Analysis. The apostle Peter makes a powerful statement about the ministry all believers are supposed to have from the moment they enter into a relationship with God through Christ:

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:4–5).

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A few verses later, Peter folds all of that into a description of our true identity in Christ:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).

We may get the chosen, holy, and being God’s possession part. But a priesthood? For many evangelicals, priests are associated with the Roman Catholic, Episcopal, and Anglican churches, or are something belonging to the Old Testament. The idea that every believer is a priest is perhaps misunderstood, ignored, or forgotten. That’s unfortunate, because that misunderstanding has robbed the Church of an enormous amount of the spiritual authority we are supposed to have in Christ.

Priests in God’s Kingdom

To understand its significance, let’s look at the role of a priest in God’s kingdom. The what has stayed the same through the millennia, but the who has changed. A priest is essentially a go-between: He represents people before God and vice versa. In the Old Testament, the priests made sacrifices on behalf of sinners to atone for their transgressions. The high priests among them were often oracles who gave messages to or pronounced blessings over the people on behalf of God. After the apostolic era of the New Testament, that role reemerged in the Roman Catholic Church. People would confess their sins to the priest, who would give absolution of their sin on behalf of God — a practice much criticized by reformers like Martin Luther.

The New Testament priesthood is where the who dramatically changes. According to Peter, this ministry is no longer limited to the descendants of Aaron who minister before the Lord in the temple. Instead, all believers in Christ become, simultaneously, both temples and priests to the living God. They replace the Jerusalem temple as God’s new dwelling place on earth as He lives in them through the Holy Spirit, and they are the new priests serving before Him through worship, supplication, and intercession.

As IFA contributing writer Joyce Swingle points out in her article this week, the high-priestly garments described in the Old Testament symbolize the power, authority, and holiness with which believers are clothed in Christ. In the same way, the Old Testament priesthood foreshadows the intercessory ministry believers in Christ are supposed to have.

Priestly Intercession

While the who of God’s priesthood has changed considerably, from the descendants of Aaron to all born-again believers, the what has changed very little. Though we do not make sacrifices for sin on behalf of others or have the power to absolve transgressors from sin on God’s behalf, believers are nonetheless intermediaries between God and people — through the power of intercessory prayer and the proclamation of the Gospel.

Through intercession, we represent the needs of individuals, groups, and entire nations before the throne of God. Conversely, we represent God’s purposes and kingdom reign by praying for them according to His will (see 1 John 5:14), led by the Holy Spirit, who helps us in our ignorance of how to pray (see Romans 8:26). Were we to simply make the wishes of people known before God, we would be advocates — not intercessors. We become intercessors — intermediaries — by praying for God’s will to be done and His kingdom to come into every situation and need we pray for, and by proclaiming His excellencies to the world. Prayer and evangelism are inextricably connected. Every believer is supposed to do them — evangelizing no less than praying, even though God has provided specially called and equipped evangelists as gifts to the Church (see Ephesians 4:11).

Intercession is supposed to be a staple in every believer’s prayer life. It is assumed that every believer understands, to a greater or lesser extent, that he or she has become a temple of the Holy Spirit and a priest, because we now have direct access to the throne of grace in ways that unbelievers do not.

But that is where the problem lies: many believers do not understand this. For that reason, God has raised up intercessors — people He calls and equips to fervently pray His kingdom agenda into peoples, governments, and nations in need. They are equipped to listen to the Holy Spirit and to see the world around them through spiritual eyes, and they are keenly aware that priesthood is a significant aspect of kingdom ministry.

Our Priesthood to the Nation

Organizations like IFA are vital because they unite the people God has called to intercede for the nation, providing them with information and insight. Not every intercessor is called to do that. God assigns different prayer burdens to different people. Some have a calling to pray directly over people’s needs in church. Others are called to pray for the advance of the Gospel into unreached nations. The list of prayer assignments is long. IFA brings together people who are primarily called to pray for the many needs of our nation as those present themselves through news headlines and articles. IFA intercessors are priests to the United States of America — called and equipped to represent God’s kingdom agenda in every aspect of American life and to represent the needs of our nation to God. We do that in the firm belief that God has decreed to win great victories through the prayers of His people.

Our priestly calling determines how we see the news. We look at headlines and reports with spiritual eyes and constantly ask God to give us His perspective on what we see and read, so we can pray according to His will.

Waking a Sleeping Giant

Can you imagine what would happen if not just the tens of thousands who currently intercede for America would embrace this priesthood, but all 38 million evangelical believers as well? What would happen if all believers would pray for God’s reign over their neighborhoods, cities, counties, states, and the nation? God does not need that to happen, of course. He is perfectly capable of working without us. But He has chosen to work through us as His redeemed image-bearers. So, while He does not need our prayers, He does want our prayers. And He wants us to participate in the victorious work of setting people free from Satan’s dominion. If we choose not to, He will raise up others, but we miss out. And that is where so many believers are — they are missing out on the victories to be won through prayer and the rewards that come with that.

Even though in this country there is a church on every corner — many of them with a full parking lot on Sunday mornings — our nation is nevertheless crumbling around us. Intercessors, evangelists, and church planters are coming here from other parts of the world to do the work we are supposed to be doing. These things are indicative of a Church that has forgotten the power of its priesthood.

The multiplication of prayer leads to the multiplication of kingdom power. Therefore, we who have understood and assumed the believers’ priesthood should humble ourselves on behalf of the American Church and plead with God to have mercy and awaken her. I invite you to join me in my fervent, almost daily prayer that God would ignite a fresh movement of prayer in every church, on every university campus, and within every Christian denomination in the U.S.

Pray with me now:

Father, thank You that You have entrusted us with the priesthood in the power and authority that comes from Christ, who dwells in us. May we develop understanding and spiritual skills to help us do our duty well. We unite in prayer to ask that You would have mercy on the Church for neglecting this spiritual duty. Ignite hearts in every church to rediscover the power of our priesthood as You intended it, so that prayer will multiply greatly to change the course of our nation and advance Your kingdom in the hearts of its citizens. In the name of Jesus, our High Priest. Amen.

Do you pray through the headlines? If so, share this article to encourage others to do the same!

Remco Brommet is a pastor, spiritual-growth teacher, and prayer leader with over 40 years of experience in Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, and the U.S. He was born and raised in the Netherlands and pastored his first church in Amsterdam. He moved to the U.S. in 1986. He and his wife, Jennifer, live north of Atlanta. When not writing books, he blogs at www.deeperlifeblog.com and assists his wife as a content developer and prayer coordinator for True Identity Ministries. Jennifer and Remco are passionate about bringing people into a deeper relationship with Christ. Photo Credit: Canva.