Biblical Christianity from Peter DeHaan

Do You Know You Are a Priest?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 20, 2022
2 Comments on Do You Know You Are a Priest?

As Followers of Jesus We Become His Priests. It’s Time to Start Acting Like It

Aside from sharing my first name, I like Peter in the Bible. His concise writing packs a lot of practical teaching into his two short letters. He writes to those who follow Jesus. He talks about us being priests.

Peter describes us in four ways: as “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,” and “God’s special possession,” (1 Peter 2:9). While all four labels pack much value, I particularly like the idea of priesthood.

In the Old Testament, only select people could become priests. Priests had to come from the tribe of Levi, which ruled out everyone from the other eleven tribes.

In addition, they had to be a descendant of Aaron; this eliminated most of the rest of the tribe of Levi. Plus they had to be male, thus removing all women from consideration.

Last they couldn’t serve until they turned twenty-five, making younger men have to wait.

That was quite restrictive. Either someone was in or not. There were no exceptions. Jesus changes all of that.

Under Jesus, spiritual service is not limited to a select few born under the right conditions or possessing certain credentials. In Jesus’s church the door to priesthood is thrown wide open.

We are all eligible to be priests. In fact we are all priests by virtue of being his followers.

As priests we minister to each other and shouldn’t expect someone else to do the job for us. As priests we don’t need special clergy to serve as our liaison to God; we can approach God directly.

Under Jesus the priesthood as a special ordained position becomes obsolete.

Instead the priesthood becomes normal, something we all should embrace as our calling.

Today’s paid ministers and pastors are an extension of the Old Testament priesthood, something Jesus effectively eliminates when he fulfills the Law of Moses.

It’s time we start acting like his priests and stop expecting the clergy to do our jobs for us.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is 1 Peter 1-3, and today’s post is on 1 Peter 2:9.]

Read more about this in Peter’s thought-provoking book, Jesus’s Broken Church, available in e-book, audiobook, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags Aaron, follower of Jesus, priest

Bible Insights

The Bible Offers Us Hope for the Future

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 19, 2022

Because of God We Can Anticipate a Better Tomorrow

There are many reasons why I love the Bible, in fact I list thirteen. One of those reasons is hope. The Bible is filled with hope. It’s mentioned 180 times in both the Old and New Testaments.

Hope in the Old Testament

The word hope appears ninety-seven times in the Old Testament, in sixteen of the thirty-nine books. Interestingly, the word hope isn’t found in the first seven books of the Bible.

Psalms, however, is filled with hope, thirty-four times (such as Psalm 9:18).

Job comes in second place with eighteen mentions (Job 13:15, for example).

Much of the hope that appears in the Old Testament occurs in the writings of the prophets, who look forward in hopeful expectation to a better future (consider Isaiah 40:31).

Hope in the New Testament

Hope appears eighty-three times in the New Testament and pops up in twenty-four of the twenty-seven books (consider Romans 5:2).

Interestingly, in the five books written by John—who writes extensively about love—hope only pops up once, in his gospel.

The final book of the Bible, Revelation, doesn’t mention hope directly. However, the book winds down looking at a glorious future with a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1). That’s something to hope for.

Hope in Our Present World

Some of the times hope is mentioned in the Bible, it anticipates a better tomorrow in our physical world: a hope for provision, a hope for deliverance, and a hope for protection, to name a few (check out Psalm 37:9).

When we place our trust in God, we can be filled with hope that he will take care of us throughout our life.

Hope in Our Future Reality

In other places when the Bible mentions hope, it’s a perspective that transcends our physical realm (such as Acts 23:6). It’s hope in a spiritual eternity with God. It’s the hope of heaven.

This anticipates an existence with no pain, sorrow, or disappointment. Some might call it paradise and others, Eden reborn. In this future reality, we will commune with God. We will worship him, serve him, and just hang out.

Some people follow God for the hope he gives them for a better tomorrow in this world. And that may be enough.

Other people pursue God for the hope he gives them for a better tomorrow in the afterlife. And that is another reward.

The Bible is filled with hope, and it fills us with hope: hope in God for tomorrow and beyond.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Psalm 6-10, and today’s post is on Psalm 9:18.]

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

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Tags Bible, heaven, hope, reward, trust

Christian Living

Let’s Reclaim Easter Before It Loses All Meaning

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 17, 2022

Remember to Celebrate Jesus this Easter

According to those who track public thought and opinion, the majority of people don’t realize that Easter is a religious holiday—or at least a holiday with a religious origin.

Given this, we must reclaim Easter for what it means.

The commercialization of Easter is strange. To start, we have Easter bunnies and Easter eggs, with the implication that the rabbits produced the eggs. How illogical is that?

Then there are colored eggs (both the real and plastic varieties), Easter baskets with a requisite bed of faux grass, pastel colored candies, and my favorite, the marshmallow peeps.

We send our children on Easter egg hunts and pile them with sugary candy. We do all this with nary a mention of Jesus.

Jesus is our savior who died in our place for all our sins (the mistakes we make throughout our lives). Then he proved his mastery over death by rising from the grave.

Celebrate Easter

If there is any connection between all this and Jesus’s history-changing victory over death, it certainly escapes me.

Where is the empty cross, the open tomb, and the risen savior? (Though it would seem a bit sacrilegious to chomp into a chocolate Jesus.)

In light of this disconnect between the origin and present reality of this day, my goal is that with each dip into commercialized Easter, I will have a conscious reconnection to historical Easter.

As I nibble on my peeps, I will meditate on Jesus and all that he did for us through his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead.

Let’s all strive to reclaim Easter.

Celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and his return to heaven in The Victory of Jesus. The Victory of Jesus is another book in Peter DeHaan’s beloved Holiday Celebration Bible Study Series. Get your copy today.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags cross, Easter, holiday, Jesus

Christian Living

Which is More Important, Good Friday or Easter?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 15, 2022

Should Christians Focus on Worshiping Jesus Who Suffered or Jesus Who Rose from the Dead?

As we moved through Lent to approach Holy Week we anticipate four significant days: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter (which some call Resurrection Sunday).

The last two, Good Friday and Easter, stand as momentous occasions for all those who follow Jesus.

Though Christians worldwide acknowledge both as significant days that are essential to their faith, they tend to place more emphasis on one over the other.

Indeed some choose to worship the suffering Savior, while others focus their attention on the risen Savior.

Good Friday or Easter?

For the first group, Good Friday is their solemn day of remembrance, with Easter as secondary. The other group breezes past Good Friday to arrive at Easter, the pinnacle day for their faith.

In reality, we need both Good Friday and Easter. Without Good Friday, we couldn’t have Easter and without Easter, Good Friday wouldn’t matter.

Jesus needed to die in order to cover all our mistakes and reconcile us with God. He also needed to rise from the dead, to resurrect, proving his mastery over death. We need both death and resurrection.

Jesus Had to Die

Jesus needed to die as our ultimate sacrifice to end all sacrifices and he needed to live again to show that his death wasn’t the end but a new beginning, both for him and for us.

Jesus Had to Rise

Let’s balance our faith practices by placing equal emphasis on Jesus as our Savior who died and who rose from the dead. We need both Good Friday and Easter. May our observances this year show that reality.

Thank you Jesus for dying for us so we don’t have to pay for our mistakes, and thank you Jesus for overcoming death for us so we can, too.

Whether you prefer Good Friday observances or Easter celebrations, this year, seek to embrace both with equal reverence and excitement.

Discover more about celebrating Jesus and his passion to save us in Peter’s new book, The Passion of Jesus. It is part of the Holiday Celebration Bible Study Series.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags Easter, Good Friday, holiday, Holy Week, Palm Sunday

Visiting Churches

Church Discipline

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 14, 2022

The sprawling facility provides an impressive view from a distance. Their larger, new building suggests a thriving, dynamic community.

But our experience there does not align this this, but the teaching about church discipline really connects with me.

The 52 Churches Workbook, by Peter DeHaan

Consider these four discussion questions about Church #46:

1. Yet no one responds to Candy’s phone messages or emails, so she can’t confirm the service time listed on their website. As we pull up, doubt forms. Only a few cars sit in their large parking lot. Are we here at the wrong time?

How can you better respond to those who contact your church?

2. During worship, heavily orchestrated background tracks reverberate through the sanctuary. I can’t push past the overproduced, resounding boom. It distracts me from the words and blocks my worship.

How can you best help people worship God?

3. The pastor tells the congregation to open their Bibles and follow along as he reads. The verses don’t appear on the screens. With our version not matching his, it’s disconcerting. I feel marginalized and excluded.

What changes do you need to make to help guests feel included?

4. The minister is a gifted communicator. I appreciate his teaching about church discipline. He makes some great points. and he soon wins me over. He says that we cannot judge the lost, but we do need to judge ourselves.

Are you wrongly judgmental? What needs to change?

[See the prior set of questions, the next set, or start at the beginning.]

Get your copy of 52 Churches and The 52 Churches Workbook today, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags church services, teachers, The 52 Churches Workbook, worship

Christian Living

What Happened to the Emergent Church?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 13, 2022

The Emergent Church Seeks to be Biblically Relevant for Postmodern People

Ten to fifteen years ago, it seemed that every time I turned around I heard something about the emergent church. I wrote about this in my dissertation, with one long chapter devoted to the topic.

My thoughts on the emergent church were greatly influenced by Phyllis Tickle’s mind-blowing book The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why.

What is the Emergent Church?

It’s an effort to reclaim church practices from a biblical perspective to reform them to be relevant in a postmodern culture. The emergence movement seeks to reimagine church in fresh, new ways to connect with a disenfranchised society that is open to spirituality, albeit apart from the traditional church.

At the time I speculated it was easier to find a book on the emergent church then to actually find an one in real life. Though I don’t think this was true, it certainly seemed that way. After all, the very nature of the emergent church shunned structure, organization, and hierarchical leadership.

These traits made emergent churches hard to find.

Our Churches Must Emerge

When I write about the church in this blog, it’s usually from the perspective of emergence. I want to see our present-day church practices emerge from what they are to produce something more meaningful that abounds with relevance for today’s spiritual seekers.

When I talk this way, it often comes across as criticism, but I only want what’s best for the church—that is, for us as followers of Jesus—so that the church can become more than what she presently is. I write about the church because I love her and want to see her reach her potential.

I want to see the church emerge to become something grander. I long to see the emergent church and wish to be part of one.

A Fad or a Trend?

All this talk about the emergent church, however, was a decade ago. What about now? It’s been years since I’ve heard the phrase mentioned. Was the emerging church movement a fad that arrived for a moment and left just as quickly?

No. The impetus for the emergent church still exists. It’s just that we don’t hear that phrase anymore. Despite this, however, around the world people—who love Jesus but gave up on his church the way it’s currently practiced—are seeking out new expressions of faith community.

They are emerging to do something new and something fresh. But by their very nature, we don’t hear about them. This is because the philosophy of an emerging church shuns self-promotion and distrusts marketing.

The interest in emergent churches is still there, even if the label has slipped away. Perhaps instead of looking for an emergent church, the better path might be to start one.

Discover more about this idea in the post on micro-churches.

Read more about this in Peter’s thought-provoking book, Jesus’s Broken Church, available in e-book, audiobook, paperback, and hardcover.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags church, emergent church, postmodern

Bible Insights

God as our Father

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 12, 2022

A Word Picture of What a Good Dad Is Like

The sixth word picture is God as our father and we as his children.

Although not everyone had a good biological father—in fact all human fathers make mistakes in raising their children—our spiritual father, God, is without fault, raising us out of perfect love and without error.

With God as our spiritual father, that is our father in heaven, we see him as being wise, loving, disciplining, and patient. Also, as our father there is the hope of us one day receiving an inheritance from him.

For us as God’s children, we are loved, cared for, given generous gifts, and protected. We are also heirs, looking forward to an inheritance that we will one day receive from him—eternal life for all who follow him.

Lastly, just as adult children have the potential for friendship with their earthly parents, we too, are poised to become a friend with our heavenly parent, God.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is 2 Samuel 7-9 and today’s post is on 2 Samuel 7:14.]

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Tags children, fathers, heaven, Heavenly Father, heir, word pictures

Christian Living

Thoughts We Should Avoid

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 10, 2022

We Must Take Care What We Put in Our Minds for They Drive Our Attitudes and Actions

We talked about why we need to be careful with what we say. Then we shared some biblical tips to guard our thoughts, since what we think about often flows out of our mouth. Let’s consider some thoughts we should avoid.

Paul writes to the Philippian church, sharing with them eight things to give their attention to. They are to focus on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). So much of our present society doesn’t align with this.

Considering the opposite of Paul’s list, we can look at our world today to determine areas where we might want to control or at least limit our exposure to. Here are some things to contemplate that encourages to dwell on thoughts we should avoid:

News

I stopped listening to the news on June 15, 2020. Every broadcast specialized in negativity and was only partially correct. Yes, each news story began with an element of truth, but the coverage soon diverged into biases and falsehoods, many of which confronted the Word of God.

It mattered not which station I listen to or watched: liberal or conservative. I found none that met any of Paul’s eight characteristics.

So that I’m not completely out of touch, however, I’ve settled on one weekly newspaper as my source of current events.

Though I lack knowledge of what’s happening in our world on a day-to-day, minute-by-minute basis, not subjecting myself to this negativity has lifted a huge weight off my soul. I now move about my day with a lightness instead of the darkness their news sources promote.

Social Media

If the contents on all news broadcasts are negative and misaligned with Scripture, most posts on social media are an even worse source that promote spots we should avoid. Though I have a presence on several social media platforms, I checked them infrequently.

I’ve also disabled all notifications. I check one platform once a day for a few minutes as I wrap up my work. For the others I stop by once-a-week. That’s enough.

I’ve often wondered about shutting them all down and walking away. So far, I haven’t. My once-a-day and once-a-week plan works for me.

Music

I’ve also weaned myself away from most music. Mostly, the styles I like contain lyrics I don’t appreciate.

I’m also prone to earworms, that is, “stuck song syndrome.” I’m okay if it happens to be something I heard at church on Sunday. But I’m frustrated if it’s from a commercial or other secular source.

Entertainment

So much of the content in movies and TV shows directly opposes a biblical worldview.

With most people shoving several hours of visual entertainment into their minds each day compared with a few minutes of Bible study, at best, there’s little doubt about which perspective will win out.

If we continually see people doing things contrary to God’s will, we can easily begin to regard their behavior as acceptable and then to embrace it.

Books

Just as movies and TV shows can pump ungodly content into our minds, so can the written word. Some books are positive and uplifting. Most aren’t. The key is to select with care the books we read and skip the rest.

Other Items

Other areas we might want to limit our exposure to is relationships that are toxic, close friendships with people living immoral lives, and affinity with groups whose purpose misaligns with God’s. We should also be careful with where we go and how we spend our money.

I’m sure there are other things we could add.

We can think of these items as guardrails that help keep us on track with Jesus.

Not Isolation

These are sources that promote thoughts we should avoid.

In reviewing these items, we could conclude that we must remove ourselves from the world. Though various people have tried to do so in the past 2,000 years, their well-intended goal is off base.

Yes, Jesus said we are not of this world (John 17:16). And John later added that we are not of the things in the world. If we love the world, God’s love isn’t in us (1 John 2:15-16).

Yet Jesus also told us to go into the world and tell others about him (Matthew 28:18-20). How can we do this if we isolate ourselves from them? We can’t.

Therefore, as followers of Jesus, we must exercise care to the degree we immerse ourselves into our world. We must remain close enough to make a difference, well far enough away to not be pulled from our faith.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Tags Jesus, movies, witness

Peter DeHaan News

New Book: Tongues of Fire

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 8, 2022

40 Devotional Insights for Today’s Church from the Book of Acts

Discover how the Spirit of God moved through the early church, empowering Christians to have a personal, vibrant relationship with Jesus.

The book of Acts was a thrilling time for the early church. Now you can capture the excitement and passion of the first-century Christians in this devotional Bible study designed to take you through the book of Acts.

In Tongues of Fire: 40 Devotional Insights for Today’s Church from the Book of Acts, you’ll connect the biblical narrative with today’s reality in 40 easy-to-read reflections about Christian life and church.

Discover how the Spirit moved through early believers’ lives, how the Gospel spread, and what we can learn as the body of Christ today. Through forty daily devotionals, you’ll gain insights that can help guide your faith and expand your spiritual practices as you uncover how this book influences Jesus’s followers two millennia later.

In this Bible study you’ll find:

Thought-provoking reflection prompts to engage more intimately with Scripture
Personal applications that will challenge you to live God’s truth everyday
Practical questions to bolster your faith
Transformational connections to your life and church
Life-changing themes to inspire you to live like the early church, ministering to others and sharing about Jesus.

Tongues of Fire challenges us to seek answers on what today’s church can learn from Jesus’s first followers and how they moved under the Holy Spirit’s power. This easy-to-read Bible study will give you forty days of devotional insights that can help you grow in your faith and discover how to celebrate the role of the Holy Spirit then and now. It will encourage you toward deeper community and an effective personal ministry. Perfect for women, men, or small groups.

Dive into Tongues of Fire for your next study and gain a new perspective on the teachings of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Get your copy today.

[Tongues of Fire was first published as Dear Theophilus, Acts.]

Read more about the book of Acts in Tongues of Fire: 40 Devotional Insights for Today’s Church from the Book of Acts, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags dear theophilus

Visiting Churches

Two Services: Another Doubleheader

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 7, 2022

Experiencing a Traditional Service and a Contemporary One

Today we’ll enjoy two services, another doubleheader: a traditional service followed by a contemporary one.

Consider these four discussion questions about Church #45:

1. As we wander inside, several people acknowledge our presence, thanking us for visiting. But beyond that no one says anything more, so we meander into the sanctuary.

Acknowledging a person is a great start, but what more can you do to connect with them and show you care?

2. At one point, the minister invites people to come forward to the altar. Doing this in the middle of the service is unusual, and I don’t catch the purpose.

When you do something people don’t expect, how can you make your intentions clear?

3. Between services is a pastor’s breakfast for guests. It’s a great chance to learn more and experience community. They say it’s in the library but fail to explain how to get there. Eventually someone gives us directions.

How can you help people better navigate your facility?

4. The crowd is lethargic at the contemporary service. It’s as though they just crawled out of bed and rolled into church—and many rolled in late.

What must you do to engage in worship? How can you help others in their worship?

The two services gave us completely different experiences.

[See the prior set of questions, the next set, or start at the beginning.]

Get your copy of 52 Churches and The 52 Churches Workbook today, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags church services, community, food, The 52 Churches Workbook, traditional service