The Consecration of the Prophet, Priest and King
Part 3 – The Anointing and Consecration of the Priest
And
hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for
ever and ever. Amen. Rev 1:6
Follow
after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. 1Co
14:1
Priesthood Under the New Covenant
And
this is the thing
that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the
priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish, And
unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened
anointed with oil: of
wheaten flour shalt thou make them. And thou shalt put them into one basket,
and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams. And Aaron and
his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,
and shalt wash them with water. And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon
Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate,
and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod: And thou shalt put the mitre
upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre. Then shalt thou take the
anointing oil, and pour it
upon his head, and anoint him. And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats
upon them. And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put
the bonnets on them: and the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual
statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons. Exo
29:1-9
Under
the Mosaic Law, the requirements for Priesthood were many and very stringent.
Contrary to popular belief, the priesthood continues under the New Covenant. But
because the priesthood has changed, many of the requirements have also changed.
Under
the Law of Moses, a priest had to be from the tribe of Levi, descended from the
sons of Aaron. He had to be male, at least thirty years of age, and had to
serve in the Tabernacle or the Temple. That was the only place where there was
work for the priest to perform.
Under
the New Covenant, the Levitical priesthood was replaced by the Priesthood of
the order of Melchezidec. Because the priesthood changed, so did the
requirements of the priest’s office.
If
therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people
received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of
Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood
being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. For he of
whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave
attendance at the altar. For it
is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake
nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident: for that after
the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, Who is made, not
after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.
For he testifieth, Thou art
a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Heb 7:11-17
At this point, I
can see a lot of you are scrunching your eyes together, feeling one of those
migraines coming on that seem to appear whenever you hear something that turns
your beliefs on end. So let me be very clear, here. We are not discussing the
Old Testament priesthood established by Mosaic Law in the wilderness. We are,
in fact, discussing the New Testament priesthood established by Jesus Christ
under the New Covenant. Yes, the office of the Priest still exists. And yes,
there are many New Testament Priests that are still in operation in the Church.
And we are going to see who they are and why they are so very much needed.
Another point of
clarity: I am not referring to denominational titles used by certain groups
that use the title of Priest instead of pastor, reverend, Bishop, etc. I am
talking about the actual office of the priest in the New Testament Church as
established by Jesus Christ.
When we refer back
to the above passage from Hebrews chapter 7 we see that the office of the
priest was not eliminated under the New Covenant, it was simply changed in view
of the fact that we now have a High Priest that lives forever. That High Priest
is, of course, Christ Jesus. If there is a High Priest in the New Testament
Church, then there is also the office of the priest in the New Testament
Church. The offices of High Priest and Priest were originally designed by God
to work hand in hand to service the spiritual needs of His people. While the
priesthood was changed under the advent of grace, it certainly was not
eliminated.
In this article,
we are going to discuss the changes in the priesthood and the requirements for
being anointed and consecrated as a priest in the New Testament Church. We will
also discuss in-depth the garments worn by a priest and how they apply to the
ministry of the New Testament Priest.
The Sacrifices Required
And
this is the thing
that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the
priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish, And
unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened
anointed with oil: of
wheaten flour shalt thou make them. And thou shalt put them into one basket,
and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams. Exo 29:1-3
And
thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation. And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the
altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.
And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver,
and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar. But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin,
and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering. Thou
shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the
head of the ram. And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood,
and sprinkle it
round about upon the altar. And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the
inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head. And thou shalt burn the
whole ram upon the altar: it is
a burnt offering unto the LORD: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. And
thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands
upon the head of the ram. Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood,
and put it upon the
tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons,
and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right
foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. And thou shalt take of
the blood that is
upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and
upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be
hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him. Also
thou shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump, and the fat that covereth the
inwards, and the caul above
the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and the right shoulder; for it
is a ram of
consecration: And one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer
out of the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the LORD: And thou shalt put all
in the hands of Aaron, and in the hands of his sons; and shalt wave them for a wave offering before
the LORD. And thou shalt receive them of their hands, and burn them upon the altar for a
burnt offering, for a sweet savour before the LORD: it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
And thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron's consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before
the LORD: and it shall be thy part. And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the
wave offering, and the shoulder of the heave offering, which is waved, and
which is heaved up, of the ram of the consecration, even of that which is
for Aaron, and of that
which is for his sons: And it shall be Aaron's and his sons' by a statute for
ever from the children of Israel: for it is an heave offering: and it shall be an heave offering from the
children of Israel of the sacrifice of their peace offerings, even their heave offering
unto the LORD. Exo 29:11-28
Okay,
as New Testament Believers, we no longer need to make animal sacrifices to
satisfy the Law. Jesus Christ died as our eternal sacrifice, and it is through
His blood that we are justified before the Father.
So
what has all of this sacrifice stuff have to do with a New Testament Priest? We
need to understand that everything in the Old Testament is a type and a shadow
of something in the New Testament. These sacrifices required under the Mosaic
Law for the Levitical Priesthood give us an idea of what is required for a New
Testament Priest.
First,
the new Mosaic Priest was required to offer up a sin sacrifice. Our sin
sacrifice has already been offered up in the person of Christ Jesus, so that is
taken care of. But other sacrifices are required of the priest that he or she
must make for himself or herself. While the Old Testament sacrifices were
sacrifices of animal blood, the required New Testament sacrifices are
sacrifices of a spiritual nature, but for the same exact purpose.
The
second sacrifice the new priest is required to offer up is a sacrifice of a
whole burnt offering. In the days of Moses and Aaron, that meant placing the
required portions of the sacrifice on the altar of burnt offering, where it was
slowly consumed throughout the day until it was all ash.
For
the New Testament Priest, this refers to a life of worship to the Lord. That
means daily dying to the flesh, being consumed in the fires of God until
nothing but Him remains.
I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Rom 12:1
I
protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 1Co 15:31
This
is a sacrifice that was accomplished on the cross. However, this sacrifice is
one that is required daily of every Believer, and especially from the Priest.
The
next sacrifice required is the sacrifice of consecration. We’ll get more in
depth about this later, but for now let’s just say that it is a sacrifice of
wholly giving one’s self over to the Spirit of the Lord. This allows Him to
work and to speak through the priest, which is an absolute must for the
Priest’s office.
The
final sacrifice outlined in the passage above is the wave offering. This is a
sacrifice of praise. It is required of every priest. This is an active life of
praising the Lord with the mouth. In order to function in the office of the
priest, the ability to praise unhindered regardless of the situation is an
absolute must.
Speaking
to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making
melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God
and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Eph
5:19-20
Let
all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy
salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified. Psa
40:16
For
many of us, this is a difficult lesson to learn. As human beings, we tend to
want to complain whenever things aren’t going our way. The person that has
learned to rejoice in the Lord regardless of their situation is showing signs
of spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity is an absolute requirement for anyone
walking in the office of Priest.
The Cleansing Process
And
Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation, and shalt wash them with water. Exo 29:4
In order for a man or woman of
God to walk in the office of the New Testament Priest, they must have gone
through the cleansing process as prescribed in the Word of God. It is important
to understand that the cleansing process is thorough, and is never actually
finished for a Believer. It is something that is done daily to keep ourselves
clean from the sinful world we dwell in.
In order for the Priest to
fulfill the duties of his office, he must be very familiar with the cleansing
process. The reason for this is because one of the duties of the priest is to
assist other Believers in the cleansing process.
While the cleansing process for
Aaron and his sons consisted of washing with water and making the appropriate
animal sacrifices, the cleansing process for the New Testament Priest is a
little more in depth.
Let
us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let
us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) Heb 10:22-23
The
cleansing process for the Old Testament Priest was mostly on a physical level.
They were to be ceremonially washed with water, then offer up animal
sacrifices. For a New Testament Priest, it’s all about what’s on the inside.
The cleansing process is now a purely spiritual one.
But
if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with
another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we
say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness. 1Jn 1:7-9
First,
the New Testament Priest must be cleansed in the blood of Christ Jesus. This is
the same salvation experience that all Believers have when they first come into
the kingdom. It goes deeper than just one quick prayer at an altar, though.
The
blood of Christ must be applied to the life of the Priest daily. While all of
us should be doing this, it is an absolute must for a Priest to remain clean
from the sins of the world around him inn order to minister effectively in his
office.
That
he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he
might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or
any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Eph 5:26-27
Those
that walk in the office of the Priest will have experienced the washing of the
Word of God many times before taking their office. As they study the Bible, the
Spirit of the Lord will convict them of something ungodly in their life, and
they will submit to Him, allowing Him to remove that from their lives.
To
the Priest, a Bible is much more than a handbook for daily living, it is the
solemn word of Almighty God, Himself. The Priest will spend many hours of study
and meditation in the Word of the Lord before they are ready to begin taking up
the duties of their office. They will have a good working knowledge of the
Bible, and will understand more than just what is written in its pages. From
the Bible, they will gain an intimate knowledge of the nature, personality, and
person of God Himself. In return, those hours of biblical study will pay off in
the life of the Priest as he or she is slowly transformed into the image of
God.
Not
by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he
saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Tit 3:5
As
the Priest continues to grow in spiritual maturity, they will be renewed and
washed by the Spirit of the Lord many times over. In fact, we should all be
doing this daily. For a Priest, it is an absolute must to be full of God’s
Spirit, yet always hungry for more. It is by the regenerating process of the
Spirit of God that we are renewed day by day. It is the job of the Priest to be
able to instruct other Believers in submitting to the work of the Holy Spirit
in their lives, so he or she will be very familiar with the process.
In their walk with the Lord, and
before taking up the vestments of their office, the Priest will go through this
process many, many times over. Eventually,
they will become more and more Christ-like every day. When they have reached a
point of maturity in the Spirit when God knows that He can trust them with the
responsibilities of the job, they will begin to fully walk in their appointed
office.
Just like the King must have his
armor to do his appointed job, so must the Priest be clothed in the priestly
vestments to do their job.
The Priestly Garments
And
thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the
ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle
of the ephod: And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy
crown upon the mitre. Exo 29:5-6
In
order for a priest to be recognized in the Spirit for who they are, they must
be clothed in priestly garments. Aaron and his sons never attended to their
duties in the Tabernacle without the appropriate apparel, because the priestly
garments told the children of Israel who they were and what they were there to
do. It is the same today, only the garments are of a spiritual nature.
The
first garment mentioned in the text above is the coat of the priest. The coat
is symbolic of being loved.
Now
Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age:
and he made him a coat of many
colours. Gen 37:3
The
priest will have a depth of understanding of the love of God for each and every
one of His children. He will therefore be attired in a spiritual garment which
symbolizes his understanding of the love of the Lord.
I
put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem. Job 29:14
And
white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that
they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and
their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. Rev 6:11
And
one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in
white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And
he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have
washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Rev 7:13-14
The
robe symbolizes righteousness and judgment, and every priest will be attired in
one.
The
righteousness of the priest and the robe that they wear is not their own, but
comes from the blood of Jesus Christ. Similarly, the judgment symbolized by the
robe is not their own, but divine judgment.
It is
important to remember that divine judgment always leads to repentance, and
never will it be condemning. It is the function of the priest to bring those
that have fallen back into a state of alignment with the Father. This is part
of their calling. As such, a priest will always seek to bring those that have
fallen back into a state of repentance.
This
is never accomplished through reprimand or condemning a fallen one. Grace is
eternal, and a priest will be very familiar with their own fallen nature,
making them great counselors for those that need restoration. In fact, one of
the easiest ways to spot a priest in action, is to look for someone with a
ministry of restoring the wounded to grace.
And
David was clothed
with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that bare the ark, and the
singers, and Chenaniah the master of the song with the singers: David also had upon him an ephod of
linen. 1Ch 15:27
The
ephod identifies a person as a priest in the realm of the Spirit. David is the
first person mentioned in the pages of the Bible that walked in all three anointings
of Prophet, Priest and King. Thus, when the ark was on its way back to
Jerusalem, he donned the ephod of the priest to lead the worship procession.
And
thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of
Israel: Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other
stone, according to their birth. With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a
signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of
Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. And thou shalt put
the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of
Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders
for a memorial. Exo 28:9-12
The
ephod of the priest comes with a burden to bear. Those that you minister to
will weigh heavily upon your shoulders. This is the nature of the calling. This
is also why the priest is such an effective intercessor. The burden for
intercession comes with the office of the priest, and the priestly authority to
intercede is readily recognized in the realm of the Spirit.
And
they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. And
they shall make the ephod of
gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine
twined linen, with cunning work. It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof
joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together. Exo
28:5-7
Like
much of the Tabernacle which they ministered in, the levitical priests wore ephods
made from fine, twisted linen. It was first bleached to purest white, then dyed
gold, blue, purple, and scarlet. The linen used was the absolute finest
available cloth for the time period.
The
fineness of the cloth represents Jesus Christ, which is the covering worn by
every priest. The bleaching to pure white represents the suffering He endured
to be our covering. The dyed color of gold represents the nature of God, and
every priest must be wrapped in it to do their job effectively. The color of
blue represents the Holy Spirit, and He covers every action of the priest
operating within the boundaries of his calling. The color of purple represents
royalty, as priests are part of the royal heritage of Christ Jesus, King of
Kings. The color of scarlet represents the blood of the Lamb of God, slain for
the sins of the world, which covers and cleanses every child of God.
The
two stones on the shoulder of the ephod were used to discern the will of God
for any situation. One would light up as a “yes” answer, while the other would
light up for a “no” answer. As such, the ephod represents divine discernment.
Every priest carries the discernment of the Holy Spirit as part of their
office.
And
they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the
ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the
breastplate be not loosed from the ephod. Exo 28:28
Stand
therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the
breastplate of righteousness; Eph 6:14
Built
into the ephod were two rings which were used to attach a breastplate with a
blue lace. A breastplate signifies righteous judgment. The fact that it is
bound to the ephod with a blue lace signifies the binding of the Holy Spirit
required for both righteous judgment and the divine discernment of the ephod to
operate together.
Notice that the breastplate was
supported by the ephod, not the other way around. It is divine discernment
which supports righteous judgment, not the other way around. This is important
in the operation of the priest.
The breastplate was not to be
loosed from the ephod, because any judgment which is loosed from divine
discernment is of the flesh and hasn’t any place in the ministry of the priest.
Any judgment not tied to and supported by divine discernment is NOT VALID as
righteous judgment.
Therefore
thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou
judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same
things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against
them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them
which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment
of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and
longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath
against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who
will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient
continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal
life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey
unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every
soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; Rom 2:1-9
Him
that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may
eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth
despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that
eateth: for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man's
servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up:
for God is able to make him stand. Rom 14:1-4
Righteous
judgment will lead to repentance, while any other form of judgment always leads
to condemnation. It is only by the coupling of divine discernment and righteous
judgment that we may effectively judge the Body, bringing it to a state of
repentance. Any other form of judgment does not belong in the Church.
Stand
therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the
breastplate of righteousness; Eph 6:14
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. Joh 17:17
The
priest is also given a girdle as part of the priestly garments. The girdle
represents truth, sanctification and the Word of God. The priest will be girded
about with all three during the course of their ministry. They will be called
to speak the truth in love, live a holy and sanctified life before God, and
will use the Word of God like a weapon against the realms of darkness.
And
thou shalt make a plate of
pure gold, and grave upon it, like
the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And thou shalt put it on a
blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it
shall be. And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the
iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all
their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be
accepted before the LORD. And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and
thou shalt make the mitre of
fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework. Exo 28:36-39
The
miter was very similar to a modern turban. It was worn on the head of the
priest whenever he performed his duties in the Tabernacle. The miter represents
salvation, authority and holiness.
And
take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God:
Eph 6:17
And
they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. Rev 22:4
With
the miter on his head, and the gold plate attached to it, the priest was marked
as holy unto the Lord. These same markings still appear in the Spirit on the
foreheads of those that minister in the priest’s office.
The Consecration of the Priest
And
thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on
them: and the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou
shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons. Exo 29:9
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye
in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. Luk 24:49
It is
the consecration of the priest that is one of the most important factors in
their ministry. The Hebrew word for consecration (Strong’s #’s H4390, H3027) is
actually arrived at by combining two words, meaning to be “filled with power”.
This is one of the most important aspects of the ministry of the priest.
In
both the Old and New Testaments, when God establishes the Church, He does so be
filling it with power.
Then
a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled
the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the
congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled
the tabernacle. And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the
children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: But if the cloud were not
taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. For the
cloud of the LORD was
upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all
the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. Exo
40:34-38
And
when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one
place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind,
and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto
them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they
were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as
the Spirit gave them utterance. Act 2:1-4
God
has established a pattern of launching valid ministries through the act of
filling them with His power. It happened in the Old Testament to the Tabernacle
of the Congregation. It happened in the New Testament to 120 people in one
accord in the Upper Room. It happens today.
The
ministry of the priest is one that must be consecrated, or filled with the
power of the Spirit. It is the act of consecration, the filling with the power
of the Spirit of the Lord that brings the gifts needed for the ministry. It is
the filling with power by the Spirit of the Lord that launches the priest’s
ministry. It is the acts of power performed by the Spirit of the Lord that
validates the priest’s ministry. If the individual in question is called as a
New Testament priest, then the acts of power demonstrated by the Holy Spirit
will be apparent in their ministry.
If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye
believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the
Father is in me, and I in him. Joh
10:37-38
Truly
the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and
wonders, and mighty deeds. 2Co 12:12
Both Jesus and the Apostle
Paul make it very clear that the test of a New Testament ministry is the acts
of power performed by the Spirit of the Lord. Any priest’s ministry will
demonstrate acts of power as the normal course of events.
By
stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by
the name of thy holy child Jesus. Act 4:30
And
by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the
people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch. Act 5:12
Through
mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from
Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of
Christ. Rom 15:19
When
Jesus sent His disciples forth, He instructed them to heal the sick, raise the
dead, and cast out devils. The ministry of the priest will still show these
events as evidence of the power of the Lord in the ministry.
And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse
the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely
give. Mat 10:7-8
Also,
a priest must be anointed for the job. This can be a very informal type of
ceremony, or it can be very elaborate, depending on the assembly. The most
important part of the anointing of the priest comes from the Spirit of God,
however.
The
priest must also be reproducing sons in the kingdom. This means that they must
have intimate relationships with spiritual parents as well as spiritual
children. Priests are raised up by the mentoring process, and they will in
turn, raise up other priests.
This
ends the series on the Prophet, priest and king. I hope it has been enjoyable
and informative. Please make sure to leave your comments, and to give the
article a “+1” below if it has ministered to you. Thank you and God Bless!
