Baptists began in the middle of controversy, fighting for ideas that seemed “radical” at the time. Some of those ideas still seem radical to some people, even in our time. One of these is the priesthood of the believer.
Built on the concept of soul competency – each person is free and responsible in his or her relation with God – the concept of priesthood of the believer is that, if you are free and responsible in your relationship with God, then you cannot and should not attempt to force your interpretation on my interpretation of the Bible. You are free, under the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit, to arrive at an interpretation of a Scripture passage that may be totally different from mine.
The second part of this concept is that each believer is a priest (seem strange to you?); you and I, and the pastors, and the presidents of seminaries, and the child sitting beside you, are all gifted by God in some way to minister to others, and we are equally charged with the responsibility of doing just that.
What does this mean to us as worshipers? As we read and study scripture, the Holy Spirit speaks to each believer and helps the believer understand the meaning of God’s word for their lives. The person sitting next to us may hear it differently, but that’s the Baptist way. No one is to force his or her understanding upon others. This can be confusing for some people! But Dr. Reggie Warren, in his presidential address to the Baptist General Association of Virginia, said, “When you say you believe in the priesthood of believers, you recognize and respect that priesthood in others, even when you don’t agree with them…you stand by your principles because you know that imposed or manipulated faith is not authentic faith, and that for all the problems that our freedoms permit, they do not compare to the problems that imposed, legislated, manipulated religiosity causes.”
A second part of the opportunity and responsibility presented by this idea of the priesthood of the believer is that we are each gifted by God “for the building up of the church.” This includes worship.
Some of us sing, some play parts in dramas, some play instruments, some proclaim the Gospel in words, some have a heart sensitive to lead us all in prayer, some may dance, write poetry, paint pictures, welcome strangers, arrange flowers, create a worshipful space, hold a child, clean a sink, mop a floor, edit a newsletter – all of our gifts can and should be used to worship God and to help others worship. We are all equal before God – no gift is more important than another.
What is your gift?
How can you use your gift in worship to honor God and bless the lives of others?
Friday, October 26, 2007
Don't mess with Baptists
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3 comments:
I love it when someone signs during a special or a hymn. Although I don't know sign language, it just sort of lifts my heart up to see the music interpreted that way. I am thankful for the people who use that talent for worship.
It would be exciting and enlightening for all of us to read about early Baptist history and how the tenets of our faith came to be, what sacrifices were made to claim the freedom to practice them, and how Baptist folk influenced those who wrote our country's documents of freedom. As for "gifts", I believe that there are many undisclosed, unused gifts among our members. I pray that as we develop relationships, we will encourage each other to share them. Our retreat should heighten our passion for worship and inspire us to develop our gifts.
I believe my gift is the gift of compassion. I want to help others even if it is just a listening ear. We each have unique gifts especially the children. I pray we all use our gifts for the glory of God.
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