Words Matter

Ever Use a Word or Phrase Incorrectly?

I could care less.

I couldn’t care less.

Irregardless

Regardless

Good

Well

Three Words Many Christians Get Wrong

Witness

I witness by how I live my life.

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””

Witness means to give first-hand account of something you have seen or heard.

Pastor

Professionals who lead the church and do the work of the ministry.

Ephesians 4:11–12 “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,”

Pastors are to lead and equip the church to do the work of the ministry.

Pastors are the coaches who develop, coordinate, and deploy the players on the field.

Priests

A select group of Christians who lead a church.

1 Peter 2:5 “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Every follower of Jesus is called to be a priest.

Understanding the Role of Priests

Two functions of priests in the Bible are:

To be about the worship of God.

To intercede between man and God.

New Testament Priesthood

We are still to be about the worship of God.

We intercede between man in God in two primary ways:

Prayer

Witnessing

The priesthood is scattered.

Matthew 28:19–20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

Serving Where We Are Scattered

There are three main domains of where we live our lives:

Where we live.

Where we work.

Where we play.

How to Begin Being the Witnesses God Has Called Us To Be

Engage a domaine.

Pray

Calendar

Season Your Words with Grace

Colossians 4:5–6 “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”