You Are The Church
READ
What if you discovered that you've been thinking about church the wrong way your entire life? Most of us grew up with a simple equation: church is a place you go, and ministry is what the paid staff does. You show up, participate in the service, volunteer occasionally, and head home. However, Peter completely flips this upside down.
Let’s take a moment to read 1 Peter 2:4-5,9-10:
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (v.4-5)
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (v.9-10)
REFLECT
Peter says that every single believer is a living stone being built into a spiritual house—a holy priesthood. In other words, you're not just attending church. You are the church. And ministry isn't something done for you by professionals—it's something you do as part of God's people.
This was revolutionary in Peter's day. In the Old Testament, only certain people from one tribe could be priests. Everyone else had to go through them to approach God. But now, through Jesus, every believer has become a priest with direct access to God and a vital role to play in His kingdom. The local church is where we learn what that means and live it out together.
Imagine if your body decided that only the mouth should work. The hands would fold, the feet would stop walking, the eyes would close, and everything would depend on one part doing all the functions. Absurd, right? Yet that's often how we approach church—expecting a few paid staff members to do all the ministry while everyone else watches and critiques.
Peter's language explodes this mindset. You are a living stone. Not a spectator stone. Not a stone sitting in the parking lot. A living, active, essential stone being fitted into something beautiful that God is building. Remove your stone, and there's a gap in the wall. The structure is incomplete without you.
The priesthood imagery is equally powerful. In the Old Testament, priests had privileged access to God, serving as mediators between the people and the Holy. But through Christ, every believer becomes a priest—not needing another human mediator, but having direct access to God and being equipped to serve Him and others.
This means that when you pray for a friend, you're functioning as a priest. When you serve in the children's ministry, clean up after a church meal, or counsel someone through a difficult season, you're exercising your priesthood. When you use your gifts—whether teaching, encouraging, giving, showing mercy, or leading—you're participating in the shared ministry of God's people.
Ephesians 4:11-16 clarifies that while some are given specific roles (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers), their job isn't to do all the ministry. It's "to equip his people for works of service." The pastor's primary role isn't to be the only minister; it's to help everyone discover and deploy their ministry.
This flips the script on church participation. The question isn't "What can the church do for me?" but "What has God equipped me to contribute?" It moves us from consumers to contributors, from attendees to participants, from audience to actors in God's unfolding drama.
But here's the challenge: contributing requires commitment. You can't be a living stone in a building you rarely visit. You can't exercise your priesthood in a community you keep at arm's length. You can't know how you're gifted if you never try serving. Deep participation in a local church—messy, inconvenient, imperfect as it is—becomes the laboratory where we discover our gifts and learn to use them.
The beautiful irony is that when we serve, we're blessed. When we give, we receive. When we minister to others, we often find our own souls nourished. The body builds itself up in love as each part does its work.
RESPOND
Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.
What gifts has God given you for the building up of His body? How are you currently using them in your local church?
What keeps you from deeper participation—fear, busyness, past hurts, or simply not knowing where to start?
REST
Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:
Gracious God, thank You for making me a living stone and a priest in Your kingdom. Forgive me for the times I've been content to spectate rather than participate. Open my eyes to the gifts You've placed within me and the needs around me that match those gifts. Give me the courage to step into service, even when it feels uncomfortable or inconvenient. Build Your Church through all of us together. Amen.