A ruined partnership

 

Gen 27:28-29

“From the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth, may God always give you abundant harvests of grain and bountiful new wine. May many nations become your servants, and may they bow down to you. May you be the master over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. All who curse you will be cursed, and all who bless you will be blessed.”

These are the blessings which Isaac spoke over Jacob, whom he believed to be Esau. He had called in his oldest son, Esau, and asked him to hunt game and prepare it for him, so that he could give him his blessing before he (Isaac) died. Rebekah overheard this conversation and took action. Jacob, obeying his mother Rebekah’s instructions, slaughtered two kids from their flock for her to prepare an appetizing meal for his father. He then put on his brother Esau’s best clothes (so that his aging father, who could not see properly, would smell Esau when he approached him) and covered his smooth hands and neck with the skins of those kids, so that he would feel as hairy as Esau to his father’s touch.

The plan worked perfectly, and Jacob received the blessings intended for Esau. This is where it gets interesting to take note of what the blessings entailed. We see from the quoted verse that Isaac had perceived that Esau would be a ruler of note, a world-class leader – he would have riches in abuncance (abundant harvests and boutiful new wine); be seen as a leader among many nations (many nations become your servants and bow down to you) as well as a national king (may your mother’s sons bow down to you); and who would also be seen as divinely protected (all who curse you will be cursed, and who bless you will be blessed).

The characters of the two brothers seem to indicate that a divine partnership had been intended for them, a ruler (Esau) making the way for a shepherd of the flock of God (Jacob) to operate, protecting him from their enemies and allowing the instructions of the Lord to be taught and followed in the land. We see other such partnerships in Israel – David and Samuel, for example.

Where did it all go wrong? Esau unfortunately chose to give in to his baser physical instincts more than honouring the moral implications of his position in the family – trading his birthright as firstborn (with all the benefits and responsibilities thereof) for a meal of bread and lentil stew in a moment of self-gratification. Given the important implications of this trade, we can assume that this was not the first of such decisions in his life thus far, it must already have been a character trait by that time.

Esau’s decisions had devastating effects on the future of his family, but also on his descendants. His generational line became known as the Amalekites and the Edomites, and it was Herod of Esau’s race that tried to destroy Jesus as an infant by having the male children of Bethelehem slain.

Pearls to ponder:

Let us be constantly aware of the inner fight between our physical and spiritual natures and refrain from making impusive decisions to gratify our flesh. In those moments, pause and ask direction and discernment from Holy Spirit before taking action. It will take dedication and lots of practice to consistently do so, for before submitting to Jesus as Lord of our life, we had been so used to selfishly only give heed to our own inner needs!

What we sow

God's Throne Room

 

Rev 4:2

At once I was in [special communication with] the Spirit; and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with One seated on the throne.

Not long ago I watched a video showing the interior of Buckingham Palace, which included the throne room of the king. On first glance, the opulence and grandeur of all these rooms are too much to take in - I can imagine that if you actually stood there, you would not know where to start looking! Hundreds of rare and costly ornaments are displayed on every available surface; so many objects are gilded or made of marble; cut glass and crystal reflect the light throughout the rooms. Not to mention the authentic art portraits, antique and more modern, adorning the walls. Remarkable indeed!

And yet….there is no perception of life and emotion here, it feels like a spectacular display of wealth meant to impress, not to draw one into a community of warmth and shared human experiences. The throne room is used only on rare occasions, and then with scripted pomp and ceremony that has been left unchanged for centuries, meant only to impress and convey superiority. So different from our Father’s Throne Room in heaven!

This Throne Room, (we know from eyewitnesses who wrote about it in the Bible), is more spectacular than anything found on earth. We read about God being present here, sitting on His Throne, and His appearance is bright like jasper and sardius. We read about the bow of emerald encircling that Throne, and flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder emanating from it. Arranged around the Throne are more thrones, upon which elders sit wearing white clothing and golden crowns upon their heads, and in front of it are the seven Spirits of God blazing like torches. There is a sea of glass in front of the Throne, and around it four living creatures as guardians. And these creatures never stop saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, Who was and Who is and Who is to come’, upon which the elders prostrate themselves before Him, throwing down their crowns before Him in worship.

The description above speaks of life, and majesty, and supreme authority! But also of warmth and love and compassion without end - we know this from the fact that we are invited to enter that very same Throne Room whenever we want, or need, to (Heb 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.)

Pearls to ponder:

Let us meditate on the wonder of this, that we have unlimited access to the Throne Room of the All-Powerful Creator of the Universe! Unlike here on earth, where people may only enter earthly throne rooms by invitation, an event most will never experience in their lifetime. We can be sure that this Throne Room exists, as several people, whose lives were separated by hundreds of years, wrote about their visitations there (Ez 1:26-28; Dan 7:9-10; Is 6:1-4; Micaiah in 1Kings 22:19; Jesus in Matthew 19:28 and 25:31, Stephen in Acts 7:55 to name a few). Come then, and enter the Throne Room of our Abba in absolute faith that we will be warmly received and welcomed there!

God's Throne Room

Rapture

 

Acts 1:11

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

The debate surrounding the rapture of the church is currently very topical indeed. We can hardly open YouTube without encountering someone hotly disputing what another YouTuber has posted on the subject, and there is nothing about it that is not under fire - is there a rapture; when is the rapture; who will be raptured; who will stay behind; is it pre-trib, mid-trib or post-trib (referring to the tribulation), and on and on the list goes.

What I find so tragic about the whole dispute is the way that some church members go about voicing their opinions. The derogatory language that is sometimes thrown about in the comments toward one another is not only lamentable, but also so very un-Christlike. When one believer calls another believer stupid, or a moron, or uneducated, it goes against everything Jesus taught in John 13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

We do not have to agree with every doctrine our fellow Christians believe to be true, in order for the church to stand united in Christ. And unity in Christ is extremely important in the age that we are living in, so that the church may advance in strength of purpose and not be divided and conquered by the enemy of our souls.

What should the basis of agreement between all believers be? As Paul writes in Gal 1:8 Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. The pure gospel as preached all through the New Testament proclaims that God so loved the world that He gave us His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Who died on Calvary as an offering making atonement for our sins, Who rose again on the third day and ascended to heaven where He is now seated on the right hand of the Father. He will be returning one day to gather us to Him, and to finally judge sin. Whoever believes in what Jesus did and in Who He is (with the result that he confesses this with his mouth and in his obedience to Him), will live forever, even if his body dies. The Holy Spirit was sent to dwell in us as a deposit here on earth, until we inherit everything God has promised us. On these fundamental matters there should be full agreement between believers. And if there are other doctrinal issues where there is no agreement, please voice your opinions in a humble and respectful way, harbouring a teachable spirit – you might find Holy Spirit convincing you that your thinking may be wrong!

What I personally believe about the rapture? Let me give the above verse as a clue. When the angels said that Jesus will return in the same way the disciples saw Him leave, what did they mean? Well, He left alone on clouds; without millions of white horses; and only disciples were present to witness this. Does this not imply that He will return (for His secret coming) on clouds; without white horses (these will be present for His very visible second coming); and only believers will eagerly be waiting….

Pearls to ponder:

Clues and hints concerning the rapture are scattered all through the Bible like hidden puzzle pieces. Search for them and start building the bigger picture!

Red Rocks Worship, Tyler Roberts - The King Is Coming (Official Live Video)

Pruning

 

John 15:2

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

There are a few reasons why vinedressers prune their vineyards. Pruning helps maintain the desired shape and structure of the vine, preventing uncontrolled growth. By removing some growth, pruning concentrates the vine's energy into fewer, larger, and better-quality bunches of grapes. Then also it can improve bud fruitfulness, meaning that more buds will produce fruit-bearing shoots, and removing diseased or weak wood helps prevent the spread of disease and improves overall vine health. 

We can certainly see why Jesus likened this process to us as believers being branches in Him as the True Vine. We also need to be prevented from growing wildly in all directions, instead of upward towards Him alone. Our energy also needs to be directed into better quality fruit, and we need to have fruit-bearing branches originating from even more areas in our lives until we are fully submitted to Him. Finally, those branches that are inviting disease and inner turmoil into our lives need to be removed so that we can be healthy vines in our King’s vineyard!

It might seem to us as if we are just constantly losing things during this pruning process - some things naturally disappear from our lives; some things are taken away – and indeed, many of these losses cause us heartbreak and sorrow. But here’s the thing, the purpose of pruning is not to harm, but to allow new and better growth. Our losses therefore are not meant to harm us in any way, but to make us better and stronger, to bring us closer to the perfect image that God wants to create in us.

Do not linger in past seasons; do not yearn for friendships that have clearly ended for now; do not keep looking over your shoulder to the experiences that were such highlights on your journey so far and continually long to return to them all again.

Instead, relish the good things from your past as blessings from God and thank Him for each and every one of them; keep those precious friendships as good memories to sustain you as you grow older; and keep on reminding yourself of God’s promise to let everything in your life work for your good (Romans 8:28: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.") as you step out into the new that He is inviting you to.

Pearls to ponder:

Proverbs 4:25 Look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you is good advice for us on our life’s journey. As God works in our lives to prune us for better growth in Him, let us embrace this process and let go of things that might hinder us in our new season, those things that we cling to because we would rather hold on to the familiar than venture out with God into unfamiliar territory!

Vinedresser

Manna

 Ex 16:15

When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.”

Two Hebrew words mah and nah form the word manna, and it literally means “What is it?” For the Israelites travelling in the desert had no idea what it was that was lying on the ground that first morning – they saw round and flakelike things, as fine as hoarfrost, strewn around the camp, and they had no idea that it was actually angels’ food that the Lord had sent them to eat (Ps 78:25 Man ate of the bread of the angels; he sent them food in abundance). It tasted like coriander seed and wafers made with honey. They could ground it in mills, or beat it in mortars, or boil it in pots, or make cakes of it which tasted like cakes baked with fresh oil (Num 11:8).

A wonderful supernatural blessing straight from the hand of God, and true to His promise, He kept sending it to them until they reached the border of the land of Canaan and could from then on easily find food to eat. Of course, He also sent quails in the evenings for meat as well, so that they did not have to grow food or hunt animals in the arid and hostile desert environment.

But then the day arrived that this marvellous, spectacular blessing from the Lord came to be seen by the Israelites as uninteresting, mundane, run-of-the-mill even (Num 11:6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”)

Before we respond with shock at this, it would be wise to take a very close look at our own lives – are we not doing exactly the same? We receive wonderful blessings from the Lord every day, and we do not even see them anymore. Take the beautiful sunrises and sunsets as examples. Or the way the waves of the sea come and go. What about the migration of birds across thousands of miles around the earth. Or the immeasurable variety of green leaves on plants.

Closer to home, do we still thank Him for the blessing of children and grandchildren in our lives? Or the fact that we have food to eat, water to drink, clothes to wear? These are blessings from God, as He promises in Luke 12:22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Do we see it this way, or are we taking His blessings for granted?

Pearls to ponder:

Let Holy Spirit show you how God is blessing you in your life. Be open to appreciate the small happenings that you are not even thinking about, as blessings from God. Begin a habit of finding five things to thank God for every morning as you wake up, and as you write them down, you will start seeing how God’s blessings abound in your life.

Counting my blessings

Mount Moriah

 

Gen 22:2

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

God has for centuries had a plan regarding Jerusalem, a plan that will culminate in the return of the Lord to the Mount of Olives (Zech 14:4) and the thousand year long reign of Jesus here on earth from this very city. This plan started unfolding when God called Abraham to Mount Moriah to sacrifice his son Isaac.

There He provided a substitute lamb to die in Isaac’s place. The Hebrew word for provide is yireh, and Abraham called this place The Lord will Provide, or Jahwe Yireh. This is the prophetic act which pointed to the Lamb of God being sacrificed as the substitute for us, for on Mount Moriah we find Golgotha where Jesus was crucified, where God offered His only Son to die in our place.

About a thousand years after this incident, King David - who had conquered the city from the Jebusites - halted the plague that had already killed 70 000 men of Israel, by buying the threshing floor (and oxen) of Araunah the Jebusite, building an altar to the Lord and offering the oxen as burnt offerings there (2 Sam 24:24). It is important to realize that David bought this piece of land fair and square, because on this site Solomon built the first temple in Jerusalem. (2 Chron 3:1 Then Solomon began to build the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David.) The title deed in heaven for this property is registered in the name of David, King of the Jews, to this day. Even though the Babylonians invaded the land, followed by the Medo-Persians, then the Greeks, and the Romans after that; even though the Jews were scattered over the earth and Jerusalem suffered multiple changeovers of rulers throughout the subsequent centuries.

Jerusalem has always belonged to God, no matter who laid siege to it, conquered it, and ruled over it during history. He Himself has said that His name will always be in Jerusalem (2 Chron 33:4 …… “My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.”)

Pearls to Ponder:

Jews face many accusations that they are only occupiers of the land called Israel. We need to delve into the Bible to search out the truth of the matter, not get side-tracked by arguments of men. Biblically, God promised the land to Abraham and his descendants forever. Historically, the League of Nations decided that Israel will be a Jewish state, and this was later backed up by the United Nations charter. We would do well to investigate the facts for ourselves and take our stand on this issue, for we need to stem the tide of lies thrown about by the enemy and keep praying for the peace of Jerusalem. For the Bride of Christ, this also involves praying for all innocent victims on both sides of the ongoing conflict.

Jerusalem

God's Tabernacle

 

Hebrew 8:5

The place where they serve is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.

Christians who have the view that the Tabernacle that Moses erected in the desert (and the subsequent Temples built in Jerusalem) belong only to the Old Testament and to the Jewish religion, are generally surprised to learn that a Temple currently exists in heaven. In the book Revelation John was shown that God will reveal aspects of it during the Tribulation, one of which is found in Rev 11:19 Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. (In the final newly created heaven at the end of the age, no temple is needed, as God and the Lamb are its temple -Rev 21:22).

We know that illustrations from the Old Testament are there for us to use as examples in how to live a godly life, as Paul writes in 1 Cor 10:11 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. We therefore are grateful to Dr David Cho from Korea who gave us this beautiful framework as an example of how to use the tabernacle as a basis for prayer. In your imagination, go to:

The Altar of Sacrifice: This brazen altar was where all offerings were made. This reminds us of Jesus, our perfect sacrifice (John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!) See the redeeming grace flow from Him, thank Him that His blood has declared you a righteous person, completely free from the guilt and condemnation of sin. Also thank Him that He has taken your infirmities and carried away your sickness; that He has blessed you; that you are no longer under the curse of the law; that you are redeemed from death and hell!

The Laver of Water: Priests had to wash their hands and feet and face here. It was made of polished bronze, reflecting like a mirror all who bent over it, serving as a prophetic washing and cleansing of sin. We are reminded of our own baptism here (Acts 22:16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’) Meditate on the 10 commandments – Do I worship another god? Do I love something more than You? Do I take His name in vain? Do I keep His day holy? Do I respect my parents? Am I killing (hating) anybody? Always forgive! Is there adultery, even in my imagination? Am I stealing in any way or form? Am I lying? Do I covet? This is a time for repentance!

The Holy Place: Open the dividing curtain and walk into the Holy Place. See the candlestick, which represents the 7-fold manifestations of the Holy Spirit (Is 11:2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD). Remember that Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12). Ask Holy Spirit to give you the fear of the Lord. He is a Person with will and emotions, He is your Guide and Teacher, do not “use” Him. Have fellowship, love Him, welcome Him, adore Him, worship Him! Thank Him for His anointing and follow His leading all day long. The shewbread is the Word of God, which is also Jesus (John 6:51). Thank Him for both the logos and rhema word, the knowledge that Holy Spirit turns into faith. At the altar of incense, start interceding. Commit everything to the Centre of the Universe, the Great Creator, the Ruler over history, send praise and stop worrying!

The Holy of Holies: In the original Tabernacle, this is where God met with Moses personally (Ex 25:22 There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.). Open the curtain to the Holy of Holies, for we received the right to do this through the blood of Jesus. See the disarmament of the devil, he is a defeated enemy! And commune with Abba, our Father. Thank Him for your redemption, the freedom from fear. Just worship and adore Him, He is worthy of all praise! And receive His everlasting love flowing through you.

Tabernacle

Summertime

Matthew 9:37-38

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

In the natural, we are currently in the grip of a very cold spell here in the Western Cape, with very low temperatures and heavy rain combining to keep us indoors as much as possible! But spiritually, the entire world is finding itself in summertime, the time of year in Israel when the Feast of Pentecost, or Shavuot, has just been celebrated.

What happened next in ancient Israel was that the Hebrews went out from their cities into their fields to gather the harvest. They laboured at this throughout the summertime until the Feast of Trumpets, a date in autumn, when they would finish their harvest and gather before their Lord in Jerusalem.

This is exactly what happened spiritually two thousand years ago, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the apostles on the Feast of Pentecost and they were sent out to bring in the harvest of souls into the Kingdom of God. This is what Jesus meant when He said to them in John 4:35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” He showed that the fields are the world, and the harvest is the ingathering of lost souls. It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word for harvest is kayitz, which also means summertime.

This then is the season we are living in now. Jesus fulfilled all the Feasts of the Lord up until Pentecost, and we find ourselves eagerly anticipating the fulfilment of the next Feast, which will include the Rapture of the bride of Christ, gathering us to appear before our Lord. Until then, we are meant to be workers in the fields of the world, bringing in the harvest of new believers in Jesus. We are also meant to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send even more workers to work alongside us.

Pearls to ponder:

We are living at the end of the age. Harvest time is limited; there is not a lot of time left to gather people to Jesus. We have to go about our work in the fields with a sense of urgency! What does that mean?

It means that we have to actively look for opportunities to spread the Gospel. It means that we have to be ready to obey the voice of the Lord when He sends us out, even if it is to places that make us feel uncomfortable. It means speaking when we need to speak because Holy Spirit guided us to, not keeping quiet to ‘keep the peace’. It means maintaining an uncompromisingly holy lifestyle, so that what other workers of Christ have built up in people’s lives, we do not break down again.

Ask Holy Spirit to reveal to you what He wants you to know about your own particular situation, and where your own field of harvest is.

Bringing in the sheaves 

God's promises

 

1 Kings 18:1

After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.”

We find the vivid account of the spiritual showdown between 850 pagan priests and one true prophet of God, Elijah, in 1 Kings 18. The background to this event is that God was punishing Israel with a very severe drought brought upon them because of their idolatry. By the time these dramatic events unfolded, the country had been without rain for three years, and every brook and river had run completely dry.

The reigning king Ahab, who can be described as the most wicked king in all of Israel’s history, then summoned the governor of his house Obadiah, and commanded that he go through the land to search for any remaining source of water and seize it for the king’s use. Unbeknown to Ahab, Obadiah feared the Lord and had hidden a hundred prophets in a cave, feeding them secretly. On his travels Obadiah met Elijah, who then told him that he needed to see Ahab immediately and would Obadiah go and inform the king of his intent - an instruction that Obadiah quite understandably did not appreciate, fearing that king Ahab would certainly have him killed for delivering this unwanted message!

This brings us to the quoted verse above. Mostly, when we think about this part of Scripture, we immediately remember that Elijah prayed to God to bring down fire from heaven to supernaturally burn up his (soaking wet) altar and bull offering. Certainly God had instructed him to do so (1 King 18:36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command.)

But what we easily overlook is that God promised rain if Elijah obeyed his command. This is why Elijah, immediately after dealing with the pagan prophets by killing them at the brook Kishon, instructed Ahab to go back up the mountain to eat and drink, as he already was hearing the rain fall in the spirit. He then sent his servant seven times to look for clouds bringing rain. Even when the servant reported only a cloud the size of a man’s hand in the sky, Elijah reacted by sending a warning to Ahab on top of the mountain to come down immediately before the rain made it impossible for him to do so.

Pearls to ponder:

Elijah spoke God’s promise of rain out loud nine times in total. With not a cloud in sight, he spoke the promise from God repeatedly, until the rain manifested. He had no natural indications that rain would come, only God’s word to him that it would indeed be so. Every time he spoke rain, he was enabling the Holy Spirit to start creating this miracle! What are you doing with the personal promises God made to you? Are you idly waiting for God to bring it about, or are you actively proclaiming it until it manifests? Make very sure, however, that it is a promise from God, and not your own fleshly desires that you call for!

God will make a way

Fifty

Acts 1:3

After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

In the wider church community, we have just celebrated Ascension Day, commemorating the day that Jesus ascended into heaven. He had been crucified and buried forty-three days earlier, and upon His resurrection visited His disciples over a period of forty days before ascending to heaven before their very eyes.

They then withdrew into the upper room to wait another ten days before the Holy Spirit came upon them, making the length of time between His resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, fifty days. Why is this significant?

It is important because it shows that Jesus fulfilled the Feast of Pentecost down to the very last detail! Just as He had fulfilled the previous three Feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits) in their entirety and in all details.

The word ‘Pentecost’ means fifty - the Lord instructed the Israelites to count seven weeks after the Feast of First Fruits and then celebrate this Feast on the next day, and this adds up to fifty days (Lev 23:16). The Jews also call this Feast Shavuot, which means weeks. The seven sevens referred to here (seven weeks of seven days) is a picture of the pattern given in the Bible of seven sevens of years with the year thereafter being a Jubilee year – an indication of God’s ultimate period of rest and restitution. This is why Holy Spirit was poured out on that fiftieth day. It marked a reset of creation, proclaimed rest in the Lord and restitution of the relationship between us and Him, and between us as human beings. The leavened bread baked for this Feast shows that the Holy Spirit is now inside the followers of Jesus, making the Bride of Christ holy (Rom 11:16 If the part of the dough offered as first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.)

This brings us back to the book of Acts, and to Acts 2:1 On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. They were celebrating the Jewish Feast of Pentecost when God poured the Holy Spirit out upon them, as He had promised He would. The very event we as Christians also celebrate when we gather for Pentecost, even though on a different date from their celebrations.

And I am wondering: is it not time for us as Christians to unite with our Jewish brothers and sisters by celebrating our common heritage on the historically real dates, i.e. as given on the Jewish calendar? Not according to Jewish religious and cultural customs, but in a uniquely Christian way?

Pearls to ponder:

Jesus fulfilled the first four Feasts of God, showing us that they really are all about commemorating Him. (He will also fulfil the next three!) Meditate on this – what is referred to as the Jewish Feasts actually are Jesus Messiah pointers – why do we hesitate to celebrate them alongside our fellow Jewish believers in Christ? Why do we criticize those who do take part and label them as being under the Law? Rather think about what these celebrations could look like, how we can remove Jewish cultural elements from them and celebrate Jesus only. And then quietly start observing them in our own homes, without fanfare or finger-pointing.

Pentecost