In Acts 2 we find the foundations for the church. What those early believers were doing that continued in practice, and was later codified as principles, the church today should still be devoted to as well. That has been our focus in 2025. We have identified the foundational principles to which we ought to remain dedicated. One of those is ministry.
One Baptist distinction that rarely gets talked about much today is the “priesthood of believers.” We do not use that terminology much, but it is Biblical and valuable. In the Old Testament some of the people of Israel were set apart as priests for God. In the New Covenant every believer is, “…a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that [they] may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called [them] out of darkness into His marvelous light;” (2 Pet. 2:9).
The Spirit equips every believer to do the work of ministry to and for the body of Christ, which is the new temple. 2 Corinthians 3:16-17 says, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.” As Americans we cannot help but make this personal and individual. But the four uses of “you” in these verses are plural. Paul is saying, “you all are the temple of God, and God dwells in you all, and the temple of God is holy, and that is what you all are.”
The body of Christ, the church, is the temple of God, and every member of the body of Christ is a priest for that temple. Now take that understanding and apply it to these words in Ephesians 4:11-12, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.” Saints is the same designation we see in 2 Peter. Every believer is a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. The followers of Christ have a work of service. And that word “service” is the Greek word often translated as “ministry.” This word occurs in the Greek New Testament 34 times and is translated, “ministry, service, relief, or support.”
How do the saints, the ministers, learn the work of ministry, service, relief, and support? The apostles, the prophets, evangelists, and pastor/teachers. As we are taught what God’s Word says, and as we observe others perform the work of ministry, we are trained to provide service, relief, and support to one another. If we view this from the lens of the Old Testament calling to minister to God at the Temple on behalf of the people, we will have a deeper appreciation for the devotion of ministry we observe in Acts 2, as well as sensing a deeper call of devoted ministry to one another. The priest who failed his duty in the Old Testament, God would remove. Why should we expect God to not care if we are devoted to caring for His temple, the body of Christ, today?
By His Grace and For His Glory,
Pastor Mark
