© 2011 Jasper Life Publications 1st Edition August 2011
Consecration Translated from Portuguese with permission of Editora Árvore da Vida
Jasper Life Publications Inc. 725 Viscount Road London, Ontario, Canada N6J 4G9 Phone: (519) 472-6620 www.jasperlife.com info@jasperlife.com ISBN 978-1-926970-08-0
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version® is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.
CONTENTS Preface.............................................................. 7 1 A Living and Unceasing Sacrifice................. 9 2 The Foundation and Motivation of Consecration ............................................ 17 3 Consecrated to Serve God as Priests.......... 25 4 Having a Constant and Progressive Experience of Consecration......................... 35 5 Consecration and the Nazirite Vow............ 45 6 The Peak of Consecration............................ 55 7 A Spontaneous Result from Genuine Consecration.................................. 63 5
PREFACE We thank God for allowing us to offer you another publication that will change your lives, for it deals with a matter of extreme importance in the Christian life: your consecration to the Lord. In this book, Dong Yu Lan shows that when you are consecrated to the Lord, you experience significant changes in your living: a change in position, function and form. When we realize that God desires to make us more useful in His work, our reaction is to work for Him with all our strength and ability, with much more diligence than when we were in the world. However, among other things, the precious content of this book reveals that we must have a different attitude. How then should we respond? You will find out in the very first chapter of this book. The author’s approach to the subject is so sweet and practical that you will not read only the first chapter. You will undoubtedly gain much light from the word 7
and will seek to be a person consecrated to the Lord in every area of your life. Enjoy! S達o Paulo, October 2009 The editors.
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Chapter One
A LIVING AND UNCEASING SACRIFICE
“Lord, even the things I consider important, such as my capability and skill, I give to you that they may be burned.�
Romans 12:1 says, “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.� Many people consider this verse as a special yearly consecration when there is a revival and people dedicate themselves to the Lord. However, this passage does not refer to a yearly consecration, for the compassions of God mentioned in the beginning of the verse are daily. The way to practice Romans chapter 12 is by presenting ourselves as an unceasing sacrifice to God, according to the burnt offering mentioned in Leviticus chapter one. We must always present ourselves to the Lord. Therefore, we will know the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God. Consecration must be our first life experience after being regenerated, that is, after being born again. Once a person is regenerated, he must consecrate himself to the Lord. In a 11
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normal situation these two experiences, regeneration and consecration, are closely related. A Change in Position and Function Then what is consecration? What does it mean? Consecration means sacrifice. The book of Leviticus begins by mentioning five basic offerings, the first of which is the burnt offering. The burnt offering is only for God’s enjoyment. The Scriptures show us that when something is separated from its original position and function and placed on God’s altar specifically for Him, such things become a sacrifice. When an offering was separated for God and placed on the altar, the first thing that happened was a change of position. For example, an ox first lived in the field and was used for plowing and pulling carts. When it was chosen as an offering to God, it was separated and taken to the altar, thus changing its position. After that, the animal was killed, skinned, cut into pieces, and placed on the altar to be consumed by fire. The smoke of the sacrifice went up as a sweet-smelling savor to God, which resulted in its change of function. When an offering was made – whether being ox or sheep, wheat flour or oil – it came out of the hands of the offerer never to return to him for his own benefit and delight. All the offerings on the altar belonged to God and were for His use and delight. Today, when we present ourselves to God as a 12
A Living and Unceasing Sacrifice
living sacrifice, there are also two aspects, a change of position and a change of function. That is the true meaning of consecration. Before considering ourselves consecrated to God, we must ask ourselves whether or not we changed our position and function. Once we are consecrated, we are no longer in the field, for we are separated and transferred to the altar. Although we may continue to engage in normal human activities, such as study, work or housework, our position is different now for we are not in the world but on the altar before God. Likewise, our function has also changed. We worked in the world and for the world with all our capability and skills, but once we are on the altar, we must give ourselves for God’s use. When we realize this, our response is to work for God with all our strength and ability, with much more diligence than when we were plowing fields or pulling carts in the world. However, we must realize that we need to allow God to work in us first in order for us to work for Him. Only those who let the Lord work in them can work for Him. We can only work for God as much as we allow Him to work in us. If we do not let Him work in us first, our labor will not please Him nor will it be accepted by Him, no matter how diligent or perseverant we are. Therefore, when we consecrate ourselves to God to be useful to Him, the emphasis should still be placed on allowing the Lord to work in us. The animals which were offered as burnt offerings 13
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had to be sacrificed, skinned, cut into pieces, and arranged on the firewood while the entrails and legs were washed. Everything was burned on the altar. These animals that were first used for plowing fields or pulling carts were placed on the altar in order to be consumed by fire, which came from God Himself and for His own satisfaction. When Nadab and Abihu offered profane fire before God, they were consumed by Him (Lev. 10). There is an important spiritual principle in this story: those who do not allow God to work in their lives and yet intend to serve Him end up offering Him “profane fire”. This is why, on the one hand, we look forward for all God’s children to love Him and consecrate themselves to Him. But, on the other hand, we fear that once they deliver themselves to God because of their love toward Him, they begin to work for Him and serve Him in themselves. If a group of saints are consecrated to the Lord, constrained by His love, and willing to serve Him together, yet do not allow Him to work in them first, they will always dispute with each other. Each one will want to serve the Lord in his own way, so there will be immediate division among them. Being sacrificed, skinned, cut into pieces, and even consumed by fire are parts of our consecration. We must seek first such experiences, allowing the Lord to work in us and consume all our natural capability until we tell Him, “Lord, even the things I consider important, such as my capability and skill, I give to you that they 14
A Living and Unceasing Sacrifice
may be burned.� Only when we give ourselves to God unreservedly to be worked on and consumed, can we become useful to Him in resurrection. The result of consecrating ourselves is delivering an adequate and pleasing service to God. A Change in Form Consecration also leads to another change, a change in form. In the past we were like oxen in the field, well-formed and undamaged. Some of us may even be like beautiful animals—winners of contests or competitions, imposing, respected, and appreciated by all. However, once we are consecrated, we are consumed by fire and we lose our original form and stature. All our most excellent parts are transformed into ashes from which emanate a sweet smelling savor that ascends to God. Everything is finished for us, even our future in the secular world and our future in the Christian world. As the secular world is full of attractions that offer an excellent future, the Christian world also offers good expectations. Some people expect to be famous preachers or international evangelists. If we are enlightened, we will discover that there are many hidden impurities even in our desire to bear more fruit in our spiritual labor. For example, we may seek to save more people through preaching the gospel and to lead more saints to love the Lord, yet secretly hope to build up something for ourselves 15
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with them. When we see other people prospering, we envy them. When we see other people’s achievements or success, we are bothered. This proves that we still have expectations for our own future. The future of people who are consecrated does not belong to them and their hope is in God, for they became only a handful of ashes. People like this can be used by God and their service can be accepted by Him, for they are in the realm of resurrection and not in the natural realm. We thank God for giving us so much light at the very beginning of the book of Leviticus. If we desire to be those who serve Him in a holy and acceptable way, we must begin by consecrating ourselves. Hallelujah!
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