Who doesn't love Leviticus?
It's late and I don't really know what to type about. It's just a lot of offerings.
I do think that this is something that we can learn. The end of Exodus is probably the highlight of the spirituality of "that generation." And here in Leviticus we see even more giving to God.
I heard a pastor give a sermon last week on how churches are known for a lot of things, but giving is never one of them. Churches are known for evangelism, they are known for community service, they are known for worship, etc. BUT, can you name one church that is known for giving?
Leviticus 1-7 is all about offering. I think sometimes as Christians, we tend to think that our money/time/abilities are ours. We feel no desire to give God anything.
I think this mentality comes from the mall mentality of America. If we don't like the prices at one store, there are 30 other exact same stores in the mall. So churches try to appease their parishioners and never demand anything from them.
So, the church-goers never feel God's call to give. Sure every once in a while pastors talk about tithing. And every fall there is a "please volunteer" push. But shouldn't giving and serving be pillars of our churches?
This isn't me complaining about my church or any specific church. But in my experience and I would guess most people's experiences, the healthier churches are the ones where giving and service are actively pursued by the worshippers.
What are your thoughts?
And anyone is more than welcome to comment on anything they want whenever they want.
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i'm impressed Brent, that you made a practical application out of the first several chapters of Leviticus... i thought it was too gory to get anything spiritual out of it but the idea of willing giving vs a 'mall mentality' is a great analogy, and rather convicting too!... this is why you're a pastor and i'm not :)
ReplyDeletewhat am i supposed to be reading today? like 12 chapters of leviticus?, plus i have 60 pages of theology to read and 2 papers b4 8:30am tomorrow... and it's already past 10:30 at night :-P so we'll see how far i get... but whatever i don't do i should be able to catch up tomorrow (great thing about auditing classes is you don't have to do homework on time... there is no grade ;))
So... I fell off the wagon after one day. Reading the Bible (more than my quiet time) while trying to mother two little kids is like trying to bail water out of a sinking boat while trying to keep those same two kids seated in the boat. Maybe I'll try again soon...
ReplyDeleteAnyways, on to the topic of the day... church should be about serving and giving... unfortunately, our society has made it "all about me" instead... we only grow as Christians when we are using what God has given us (our gifts, time, money, etc)... a person will never be content with their "church going experience" if they never leave the pew!