our native language? Well, for one thing, it can keep people from distorting the Christian faith into a superstition: In one stream of church history, this can help explain worshipi...

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The Parable of the Clown

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Ezekiel 33:6, 2 Corinthians 6:2, 1 Peter 2:9, Acts 8:4, 1 Corinthians 1:18, Colossians 4:5-6

The Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once told a parable to illustrate the urgency of the gospel message—and the need for all believers, not just clergy, to share it. A traveling circus in Denm...

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Seeing Through the Eyes of Jesus

Author

Richard J. Mouw

Keywords

Scripture

Micah 6:8, Exodus 23:2–3, 6, Proverbs 31:8–9, James 2:12–13 , Luke 6:36–37, Psalm 103:8–10

Christian civility does not commit us to a relativistic perspective. Being civil doesn’t mean that we cannot criticize what goes on around us. …Civility is a different matter, though. I can treat ...

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No Body but Yours

Author

Andrew Arndt

Keywords

One of the Wonders of Ministry I love being a pastor for many reasons, not least because of how often I get a front-row seat to wonders. The following wonder happened on October 17, 2023. I share it...

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Housing the Fullness of God

Author

James Bryan Smith

Keywords

One of my favorite stories is of John of Kronstadt. He was the Nineteenth Century Russian Orthodox priest at the time when alcohol abuse was rampant. None of the priests ventured out of their churches...

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Preaching on Parables: A Simple Framework to Teach Them Effectively

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 22:null, Matthew 22:1

A Special Kind of Story Most Christians have some idea of what a parable is. Ask an adult Sunday school class and you might hear: “It’s a story!” Another might chime in, “with a moral message!” Mer...

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Moving the Fence: A Sermon Illustration

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 9:9-13, James 2:13, Mark 7:24-30, Ephesians 2:13-14, Luke 15:1-7

In the Second World War, a group of soldiers were fighting in the rural countryside of France. During an intense battle, one of the American soldiers was killed. His comrades did not want to leave his...

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No More “Been-To’s”

Author

Eugene Peterson

Keywords

Several years ago I was conducting a seminar in the interpretation of Scripture in a theological seminary…Our topic that day was Jesus’ parables…One of the priests, Tony Byrnne, was a Jesuit missionar...

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Moving the Fence

Author

Mike Yaconelli

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 19:1-10, Galatians 3:28, Romans 3:22-24, Ephesians 2:14, Acts 10:9-48, Luke 10:25-37, John 4:4-26

In the Second World War, a group of soldiers were fighting in the rural countryside of France. During an intense battle, one of the American soldiers was killed. His comrades did not want to leave his...

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The Threat of the Christians

Author

Michael Frost

Keywords

Scripture

James 1:27, Hebrews 13:2-3, 1 Peter 2:12, Galatians 6:10, Romans 12:13, Acts 2:44-45

The fourth-century emperor Julian (AD 331-336) feared [Christians] might take over the empire. Referring to Christians as “Galileans” and Christianity as “atheism” (because of their denial of the exis...

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Never Forget Who You Are

Author

Vaughan Roberts

Keywords

Scripture

Leviticus 11:44

In describing the role of the Israelites to the Gentiles, author Vaughan Roberts draws an analogy from a former prince: When the future George VI was a young boy, his mother, Queen Mary, often use...

liturgy

You, O Lord are holy and worthy of

Author

Bud Thoreen

Keywords

Scripture

Colossians 3:12, Psalm 51:10, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Ephesians 4:22-24, Leviticus 20:26

You, O Lord are holy and worthy of worship and praise. But we your people are sinful and unworthy. You have called us to be a holy nation of your own people but we mostly think only of ourselves and...

liturgy

Hebrews 10:19-23

Keywords

Scripture

Hebrews 10:19-23

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his fles...

liturgy

Hebrews 10:21-25 "And having a high priest over

Keywords

Scripture

Hebrews 10:21-25

And having a high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pur...

liturgy

Leader: Now therefore revere the Lord,

Author

Cody Sandahl

Keywords

Scripture

Joshua 24:14-15

Leader: Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness People: Put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord Leader: N...

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Author

A. W. Tozer

Keywords

Let us practice the fine art of making every work a priestly ministration. Let us believe that God is in all our simple deeds and learn to find Him there."

liturgy

Adapted from Hebrews 4:14-16

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Hebrews 4:14-16

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with o...

liturgy

Hebrews 10:19-25 "Having therefore brothers boldness to enter into the holy place"

Keywords

Scripture

Hebrews 10:19-25

Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh, and ha...

liturgy

Adapted from Hebrews 10:19-25

Keywords

Scripture

Hebrews 10:19-25

Leader: Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, All: by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, t...

liturgy

Adapted from Leviticus 19:1-2; 20:7-8, 26 (ESV)

Author

Dustin Ray

Keywords

Scripture

Leviticus 19:1-2, Leviticus 20:7-8, Leviticus 20:26

Pastor: And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. All: “Consecrate yourselves, ...

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Author

Christian Smith

Keywords

The clergy profession is fundamentally self-defeating. Its stated purpose is to nurture spiritual maturity in the church - a valuable goal. In actuality, however; it accomplishes the opposite by nurtu...

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