“If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you are to offer a male without defect. You must present it at the entrance to the tent of meeting… You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you. You are to slaughter the young bull…You are to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces….Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces…You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord” (Lev 1:3-9)

In the Old Testament we find the holy protocol and the priestly procedure of bringing an offering to God. There are many types of offerings but the most important of all is the burnt offering. It has to be voluntary, that is why the passage starts with the word ‘if’. God does not insist on it but ‘if’ you want to ‘impress’ Him then you shall offer it. A Jew is to bring an animal from his flock, slaughter it in the presence of God and place it on the altar to be burnt to ashes. The smell of it shall be pleasing to the Lord.

You may think that is easy….Is it not to burn all of it to ashes? But God insists that as ‘a praise team’, the worshipper and the priests should follow a strict procedure. If not, with all good intentions, God will not accept the offering. It will burn for nothing. It will be counted as a wasted opportunity.

In the New Testament we offer sacrifices of praise and spiritual service to God. We can learn many things from the above scriptures. Read again and mediate upon them. The worshipper has to bring the blameless animal, present it to the Lord, lay his hand on its head and slaughter it himself. This is done at a specific place: the entrance of the Tabernacle. This sacrifice will make atonement for the worshipper. He shall skin the animal and wash the organs inside with water. Then the priests take over. They arrange the pieces on the burning wood, in a particular order where they will burn to ashes. This offering is totally given to God. No man shall taste from it.

The word ‘entrance’ in Hebrew means the place of a new beginning and freedom. The word ‘atonement’ means to cover something as with bitumen, to completely cancel the trouble of the past, to restore the friendship between God and man. It is a proof of forgiveness, mercy and peace. The word ‘arrange’ is a military term and it means to properly estimate the value of each piece and arrange them like soldiers in a battle. The verb ‘to skin’ means to invade the territory of the enemy and to plunder him, leaving him naked and disgraced.  The word ‘wash’ means to purify, to pour water like a river that becomes an overflow of cleansing.

How do we apply these revelations? Praising God is a privilege. It has to be personal, intimate and coming from a willing, grateful heart. You cannot pay another to praise your God. You have to pay the price yourself. By grace, the worship leader receives a holy boldness that inspires others. They who listen and flow with the anointing shall be set free from burdens and sins. Praise makes available among men the hope of glory, the reality of the passion of a deeper relationship with God. Praise is called ‘fearful’ (Ex 15:11) because it is one of the greatest weapons in spiritual warfare. Praising God is never entertainment. It totally defeats and destroys the opposition. When you praise God you are to expect a commotion, devils running away and people slain under the anointing. Worship must flow from inside out as an overflow of pure anointing that will cleanse, deliver and heal the people of God. Then God will receive the aroma of your worship, His heart shall rest and be at peace with you, He will be comforted and be delighted in you. All complains die in the fire. A believer should never complain. The burnt offering of total surrender and intimate worship is what God is looking for among men. Many sing well but very few worship well…

Are you among those who are willing to offer body, soul and spirit as a living sacrifice unto God? Do you want to be a vessel unto honor, for the pleasure of your Master? Do you want to be used by God as a servant and worshiper, for captives to be set free from the sound of praise on your lips? I hear you saying ‘yes’….This is good… But this anointing I am talking about it is more than a wish or a prayer. It is the reality of the Cross manifested on earth among men. It is the power of resurrection breaking the cage of self. It is the power to fulfill destiny, to please God Almighty, the testimony of a soul set free to love God forever.

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess His name” (Heb 13:15)

The altar is waiting…The fire is burning…Jesus Christ our High Priest stands by…The Holy Spirit is calling…Will you come…Come…

In Christ I declare:

Jesus Christ is my Savior and my Lord!

O Lamb of God I come…I come…

In Jesus name

Amen!