Together we proclaim the gospel. Read Romans 15:16. The Apostle Paul called proclaiming the gospel a priestly duty. The Jewish priest was responsible for conducting worship, offering sacrifices, and praying to God on behalf of the people. After spending March and April diving deeply into the role of the priest, the theme has popped up in a scripture I chose a year ago for the theme of joy. How cool is it to add to our understanding of the priest and how it applies to us today! The Apostle Peter called followers of Jesus “a royal priesthood.” From Peter’s words comes the idea “the priesthood of all believers.” All of us who follow Jesus are to carry out the duties of the priest. Since Jesus was the sacrifice, we no longer offer animal sacrifices. Instead, we become living sacrifices proclaiming the gospel. What is the gospel? The gospel is the Good News that Jesus paid the price for our sins by shedding his blood on the cross. We are forgiven. Jesus rose from the grave and is alive today. We have hope for eternal life. That is good news. When we participate in the life of a local congregation like Wesley Chapel, we join together to support the mission of making disciples by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.



Lord Jesus, thank you for forgiving our sins and giving us hope for eternal life. We promise to carry out the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel through the ministry of our local church family. Give us endurance, encouragement, and a spirit of unity to carry out the mission before us. Amen.