Lesson 3: Participants in Witnessing (1 Peter 2, Ephesians 4, Acts 20, 2 Corinthians 5, Exodus 19)

by | Feb 11, 2022 | Topical Studies

Introduction: Assume I called and told you I had a task for you. In doing this task you could
choose to be paid for it or do it for nothing. Which would you choose? Is there moral superiority
in volunteering to share the gospel? Are you better at your task if you get paid for it? Is there a
reason why we have paid professionals lead our churches? Should the paid professionals
shoulder a heavier burden in the work of the church? Let’s dive into our lesson and see if we
can discover the Biblical answers to these questions!

  1. The Priests



    1. Read 1 Peter 2:4-5, 9. Which of the believers are “royal priests?” Does that
      make you a priest?



    2. Let’s now read Ephesians 4:11-12. Both Peter and Paul make an analogy
      between the church and building something in these texts. However, Paul tells
      us in Ephesians that only “some” are given certain leadership tasks. (Compare
      Romans 12:5-8.) Peter, however, tells us we are all priests. Who is right?



      1. Can they both be right? If so, how? (Even within the priesthood there
        were different duties. If you look at Nave’s Topical Bible (under “Priests
        (Duties of)” you will find: Offer sacrifices; Pronounce benedictions; Teach
        the law; Light the lamps in the tabernacle; Keep the sacred fire burning;
        Furnish wood for the sanctuary; Act as scribes; Examine lepers; and,
        Purify the unclean. (See also, Numbers 16:9 which mentions broad
        categories of diverse activities.) We can conclude that as priests we can
        have different duties within the “structure” of the church.)



    3. Let’s go back to 1 Peter 2:9 again. What is the job description for being a priest?
      (Declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness to light.)



      1. We have learned you are all priests. How do you intend to fulfill your job?
        What should priests be doing to meet the job description? Let’s list your
        ideas on the blackboard. (Praise songs immediately come to mind as one
        way. (And to think some people are against praise songs!) Working a
        praise for God into our daily talk.)



        1. Do you think it is important that we are called to declare the
          praises of God as opposed to declare the faults of others?



        2. How do you understand and apply the phrase about being “called
          … out of darkness?” Does that mean you should explain how you
          were rescued from evil? Is that the best way to call others out of
          darkness?



        3. Have you noticed that people are most alert to their own area of
          weakness? The people who attack others in a certain area are
          themselves guilty of those sins. Think how much better it would be
          to say “God helped me out of this sin in this way and He can help
          you too” instead of attacking the individual.



    4. Read Acts 20:24. What does Paul suggest was his task as a priest? (Testifying
      to the gospel of God’s grace.)



      1. Is that also your task?



        1. What does that mean?



        2. How would you do that?



    5. Consider that Peter and Paul tell us our task is to declare the praises of God and
      testify about His gospel of grace. Would you like to do that?



    6. Let’s look at another text on this before we shift gears a bit. Read 2 Corinthians
      5:15-20.



      1. What does an ambassador do?



        1. What kind of ambassador does this text say you are?



        2. What is your official ambassador’s message?



      2. Does this ambassador job change your life? (Yes. It changes your life
        outlook. Verse 15 tells us we no longer live for ourselves. We now live
        for Jesus. Verse 16 tells us that we should no longer look at people the
        way we once did.)



  2. Volunteers vs. Professional Priests



    1. Why do you think God set up a system of priests in the Old Testament?



    2. Our lesson says (Sunday) that the distinction between “lay people” and “clergy”
      is not Biblical. I have read or heard that elsewhere. A substantial problem with
      that statement is that it overlooks the Old Testament system of designated
      priests who were professionals (i.e, were paid a tithe ( Numbers 18:21)).



    3. Read Exodus 19:5-6. Does this sound familiar? (Yes, Peter is reciting this in 1
      Peter 2:9!)



      1. Does this mean that God originally intended all of his people to be
        priests? (Yes.)



      2. Then what made God change to the system of the Aaron/Levitical
        priesthood? (There is some evidence that the people wanted this
        because they did not want to draw near to God. They were afraid.
        Compare Exodus 19:22-23 with Deuteronomy 18:16-17. If you would like
        to contemplate a bit more this idea of certain people being set apart to
        come near the Lord, read the story in Numbers 16 of a group of Levite
        rebels who claimed the distinctions made between those who come near
        are artificial.)



    4. If God’s original plan was that all should be priests, and Peter announced that we
      are back to the original plan, does that mean that all the leaders and workers in
      the church should be volunteers and not professionals?



      1. What would then happen to the tithe?



    5. Let’s explore this further. Read 1 Timothy 5:17-18. What is meant by giving
      elders “double honor?”



      1. What does v.18 mean when it refers to “wages?” Does that mean that we
        should pay the church leaders in honor instead of real money?



      2. Read Matthew 10:9-10; Luke 10:7; 1 Corinthians 9:9-12a. What do you
        conclude from reading these texts about whether we should have paid
        clergy? (These texts clearly support paying those who minister to us.)



      3. Did you know that the priests did not have to pay taxes? (Yes! Ezra 7:24)



    6. What do you conclude then: we all have a role in the church! Should we all get
      paid?



      1. If not, how do you decide who should get paid and who should not?



      2. I spend a lot of my time teaching and preaching, yet I do not get paid a
        cent to do it. Should I be paid? (I think payment is a practical issue. Since
        I do not need to get paid (since I have another job) it is not necessary to
        pay me. However, if someone devotes most of their time to the work of
        the church, then they should be paid.)



    7. If you agree with me that payment for those who minister is a matter of need,
      then should there be any difference in the nature of the work between volunteers
      and professionals (those who are paid)?



      1. Should there be any differences of any kind? (It follows that there is no
        need to make any distinction in the nature of the work, but the volume of
        the work would naturally be greater for the professionals for they have
        more time to devote to the work.)



    8. Did you notice the note in Wednesday’s lesson about the statistics on
      pastor/member growth ratios? The greater the number of members per pastor,
      the faster the church grows!



      1. What should you conclude from that statistic? That we should get rid of
        our pastors? That our members should have a different view of their
        responsibilities in the church?



    9. Friend, we need a new view, a view that each one of us is a priest charged with
      sharing the gospel and declaring the praises of our Lord. Will you take up your
      rightful place and responsibilities?






  3. Next Week: The Recipients of Witnessing.