By Michael E. Brooks

"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire… In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you had no pleasure" (Heb. 10:5,6).

It is easy for people who live in so-called "Christian" cultures to assume that animal sacrifice is an obsolete custom, long vanished from the earth. Many Americans and Western Europeans have never seen an altar, or animals prepared for burnt offerings.

In other parts of the world, however, such sacrifices are still very much a part of life. Eid, the second most sacred festival of the Islamic calendar, was celebrated this year in early February. It lasts several days, and is commemorated with various rituals, but one of the most important of these is the day of "Corbani" – on which every pious Muslim offers an animal sacrifice. The days before Eid are noted for the huge numbers of bulls and goats offered for sale. On the afternoon of Corbani one sees trucks and rickshaw vans piled high with skins of the slaughtered animals being taken to the tanneries. The sacrifices themselves provide food for the worshipper and for the poor to whom some of the meat is given.

Unfortunately, the absence of animal sacrifice from Western culture is sometimes mistakenly taken to mean that no sacrifices are given or expected in Christianity. Nothing could be further from the truth. Though our New Testament affirms that God is no longer worshipped through offerings given on fires, it is also full of requirements for other forms of sacrifice. These include the "living sacrifice" of our own bodies (Rom. 12:1), the "sacrifice of praise" as we give thanks to God (Heb. 13:15), and the self-sacrifice which precedes our following Jesus (Matt. 16:24).

The fact that these sacrifices are not accompanied by bloodshed, or fire, or smoke, or ash, in no sense lessens their reality or their importance. The fact is that "the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin" or otherwise appease God (Heb. 10:4). Nothing which humans do can remove the guilt or the consequences of our sin. Only God can do that, through the satisfaction of his justice provided by the death of his son, Jesus. Our sacrifices, whatever their nature, earn us nothing. The genuine sacrifices of self-denial and worship do glorify God, however. They also indicate our faith in and commitment to God through Jesus. And there-in lies their value. It is not what we do to impress or obligate God. It is what we do that reveals our genuine response of faith and trust in Jesus, and our submission to his will.

This is why the only real sacrifice that can be offered today is sacrifice of self. We die to self, and to sin. We die with Christ and through Christ. And in so doing we take his ultimate sacrifice for ourselves and receive its benefits. We renounce any claim to goodness of our own and rest all our hope in the goodness God gives us through the sacrifice he made for us. That is all the goodness that will ever be required and far more than we could otherwise attain.

By Michael E. Brooks

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward" (Ps. 127:3).

When my elder daughter, Kim, was in college she accompanied me on a mission trip to Parimaribo, Suriname. After arrival and check-in on the first afternoon she and I, with a few of our group, went out on the streets of the city to stretch our legs and take stock of this new environment. A few blocks from the hotel, as we passed a group of men standing and talking to one another, a hand reached out and took hold of Kim's arm and a young man smiled and asked me, "what will you take for her?" I smiled back and calmly replied, "I believe I will keep her, thank you." Without further incident we continued our walk.

I still don't know how serious the young man may have been. Perhaps he was only joking. But perhaps not. One thing is certain; I never had to make the father–daughter "be careful, don't go anywhere alone" speech on that trip. No, two things are certain. Even if he was serious, no amount of money could have separated Kim from me. Negotiations were never begun because they were irrelevant and immaterial.

I doubt that I have to persuade many readers of how serious I am in saying that, or how true it is. We love our children. Nothing is as important to us. They are not for sale, and their needs come before any other consideration. We say these things, and for the most part we mean them. Yet, do our actions always demonstrate those convictions?

We will buy things for our children, even when we cannot really afford them, and perhaps when the children don't really have to have what we are purchasing. We give in to their demands, spoiling them both in little things and also sometimes in more significant ways. All this is a sign of our love for them, and of their value to us.

But do we always provide for their genuine needs? We give them our money, but do we also give them our time and attention? Are not these far greater needs? We provide for their meals and their education, but do we "bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4)? They wear the latest fashions, but are they spiritually adorned (1 Tim. 2:9)?

Perhaps it is time for us to remember that our children do not belong to us alone, but also to God who gave them. They have great value in his eyes, just as they do in ours. Jesus warned,

"Whoever receives one little child like this receives me. But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matt. 18:5-6).

Our children are a great blessing. But they are also a great responsibility. We must be as careful with their souls as we are their physical safety. And we must be attentive to all their needs, especially those of a spiritual nature.

By Michael E. Brooks

"But you, do not be called 'Rabbi, Rabbi,' for one is your teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in Heaven" (Matt. 23:8,9).

Many Americans who are exposed to other cultures remark on their appreciation for the sense of family which many in those cultures possess. Extended families remain very close and there is often a deeply developed system of mores that demonstrate respect, dependence and obligation. I see this often in Asian and South American cultures. One common symptom of the valuing of extended family is the complicated and extensive set of titles with which various relationships are specified. There may be many words for "aunt" and "uncle" for instance, with "mother's sister", "father's sister", or even "mother's oldest brother" and "mother's youngest brother" all having a distinct title.

Those of us who have succumbed to the modern, fast paced, highly mobile society of "developed nations" rue the loss of such relationships, while acknowledging that we have often done it to ourselves. Wherever the blame may lie, however, there seems to be the feeling that once gone, the close knit extended family will likely never be restored.

It is precisely in this context that the blessing of Christian fellowship may be best appreciated. In many ways the church becomes (or at least should become) our family. God is our Father. Jesus is our oldest brother. We are all brothers and sisters together in Christ. A wonderful concept, but does that really describe the relationship that truly exists in most congregations or among most Christians? Just as extended fleshly families drift apart without time and attention given to them, so our fellowship in Christ is dependent upon effort.

All the things required to build true spiritual fellowship obviously cannot be covered in one short article. One, however, is of special importance and is suggested in our text. That is the sense of equality that exists in genuine Christian fellowship. "You are all brethren." There are no rabbis, or masters or fathers among us. We are all of equal value and equal "rank" when it comes to God's view of us. That does not mean that our roles are the same. Much New Testament teaching shows that there are many different gifts within the body (cf Eph. 4:11-13, Rom. 12:3ff). But our value in God's sight is equal. Jesus died just as much for the poorest and most uneducated Christian as he did for the elder or preacher or wealthy person among us. We are brothers!

Another aspect of our brotherhood is that we are all dependent. We are dependent upon God's grace and Christ's blood to save us. And we are dependent upon the love, compassion and mercy of our brothers and sisters to help us walk worthy of our Savior. It is only by the encouragement and support that other Christians give us that we have the ability to resist temptation and abound in good works (Heb. 10:23,24). It may be that nothing encourages true fellowship as much as the recognition of our mutual dependence. We must learn to look upon other Christians as essential to our well-being, rather than as burdens we must help carry, or perhaps worse, strangers whom we have little desire to know. Even before affection and love we acknowledge need. I need you. You need me. Once that is recognized and we reach out mutually to meet those needs, then the affection and love naturally follow. And we come to know real family, that established by God the Father and Jesus his Son.

By Michael E. Brooks

"Therefore I beseech first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men" (1 Tim. 2:1)

"I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work" (Jn. 9:4).

Last week I called Brenda, my wife, from Bangladesh. We have long since decided to limit calls to only a few per trip, but to make each call satisfyingly long. Our telephone system in Bangladesh limits calls to a maximum of thirty minutes, but it is not uncommon for service to be interrupted and for callers to be cut off unexpectedly. Since we do not usually keep exact time, we are never quite sure just how much time we will have to talk, or when the call will end. If we have not completed necessary business, of course, we can always call again, but if the call has lasted for several minutes we usually do not.

On this most recent call, after a few minutes Brenda mentioned that we might get cut off soon so she had certain "important" things to say, such as how much she missed me, etc. This simple, everyday expedient caused us to relate the same principle to spiritual things and realize how often we fail to practice spiritually what we do automatically in much less important arenas. That is simply to make sure that we do the most important things first, while we know we have the opportunity. The other, expendable matters can wait until later, and if they don’t get done at all there is little or no real loss. On the other hand, if we do them first and fail to "get to" the essentials there is great, irredeemable loss.

The Bible acknowledges certain essential priorities. These include communication with God (1 Tim. 1:1), "justice, mercy, and faith" (Matt. 23:23), love of God and man (Matt. 22:37-39), "working the works of God" (Jn. 9:4) and obedience to the Gospel of Christ (2 Thess. 1:8). These we must do, or fail to enter the eternal Kingdom of God. Life is uncertain. We do not know how long we will be on this earth. Procrastination is tempting, but may cause loss of our souls eternally. We can continue to apply this principle to good works such as helping others, preaching the Gospel and all other types of service to God. These are so much more important than the self-serving material things we tend to spend all our time on, reasoning that eternal things can be taken care of later. There may not be a later. We may be cut off at any time. Let us do and say the important things now, while there is time.

By Michael E. Brooks

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal" (Matt. 6:19,20).

I am just returning from a preaching trip to Ramgar, in Kagrachary district in the Hill Tracts of Eastern Bangladesh. This is a region with separatist groups who have longstanding conflicts with the national government and is considered a dangerous part of the country. Travel has been restricted, especially by foreigners, but I was finally allowed to visit the area.

Among several new experiences on this trip was my first opportunity to be provided with armed security. Upon our arrival in Ramgar we checked in with the local police station and were assigned four armed policemen who were to stay with us and protect us throughout our visit. Needless to say that impressed me with the official assessment of potential danger. It also gave me a rather welcome feeling of having my safety valued, and of being well protected.

Security is one of the great pursuits of mankind. By putting locks on our doors, hiring guards for our person, and acquiring investments and insurance against our future, we seek the feeling of safety. And yet this is one of the most difficult of all goals to attain. No matter how hard we try we cannot guarantee that we will not be robbed, or attacked, or become ill, or have any of hundreds of bad things occur in our lives. In fact, we can guarantee that bad things will happen, eventually.

Yet in spite of this gloomy situation, there is hope. For the lack of true security is only a physical problem. While we cannot be sure of good health, long life and prosperity for our bodies, we can absolutely guarantee eternal prosperity for our souls. Jesus' description of heaven as a place secure against thieves and corruption assures us that God is able to protect us against any threat and secure us in any situation. This is true not only after death and judgment, but in our spiritual welfare while we live on this earth as well. Consider these wonderful promises given through Paul.

"If God is for us, who can be against us?... Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?... No in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:31,33,37-39).

Security is possible, but only by seeking it through obedient faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus taught, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me" (Jn. 14:6). And Peter proclaimed, "…there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Whereas there is absolutely nothing we can do which will ensure longer life, continued prosperity, or physical safety, God can keep us safe from all things. And, though he has made us mortals in terms of our physical bodies, he has made our souls immortal, able to live forever with him. That is true security and is sufficient for all our needs.