OFFERINGS IN WORSHIP

There is a beautiful story in the Holy Bible about the visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon. The Queen heard of the wisdom of King Solomon, the house that he built, the sumptuous feast that he serves daily to his guests, visitors, and officers of his court and the house of the LORD he built. She was deeply astounded by the vast wealth of King Solomon, his wisdom and understanding, and the greatly ostentatious ministers in his court. The Holy Bible records “there was no more spirit in her” (11 Chronicles Chronicles 9:4c. Read 11Chronicles 9:1-9). Verse 9 reads “And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave king Solomon. The king was greatly pleased by the appreciation of the queen and her honest and open wonderment of his wisdom and understanding and power as well as of the gifts she gave him. He responded with much appreciation with the bestowal of “And the king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she brought unto the king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants” (11 Chro 9:12).

This beautiful story portrays and illustrates why we bring offerings to God in our worship. There is no command to do so. The story tells that the giving of offerings to God in our worship is “built in” in us when God created us in “His own image and likeness” and when He breathed the breath of life in his nostrils and man becomes a living soul.” God always gives of Himself to man because He enjoys fellowship with man. God gives in “good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over” (Luke 6:38). Pre-Mosaic people have been giving gifts to God when they worship God. They do this under deep conviction that God is pleased, that the gifts are not to extract rewards and favor of God, or to force God to recompense. They practice is to affirm God’s ownership of all His creation over which he gives man the authority and power to govern (Ps 8 and Ps 24, Gen 1:28).

So Abel brought his offerings to worship God. Abraham, returning victorious in war against the kings led by Chedarlaomer, brought tithes of all his booties to the high priest of the Most High God, Melchizedic. Let us honor God in our worship with our offerings of our lives, talents, possessions and time. Let us do it as our
“living sacrifice, holy, pleasing, and acceptable unto God” (Romans 12:1) Let us do it with all of our hearts, with all of our strength, with all of our minds … and love our neighbors as ourselves” (Luke 10:27)

Let us be together and united in building the kingdom God in the hearts of men. Let us bring and give our gifts not because we have to but because we ought to
in affirmation that God has blessed us according to his “riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19). Let us bring our gifts until our Pastors tell us to stop bringing gifts because we already have more than enough.

WHAT MAKES WORSHIP AN ACCEPTABLE AND PLEASING SACRIFICE

Proverbs 23:26 “O my son, give me your heart. May your eyes delight in my ways of wisdom” NLT
Ezekiel 36:26-27 “And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you, obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command.” (NLT)

I wrote in my previous blog that giving and expecting a reward is sinful. It feeds on the selfishness, greed, and sinful desires of the heart which are the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life (1 john 2:16).

What is the underlying principle in biblical giving?. There is a lovely saying which says “You give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” The other principle in biblical giving is obedience. We read in Exodus 25:1-2 “And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they may bring me an offering: of every man that giveth with his heart ye shall take my offering. This the first time we read that God commanded Moses to take an offering for the making of the tabernacle. But it took Moses sometime in the Holy Mountain communing with God. The people became restless with nothing to do. What shall they with the offerings of gold, silver, and bronze? They forced Aaron to make a god for them from the offerings they brought. The celebrating people were horrified when Moses angrily threw the tablets of stone and broke it. The terror of God’s people killed thousands of them. It is wrong and sinful to use God’s offerings for an ungodly works. Life must go on to a new beginning. New tablets of the Ten Commandments were given to Moses for the people to obey and observe. They were again asked to make an offering. We read in EXODUS CHAPTER 35:4—5;21-22; 29 “And Moses spoke unto all the congregation of the children of Israel saying, ‘This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying; Take ye from among you an offering to the LORD; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it to the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass … and the children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD.”

What we learn is God asked for an offering and the people responded willingly and obediently
if they do not listen and obey. Moses was a great leader yet he never demands or threatens. Even as he speaks for the LORD he says “Whosoever is of a willing heart” and the people responds with reverence, love, and obedience. “and they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning” (Exo. 36:3b).The overwhelming response of the people made Bezaleel come to Moses with the report “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make. and Moses gave commandment … Let neither man nor woman make any more work offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing.” (Exo 36:5-6.) Thus the work on the Tabernacle prospered as they build together.”

People built temples to express their highest desire to worship God. The builders have learned the virtue of building together. The leadership conceive the plans, show the plans to the people, the people responds and give their willing involvement and support, godly and qualified (gifted) artisans working together build to glorify God. God is pleased with their work and dwells among them.

WHY WE GIVE AN OFFERING TO GOD

Genesis 1:31 “Then God looked over all that he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in every way” (New Living Translation).

From Day 1 to Day 5 we read after each creation day :And God saw that it was good.” The sixth day of creation after created man in his own image and likeness “God looked over all that he had made and saw that it was excellent in every way.” In Genesis Chapter 2 verse 7 God breathe into his nostril the “breath of life and man became a living person.” This alone is what distinguishes man from all other created things. Of the all the livings things in the Garden of Eden man alone has the ability to commune with God. In a very clear graphic story God and man had a wonderful fellowship and enjoyed each other’s company. Psalm 8 verse 6 describes this wonderful and lovely relationship “You put us in charge of everything you made, giving us authority over all things -.” Psalm 24 verse 1 declares “The earth is the LORD’s and everything it. The earth and all the people belong to him.” Psalm 50 verses 10-11 the psalmist acknowledges the ownership of God “For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.” So what does men have which God do not have?
“Together we build” is the theme of the financial campaign to build a new and bigger Filipino Christian Church. Members are encouraged to give as much as they can to support the campaign. A book that encourages members to give has become the manual to guide and educate members to give more and God will reward them more than what they will give.
No amount is too much for the LORD God to give. It is His pleasure to pour out Hiss blessings in great abundance. Jesus said “Ask, and it shall be given you” (Matthew 7:7). “…Ask using my name, and you will receive and you will have abundant joy” (John 16:24NLT). “If you give you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more and running over. whatever measure you give – -large or small—it will be used to measure what is given back to you” (Luke 6:38 NLT) The giving is unsolicited, voluntary, from the heart, and without conditions. This is true biblical giving.
Giving on condition of a reward is sinful. It comes from a heart full of selfishness, greed, and sinful desires. It is the outcome of sin when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. The Devil lied and seduced Eve to disobey God. “You won’t die!” the serpent hissed. “God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing both good and evil.” The woman was convinced. The fruit was so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit. She also gave some to her husband who was with her. Then he ate it, too.” (Genesis 3:4-6ff NLT) From that fateful day to the present the fruit of the sin of disobedience has increased and multiplied. Men in his sinful nature always grasp anything he desires. He always wants to have more. He only gives when he can receive back more than what he has given. This is sin in operation. Well meaning Christian leaders particularly those in the prosperity gospel always emphasize rewards to people who give liberally to their funds campaign. The gullible givers and their money are soon parted. What makes the offering in worship and acceptable and pleasing sacrifice

The Blood ofJesus

Is the cross the gateway to the holy of holiest? when the curtain which separates the holy place from the holy of holiest was destroyed when Jesus Christ died at the cross did God elevate the cross to take the place of the curtain which was destroyed from top to bottom? I believe that Jesus Himself, as the high priest of the New Covenant carried his own blood in his hands as his offering to God for the forgiveness of our sins "once and for all." The efficacy of the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus is non-transferable and non-repeatable or duplicable by human and ecclesiastical authority

There is no evidence in the holy Scriptures that the cross is now the entrance of man to the Presence of Almighty God. Jesus himself said "I am door" or "I am the Way."Jesus blood was shed at the cross "once and for all." Is it not blasphemy to teach that man even if redeemed and cleansed by the shed blood of Jesus at the cross
can turn around and "apply the blood of Jesus" for the forgiveness of the sins of others and for any other needs and conditions affecting man". While it is true that the "people of God is a "royal priesthood" but only Jesus Christ remains our chief High Priest forever. He is eternal. He alone can stand in the presence of God.

POWER OF THE BLOOD

“The life of the body is in the blood.” You drain the blood from the body, either of men or of animals, and the body dies. This is an incontrovertible truth. Blood is an important ingredient of life in the flesh. What is the debate on the “power of the blood”? The debate is centered on the teachings of religionists, particularly on the doctrine of salvation, forgiveness of sins, regeneration, reconciliation, cleansing, healing. The protagonists calls those who disagree with their thinking as heretics and accursed. They find a rich source of authority in the animal sacrifices in which the blood is taken and used to atone for any imaginable sins, misconduct, signs of forgiveness, deliverance, seals of contract/covenants, and promises to authenticate an act or promise. What seems ridiculous to me is when the proponents of the “power of the blood” mix the power of the blood OF sacrificed animals and the blood of Jesus Christ” in their arguments on the power of the blood.

The proponent of the “power of the blood” seems to forget the property of the body from which the blood is shed or drawn. Blood by itself has no other power than to give and sustain life. When blood is shed from the body, the body dies. Period. I hope the religionists will see and understand this truth.

Theologically, the value of the blood is in reference to atonement of sins as when God clothed Adam and Eve with animal skins to hide their nakedness. The blood of the animals, perhaps of sheeps, had to be spelt to atone for the sIns of Adam and Eve as well as to cover their nakedness. Perhaps the sheep is chosen because it is meek. The Mosaic requirements were that the animals to be sacrificed were without defect and were healthy. The blood is sprinkled upon the altar and the congregation and the persons making the sacrifice. The priests apply upon the offerants and certain articles of furnitures in the tabernacle the blood of the sacrificed animals. The blood of sacrifice covers, cleanses, heals, seals the cause for which it is offered. The one thing often forgotten by the discussants of the “power of the blood” is the body from the blood is drawn. Can the blood taken from any animal be acceptable for use? NO! That is blasphemy and punishable by death. Therefore, the power is not in the blood per see but is in the property and appropriateness of the sacrifice. The blood is as a stamp to authenticate a legal document.

All these Old Testament blood sacrifices foreshadow the life and sacrifice that Jesus Christ shall make in the fullness of time. We read in Hebrews 9:11ff “So Christ has become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that great, perfect sanctuary in heaven, not made by human hands and not part of this created world. Once for all time he took blood into the Most Holy Place but not the blood of goats and calves. He took his own blood, and with it he secured our salvation forever.”

“Under the old system, the blood of goats, and bulls, and the ashes of a new young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ritual defilement. Just think how much more the blood if Christ will purify our hearts from deeds that lead to death so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins That is why he is the one who mediates the new covenant between the God and people, so that all who are invited can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of sins they have committed under the that first covenant.”

Throughout the Holy Bible blood is always drawn from a ritually pure body offered in sacrifice. Never has it been used carelessly, thoughtlessly to support a doctrine. All those squabbling and irresponsible discussion on the “power of the blood” are not scriptural and building of “strange fires” on the altar of truth.

THE THREE CROSSES

There were three crosses on Calvary. Jesus’, Demas’, and Hestas’. The crossed on which Demas and Hestas hanged were judgments of justice on the crimes they had committed against society. The cross of Jesus was a gross injustice committed against the man on whom no sin was found. The cross on which Jesus hanged was penalty to redeem mankind from the curse of the law and death. It was a vicarious sacrifice paid by an innocent man for the sins of man against God. The three crosses were the same. They were instruments of torture - the most degrading violence done against any man. It is the symbol of gross cruelty, of inhumanity against man. The cross, however, is a deterrent to crimes of rebellion against the State So the crosses of Demas and Hestas were fit punishment for the crimes. But the crucifixion of Jesus was a symbol of man’s inhumanity against his fellowman. On the one hand its vicarious intent as a sacrifice was for the salvation of man from his sins. It has a purely spiritual dimension. On the other hand it was for the cleansing of souls of those who will believe that Jesus was the Son of God whose vicarious death wipes out all divine condemnations of sins. Thus the cross of Jesus becomes a shining symbol of God’s unfathomable love and forgiveness.

Yet the cross of Jesus possesses no supernatural power by itself. It is wrong to personify the cross and ascribed to it power and royalty and worship. Many have substituted the cross for Jesus. They draped a purple cloth around the cross to make it royal. It is more of a poetic license to personify the cross and equate it to Jesus Christ. The emblem of the cross though used in churches to identify it as Christian is never scriptural. The cross cannot save. It has no other virtue than to torture. Constantine vision of the cross was not scriptural. It was his vision. You do not have to experience the agony of Christ suffering at the cross to be save. You just believe in the LORD Jesus and you are save. The cross is not the entrance to the Holy of Holiest where God dwells. Jesus is the only Way to the Father. To ascribe power to the cross if to deny Jesus Christ and compassion of the invisible God. It is promoting strange fires which incurs the wrath of God. It is another Gospel and incurs a curse.

ETCETRA

The Cross. There were three crosses on Calvary. The two crosses bore the bodies of two criminals. One bore the body of the Son of God – Jesus Chris. The two criminals were crucified for their crimes. The one in the mijddle of one who “bore the iniquities of us.” There was no sin in him but the perverted justice of the sinful world represented by the political and religious authorities condemned him to die by crucifixion. If the “cross has the power to redeem”, of what crime was Jesus redeemed of? If the” cross led us to who Jesus Christ is”? If the cross can indeed lead us to “who Jesus Christ is”, What message is it telling the world who Jesus Christ was? Why was he crucified. Why is the cross draped in purple, Is that not saying that the cross was deified and honored for killing Jesus?

The cross is nothing more than an instrument of torture: whether it be the cross on which Jesus Christ was killed or be it the cross on which Demas and Hestas was condemned to death for their crimes. It is Satanic victory to personify and deify and ascribe to it royalty and power of God. To me the power is not on the cross but on the one crucified, died, buried, and rose again from the dead overcoming death and making a mockery of the grave. As Paul exultantly cried “O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory?”