1 Peter 2:9
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

In this verse, Peter is not just talking to priests, preachers, bishops, Sunday school teachers, deacons, or anybody else who’s got a leadership role in the modern church. Peter is addressing anyone and everyone who has ever accepted Christ as their Savior.

You might argue, “But I’m only a new convert,” or “But I don’t lead in the church, so I’m not really an important person.” No one is left out of this call; every person is important to God, whether they’ve been in the church all their lives or whether they just got saved.

It doesn’t matter what gifts you have or don’t have, or what kind of personality you have, either–God still wants you for his “royal priesthood,” for this “holy nation.” Just as the ancient nation of Israel represented God’s chosen people in the Old Testament, now the modern Christian church represents God’s people in today’s time. If you’ve ever accepted Christ and meant it in your heart, you’re part of that group of people.

But what does this grand call mean? It means that every saved person is a leader of the faith already. Whether we realize it or not, our every action, word, and thought is a witness to other people. Being a Christian is not a one-time commitment, but a lifelong commitment; we cannot let ourselves accidentally drive others away from God rather than bring them to Him.

Every Christian has a testimony, a personal experience of God. We are called to share this testimony, to talk about how much Jesus has made a positive difference in our lives. I experienced that “being called out of darkness into light” for myself, and I know how powerfully changing that was. Peter calls all Christians to share these stories and praise God for bringing us each out of our own darkness.

1 Peter 3:15-17
13 but set apart the Messiah as Lord in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. 16 However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are accused, those who denounce your Christian life will be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

Peter wrote his first letter to encourage others who were being persecuted for being Christians, telling them that it is right and good to speak openly about Christ to anyone who asks. Note, however, that he says to do this “with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear.” Witnessing, according to Peter, should be a thing done with subtlety and finesse rather than bluntness and brutality, so that others cannot point to you and say, “Well, if that’s a Christian, I don’t know that I want to be one.” And along with a gentle, respectful style of witness, you also must have a strong commitment to God in your heart already, as Peter says in verse 13. If you do not have this commitment and faith, it will be much harder to endure the “suffering for good” and “accusations” that Peter speaks of, the possibility of which still exists today.

Nowadays, it is not so much the Pharisees or polytheistic Romans who would attack our beliefs, but the message is still relevant–you must not be afraid to share your story about God when the moment arises, even if you’re afraid someone else will take offense. This can be difficult in this era of multitudes of religions; you’re never sure how the other person is going to take it. You might sit there fearing that your words won’t be enough to adequately describe your experience, or that the other person will brush you off as another silly Bible-thumper ready to judge them for their sins. But sometimes the preparation isn’t a conscious process of devouring Bible verses for hours, but a result of speaking honestly about your personal salvation story. Sometimes, all a lost person needs to hear is how your life has been touched by Jesus and His loving sacrifice.