A Kingdom of Priests 

                             and Kings. 

               That's US!

Many believe the phrase "King of kings and Lord of lords" refers to Jesus Christ's supremacy over biblical kings such as Herod, Pontius Pilate, all the rulers whose names are mentioned in the Old Testament. Either that or they aren't sure WHAT the phrase refers to. Certainly, history's kings like King Tut, King George and King Henry VIII, even America's Presidents, were all much lower "kings" than the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Actually, the phrase refers to something much more important than mere earthly kingdoms and territorial governments.

The “priests and kings” mentioned in Scripture are actually referring to you and me. You see, our God, the King of the universe, elected a people to become His Kingdom even though all the world was already His (Deut. 7:6-8). Apparently, as King, He could do that sort of thing. His chosen people - the Jews - were to be "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex. 19:5-6). As the Levites were priests of Israel, so Israel was to be a kingdom of priests for the world. In case you don't know or have forgotten, priests in many cultures would represent a people to their god(s) by bringing sacrifices. Under the New Covenant, Jesus is, of course, our HIGH priest with His followers (you and me included) serving as priests who offer the sacrifice of praise, thanksgiving, and our very lives. 

So, Israel was elected by God to become a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation,” chosen to represent God to the entire world (Deut. 7:6-8) as "a light to the nations" (Isa. 42:6; 49:6). Unfortunately, Israel abandoned her priestly role and followed after the gods of other nations, forsaking the Kingdom of God.

Bear with me. This gets better!

Revelation 1:5-6 says we are: "...and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first-begotten of the dead, and the Prince over the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father, to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

Of all the messages I have launched over the past 13 years of online ministry, the one that has drawn the greatest number of “hits” and comments is the one entitled 'Blessing your home.” Wow! That one has had over 100,000 hits on EzineArticles alone! What does that tell you? It tells me the folks desire to be trained!

In the Summer of 2011, a young Hispanic couple requested I bless their home. They'd been seeing “shadow people” and sensing an evil, unwanted presence in their house, causing the woman's sister to have a great many restless nights in the Guest Room. 

During the hour-long drive to their home, as I prayed in my car, the Holy Spirit gave me His directive. I was to facilitate, but the couple – as priests of their home - were to do the anointing with oil; the actual cleansing. 

After establishing a spiritual foundation on the authority of the Believer, and telling them some stories to build their faith, I instructed them regarding their new role as well as how to maintain the forthcoming victory afterward. So, while I read Scripture and followed them from room to room, they anointed the place and prayed on their own. It was awesome and they were SO incredibly blessed to have served a function. It was exciting!

Their testimony? Since that day, they now have a sense of peace with no more spooks. I saw them last weekend and everything is still peaceful. Most importantly, they learned about their God-given authority as priests and kings.

I learned something, too. I learned that it's not about “the minister” officiating the baptism, saying the blessing, casting out the demons. Why? Because we are ALL ministers! We are ALL supposed to do the things Jesus said His disciples would do.

In other words, it's not about the “ordained.” It's about the ordinary! Any extra “measure” of any gift God has given a professional clergyman is not ours to keep; it's ours to impart. 

That's what I did that day, just as I was led.

Since that occasion, it just seems right as rain to me that a man and woman should dedicate their own child to the Lord, alone, while holding their baby on their bed in their quiet room. 

It seems perfect that a father should baptize his own kids in the pool, river, or bathtub.

It seems best that a couple should kick the devil's tail out of their own home just as they would destroy an invading army of mice or crickets. For example, with the assistance of a cage borrowed from Animal Control, over the past few weeks, we have caught eight cats and a raccoon on our own front porch! They were intruding and my wife and I'd had enough.

This is the hour of the king and priest. Like Esther, you were born for such a time as this. For those who are reading this now, if you have ears to hear, even this message was ordained of God. It's time we end our Christian identity crisis. To find ourselves, we must lose ourselves. When we do, Jesus can shine through us. That's when great things will start to manifest in your life. Just as the sons of Issachar had the understanding of the times (1 Chron 12:32), many are already sensing a great shift in the natural and supernatural realms.

God’s priesthood is rising to the occasion. There is going to be a great outpouring of the apostolic gifting to arise from the hearts of His priests. Yes, that includes you. These people will come from the rank and file believers, proclaiming who Jesus is and WHERE He dwells while sharing the truth about His Kingdom. 

We must embrace the reality of our calling - a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people set apart. Paul said, we were to be lively stones building up a "Spiritual House" not a fleshly house built by the hands of man; a house who’s builder and maker is God. These priests will offer acceptable sacrifices to God. The revelation of who our God is and what He desires to do through a willing people will transform us into what He has ordained us to be - His priesthood, His kings upon this earth.

Remember, priests offer the acceptable sacrifices while kings delegate the authority. Jesus said, in Matt16:19, "And I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven and whatsoever you bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven. And whatsoever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." When will we abandon our earthly desires and sell-out to the fullness of the revelation of Jesus? As followers of Christ, we must not fall prey to the "sweet by 'n by" mentality when it's the "here and now" 

that matters so greatly. Likewise, when will we cease looking to Heaven for Christ's return for all the world to see when He is already here... right here... everywhere at once, within us, waiting to be revealed? 

If we will die to the flesh TODAY - crucifying all of our old ways of thinking, our stubbornness, our trained responses, our compromises, our manmade doctrines - we will see the will of God here and now. This freedom and submission to the King will enable us to turn upside-down the world in which we dwell daily.

Today, we need to embrace the reality that all of life's experiences that each of us have struggled through has been, in fact, nothing less than our preparation to serve as priests and kings; the call to serve is the call to PREPARE. Now it is time to graduate and confront the giants in the land with our God-given authority. We must behead these enemies and possess this land!

Are you ready to begin functioning in your role as priests and kings of your home, office and community? If you need any tips, just ask. I'll be glad to coach you through it.

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

Founder, The Church @ Work (TCAW)

miketummillo@me.com