FIRST FRUIT OFFERING

“… you shall take some first fruits of the various products of the soil which you
harvest from the land which the Lord, your God, gives you, and putting them in a basket,
you shall go to the place which the Lord, your God, chooses for the dwelling place of His
name. There you shall go to the priest in office at that time and say to him, ‘Today I
acknowledge to the Lord, my God that I have indeed come into the land which He swore
to our fathers He would give us.’

The priest shall then receive the basket from you and shall set it in front of the
altar of the Lord, your God.

Then you shall declare before the Lord, your God,… ‘He gave this land flowing
with milk and honey. Therefore, I have now brought you the first fruits of the products of
the soil which you, O Lord, have given me.’ And having set them before the Lord, your
God, you shall bow down in His presence. Then you and your family… shall make merry
over all these good things which the Lord, your God, has given you.”
Deuteronomy 26: 2-11

At the start of every year, the very first Mission Core Gathering, and the
subsequent gatherings of every group down the line of every member … should be
consecrated to the Lord. It must be a most solemn and sacred occasion … worthy of the
Lord’s Holiness.

Procedure:
1. Distribute First Fruit Offering envelope (JMDF) to everyone (including
children present) before the prayer meeting.
2. Make an announcement that offering will be done during the worship.
3. Prepare an altar with crucifix, candles and flowers. Make an appropriate
vessel, box, or container to hold the offerings.
4. Prayer leader includes in his exhortation God’s Call for offering of “FIRST
FRUITS”. (He may refer to the January-February 2005 UGNAYAN article on
the subject on pages 9-11)
5. Offering Rites :
a. After the 3rd worship song and the singing in tongues, prayer leader
says an appropriate prayer of giving of the FIRST FRUITS.
b. He then proceeds to the altar and makes the first offering by saying a
very short, silent prayer, bows before the Lord and drops his envelope.
c. The rest of the members follow. The music ministry continues to sing
worship songs (as in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the CLP).
d. After everyone has offered, prayer leader continues with the rest of the
prayer meeting.

Note: Please make sure that Prayer Leader, Music Leader and Service Teams are
given copies of this paper prior to the prayer assembly.