PRIESTHOOD, PURPOSE & KINGDOM

Table of Content

• Introduction
• Priesthood
  • Summary – Key Points
• Purpose & Calling
  • Summary – Key Points
• Kingdom
  • Summary – Key Points
• Conclusion
• References

This document explores the critical and fundamental concepts of Priesthood, Purpose and Kingdom, exploring their meaning and how they interrelate, influence and reinforce each other towards building, matured Christians, who understand their purpose and calling and strive to actualize them, honouring God, serving mankind and influencing earth for Christ. These concepts and ideas are not new, they already feature (wholly or partly with different level of emphasis) in the teaching/theology of many churches and/or denominations, and it is not our attempt to create or invent new “knowledges”; at best this paper will shed biblical and sound insight on these concepts, from different perspective for the collective benefit of the Body of Christ.

The Priesthood of all Believers, was one of the main ideas in Martin Luther’s reformation, which birthed the protestant tradition and arguably, the other “independent traditions/movements”. And to be clear, it is not from this same theological or doctrinal perspective we discuss Priesthood in this document, though in some cases are opinions may coincide. In this paper, we are of the considered opinion that, Priesthood is an essential and fundamental undertaking that every Believer, must understand and strive to walk and grow in. The idea of Purpose, Calling/Vocation, is an often mentioned and taught subject in Christian circles and the larger Body of Christ. As Os Guinness puts it, “No theme I know strikes a deeper resonance with more people today than discovering life’s purpose. It’s a question of course, but it’s more – far, far more”¹. They are also treated within other topics such as Ministry, Christian Ministry, Life Assignment and Life Mission. The idea of Kingdom and Dominion has seemingly gained emphasis (and criticisms) in recent decades.

However, the idea is not new, and it is well established in scripture right from Genesis to Revelation, with some posing that the Bible is about a “Kingdom agenda”. In Genesis 1:28, God clearly mandated the man to exercise dominion over the earth. And with the man being created in in God’s image and likeness, the man now assumes a delegated kingly authority and has to exercise dominion over the earth. Thus, right at the start of the Bible the concept of Kingdom is birthed. Fast forward to the second Adam, Jesus, and not only does the Bible record Him preaching about the Kingdom (Matthew 9: 35; Mark 1:14) but also instructing his disciples to preach the Kingdom message (Acts 1:3) and the Apostles did preach about the Kingdom (Acts 8:12; 19:8). And yet again in Revelation we see God and His Kingdom triumphing over the enemy (Rev 11:15; 12:10).

The document is divided into three sections, with each section corresponding to each subject/topic. First, we explore the essence of the Priesthood, and its relations to our New Testament Christianity leading to the discussion of Purpose and Calling, a key requirement for the onward march of the Believer when (s)he comes into salvation in Christ Jesus. And in walking in Purpose and Calling, the man is now able to exercise Kingdom influence.

This paper is written as an information and discursive piece and not from any theological or doctrinal perspective, thus exegetical and doctrinal debates are avoided and neither is this paper intended to contribute to such debates nor generate such.

MAY THE LORD GRANT YOU DEEPER INSIGHTS AND UNDERSTANDING EVEN BEYOND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MATERIAL.  AMEN.

The first mention of Priest in the Old Testament (OT) of the Bible was with respect to the Priesthood of Melchizedek; ”And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God” (Gen 14:18). Secondly, it is recorded in Gen. 41:45 that in Egypt, Joseph was given a wife called “Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On”. Thus, it is obvious that the concept/subject and office of Priest and Priesthood is a well known within religious/spiritual circles and not a Hebrew/Jewish or Christian preserve. This means the office and practice of Priesthood is well recognized in the divine/spiritual world – be it negative (darkness) and positive (light). For example, the “Fetish Priest” is well-known in many parts of West Africa, forming part of the culture of some ethnic groups.

So, who or what is the Priest and Priesthood? Priesthood, usually/ordinarily refers to the office whiles the person occupying the office is the priest. The priest has some duties and responsibilities with respect to the deity (divine entity) that (s)he represents/worships and the society/territory the priest resides in and/or the deity presides over. And in performance of those duties/activities, it is usually said the priest is ‘exercising priesthood’. Thus, in a better and more holistic sense, beyond just the office, Priesthood refers to “the office (hence the priest) and the systems (hence the belief system and practices) associated with a deity as per its dealings or relations with a society/people/territory”.

This broad appreciation of Priesthood, helps us to get a more complete picture of who/what the Priest is. The common definition/meaning is that a Priest is the “one who mediates between a deity and people”. But this limits the essence of the Priest more especially looking at the holistic meaning/nature of Priesthood.

In Exodus 19:6, God made it clear that he wanted the Jewish nation to become a “Kingdom of Priests”, meaning every citizen in this new Kingdom was to be a Priest; Priestly Kingdom. And this means, every citizen will have direct access to God, just like Adam had in the Garden.

When Adam was created and put in the garden, God told him to “dress and keep it” (Gen. 2:18, KJV). The word “dress” means “to serve”, and is said to come from the Hebrew word `abad aw-bad’. Using the Strong dictionary it means, “to serve intensely to the point of coming into bondage/slave to that service” (it’s from this same context that the word “worshipper” emanates). To get a better contextual meaning of the word, we consulted the Westminster Leningrad Codex² (the Leningrad Codex is the oldest complete manuscript of the Hebrew bible dated to about 1080 AD²) using the Interlinear Scripture Analyser. From this reference, the contextual use/meaning of the word appears five times in other parts of the Bible and in all cases, it was in relation to the Priests or Levites (Num. 4:35; 4:39; 4:43; 1 Chr. 25:1; 1 Ch. 26:8). Thus, it is evident that right from the Garden, Adam was crafted as a Priest and launched into Priesthood. There are other typologies in Genesis further confirming the Priesthood of Adam, for example the Garden is akin to the Holy of Holiest were the High Priest meet God (read also Ezek. 28:13), with Eden being analogus to the inner court (remember the Garden was located in Eden – Garden of Eden) and the Earth akin to the outer court (see the video). Adam therefore, in the exercising of his dominion, was expected to create a community of citizens who were also Priest. And this is the more reason why as soon as God started to crystallize the Hebrew/Jewish nation, He made it clear that this was to be no ordinary nation, but a “Priestly Kingdom”.

Further to this, the Mosaic Laws (Exodus 12:14-16, Leviticus 1:10-13, 11:1-23, 15:19-20, 19:19, 19:27-28, 27:30-32, Deuteronomy 25:5-6) governed every aspect of societal life (religious through moral to agriculture), and it was essentially overseen and umpired by the Priestly authority, who for instance, using the Urim and the Thummim (Exodus 28) were to consult God directly and give final verdicts on nuanced matters.

So, beyond being a mediator between a deity and people, a Priest is an “embodiment of the deity he/she (the Priest) represents and in exercising Priesthood, the Priest, works to model and transform the people/society/territory under the jurisdiction of the deity, into the form, nature and way that the deity so desires and dictates, consequently informing the belief, culture and systems of that people/society/territory”.

This same Priestly ordination which was upon Adam (first citizen in God’s Kingdom), when God started building a new Kingdom for himself once again (Hebrew nation), God also started on the basis of Priesthood ordination, Priestly Kingdom. Man is God’s representative on earth, and in political or governance world, such a person is usually called an ambassador (2 Cor. 5:20). But our representation is not of an earthly nation or Kingdom, but of spiritual Kingdom and we represent a divine being. And the representative of a divine being is called a Priest. This is the more reason why other religions also used the same term. And for any ambassador, (s)he is more than just a link between his/her fellow citizens in the country of representation (i.e. country of ambassadorship) to their mother country. More importantly, the ambassador embodies what his/her country and what (s)he does tells others about his/her country of origin. And this same depth of understanding we should attach to what Priest and Priesthood is about, and this is “embodiment of the Kingdom of God” is of especially the man who has come to know Christ and God.

In the New Testament (NT) a key verse regarding this is 1^st Peter 2:5 

KJV Bible

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. The

Amplified Bible

“5[Come] and, like living stones, be yourselves built [into] a spiritual house, for a holy (dedicated, consecrated) priesthood, to offer up [those] spiritual sacrifices [that are] acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.”

Message Bible

“Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you will serve as holy priests offering Christ approved lives up to God.”

The verse can be expanded and paraphrased as follows:

“Like the way a house is built with stones, for God’s spiritual house to be built, Believers form the stones (spiritual stones), but we must come in the form and stature of holy and qualified priests (spiritually), to be used in building this house, and manifest dedicated and consecrated priesthood, to offer acceptable and pleasing spiritual sacrifices to God”

Thus, every Believer must reckon that his/her eternal ordination as Priest and that (s)he has been called into Priesthood (spiritually), and must so rise up to this calling especially in these last days. This then raises the question of qualification and duties of Priests and Priesthood. This is a very broad subject; we attempt to present in summarized and relevant information here. We have provided references readers can consult further.    The qualification for Priests (inclusively, i.e. both Priest and Levites) is very broad and scattered throughout various books in the Bible³, but can grouped udner Genealogical, Physical, Moral and Religious/Spiritual. Genealogical deals with priests having to come from the tribe of Levi. Thankfully, Christ has made us all accepted into God’s kingdom (Acts 10: 11 – 13). Priests must meet certain physical and moral standards ranging from being of a certain age, not shaving your head, to not being hunchbacked. Some of the qualifications may seem ridiculous, but like many truths in the Old Testament (OT), they have spiritual connotations and significance applicable to our present day. An article “Understanding the Levitical Priesthood” ³, does a very good job at explaining the priestly qualifications and their spiritual significance (see reference 3). A careful study of these physical and moral standards is what is succinctly summed up in Ephesians 5:27; “… not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish”. In these our days of decadent moral views and standards, freely and openly advertised and broadcasted, the moral and character qualifications demanded of the Priesthood must be in sharp focus for every Believer. Believers must develop and uphold sound moral values and a strong character able to withstand and overcome personal temptations and tests, and the opposition to the Christian corporate body.

The religious qualifications include for example undergoing religious training and observing the needed rites (selection/separation, consecration and commissioning) (Numbers 8: 6 -7). Though these are OT rites, they have very critical administrative and spiritual significance for our present individual and corporate Christianity. The insistence on being trained (see reference 3), even though one was from the Levi bloodline and therefore qualifies for the Priesthood, speaks to the importance of adequate and thorough preparation for our walk with the Lord and His purposes and calling upon our lives. Thankfully, this is observed in many Christian settings through regular church services and other meetings. And even now, new equipping approaches have been adopted and adapted in these trainings, such as Coaching, Counseling and Mentoring. Going further, considering training and education from a broader and more inclusive perspective, you realized there is still room for improvement. For example, the typical way of training within the Christian circles, almost always takes a monologue approach. Other methods and ways of which allow for active participation and practical learning must be encouraged; it has been proven time over that, this leads to better retention of knowledge and its application. Methods and strategies such as participatory workshops, blended learning, discussions and brainstorming, case studies, and many others could all be incorporated appropriately to enhance the training and equipping of Believers.

Another religious rite which is emphasized in the OT and further highlighted in the NT is that of Consecration (Romans chapters 6 and 12). Consecration, is the Believer’s free will decision, having come into Christ, to further devote him/herself to serving the purposes and callings of God. Consecration (as different from Sanctification), is of a personal nature; the personal decision by a Believer to commit him/herself to follow the Sanctification which God has brought him/her into. Consecration is dying to oneself and becoming a living sacrifice unto the Lord (Romans 12), thereby offering sweet fragrance unto the Lord. And as some say, “your depth of consecration, determines the degree of spiritual authority you can wield”

Similarly, the duties of Priests (inclusively) are vast especially as it kept changing over time⁴, but broadly can be grouped under Religious/Spiritual, and Social/Secular. Religious/Spiritual include the various temple services, teaching the laws, etc. Social/Secular includes explaining social laws, declaring verdicts/judgements, their work in the refuge cities (Numbers 35:6-7), census activities, land division (Nm 26:1, 2; 32:2), protection asylum seekers and foreigners, religious integration for foreigners (Joshua 20:9), etc. Though generally they were not allowed to work, and were not assigned lands like other tribes, so the Priests still engaged in some economic activities (see Number 35: 1 – 8). Believers must work; all of Jesus’ disciples were had an occupation.

We will want to highlight one outstanding duty and feature of the Priests; their warrior/fighting zeal. In Genesis 34:25-31 we see Levi and his brother slaughtering a whole city and when the young Hebrew nation committed adultery, it was the tribe of Levi that executed judgement (Exodus 32:25-29). There is another episode of Aaron’s grandson, Phinehas, killing a man and his concubine to avert God’s anger (Numbers 25).  Aside these, the Levites also carried the Ark and preceded the army into war (see 2 Chr. 20: 20, 21, 28). And when Jehoiada wanted to install a King, it was other Priests that drew swords and offered protection (see 2 Chr. 23:1-15). All these point to the zealous and warrior nature of the Levites and they are not to be seen as lame and timid group of people. Indeed, some even argue that it is their zeal which when they now properly channeled into pleasing God, after slaughtering the whole city, which secured them the Priesthood^3,5,6. In our current dispensation, this warfare is typically a spiritual war – though it can take physical dimensions such as legal battles, defending our rights and freedoms, speaking against unfair and unjust laws and other activisms. It must therefore be understood that the call to spiritual warfare is one which every Believer, worth its salt, must be engaged in. And in warfare, key words/cocnepts are Power and Authority. Whiles power refers to the ability (example from physical stature or a device such as gun) to exert influence and control, authority on the other hand refers to a legitimate right to exercise power. Jesus’ ministry and that of the Apostle and early church, amply demonstrated the importance of Power and Authority, and Jesus admonished and authorized His followers to do same (Matt. 8:5-10; Luke 4:36; Matt. 10:1; Mark 6:5; Luke 4:14, Acts 1:8; 4:33; 6:8, etc). It’s unfortunate that only some denominations do emphasize this critical aspect of our Christian walk, for which they receive harsh criticisms from other denominations. Of course, we are not justifying the excesses that some have introduced, but to condemn and seek to exclude Power and Authority from our Christian walk cannot be Biblical nor Holy Spirit inspired. The OT Priesthood has revealed that spiritual warfare is and should be an integral part of Christianity, and we cannot be nonchalant about it. Furthermore, the NT also affirm this (Eph. 6:12) and we must therefore take it very seriously and as an integral part of our Priesthood and Christian experience.

God created man to exercise dominion on earth on His behalf.  Therefore, once we come to salvation in Christ, the Believer, first and foremost must strive mature in his/her Priesthood (grow spiritual stature, character and wisdom) and to go further and discover in which domain can (s)he rule and reign in for Christ. And this raises the question of Purpose and Calling. The Believer must strive to discern/know his/her particular role in the larger or universal purpose of man. Adam was not only told to “serve and guard” the Garden (Genesis 2:15), but also, was expected to “till/cultivate the earth”. As Apostle Paul says, in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.” The Priesthood and the other “earthly calling” were to go hand in hand, enabling Adam to exercise Dominion. In the nest section we discuss the issue of Purpose and Calling.  

• Priest and Priesthood refers to the place of personal intimacy with God, and growing in spiritual stature, moral character and in wisdom, to become an embodiment of God and manifesting same, to influence and shape people/society to align with God’s will and purposes.
• Both Adam and the new Hebrew nation were both initiated with a Priestly ordination. Likewise, the Believer of today must understand that (s)he has a spiritual Priesthood ordination, and must strive to walk in the essence of it.  
• Presently, coming into Priesthood, means first getting saved, but after that, Believers must go further to uphold high and sound moral values and character, for both the individual and corporate good and benefit.
• The OT Priesthood among others highlights the need for proper training and equipping of every Believer, more so for those who want to train and equip others. And in our present day, more innovative and forward-looking approaches need to integrated into training schemes for more productive and holistic equipping.
• Consecration was one of the key religious/spiritual Priesthood qualification and it also emphasized in the NT. Every Believer must strive for Consecration after salvation as this a statement of yielding and brokenness unto God and to do His will.
• The duties of the Believer’s Priesthood mandate, includes being zealous for God and engaging in spiritual warfare.
• The Believer’s Priesthood ordination is a critical and prerequisite foundation regarding a triumph walk with God, upon which the Believer builds upon his/her specific assignment unto exercising dominion for Christ.

In the last section we did establish that the concept of Priesthood is as necessary today as it was in OT days, and it does not refer to an office per se, but pursuing and walking in the essence of it, which in summary is; becoming an embodiment of God and manifesting His will on earth for personal and corporate transformation and alignment with God’s will and purposes. Coming into Priesthood, the Believer must go further to discovering and actualizing the divine purpose or calling upon his/her life, towards the end that (s)he can exercise the dominion on earth. We discuss the topic of Purpose and Calling in this section.

To avoid any confusion, we want to explain what we mean Purpose and Calling. By Purpose we mean the “reason for the existence of a thing”. Man was created for a Purpose which we believe is stated clearly in Genesis 1:28. And purpose is to be understood and differentiated from functions and/or benefits from a thing. Using a car/vehicle as an example, depending on who and where it’s being used, car performs various functions and gives different benefits: a statement of luxury, a statement of status, protection, security, convenience, etc. However, at the base of it all, the car/vehicle serves the key purpose of transportation/mobility – be it people or goods. Similarly, the core reason why man was created was to rule and reign over the earth in God’s stead, and to do so he needed to become fruitful, multiply, replenish and subdue the earth. Remember, if not for the fall, there would not be the distinction of righteous men and unrighteous/sinful men, so all men on earth would be acting in one accord, exercising dominion on earth on behalf of God. And this purpose still remains for all men, and it’s for this reason why all men, ideally, have aspirations, desires to see one kind of growth or positive change or the another. Nevertheless, in the absence of the Spirit of God in the unregenerated man, these desires can be corrupted by sinful nature and evil forces and these desires and aspirations channeled in a negative direction.

Then, there is Calling which refer to “one’s personal assignment or mission or role (s)he has to fulfill in the larger frame of the universal purpose of man”, or in other words, “one’s specific divine assignment within the larger frame of the universal purpose of man”. When Purpose is used but within the individual context, in essence it means Calling.

Classifying Calling, as regards categories, dimensions, types, etc., enables for better appreciation and understanding, guiding Believers to better define and pursue their life assignments with more clarity and focus. However, clearly delineating Calling/Vocation is challenging especially as it is multi- dimensional and faceted. In this paper, we focus on broad top-level classification of Calling; Categories and Dimensions (Scope). Based on Biblical insight, sound Christian literature and sound schools of thought, we the following categories dimensions of Calling.

Primary/Foundational Calling refers to our personal Call unto God. Mark 3:14, states that, “Then He (Jesus) appointed twelve, that they might be with Him, and that He might send them out to preach”. So, the first and primary Call, was for the Disciples to be with Him. Likewise in Matthew 4:19, Jesus says, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men”. So, there is a first, a following after the Caller, then a “making into a fisher of men”, before being sent out to fish the men.  Os Guinness put it this way, “Our primary calling as followers of Christ is by him, to him, and for him. First and foremost, we are called to Someone (God), not to something or somewhere”⁷. Primary call embodies our personal relationship and walk with God, through which, like Jesus, we get to increase “in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52). This primary call is about intimacy and this is what Adam lost in the garden; “Adam where art thou” (Gen. 3: 9). And having established that Adam was created into Priesthood, then our Primary Calling is tantamount to our Priesthood. Indeed, in the examination of the meaning of Priesthood, we highlighted the need for the Priest/Believer to become an “embodiment of God”, that is to say, “to become intimate and to become and act like”., which is also the essence of the Primary Calling.

The absence of this Primary Call, Personal Intimacy with God (Priesthood), can be blamed for the many ills in the clergy and a major reason for weak, beggarly and powerless Christianity we manifest in our world today. There is a temptation to think that this Primary Call is for only those called into Church work (classical ministry), but this is not so. Just as Adam was called into Priesthood, every man coming into Christ, has been called into this Primary Calling. Every Christian needs this foundation, for the other Callings (s)he has to perform (Genesis 2:6; Ephesians 2:10).

The Secondary Calling refers to all other pursuits (Gen, 2:6; Ephesians 2:10), be it as a deliberate service unto God (such as church and other related work) or even as ordinary everyday occupation (secular). Os Guinness puts it this way, “We can therefore properly say as a matter of secondary calling that we are called to homemaking or to the practice of law or to art history”⁷, and such others.

Regarding special calling, this is akin to the special units which exists in the army. Whiles there is the general/usual infantry made up of different corps, divisions, brigades, etc, and then there are special units like Commandos, Rangers, Paratroopers, etc. In the Bible, some of the minor Prophets can be said to played these kinds of special roles. Prophet Prophet Jonah had a specific assignment to the people of Nineveh, Prophet Haggai and Zechariah, were instrumental in the rebuilding of the walls and temple under Ezra and Nehemiah (Ezra 5:1). In the New Testament, we see Philip, the Evangelist, being sent on a special assignment, which perhaps was responsible for the then bourgeoning Christian movement to reach the shores of Africa (Acts 8:26 – 40). Apostle Paul acknowledges Epaphras as a fellow minister (Col. 1:7), and then specifically mentions his fervent burden and intercession ministry for the maturity of the saints (Col. 4:2).

God is as concerned about saving our souls restoring our relationship and Priesthood with Him, just as much as He is concerned about the pollution of rivers and environmental destruction, after all, all are His creation. Thus, God will put in the heart of some people a strong passion to see some of these issues addressed in society; and these Callings/Vocation are not and should be seen as less relevant than working within a church. Certainly, first things first, such as the prominence of salvation, righteousness, character development and others, as these bring about the regeneration of the sinful man, laying the needed foundation for other pursuits; but this should not lead to the relegation, disparaging or trivializing of other Callings/Vocations.

Another close term to Calling/Vocation is Ministry, but the two, typically are not same, though they can be used interchangeably in certain contexts. For example, if someone who has a Music Calling, you can also say the person has a Music Ministry. So what is Ministry? In simple terms it refers to the “the operationalization of a type/kind of Calling/Vocation, be it formally, pseudoformal or informal”. Just as we have constructed Calling from a broad perspective, it is also important to see Ministry from a broad undesrtanding^9,10,11.

The narrow understanding associated with Calling has led to Ministry, being also understood from this myopic perspective, and this has done a lot of harm to Christendom. For example, a Believer with a strong passion for Children and Youth affairs, due to the narrow interpretation of Ministry, may well end up serving in the Children/Youth Department of a church.  Meanwhile, her/his actual Calling and Ministry, was to set up a Christian-based children and youth advocacy organization, which champions traditional societal values and norms for children and youth. Such an organization, now becomes one of the means/tools God can use to fight the perverted agenda being on targeted at young people.

And regarding the issues of children and youth, we want to highlight the urgent need for it to be given special and strategic attention by Body of Christ. Children and youth represent the future, sustainability and continuity of every organization and society. And it doesn’t surprise, that there is a systematic and deliberate agenda to target young people with a perverted view of morality and social values. Thus, churches and other Ministries must work at having special programs and initiatives that will attract, retain and develop young people in the ways of God.

This is a typical example of why we should have a broad understanding and approach to Calling and Ministry, and not to narrow down everything about Calling and Ministry to mainstream church.

In these end-times, if Christians and the larger Body of Christ is to be able to match and overcome the activities and works of darkness, we must do it on all fronts. There is an urgent need for Believers to understand and discover their Purpose and Calling, plan and take steps to actualize it, having built a strong and sound Priesthood. The traditional church has done a lot for the Body of Christ, but going forward other Christian-based and focused organizations (para-church, para-ministry, Christian NGO, faith-based NGO, etc) of all kinds and specialties, harnessing the varied potentials of believers; spiritual gifts, talents, education, experience, etc, must be brought on board in this end-time warfare. And this ties in with the need for diversification of the approaches and methods used in training and equipping Believers as highlighted above (arrow here).

As to whether a Believer has to walk in all of these categories of Calling and manifest same in all three dimensions, we believe it largely depend on God’s eternal purpose for that Believer and also the degree of yielding, ‘brokenness’ and sacrifice of the Believer. This notwithstanding, we are of the humble opinion that, every Believer, in the least, must strive to walk in his/her Primary (Priesthood) and Secondary Calling, manifesting them, in the least, up to some degree of scope/level in the “Corporate/General – Sphere of Influence” dimension.

A Believer walking in Priesthood, and identifying and pursing his/her Calling, is now set to exercise Dominion; coming into rulership and reigning (kingship) over a certain “domain” and this is what Kingdom is about and it is discussed in the next section.

• Purpose of man is the reason for the existence of a man and this is clearly captured in Genesis 1:28
• Calling which refer to “one’s personal assignment or mission or role (s)he has to fulfill in the larger frame of the universal purpose of man.
• Calling and Vocation essential mean the same thing; Calling is of Anglo-Saxon root and Vocation of a Latin root.
• All Callings/Vocations be it Spiritual or secular are equally important, though admittedly, spiritual Calling takes preeminence especially as it is chiefly responsible for the salvation and regeneration of the sinful soul.
• Classifying Calling/Vocation helps bring clarity in identifying and pursuing one’s life assignment and we offer the following classification.
• Categories of Calling/Vocation: 1) Primary or Foundational Calling; 2) Secondary or Complementary or “Ordinary” Calling and 3) Specific or Special Calling.
• Dimensions of Calling/Vocation: 1) Personal or Individual (Sphere of Control); 2) General or Corporate/Community (Sphere of Influence); 3) General or Corporate/Community (Sphere of Concern). 
• Types/Kinds of Calling can b as diverse as the different gifts/graces of God in the Bible.
• Ministry, in simple terms is the operationalization or attempts at actualizing a type/kind of Calling/Vocation, be it formal, pseudoformal or informal way.
• Calling and Ministry ought to be understood from a broader perspective accommodating the various kinds of Calling and Ministries God can demand from a Believer especially in these precarious, sophisticated and challenging end-times.
• The discovery and pursuit of Calling and actualization of it, leads us to exercising dominion; kingship in a domain, i.e. Kingdom.

From the last section we do understand that pursuit of our Calling/Vocation sets us on the path of Dominion; coming into rulership (kingship) over a certain “domain”, and this is what “Kingdom” is about. In this section we explore this concept, especially in its operative sense towards understanding what being kingdom-minded entails.

The word “kingdom” is said to come “from the Old English word “cyningdōm” which is composed of “cyning” (meaning “king”) and “dōm” (meaning “rule”)”¹².  Thus effectively, Kingdom means a “king’s rule or rulership”. Dr. Myles Munroe, of blessed memory, gives a practical explanation as “the sovereign rulership and governing influence of a king over his territory impacting it with his will, intent, and purpose“¹³. This, we believe is further explanation of what is already captured in scripture in Jesus’ prayer, “Your Will Be Done on Earth” (Matthew 6:10).

Man (Adam), having lost his glory and abode with the Father through rebellion and disobedience, it became necessary for another process be established through which he can get back to the Father; and this was accomplished through Jesus. With this having been completed, once a man gets restored, it is only proper and to be expected that he returns to the original reason for him being created; exercising delegated kingdom authority. And indeed, when the second Adam, was on earth, Jesus, He did emphasize the Kingdom, both during His life and after His death and resurrection.

And this is where topics such as Kingdom Marketplace, Marketplace ministry, Faith-based/Christian Business/Entrepreneurship, Kingdom Economy, Kingdom-minded Commerce/Business, among others can come into play. These pursuits, though they lead to financial prosperity among others, is not the end result. The reason and the drive, ought to always be to benefit societal members and to have a positive influence on society in the furtherance of the Kingdom of God.

This operative aspect of the Kingdom goes to buttress the need for Believers, having identified their Calling/Vocation, must take active steps to pursue it, honouring God and serving society and mankind. And as already noted, a strong and solid Priesthood is the first and foremost foundation. Otherwise, we will have Kingdom marketplace Believers, with no principles, no high moral standards, and their financial prosperity now becomes a trap and even worse, a force for evil and perpetuation of sin.

This influencing potential of the Kingdom Marketplace Ministry (KiMM)¹⁵, further validates the need for diverse ways of training and equipping (see above). For example, for persons in KiMM, their equipping and training cannot only be by the regular monologue teaching or preaching (pulpit ministry).

Such persons will need both theoretical and practical skills on topics such as Business Planning, SMART Goals-setting, Strategic Planning, among others. They must have competency high and comparable to others in the marketplace space, must be able to meet the high demands, competition and sometimes sheer hostility that characterizes the sector. And to acquire such practical skills and depths of competency, a more participatory and hands-on type of learning and training is needed.

Thirdly there are parables which deal with the Kingdom as a treasure (parable of the hidden treasure and costly pearl); these show us that being kingdom-minded and pursuing same, involves having to exchange our comfort and possessions (consecration and sacrifice – as highlighted under Priesthood) in order to gain the kingdom.

Lastly there is a parable which centered on inclusive participation (parable of the drag net); this we believe indicates how the kingdom will and does attract various Believers with different pursuits. But at the end of the age, every Believer will be judged by the righteous God, and unfortunately some will suffer loss, rejection and damnation.

This consequence is the most unfortunate and severe among these parables. And for us, this once again accentuates the need for a strong and an uncompromising Priesthood of every Believer. Priesthood, as noted earlier, entails spiritual and character maturity, both of which are needed for the Believer to be well grounded and sound in his/her faith and in moral excellence.

• Dominion and Kingdom are not new concepts and from Genesis through the New Testament it is well established and Jesus did emphasize it both before His death and after His death and resurrection.
• Overall, Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom of God emphasized its present reality, its future fulfillment, the values and ethics of the Kingdom, its inclusive nature, and the call to discipleship and active participation. His teachings challenged conventional thinking and called people to a radical reorientation of their lives in light of God’s Kingdom¹⁵.
• Exercising dominion and being kingdom-minded is multidimensional, including exercising dominion: 1) over evil and enemies; 2) by leveraging one’s potentials to benefit and positively shape society; 3) by having to consecrate and sacrifice to possess the Kingdom; 4) though the Kingdom is inclusive, there will be judgement at the end of the age, and those who do not qualify, will suffer rejection and damnation.
• Dominion and Kingdom-minded, once again reinforced the need for a strong and sound Priesthood, validated the necessity for an expanded understanding of Calling/Vocation, the importance of Calling/Vocation discovery and its operationalization, and the broadening of methods, approaches and systems used in equipping the saints.

Few will argue against that the notion that we are getting very close to age of the last days, that is, if we are not already there. And for any person who ascribes to faith in Jesus Christ, identifying with its mainstream ideas, there is a no doubt of the need for one to rise up to the challenge of a renewed commitment to one’s faith and to be strong and sound in the Lord. In this regard, we believe that encompassing themes/subjects of Priesthood, Purpose and Calling, and Kingdom (are pivotal to this end-time Christian spiritual revitalization, maturity and triumph.

Priesthood is necessary to lay the needed foundation and anchoring us strongly in Christ, even as we seek and strive to fulfill Purpose and Calling in our present lives, towards the end that we are able to experience the present reality and truth of the Kingdom, and be ready and qualify for the future reality of the Kingdom of God. Throughout this paper, we have seen how these themes/subjects interrelate and mutually reinforce each other, towards building a formidable, purpose-oriented, end-time ready “Christian Warrior Priest”.

It is our fervent hope that The Holy Spirit Himself, guides you to understand the little insight we have shared in this paper. And that, it contributes to better appreciation our Christian faith and walk, and that we all, grow ever stronger in the Lord.

1. Os Guiness
   • Rise to The Call, Dsicover The Ultimate Purpose Of Your LifePg. ix
2.  Interlinear Scripture Analyzer 3 basic
   • Source: https://www.scripture4all.org/download/download_ISA3.php
3. Leningrad Codex
   • Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leningrad_Codex
4. Masterpiece Ministries 4dance
   • Source: https://masterpieceministries4dance.wordpress.com/category/dance-theology/
5. What Do We Know About the Israelite Priests and Levites?
   • Source: https://christianpublishinghouse.co/2020/05/24/what-do-we-know-about-the-israelite-priests-and-levites/
6. The Levites—A Class Of Warrior-Priests.
   • Source: https://knowingscripture.com/articles/levites-class-of-warrior-priests#1
7. Blessing Simeon And Levi
   • Source: https://divineseasons.blogspot.com/2015/07/genesis-495-7-blessing-simeon-and-levi.html
8. Os Guinness
   • The Call, Finding and Fulfilling The Central Purpose Of  Your Life, Page 31
9. Os Guinness
   • The Call, Finding and Fulfilling The Central Purpose Of  Your Life, Page 49
10. Expanding Your Concept of Ministry
    • Source: https://bible.org/seriespage/1-expanding-your-concept-ministry
11.  What Is Ministry? Hendericks Center
    • Source: https://www.christianity.com/wiki/church/what-is-ministry.html
12. What is Church Ministry, Dr. Roger Pascoe, President
    • Source: https://bible.org/what-church-ministry
13. What is the root of the word “kingdom”?
    • Source: https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-root-of-the-word-kingdom
14. The Original Mandate And The Kingdom Message- Honoring Dr. Myles E Munroe
    • Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/original-mandate-kingdom-message-honoring-dr-myles-e-palmer
15. Jesus’ Teaching on the Kingdom
    • ChatGPT, Personal Communication, June, 2023.