But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
1 Peter 2:9-10 BSB
May 21, 2023
Many years ago, I was the pastor of a very good church. God blessed us in that place and many people were born again, filled with the Spirit, and served God with their whole heart. We had a regular flow of spiritual gifts, manifestations of the Holy Spirit, in our services. I was shocked when my wife and I began to sense an unsettling in our spirits. We felt that God was telling us our time there was up. In seeking Him as to why, He said to my heart, “The people are coming to watch you have a spiritual experience.” God was not willing that they should become spectators. He dispersed us to multiply us.
God doesn’t normally call a person. He calls a people. When we gather, I have my role as Pastor to fulfill, but that is not the only role. We are called together as a corporate whole to perform a Kingdom mission to the community we’re in. The Pastor is only one part of a people. For many in our churches today, Christianity has become a spectator sport. We clap with the music, cheer the performers, listen to an uplifting word of encouragement, and then go to lunch. That is not the description of the people of God. It will leave you entertained and momentarily distracted, but purposeless and unfulfilled.
As we head to the gathering of the people of God, be prepared to get out of the audience and join the team. It’s who you are; it’s who we are.
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