6 Ways to Grow Closer to God
God purchased you so that you could be entirely his.
I like to say it this way: Jesus went to the cross in the entirety of his being—spirit, soul, and body. He experienced and suffered the consequences of our sin in the entirety of his being—spirit soul, and body. He did all this so he could redeem us back to God in the entirety of our being—spirit, soul, and body. As a result, we have a priestly responsibility to present ourselves to God through our perfect High Priest, Jesus Christ.
We Function as Priests When We Worship, Praise, and Pray.
All that is expressed in our communion with God should be pleasing to him. Consider David’s powerful plea:
Let my prayer be as the evening sacrifice that burns like fragrant incense, rising as my offering to you as I lift up my hands in surrendered worship (Psalm 141:2 TPT).
A parallel idea is communicated in the New Testament. Referring to our priesthood as believers, the author of Hebrews stated, “We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat,” and then admonished, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” (Hebrews 13:10,15 NKJV). Did you catch that? The praise of our lips is a sacrifice we offer to God as his priests today.
Sometimes people assume that our time with God should primarily involve asking him for things we need, but that is not really the case. While making requests of God is a part of the equation, it is far from the whole picture. In Psalm 141, we read of “surrendered worship” and “a continual sacrifice of praise.” These are no doubt pleasing to the Lord. In the Book of Acts, we see believers in Antioch spending time with God. We read, “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them’” (Acts 13:2 NKJV). Notice that they weren’t asking God for things; they were ministering to him.
The word ministered in Acts 13:2 is sometimes translated worship in other English translations, and in the Septuagint (Greek) version of the Old Testament, this same word is often used to describe the functions of Hebrew priests as they ministered in both the Tabernacle and the Temple. In other words, worship (or ministering to the Lord) is a priestly function in which New Testament believers can fully participate. We even see this from Heaven’s perspective in the Book of Revelation. John wrote:
And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people (Revelation 5:8 NLT).
Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of God’s holy people, ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out (Revelation 8:3–4 NLT).
Even as I write this, I am seriously challenged to consider what happens when I pray, when I praise, and when I worship. Am I mindful that at such times I am ministering as a priest before the Lord?
Jonathan Edwards, a great pastor during America’s First Great Awakening said the following regarding the praise of believers:
This spiritual priesthood offers to God the sacrifice of praise. Many of their sacrifices under the law were sacrifices of peace offerings, which were mostly for thanksgiving and praise. But the spiritual sacrifice of the hearty and sincere praises of a saint, are more acceptable to God than all the bulls, and rams, and he-goats that they offered. The heartfelt praises of one true Christian are of more account with God than all those two and twenty thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep, which Solomon offered to God at the dedication of the temple.
What an amazing statement. We don’t have to look back longingly to the “good old days” when priests offered animal sacrifices. We live in the better new days when we offer our praise and our hearts to the living God!
As priests, we have genuine access to God—to his ear and to his heart. Paul wrote, “Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us” (Ephesians 2:18 NLT). We should never take lightly the great privilege we have of approaching and communicating with him. David saw his prayer rising as a fragrant incense to God and understood it was an offering unto him. As priests, we are not to simply go through religious motions in a ritualistic manner. Instead, we are to minister unto the Lord with our whole heart.
We Function as Priests When We Serve.
One of the most moving stories in Scripture is found in John’s Gospel.
Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance (John 12:1–3 NLT).
In this story, Mary was not technically a priest, but she operated as a servant motivated by profound love and devotion. However, there is a similarity to what happened when the priests served at the altar of incense in that “the house was filled with the fragrance.” If the house was filled with the fragrance of that perfume, can you imagine what Mary’s garment and hair were like? She would have borne the same fragrance.
Have you ever been in a smoke-filled room for any length of time? After you left, you reeked of smoke. Likewise, when Old Testament priests ministered in the holy place at the altar of incense, the beautiful fragrance would become infused in their robes and even their hair. When they later walked among the people, it would be obvious that they had been in a holy place, in the very presence of God. The same should be true of us. When we serve as unto the Lord, we should be like Mary. We are not to engage in acts of service grudgingly or with a complaining heart; rather, our labors are to be labors of love, expressing heartfelt devotion to the Lord.
Our service to others should also be from the heart, as an act of worship unto God. Remember what Jesus said, “When you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” (Matthew 25:40 NLT). When we serve others as unto the Lord, an aroma of Christ is released. When we emulate the servant’s heart that Mary demonstrated, it affects the spiritual atmosphere all around us. All that we are, all that we say, and all that we do should reflect the love and nature of who God is. We are his hands and his feet in the earth. As his ambassadors, we serve one another, and our lives bear testimony of God’s love to the world.
In the last section (“We Function as Priests When We Worship, Praise, and Pray.”), I referenced Hebrews 13:15, which speaks of the praise of our lips being a sacrifice we offer to God. The very next verse contains priestly language as well. “And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God” (Hebrews 13:16 NLT). I especially like the way the Message renders this passage:
Make sure you don’t take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of “sacrifice”—that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets (Hebrews 13:16 MSG).
Doing good and serving others can absolutely be a priestly work when we do it from the heart to glorify God. The final part of that—sharing with others—brings us to our next point.
We Function as Priests When We Give.
One of the functions of priests in the Old Testament was to receive offerings from the hands of the common people and present them to God. The priests in those days were the go-betweens, standing between God and people. However, in the New Testament, there are no common people among believers. Recognizing our immortal nature, C. S. Lewis remarked, “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.” We are all priests (or in the case of unbelievers, potential priests), and therefore, we have the privilege of presenting our gifts directly to God through our Great High Priest, Jesus.
Whether a particular gift is given to our local church or to another type of ministry, the attitude of our hearts should reflect Paul’s description of the generosity of his friends in Philippi.
I’ve received the gift you sent by Epaphroditus and viewed it as a sweet sacrifice, perfumed with the fragrance of your faithfulness, which is so pleasing to God (Philippians 4:18 TPT).
Because this verse is often read when offerings are received in churches, believers may get the impression that all giving is looked upon by God in such favorable and glowing terms, but that is not the case. A quick review of the story of Ananias and Saphira (see Acts 5:1–11) will confirm how much motives and attitudes matter when it comes to giving.
The first chapter of Malachi also reveals that not all giving is pleasing to God. Those the prophet addressed were not honoring God with their best, nor were they showing respect to God in their giving (see Malachi 1:6–8). In short, they did not fear God, and their hearts were not inclined toward obedience. In contrast to the errant giving by his covenant people, God envisioned a day when those in other nations would give in a way that pleased him.
My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty (Malachi 1:11 NIV).
The Philippians were people from one of those other nations, and their generous hearts match the description given by Malachi. As we just read, Paul described their giving as “a sweet sacrifice, perfumed with the fragrance of your faithfulness” (Philippians 4:18 TPT).
In order for our giving to be as a sweet incense unto the Lord, it must be done in faith and obedience, and most of all, it must be motivated by love. Paul wrote, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3 NKJV). When we are motivated by love, our giving is seen as worship unto the Lord; it is pleasing to him, and we most certainly profit.
Whatever we give to God materially should simply be an extension of a life and heart that has been totally given to him. When Paul described the extravagant generosity of the Macedonian believers, he remarked, “They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do” (2 Corinthians 8:5 NLT). Their giving was not just a token, but it reflected lives that had been totally dedicated and consecrated to God. Thus, their generosity was of a priestly nature.
We Function as Priests When We Evangelize.
When we share the gospel with others, we are communicating a message that provides them with access to God. We are certainly not their mediator; only Jesus can fulfill that role. But we can be the messengers of the gospel, and it is the gospel that enables people to come to God through Jesus. Paul used priestly terminology when he described the evangelistic process.
Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:15–16 NIV).
This powerful passage reveals that our priestly responsibilities are not just about worshipping God, but also include our witness to the world. How does this process work? What does it mean to function as a priest relative to winning the lost? Paul elaborated on this in his second epistle to the Corinthians. The apostle wrote that God has not only “brought us back to himself through Christ,” but also “has given us this task of reconciling people to him” (2 Corinthians 5:18 NLT). Paul then gave even more amplification and told us that God “gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation,” and that as “Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’” (2 Corinthians 5:19–20 NLT). Our priestly function is fulfilled when we share what Paul called, “this wonderful message of reconciliation.”
It is vital to understand the difference between being a representative as opposed to a mediator. As priests, we represent God when we share the message. However, we are not pointing people to ourselves, but rather to Jesus. Earlier in 2 Corinthians, Paul explained, “You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5 NLT). As his representatives, we point to the mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the High Priest and the only true mediator between God and people.
Some might object, thinking only “official preachers” have what Paul called “the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God” (Romans 15:16 NIV). It is true that some people have an official assignment and anointing to preach the gospel (more on that later), but every Christian can be a witness and share the gospel, even though they may never stand behind a pulpit in a sanctuary or auditorium.
Consider what happened in the first century when a great persecution arose against the church following the death of Stephen. As a result, many believers fled Jerusalem for their safety. Acts 8:4 reads, “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word” (NKJV). People have often read that and thought, “Of course, the apostles all preached as they traveled.” However, that is not at all what that text is telling us. As a matter of fact, a previous verse states, “…At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles” (Acts 8:1 NKJV).
When we see these two verses together, we understand that it was all of the other believers—not the apostles—who were scattered abroad and shared the gospel. In a broad sense, this “priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God” belongs to every Christian, not just to those who are called to what we describe as the fivefold ministry (see Ephesians 4:11). When people respond to the gospel, they not only pass from darkness into light, but God also receives them as a living sacrifice, an offering that is well pleasing to him. What a privilege it is for us to “offer them to God” in this glorious way.
The priesthood of the believer is not simply a catchy religious phrase, but it summarizes expressions that are a dynamic part of our relationship with God. These expressions should flow freely from a heart that has been transformed by his wonderful grace!
