Many keep asking me why do we burn incense in C & S church? is it necessary? is it not old testament? Today I will give answer to your questions.
See, don’t mind pastors or prophets telling you that some of our Biblical doctrine is old testament and not necessary anymore like burning incense , carrying cross , having altar, many of them have limited knowledge on those things and they’re not ready to learn.
if you say burning incense or carrying cross is old testament not new testament, it’s because you have a limited vision in the deep things of God . see, someone can preach well and good but certain things won’t be revealed to him or her and such might despise Spiritual things and lead many astray. I am humble enough to learn from anybody that can talk, anybody and I will always appreciate you because I don’t know it all. I want to know more. some people are too proud , they have reached a point where they can’t learn from certain people anymore because they see themselves higher, greater and bigger, this is ego, such people will soon fall or fail if they continue in this path.
So, what is incense? let’s go into details:
Incense is a combination of aromatic spices, herbs, and oils that yields its strongest fragrance when warmed or burned. The incense used in the temple was made of stacte, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense; any combination other than this was not to be used for worship, and this combination was not to be used for any other purpose. When the high priest entered the Holy of Holies, he put a handful of incense on the hot coals from the altar. The incense immediately filled the room with a fragrant aroma and shrouded the throne of God on the ark of the covenant with smoke to prevent the priest from looking at the mercy seat. His senses of smell and sight had become part of the worship experience through the lighting of incense. Throughout the Old Testament, incense was a crucial part of the worship of God, and its importance is underscored by the fact that those who burned it in an unworthy manner were severely punished (2 Chron 26:16-21).
The aroma of incense made temple worship a multisensory experience, an image that carried over in the New Testament to Paul’s command that believers should live in such a way that they are like a fragrant aroma to the people around them.
THE AROMA OF PRAYER
As with most aspects of Old Testament worship, incense was symbol that pointed to a greater reality. The aroma of incense was a physical picture of the prayers of God’s people wafting up to heaven: “Let my prayer be accepted as sweet-smelling incense in your presence. Let the lifting up of my hands in prayer be accepted as an evening sacrifice” (Ps 141:2). The scent of incense mingled with the smell of burning sacrifices symbolizes the mingling of prayers of repentance and devotion. The book of Revelation portrays the blending of the physical reality of incense with the prayers of God’s people as well: “The smoke from the incense went up from the angle’s hand to God along with the prayers of God’s people” (8:4). The perpetual worship of God in heaven includes incense as a sensory image for the internal reality of lives offered in devotion to God. The importance of incense in worship and its link to prayer explains why the Israelites’ burning incense to idols was so abhorrent: “It is because their people did evil, and they made me angry. They went to burn incense and serve other gods that neither you nor your ancestors heard of” (Jer 44:3). Those who burned incense to idols were twisting a symbol of true worship and using it to worship false gods.
THE AROMA OF A DEVOTED HEART
The apostle Paul uses the image of incense to illustrate a life offered to God. “Wherever we go, God uses us to make clear what it means to know Christ. It’s like a fragrance that fills the air. To God we are the aroma of Christ among those who are saved and among those who are dying” (2 Cor 2:14-15). In the same way incense was used in sacrifices, so Christians are to offer the sweet fragrance of a life given to point others to the victory found in Christ. Some may dislike the aroma of Christ that lingers on us, but others will be drawn to it. Either way, our lives are offered up to God, and those around us cannot mistake that reality.
So What is the significance of incense?
The signification of incense, is the things of worship which are acceptably perceived, such as confessions, adorations, prayers, and the like; and the signification of spices, is the truths of faith which are acceptable because from good; for sweet odors signify what is acceptable, in accordance with their perfumes, and whatever is acceptable is so from good through truths. It is for this reason that by the incense of spices is signified the acceptable perception of truth from good. The spices of which this incense was compounded are enumerated, and its preparation is described, in these words:–
Take unto thee spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; sweet spices, and pure frankincense. Thou shalt make them an incense salted, pure, holy. Thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put some of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting; it shall be to you the holy of holies. The incense shall be to thee holy for Jehovah (Exod. 30:34-37).
The altar of incense, and the burning of the incense itself, are thus described:–
Thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon. Thou shalt overlay it with pure gold. Thou shalt put it before the veil that is over the ark of the testimony, before the propitiatory, that Aaron may burn thereon incense of spices every morning; when be dresseth the lamps, he shall burn it; and between the evenings (Exod. 30:1-8; 37:25-29; 40:26, 27).
When Aaron shall come into the holy place, he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar; and his fists full of incense of spices beaten small; then he shall bring it within the veil, so that he may put the incense upon the fire before Jehovah, and the cloud of the incense may cover the propitiatory that is upon the testimony (Lev. 16:3, 12, 13).
[2] As by incense were signified such things of worship as are from good through truths – as are all the things that belong to the faith that is from the good of love – therefore fire was taken from the altar; for by the fire of the altar was signified the good of Divine love (AC 934, 4906, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 6834, 6849, 7324, 7852); and therefore when fire was taken from any other source, they were smitten with a plague, and died (Lev. 10:1, 2; Num. 17:10-13); for by fire from some other source, or strange fire, was signified love not Divine.
[3] That such things as belong to the faith that is from the good of love and charity – as for instance confessions, adorations, and prayers – are signified by incense, is evident in the following passages:–
Accepted are my prayers as incense before Thee (Ps. 141:2).
The four animals, and the four and twenty elders, fell down before the Lamb, having each one of them a harp, and golden vials full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints (Rev. 5:8).
Another angel came, having a golden censer, and there was given unto him much incense, that he should add it to the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. The smoke of the incense went up from the prayers of the saints (Rev. 8:3, 4).
SEE: WHAT IS STRONGER THAN ROCKS
The reason why such things are signified by incense is that they belong to the thought and thence to the mouth; but the things which belong to affection, and thence to the heart, are signified by the meat-offering in Malachi:–
From the rising of the sun even to its going down, the name of Jehovah shall be great among the nations, and in every place shall Incense be offered to My name, and a clean meat-offering (Mal. 1:11);
and by “the burnt-offering’ in Moses:–
The sons of Levi shall teach Jacob Thy judgments, and Israel Thy law; they shall put incense in Thy nostrils, and a burnt-offering upon Thine altar (Deut. 33:10);
here incense denotes such things as belong to the thought and the mouth, and that bear relation to the truths of faith; and the meat-offering and burnt-offering denote such things as belong to the affection and the heart, and bear relation to the goods of love. Consequently in the opposite sense worship from falsities of faith is meant by burning incense to other gods (Jer. 1:16; 44:3, 5); and by burning incense to idols (Ezek. 8:11; 16:18); and by burning incense to the Baals (Hosea 2:13).
In conclusion, C & S Church is the generation of isreal in Africa so our worship is in accordance to the pattern God gave Moses and it’s not a coincidence that the founder of C & S C CHURCH is named Moses because this church is extension of the church in isreal. burning incense is not old testament, read Revelation and you will see ,they burn incense in heaven. They carry cross in Heaven too! how did I know ? John saw a lamb that looks like was slained , this is image of Jesus crucification. it’s not worshipping idol, it’s worshipping God!