The real need today is to have the practice of the priesthood with the kingship for the church life. This means each brother and sister must be helped to know the inner life and exercise his spirit until he is strengthened within to have the adequate growth in life. And, as we have seen, life always brings authority.
We do not mean that the prophethood is unnecessary, but we must realize that the prophethood is not for the prophethood. Rather, it must be for the priesthood with the kingship. Today the tragedy in Christianity is that people consider the prophethood as everything and as the only need. Their concept is that the prophethood is to build up a kind of ministry. But the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments, gives us a clear picture that the direct need for God’s building is not the prophethood, but the priesthood with the kingship. Of course, on some occasions when the priesthood and the kingship need to be strengthened, there is the need of the prophethood to charge and to encourage the saints.
The Lord has recovered the prophethood during the past five hundred years, but what is the Lord’s purpose in recovering the prophethood? Now we see clearly that the prophethood must be for the building up of the Body. It is an indirect ministry for the building of the Body. Even the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers mentioned in Ephesians 4:11 do not build up the Body directly. They are simply to perfect the saints who are the members of the Body. Then the saints themselves directly build up the Body, as seen in Ephesians 4:16.
Today the Lord is recovering the building of the Body. This recovery needs the recovery of the priesthood and the kingship. Of course, there still must be a certain amount of ministry from the prophethood, yet we all need to realize that the prophethood must raise up the priesthood with the kingship. This means that the prophethood does not merely teach others and give a lot of knowledge to the saints. The true prophethood must minister life to the saints and help them grow. The building up of the Body through the practical experience of the church life comes mainly from the inner life—not from the teachings or gifts.
Therefore, what we need today is the real experience of the inner life, so that the priesthood with the authority of the kingship can be realized for the building up of the Lord’s churches on this earth.
Holy priests are living stones
For God’s building work today;
If these stones would builded be,
All the priests must learn to pray.
CHORUS:
To the holiest often come,
In the spirit touch the throne,
Let the Lord flow thru in prayer,
Thus the building work is done.
All the saints must serve as priests,
That the living stones they be;
Each must priestly work perform,
Then their functions we will see.
In the priests the substance is
Of the building work replete;
When the priests their work discharge,
Then God’s house will be complete.
Building God and man in one
Is their work before the Lord;
In this fellowship divine,
Saints are built in one accord.
When in prayer our spirits blend,
Then together built are we,
Then a priesthood we become,
Off’ring sacrifice to Thee.
Grant us grace, O Lord, that we
Treasure dear the priestly call;
In the spirit serve and pray,
That Thy church be built withal.
(Hymns, #849)