Coffee HousesFor me, one of the most surprising and truly enlightened factors in the Age of Enlightenment in 17th and 18th Century England was the role of cafés, or as they were known then, coffeehouses. I love my flat white […]
Given the present world-wide media focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it seems odd to me that so little background analysis to these events is being offered. It does, however, explain the almost instantaneous widespread condemnation of Israel – isn’t it a matter […]
And those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell. “Do All to the […]
Once the average believer like you and me begins to grasp the extent of our priestly work, we can feel a bit out of our depth and wonder what we are taking on. As George Bernard Shaw observed, “Liberty means responsibility. That is […]
“But What of our Traditions?” You may be finding you have some strong internal reactions as you work through these issues, especially if you’ve been raised in “traditional” churches, where the priesthood has been strictly limited to the man in […]
Sacraments are the sacred acts or ceremonies that we are all to perform as priests. We’ve just seen that the Law’s sacrament of burning incense foreshadowed the call of every believer in Jesus to prayer, and the burnt offerings foreshadowed dedicating […]
DefinitionAs we have seen, the history of the word “priest” is chequered. Derived from the Greek word “presbyter”, or elder, it is taken by most professing Christians today to mean: (i) the man in charge of a congregation,(ii) in full-time […]
Let’s be absolutely clear – for Christians, “kings” here is a generic term for the majesty of men and women, both made in the image and likeness of God. Here are five Biblical kingly essentials: 1. Kings Choose Freely As we saw […]
Some time ago I heard a preacher speaking on God making us “kings and priests”. He explained the difference between a king and a priest and the tension between the two roles. Kings, he said, are to function in the […]
Consider your true calling, brothers and sisters in Christ: You are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION When Peter first wrote these words to the Early Church, the Jews amongst them […]