Every Christian is a minister who has direct access to God, says Rick Warren

Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren said in his daily devotional that every new Christian becomes a minister who should use their talents to help other people.

In his "Daily Hope" devotional published on Dec. 30, Warren said that every believer receives the privileges that are once available only to priests.

The pastor cited the first part of 1 Peter 2:5 which stated: "You come to him as living stones, a spiritual house that is being built into a holy priesthood."

Warren noted that priests in the Old Testament can talk, worship and pray directly to God while other people need to go through them. He went on to say that priests are responsible for representing God to the people and ministering to their needs.

According to Warren, believers now have direct access to God, and they do not need to go through anybody to pray or confess their sins.

The pastor pointed out that the veil that separated God from the people in the Temple was ripped when Jesus died on the cross.

"The Bible says that when Jesus died on the cross, there was a veil in the Temple that separated the Holy of Holies, where God's Spirit was, from where man was. Only priests could go behind that veil once a year. When Jesus died on the cross, God ripped that veil — about 70 feet — from top to bottom, symbolizing that there is no longer a barrier," Warren said.

The pastor explained that anyone who helps other people in the name of God is doing the work of a minister. He said that each person can know the type of ministry they are meant to serve in by looking at their talents and abilities.

In his devotional in September, he stated that people are meant to use their talents and gifts to minister to others.

He offered some advice to Christians who feel discouraged in their ministry. Warren said that Christians should remind themselves of the reward that they will receive in eternity and that they should recognize that even the small things they do in their ministry can be used by God.