“And anything with its testicles bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut, you shall not offer to Jehovah; you shall not do this in your land” (Lev. 22:24). This signifies that we should not offer to God as food the Christ whom we have experienced with the spiritual function damaged in any way. We need to enjoy Christ as One whose reproductive organ has not been damaged. This means that the Christ whom we experience should have a reproducing organ that is perfect and whole that we may be able to produce more and more of Christ. According to John 15, this is to bear fruit.
“Neither shall you offer as the food of your God any of these things obtained from the hand of a foreigner; for they are ruined, a blemish is in them; they shall not be accepted for you” (v. 25). This signifies that our offering of the Christ whom we experience that is offered to God as food by the way of the unbelievers will not be accepted by God. Concerning offering Christ to God, nothing should be done in a foreign way. We should not enjoy Christ and offer Christ to God in a way that is according to the unbelievers. If we do this, our offering will not be accepted by God.
“When a bull, or a sheep, or a goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall be accepted for an offering by fire to Jehovah” (v. 27). This signifies that our experience of Christ must grow to the level of resurrection before it will be accepted as an offering to God for His food.
If our experience of Christ is not up to the level of resurrection, something natural remains with us. Such an experience is somewhat childish. Therefore, we need to grow in the experience of Christ.
I like to hear the young ones testifying of their experience of Christ. However, because their experience of Christ is not yet at the eighth day, they need to grow in experiencing Christ. Even if our experience of Christ is on the seventh day, we still are not up to the level. Our experience of Christ needs to come to the eighth day; that is, it needs to be on the level of resurrection.
If our experience of Christ is to reach the level of resurrection, we must learn how to reject our natural life and to abandon everything in our being that is natural. For example, the new believers have begun to love the Lord, but their love for Him is natural. We should love the Lord, but we should not love Him with our natural love. We should love the Lord by having our natural life crucified. On the one hand, we should love the Lord; on the other hand, we should deny our natural life to the uttermost. This will help us to grow up to the level of resurrection in loving the Lord. When we love the Lord in this way, no part of our love for Him remains natural. We all need to deny our natural love, natural ability, and natural strength in doing anything for the Lord. Then we shall live a life that is for Christ up to the standard of His resurrection.
“Whether it is an ox or a sheep, you shall not slaughter both it and its young on the same day” (v. 28). This signifies that what we offer of Christ to God as God’s food must match our measure in the divine life. Our offering of Christ to God must match the measure of the divine life we have experienced.
If we have the growth in the divine life, we shall be able to offer something of Christ to God as His food. However, if we are too immature in the divine life, we shall not be able to offer anything to God that would be acceptable to Him as food.
“And when you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to Jehovah, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. It shall be eaten on that day; you shall not leave any of it until morning: I am Jehovah” (vv. 29-30). This signifies that our offering of Christ as a thanksgiving to God must be fresh and new, with nothing left to become stale. If our offering is stale, it is still an offering, but it is not acceptable to God. Everything we offer to God should be fresh and new. Our experience of Christ needs to be adjusted, balanced, fresh, and new.
We need to have fresh and new experiences of Christ. This will create thanksgiving within us. Then what we offer to God of the Christ whom we have experienced will not be stale but will be fresh and new.
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