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.