Main Texts (1 Pet. 2.5, 9, Num. 11.27–29; Joel 2.28– 32; Acts 2.16–20)
Within the Pentecostal tradition, the reality of the priesthood and prophethood among believers is distinct. As recipients of the Holy Spirit, some are endowed with special teaching gifts. However, every believer is called to walk in the light, embodying Christ’s example and serving as both priest and prophet according to His divine order.
These concerns claim deep roots in our Pentecostal heritage. We see them in the enduring adage, ‘One should walk in the light as it shines upon his/her path’ and in our expectation that every convert should be a firsthand partaker and bearer of the Word, thereby edifying the congregation and evangelizing the lost (Num. 11.27–29; Joel 2.28–32; Acts 2.16–20).
Early Pentecostals found themselves in a position similar to that of the early Church in the book of Acts. Before the Day of Pentecost, the disciples had operated under the assumption that Jesus the Messiah would restore Israel to its proper position (Acts 1.6). The outpouring of the Spirit, however, gave them an alternative vision of God’s plan, which was supported by a new understanding of Scripture. In the early church, we find ‘a perplexing tension between a breaking into this world of the kingdom of God, in which Christian believers act as servants in God’s redemption of the world, and the need to wait for God to fulfill the promises of the Old Testament according to God’s own timing’.
THE PRIESTHOOD OF THE BELIEVER
You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5).
Believers must come to terms that they are sparkling stones that God is putting together to build up a spiritual family and a divine community for himself. The Christian is a sanctified priest who has been given a priesthood role and responsibilities.
THE OPERATION OF THE GIFTS IN ALL BELIEVERS
Like all other things in the Christian life, the gifts of the Holy Spirit must be taught and practiced. Paul told the Corinthians that he did not want them to be ignorant of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1). Teaching the orderly function of the gifts, Paul pointed out two groups of people: the unbelievers and the unlearned or untaught (1 Corinthians 14:23, 24). The unlearned are believers who have not been taught concerning the flow and the function of the gifts. We pray that fewer Christians would fall into this category. May all Christians be among those who understand and know the operation of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, thereby functioning in their priesthood.
The Manifestation of the Holy Spirit Through Believers
The nine gifts of the Holy Spirit can be divided into three categories: the revelation gifts – the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge,discerning of spirits;the power gifts – the gift of faith, the working of miracles,the gifts of healing;the vocal gifts – the gift of prophecy, varieties of tongues, and interpretation of tongues.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not called up at the fancy of the vessel He chooses to use. The Holy Spirit manifests as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11). He reserves the right to choose not to manifest or to manifest. He is still the Boss. We cannot separate the gifts from the Giver. We have to relate closely to the person of the Holy Spirit if we want to function in the gifts. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit will not bypass our free choice, our intellect, our emotions or our bodies. Evil spirits try to manifest by subjugating the will, mind, emotions of a person and possess the body.
The Holy Spirit is a perfect Gentleman. He waits for us to choose Him; that is, to yield our wills to Him. The most important part of our being is the power of free choice. It is highly regarded by God and by the angels of God. Even demons are not allowed to violate our free choice. The human will be the battleground of the spiritual realm. Demons seek to cause us to choose evil by temptations. The Holy Spirit will never manifest until we choose Him. As we learn to yield our wills to the Holy Spirit, He manifests more and more. The Lord Jesus yielded so much to the Holy Spirit that the Holy Spirit was at liberty to drive Him (Mark 1:12). Paul yielded to the Holy Spirit so utterly that he even said that he was going to Jerusalem bound in the spirit (Acts 20:22, 23). There are various degrees of yielding to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit manifests in proportion to our yieldedness.
After we have yielded our free wills to the Holy Spirit, He seeks to renew our minds by the Word of God. He gently imparts revelation and understanding of the things of the spirit realm. Unless we understand His manifestations, we can never channel His gifts. As our minds become more Spirit-controlled, the volume and intensity of His manifestations become more frequent. We must learn to mind the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5).
The third stage of the Holy Spirit manifestation is through our emotions. Our emotions play an essential part in communicating with others. All our daily actions have a certain level of emotions involved. Some people show less emotion than others but they still conduct their daily lives with emotions. By emotions, we do not mean just the outbursts of tears or anger. Emotions are what life is about. They are the taste buds of the soul. It is the soul’s emotion that gives us the sense of wellbeing, the zest for life, the desire to achieve, the enjoyment of life. These are positive emotions. The negative emotions would be the reverse of these. Sometimes in some individuals, the Holy Spirit begins to work on the emotions of a person before the intellect. At other times, He works simultaneously. But the first area of the soul He requires is always the voluntary surrender of the will of man.
The Holy Spirit manifests from our spirits, through our souls and then our bodies. Once the Holy Spirit has control of our spirits and our souls, He can manifest in powerful ways through our bodies. Some Christians have supernatural oil flow through their hands. Others have a special halo-like light over their heads. Even the shadows of human bodies can become transmitters of the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:15).
In summary it is true that all believers have been given the Holy spirit to fulfill our priesthood and prophethood mandate. As a Christian matures in the Lord and becomes more experienced in the things of the Holy Spirit, they are expected to know how to walk as priests and prophets in their quest to knowing Christ for themselves. We do not always have to rely on any persona, a prophet or special person to tell us the mind of God concerning our lives. We must, therefore, strive to have an ultimate and intimate relationship with the Holy Spirt to the glory of the Father to serve as spiritual building blocks of the eternal building as priest in the order of Melchizedek through Christ.
By Overseer Emmanuel Owusu (Mpasaso District – Tepa Area)
