Episode 004 – You Are The Message

Identity is a big deal. It breeds mission and behavior. It’s why God called His people to be a “kingdom of priests,” and why the Apostle Peter confirms this for all followers of Jesus in one of his letters. It’s a central identity of God’s people and yet most of us have no idea what it means or entails.

But once we’re cognizant of its implications, we live more focused, aware, and intentional in the work we do and the people we interact with because we now know what’s at stake (and there’s A LOT at stake!).

This next teaching in The Teaching Series helps us understand the significance of this identity and how transformational it is in our daily lives.

Discussion Questions

  • What’s your biggest takeaway from the teaching?
  • What did you find most interesting, helpful, challenging, or nerve-wracking about the role of priests in the ancient world, and God calling His people to emulate this role on His behalf?
  • What message are you communicating? What message would you like to be communicating? If there’s a gap, what’s one thing you can begin doing today to close that gap?
  • God asked the Israelite people to wear tassels with a blue cord on each tassel to remind them of their identity and mission. What could you do to continually remind yourself that you serve as a priest of God and what you do matters?
  • What’s one step you can take in walking out the truths of this teaching this week?

For Further Study

  • Make Your Mark by Brad Gray – this idea of the “kingdom of priests” has been so instrumental in my life, I wrote an entire chapter on it in my book (Chapter 6) and its connection to the life of Samson and his desire to do what was right in his own eyes.
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29 Comments

  1. Lori Briesemeister February 27, 2018 at 6:34 am - Reply

    Thank you God for this young man who has a willing heart to share what you call him to do. I am a person who so enjoys “enjoys” details. You have a way of bringing those details forward in a way that pulls me in to what you are saying.
    What a privilege to share who God is – what’s even more awesome is the power of God that works in & through us – we are not alone in this adventure!

  2. Tammy February 27, 2018 at 8:23 am - Reply

    I have always been confused on what exactly it meant to be a priest in the kingdom. You explained it so clearly and I am excited by what I now understand. Excited and challenged anew to walk the text!

  3. Bill Black February 27, 2018 at 9:08 am - Reply

    As the dividing of the animals, Abraham covenant, was a cultural thing YAHOVAH acqueised to, is the concept of priesthood; Moses, Siani, Moses u go talk to Him and interceed for us, the same?

    Would Jesus be dressed the same as Priest were on earth, “shadow of things in heaven” ?

    Man, I enjoy your sharing sooo much!

    • Brad Gray February 28, 2018 at 4:10 pm - Reply

      I bless God for that, Bill. Thank you!

  4. Bill Black February 27, 2018 at 9:18 am - Reply

    If YASHUA now sits on the r h of YAHOVAH as our h p, should not our petitions and prayers be directed to Him, who would then approach the Father on our behalf as opposed to Pauls teaching, “Let us therefore now come boldy before the throne of grace, Heb. 4..:16, not judgment, as many fear, yet?

    • Brad Gray February 28, 2018 at 4:10 pm - Reply

      I’m not sure the distinction is necessary, Bill, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are a unified whole. Approaching one is approaching God.

  5. Sandra Bellows February 27, 2018 at 9:43 am - Reply

    Fabulous Brad, and so timely for me personally. I just got tzit tzit’s for our entire family to give them this Easter. I will use your message today to communicate this reminder that we are a kingdom of priests….His message. Thank you!

  6. Darryl Lokers February 27, 2018 at 12:18 pm - Reply

    Thank you Brad for your teaching(s)! I’ve known about the high priests of the OT; I’ve learned/read about Jesus being The High Priest…this is the first I’ve heard of myself being His priest.
    Thanks again for using your gift of insight into scripture.

  7. Josh Ake February 27, 2018 at 5:46 pm - Reply

    Why do the tassels you see on most prayer shawls today generally not include a blue cord?

    • Brad Gray February 28, 2018 at 4:07 pm - Reply

      That is a good question, and I don’t know the answer 🙂 I know a lot of prayer shawls have the color blue throughout, but I’m not sure.

    • Claire Polar August 4, 2023 at 8:07 am - Reply

      As soon as I finish one teaching, I am already so excited for the next. This, you, God’s works through you, are what I’ve been craving for years. Thank you, thank you!

  8. Brian Smith February 27, 2018 at 7:41 pm - Reply

    Hi Brad! Long time no see. Hopefully you are getting acclimated to your new home in Tennessee.

    I believe it is helpful to go even further and clarify what the message is. God brings His followers to life, making them new creations, for the distinct purpose of sending them as His ambassadors to reconcile the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). God has entrusted His followers with a stewardship of this message, the Gospel (1 Corinthians 4:1). Not only should we behave in a way that is honoring and representative of the Living God (Romans 2:24), but we should be also proclaiming this Gospel message, to all people as our Lord has commanded (Mark 16:15, Luke 14:23, Matt 28:19-20, Acts 1:7-8).

    As Christ’s ambassadors, we are responsible for proclaiming that God has made forgiveness and reconciliation available through His Son’s death, burial, and resurrection from the dead in fulfillment of the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15). We are also responsible, however, to warn those who would persist in their rebellion against the Living God, about the judgement that is inevitable if they do not repent and put their faith and trust in God’s Son for salvation (Acts 17:30-31, Revelation 21:8-9). We should also warn them that mere morality and clean living cannot acheive the righteousness that God requires, nor can it atone for sins previously committed, and that no one is good in God’s sight by their own merit (Romans 3).

    I do appreciate the general sentiment of the video that those who are indeed God’s children, through repentance and faith in Christ, are in fact His kingdom of priests and carry a tremendous responsibility to walk in a manner worthy of the calling, as they are representatives of our Lord in this world. We may be an aroma of death to most for faithfully carrying out this duty, but we are a pleasing aroma to the Father and to those who are being saved when we do so (2 Corinthians 2:15-17).

    • Brad Gray February 28, 2018 at 4:06 pm - Reply

      Hi Brian! Yes, long time no see. Great to hear from you. And yes, we can definitely take this message further. Ha! With 18 minutes or less (my restricted time frame for these teachings), you can only cover so much. So I try and tackle an aspect as there is so much more than can be done. So thank you for offering your thoughts. I hope you are well!

      • Brian Smith February 28, 2018 at 4:45 pm - Reply

        Thanks. We are doing well up here in MI.

        I totally understand the time aspect. If the videos are too long people tend to navigate to something else. I thought this clarification would be helpful because some could come away with the idea that the Christian faith can be walked without actually putting ourselves out there and verbalizing the Gospel to others. I trust you don’t intend for that, so just thought I would comment.

        I look forward to keeping up with the series.

        Thanks again.

  9. Randy Langley March 1, 2018 at 2:35 pm - Reply

    Brad, Awesome teaching! Love the illustration of how we represent YASHUA all the time… we don’t have the opportunity to ever take the jersey off…or you could say it another way…we have the privilege and responsibility to wear the jersey well. I have reminded myself as a parent many times that very same thing… my kids are always learning from me whether I want them to or not. Love your work!

    • Brad Gray March 2, 2018 at 10:36 am - Reply

      Really appreciate it, Randy. Thank you!

  10. Linda aalderink May 22, 2018 at 5:26 am - Reply

    Hi Brad, I’m a friend of Marlae and after she returned from Israel heard her share on this at a Moms in Prayer event. I bought my own prayer shawl when I went to Israel last Nov with George DeJonge and the Heart if God tour. I was excited to see today’s teaching on the cord and grateful to find more teaching on it in earlier episodes. Thanks for being obedient and walking the text.!i look forward to listening each week.

    • Brad Gray May 24, 2018 at 2:15 pm - Reply

      That’s so cool to hear, Linda. Thank you for sharing that.

  11. Chris Decker July 11, 2018 at 11:01 am - Reply

    I am going to be teaching on 1 Peter 2:9 and in looking back at the Exodus passage found it interesting that they were to become a Kingdom of priests. Not a nation of priests or a group of priests or even a religion of priests.
    The Israelites just recently were delivered out of Egypt and they currently have no land of their own.
    This is a Kingdom without borders. A limitless kingdom.

    I listened again to this teaching hoping maybe you shed a little light on that and I didn’t catch it.
    This text is so loaded that I know it’s tough to cover the whole thing in 15 minutes.
    So I thought I’d pass along the little nudging I got out of it which I believe invites us all into that Kingdom.

    • Chris Decker July 12, 2018 at 9:02 am - Reply

      Yes I know it says a holy nation but I believe that to be more of a result of being a Kingdom of priests not the initial calling.
      So many directions to go, all with the same result. Time to pick one and run with it.

  12. Prince March 22, 2020 at 4:17 am - Reply

    Thank you!

  13. Paula August 13, 2021 at 12:34 pm - Reply

    I have recently found your website and the teaching series. Thank you so much, I am all ready learning so much and look forward to each session. I grew up in the church but there is so much I didn’t learn and I’m in my 70’s now.

    • Brad Gray August 20, 2021 at 2:50 pm - Reply

      Welcome to Walking The Text, Paula! So thrilled you came across our site. I’m always deeply compelled by people who never want to stop learning. Thank you for your kind comments.

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