The Royal Priesthood of God!

“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. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” – 1 Peter 2:9-10 ESV

Once we become followers of Jesus Christ, our identities change as the children of God because the word of God states, “Yet to all who did receive him [Christ], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13) When we become children of God, not only we ought to become the righteousness of God until the end of the age (1 Peter 2:24) but we also have to become the ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:18-21) and the light of Jesus Christ to the world (Matthew 5:14-16). This is because these are priorities to do the Great Commission that He has told His children and His disciples to do (Matthew 28:18-20). However, we cannot do this with the attitudes of strictness but we can do this with the attitudes of love and mercy. This is because the word of God declares, “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (1 John 4:11-12) Furthermore, 2 Timothy 4:1-2 declares, “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.”

However, the world may hate us for doing the mission of God (John 15:18-21). Nevertheless, we have to persevere in them (Hebrews 10:36-37). In fact, when we face any kind of trials and persecutions, they prove and test ourselves that we have a great faith in God, and may gain greater faith (James 1:2-4) if we keep focusing on the kingdom of heaven, our eternal home This is because we know that we have citizenship in God’s Kingdom if we have been fully-committed to Christ (Philippians 3:18-21).

Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:12-14)