On
the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place.
Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm,
and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames
or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present
was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the
Holy Spirit gave them this ability. At that time there were devout Jews from
every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came
running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the
believers. They were completely amazed. "How can this be?" they
exclaimed. "These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them
speaking in our own native languages! Acts 2:1-8
Pentecost. Festival
of Harvest or Feast of Weeks which was later called the Festival of Pentecost
is celebrated today as Shavuot (or Shabuoth). God ordained this Festival as He
commanded it through Moses to the Israelites.
Second, celebrate the Festival of Harvest, when you
bring me the first crops of your harvest. Finally, celebrate the Festival of
the Final Harvest at the end of the harvest season, when you have harvested all
the crops from your fields. Exodus 23:16
You must celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the
first crop of the wheat harvest, and celebrate the Festival of the Final
Harvest at the end of the harvest season. Exodus 34:22
From the day after the Sabbath (of the Festival of Unleavened
Bread)—the day you bring the bundle of grain to be lifted up as a special
offering—count off seven full weeks. Keep counting until the day after the
seventh Sabbath, fifty days later. Then present an offering of new grain to the
LORD. From wherever you live, bring two loaves of bread to be lifted up before
the LORD as a special offering. Make these loaves from four quarts of choice
flour, and bake them with yeast. They will be an offering to the LORD from the
first of your crops. Leviticus
23:15-17
Pentecost or
Shavuot has been an important holiday for the Jewish community as a harvest
festival. It was one of the holidays that required attendance at the Temple in
Jerusalem. It is a complicated holiday that recognizes the giving of the Torah, specifically the receiving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. The Book of Ruth is read at the synagogue for it depicts a harvest and Ruth's conversion to Judaism as a traditional acceptance of God's covenant at Sinai. Additionally, the Jews symbolically recognize marriage between God
as the groom and Israel as the bride during Shavuot.
It was during
this Pentecost holiday that the passage in Acts occurred. Since Jews were required
to attend worship at the Temple on this holiday there were people from many
different countries living in or visiting Jerusalem. As it so happened when the
disciples were filled with the Spirit on Pentecost they spoke in different languages—tongues—witnessing
to the people in their own languages. Amazing. God had a plan. That was the
beginning—the birth so to speak—of the Christian church. Each of those people
from different countries took the news of Jesus as the Messiah back to their
homes and their countrymen.
 |
| Celebrate - Dance. The Time of Pentecost is here - in Israel. |
How do you
celebrate such a momentous occasion? Begin by rejoicing. God has a promise and
a plan. That promise is a home with Him—eternally. His plan was set in motion
when Jesus came to earth and died on a cross to be a sacrifice for all of human
sin. The plan will be fulfilled when Jesus returns to take His Bride…the church…home
to the place He has created for us. Will you be a part of that bridal party?
The choice is yours.
Prayer
~ Lord Jesus and God, our Father, You have loved us and given us eternal
comfort and good hope by grace, please continue to comfort and strengthen our
hearts in every good work and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17.
Daily
Bible Reading: Psalms 5, 38, 41-42
PENTECOST
Happy
Birthday to the Church
© 2018 Text and
photo by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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