Sunday Recap - Made New: Identity in Christ - 18th May 2025

God has a plan and a purpose for your life. Every believer has a role to play in the kingdom of God. Peter calls us a 'Royal Priesthood'. Our roles as priests is to minister to God and minister to others. In establishing a priesthood of believers, God was redeeming what was lost in Eden and restoring us to our original identity and role. This was God's plan all along. Now, Christ has reconciled us to God through his death and resurrection, and he has given us the ministry of reconciliation. Regardless of what you day to day life looks like, you have an important job to do in the kingdom of God - you are a priest!

The role of the Priesthood:
- To offer praise and worship to God
- To offer spiritual sacrifices (1 Peter 2:5)
- To intercede and stand in the gap for others - both believers and non-believers
- To keep his commandments
- To serve and work as an offering as worship to God
- Enjoying time in the presence of God

1 Peter 2: 9 
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Exodus 19:3-6
Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

2 Corinthians 5: 16-20
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.