The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
May 9, 2004
In
This Issue:
I
Have Today
by
Allen Dvorak
Who
Offers Your Sacrifice?
by
Steve Klein
I Have Today
The concept of time travel used to be a theme peculiar to science fiction movies and stories. The theory was that if man could achieve a certain speed, he would begin to travel in time rather than in distance. Christopher Lloyd, the frenetic professor in the "Back to the Future" series of movies, popularized the phrase "time-space continuum." Time travel is certainly an interesting concept. According to Mr. Lloyd, if one "disrupts the time-space continuum" (whatever that means!) in the past, he changes the reality of the present and the future.
The prospect of traveling into the past to change it is certainly alluring (I would fix it so that I avoided that 5th grade paddling by Mrs. Benton), but the truth is that no one can change the past. We can fret about the past, "live" in the past (meaning that we ignore the reality of the present), etc., but we cannot change it.
The fact that we cannot change the past does not mean that the past has no consequences. The things that I have done in the past create obligations for me in the present and perhaps even into the future. Commitments I have made in the past (my conversion to Jesus Christ, marriage vows to my spouse, etc.) must be honored now. I cannot change the fact that I have sinned in the past, but I can determine my present attitude toward those sins. Repentance is literally a change of mind about one's conduct. I can decide in the present that I will not do in the future what I did in the past. It may be that sinful actions in the past require restitution (one of the "fruits" of repentance; see Matthew 3:8) or confession of sin to those against whom I have sinned. Sin has no statute of limitations, meaning that regardless of how much time passes, my sins are not automatically erased. I must accept the responsibility of my past actions.
It is possible, however, to "spend too much time" in the past. The tendency is to rest on my laurels (achievements) in the past and forget that today presents new challenges and opportunities. The apostle Paul would not have us to completely ignore the past, but he encourages us to avoid dwelling there (Philippians 3:13-14). If I can live today acceptably, the past will take care of itself; after all, today is tomorrow's past!
byAllen Dvorak
The Book of Leviticus contains many chapters of instruction concerning the sacrifices that the Israelites were to offer under the Mosaic covenant. A typical set of directions may be found in passages like Leviticus 1:3-9 or 3:1-5. When we study such passages, we often note the purpose of the offering, the kind of animal that was to be offered, and the physical condition of the animal ("without spot," etc.). If we read carelessly, we might assume that when a sacrifice was to be made, an Israelite would simply pick out an animal and bring it to the priests who would then slay the animal and offer it. In fact, that is not what typically happened. Read the following set of instructions from Leviticus 1:3-9, and note carefully who is instructed to do what:
If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the LORD. 4Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him. 5He shall kill the bull before the LORD; and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 6And he shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces. 7The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar, and lay the wood in order on the fire. 8Then the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar; 9but he shall wash its entrails and its legs with water. And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.
Did you notice that the individual who brought the animal to sacrifice was responsible for putting his hand on it, killing it, skinning it, cutting it into pieces and washing its entrails and legs with water?
The Old Testament was written for our learning (Romans 15:4). In this instance, we can learn a lot about offering acceptable sacrifices to God. While it is true that we no longer sacrifice animals, we are still to offer spiritual sacrifices to our Father in heaven. Collectively we are "a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5).
I'm afraid that too many today believe that a sacrifice is something that you get someone else to do on your behalf. The Scriptures make it clear that every Christian is responsible for offering his own sacrifices. These sacrifices include things like praising God and sharing with the needy. As Hebrews 13:15-16 commands, "&ldots;let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 16But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." Every individual is to give his own body as a living sacrifice to God. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1). Others cannot do these things for you. Who offers your sacrifices?
By Steve Klein