Straight for Malaysia to You....Numbers 7

Hey all - a quick thanks and welcome to Chad for being our long-distance guest blogger today. Here are his thoughts:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%207&version=NIV

NUMBERS 7

As I read through the seventh chapter of Numbers, a few things resonated with me about the power and purpose of corporate worship and the parallels meaningful to us living under the new covenant of Jesus Christ.

I am amazed by the ceremony and sacrifice that takes place during the consecration of the tabernacle. Such austere displays today can seem so foreign when we compare it to the way we worship our Lord each Sunday. The recent dedication of our renovated Worship Center is my only experience that comes close to the significance of this biblical occasion, and I cannot help but think that in truth, the comparison is fairly dim.

Our contemporary worship style certainly has its benefits. It’s tailor-made to be accessible to newcomers and to provide each person with a more personal worship experience. However, because its design accommodates the worshipper, I do not think it is sufficient in honoring the Worshipped One in every occasion.

There are times when corporately we need to affirm that “Christ is our Savior” and that “We are His bride.” There are times when we as an assembly of believers need to declare that “This is important. We will set this apart and dedicate it to our Lord.” And in these times we need ceremony and liturgy to help us to express with sincerity the utmost, utmost respect we have for our awesome, awesome God.

It is interesting to me how the gifts and offerings presented by each of the twelve tribes is exactly the same. This demonstrates how each tribe is equally indebted to and dependent upon the Lord. As we live under the new covenant, our situation only differs in the particulars. All of us are equally indebted to and dependent upon Christ, and as such we all are asked to present the exact same offering to Him: our very lives. As the apostle Paul says in Romans 12:1-2:

1I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2) Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

We belong to a wonderful and deserving Lord. Let’s look for ways where we can consecrate our lives so that we can sincerely revere Him – both as individuals and together as the church.

Rock on.
Chad Searcy