The importance of consecration

General Superintendent Mark Pugh believes the Lord is calling us to get on our knees and reframe our lives

One of the first things I felt led to do following my appointment as General Superintendent is to call all our Elim churches to a season of consecration.

Consecration involves dedicating our lives and all we steward to the glory of God. Rooted in biblical tradition and exemplified throughout Christian history, it shapes our relationship with God and our role in the world. When we understand its significance, it illuminates key aspects of our spirituality and offers practical guidance for living out our faith in the modern world.

The concept of consecration appears prominently in the Old Testament. In Exodus 13:2, God commands, “Consecrate to me every firstborn male,” setting apart the firstborn as holy to the Lord. This act of dedication symbolised God’s claim on his people and their commitment to him. Similarly, the consecration of priests, as detailed in Exodus 29, involved elaborate rituals of purification and anointing, preparing them for sacred service.

Perhaps the most vivid Old Testament example of consecration is the dedication of the Tabernacle and later the Temple. In Exodus 40, Moses consecrates the Tabernacle and its furnishings, creating a holy space for God’s presence among his people. This act of consecration transformed ordinary materials into sacred objects, illustrating how dedication to God can elevate the mundane to the divine. We may feel ordinary but when we dedicate our lives to the Lord, he makes us sacred and holy.

We know these Old Testament practices find their fulfilment in Christ, who is the ultimate Consecrated One, who dedicated his entire life to God’s will, culminating in his sacrificial death. His example sets the standard for Christian consecration – a total commitment of our life to God’s purposes.

For us today, consecration takes on various forms and has practical implications in our daily life. At its core, it involves a deliberate act of surrendering one’s life, talents, and resources to God’s service.

Of course, this can be expressed through key activities like baptism and worship, but it also manifests in our ongoing choices and attitudes which includes the concept of vocation. Rather than viewing our work as separate from faith, consecration encourages Jesus followers to see their careers as opportunities for dedication and service to God. A consecrated approach to work might lead a teacher to view their role as a sacred calling to nurture young minds, or inspire a business leader to prioritise ethical practices and social responsibility.

In family life, consecration can shape parenting philosophies and relationship dynamics. Parents who consciously dedicate their children to God are committing themselves to raise them in their faith, and this consecrated approach to family can influence decisions about education, use of resources, and involvement in church and community. Consecration also impacts how we engage with our communities and the world around us as we aim to be Jesus’ hands, feet and voice. It has practical outworkings which can be expressed by how we care for our neighbours, love our communities and steward our resources.

In the realm of personal spirituality, consecration often manifests as intentional practices of devotion. This might include setting aside regular time for prayer and Bible study, fasting, or going on spiritual retreats, and these acts of consecration can help believers maintain a sense of dedication to God amidst the distractions of modern life.

Consecration also encourages us to be set apart in every practical outworking of our days. For example, a life dedicated to God will allow the Holy Spirit to guide the appropriateness of what we read, watch and listen to, seek God’s wisdom on how we engage with our electronic devices and social media use, and invite the mind of Christ into our financial decisions on all matters of our income and expenditure.

Consecration matters! It is an expression of our utter devotion to the Lord – not just simply in words, but in the practical outworking of our lives.

I believe the Lord is calling us, his people throughout Elim, to get on our knees and reframe our lives in the light of his holiness.

Will you join us as we humbly dedicate our lives afresh to the Lord?

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.

Enjoy this article? Don't forget to share