Shavuot Fulfilled!

Shavuot 2012

            Just as Jesus perfectly fulfilled the first three feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits, the Holy Spirit came precisely on time and fulfilled the Feast of Weeks.  Shavuot means “weeks” and begins seven weeks after Passover.  In Jewish tradition it is the remembrance of God giving the Torah.  Christians call it Pentecost, or “Fifty” and see it as the birth of the Church.

            In the book of Acts, the first Believers were praying in an upper room on Shavuot and Holy Spirit came into the room, baptizing them with tongues of fire that empowered them to witness on the streets of Jerusalem about the Resurrection of Jesus.  This was a direct fulfillment of the promise Jesus had given that they would be filled with power.  They were changed from a fearful, hiding band of men and women to an energized, bold fire-brand that operated under the direction and power of Holy Spirit.  The result: thousands of people were added to the Body of Christ overnight!

            This coming week Pentecost (Shavuot) will be celebrated on May 26 at sundown.  It is marked in Jewish circles by staying up all night reading Torah and the book of Ruth (in remembrance that David is a direct descendant of Ruth).  Messianic believers in Israel are calling the Church to a renewed Pentecost by spending the night in prayer inviting Holy Spirit to come and fulfill Joel 2:28-29.  Yes, this was fulfilled in Acts 2—Peter uses Joel 2 as the basis to explain the strange behavior of the freshly baptized Believers.  But the total fulfillment of Joel 2 has yet to happen.  Holy Spirit will be poured out on “all mankind” in “the last days”.  We believe we are living in those last days.  There is a Messianic remnant living in Israel again.  Expectancy is growing, as it did in that upper room.

            Our prayer is “Come, Holy Spirit, baptize us afresh with the power to witness about Jesus Christ to our world that is lost and dying.  We need You.  Come, overwhelm us with Your Presence.  Remove the fear of man from our hearts.  Embolden us with a fresh fire that will draw all men into the Kingdom of God.”

            Join us this week in praying for this outpouring of Holy Spirit.  Gather with other Believers and pray expectantly!  The Father earnestly desires to pour out His Spirit on those who ask for Him (Luke 11:13)!

Passover--Our Reason to Celebrate!

This Friday evening, April 6^th, is Passover, the first of the three Spring Feasts God commanded Israel to keep annually.  Passover has been celebrated for 3500 years and provides the Jewish roots for our remembrance of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and the celebration of His resurrection. 

I Cor. 5:7-8:  “Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened.  For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.  Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

Jesus perfectly fulfilled the prophetic actions Jewish homes re-enact in the Passover Seder.  He is the Passover Lamb slain on the very day the priests were sacrificing the lamb to commemorate God’s deliverance from the slavery of Egypt.  Four cups of wine are served in the Seder, based on the four declarations God made to Israel in Ex. 6:6, 7.  God told Moses to tell the people:  “I am the Lord, and I will bring you out (Cup of Sanctification)....I will deliver you (Cup of Deliverance)….I will also redeem you (Cup of Redemption)…..Then I will take you for My people (Cup of Marriage).” 

Jesus also is the sinless Bread of Life pictured in the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Jewish homes will thoroughly clean their homes from top to bottom this week in preparation for the week long celebration of Unleavened Bread.  This is a wonderful picture of the work each of us should do daily in separating ourselves from sin.  “Be holy, for I am holy.”

Jesus also fulfilled the third Feast, First Fruits, by rising from the dead—the first fruits hope for resurrection that we all, as believers in Jesus, hold as our own glorious hope.  Because He defeated death we too have the hope of resurrection.  Paul sums it up clearly in I Cor. 15:  “…if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins…But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”  We proclaim to the world the Good News.  He died and took away your sins.  But the grave is empty!  He is Risen!  Hallelujah!

One Thought At A Time

Ps. 132 speaks of David longing to find a place for the dwelling of God on earth.  Later in the Psalm, God promises that David will not lack to have a descendant sitting on his throne.  But there is a provision:  “If your sons will keep My covenant and My testimony which I will teach them, their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever.”

            The sad fact is the history of Israel as recorded in Kings and Chronicles shows that they did not keep God’s covenant.  David’s own son intermarried with pagan women and they led his heart astray.  David’s grandsons divided his kingdom between the Northern kingdom of Israel and the Southern kingdom of Judah.  The Northern kingdom had nineteen kings, all of which were evil—they refused to follow God’s covenant.  Finally God judged Israel, the Northern portion, by sending them into exile in 722 BC.  Less than half of the twenty kings of Judah were considered godly, but they too became so corrupt that Judah was sent into exile in 586 BC, not to return to the land for 70 years.

            How did this happen?  One choice at a time.  We my think our daily choices have much bearing on the direction of our lives, but every day we make choices that set the direction of our lives.  The decision to skip prayer and Bible reading one day.  The rationalization that one look at pornography won’t hurt anybody and it just feels so exciting.  The choice to ignore the promptings of Holy Spirit and just do what I want to do.  All these small choices, though seemingly isolated and insignificant, begin to deaden our sensitivity to God’s voice.  These micro decisions begin to add up and set us on a path of destruction that we usually don’t recognize until we are caught up in some large sin that is obvious to all and brings great embarrassment to us and our family.

            I used to worry when I heard about the fall of another pastor or great spiritual leader into immorality.  I questioned in my heart:  “If that person everyone has looked up to can’t hold his spiritual life together, what hope is there for a sinner like me?”  But then the Lord showed me this spiritual truth:  “EVERY EXTERNAL SIN BEGINS WITH A SMALL THOUGHT THAT IS AGAINST GOD.”   The progression is from thoughts to attitudes to actions, followed by habits that end in a lifestyle.  I have drawn it as a simple chart thus:

            Thoughts yield Attitudes yield Actions yield Habits become Lifestyle

            The battle ground is our thought life.  We make choices in our thoughts what to dwell on.  If you think about lust long enough, it won’t be long before your attitude toward lust will break out into actions of viewing pornography. 

            We can be forgiven by confessing our sins.  Jesus will forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. 

            But the secret of victorious living is to take every “thought” captive to the obedience of Christ.  II Cor. 10:3-5.  By submitting our thought life to Christ and asking Him to sanctify it, we set our minds and hearts to follow God and our attitudes and actions reflect godliness and holiness and integrity strengthens our character.

True Peace in the Middle East

            While the nations vainly search for a solution to the centuries-old conflict in the Middle East, there is a quiet revolution going on that is bringing true peace to this war torn area.  It is called The Kingdom of God.

            In 1993 my wife and I had the privilege of living in Israel for six months.  While there we attended a prayer conference in Jerusalem.  It was a gathering of over 400 intercessors from around the world.  The worship times were some of the most powerful I have ever participated in because there were Gentiles from many nations, Jewish believers from Israel and Arab Christians from the West Bank.  There was a true spirit of unity and love that flowed back and forth between us and various acts of reconciliation and bridge building were done—a true expression of the universal nature of the Body of Christ.

            This week I received the following report from Israel:

            “When a Jewish Israeli and a Palestinian Arab stand in an airport with their arms thrown around each other’s shoulders and explain to the Lebanese man passing by that they are brothers in Yeshua, the result is awe and wonder on the part of the Lebanese.  That’s exactly what happened to one of our team members who recently returned from a conference…. The Palestinian Christian delegation to the conference was sponsored by [a Messianic Jewish Team].

            The whole world knows of the conflict between Jewish Israelis and Palestinian Arabs.  So when people see a pair such as this, united in their faith with genuine

extraordinary witness to the power and reconciliatory love of Yeshua.”

            The answer to all the turmoil in the Middle East is Yeshua.  When men and women find life and peace in Him, their hearts are changed.  Former terrorists embrace Jews.  Jews sponsor Arabs so they can attend conferences focused on the Prince of Peace.

            When you pray for the peace of Jerusalem, pray that individuals and people groups will find Jesus, Yeshua, Isa—The Prince of Peace.  It will do more for peace in the Middle East and all the diplomacy the nations will ever attempt.

Upside Down

            Sometimes, when we obey God, things don’t go well. 

            When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, Moses was reluctant to go back to Egypt and offered all sorts of excuses—Pharaoh would not listen, the people would question Who God was, he wasn’t able to speak clearly.  But God over ruled all those excuses and finally Moses obeyed. 

            When he actually began delivering the message God had given him, things really began to fall apart.  Pharaoh not only rejected his message (which God said would happen, so it was no surprise), he accused Moses and all the people of being lazy.  As a result, Pharaoh withdrew the supply of straw to make bricks and made the people go gather their own straw.  On top of that, Pharaoh demanded that the quota of bricks be kept the same.  This created a huge burden for the Israelis and much suffering.  In addition, the Egyptian task masters began to beat the Israeli foremen and when they took their case to Pharaoh, he rebuffed their pleas and accused them of laziness.

            When the foremen came out of the meeting with Pharaoh, they accused Moses and Aaron of causing all this heartache and difficulty. Moses then complained to the Lord:  “Why have You brought harm to this people?  Why did You ever send me?  Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.”  Moses is hemmed in between an angry Pharaoh and his own irate, suffering people—all because he simply obeyed what God told him to do.

            It is then, when things seemed the darkest, that God speaks to Moses.  God again outlines His plan and reassures Moses of the covenant He had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  God also tells Moses what He was about to fulfill through Moses’ obedience.

            If you have been obeying God’s directions to you but things seem to have only gotten worse, don’t give up.  Go back to God.  Talk to Him.  Make sure you are following what He told you to do.  And listen to His voice.  He may give you correction if you are off base.  He may reaffirm His instructions.  But He will always listen.  Don’t let the worsening of the situation get between you and God.  Be confident in Who He is and know the truth of Ps. 56:9b  “This I know, that God is for me.”  If things are upside down, wait on God to turn them back right side up.

Hiding in Eden.

            Adam and Eve hid themselves in the Garden of Eden after they had sinned.  The sense of shame slammed into their consciences and forever changed their relationship to their God.  Instead of sweet fellowship, spirit to spirit, there was an unbelievable chasm between them and the One they had known, up to that fateful moment, as Abba.  The crushing realization that they had betrayed the One who had loved them was too much when they heard Him coming through the garden.  They fled—hoping He would not notice them behind the bush.

            We have been hiding ever since.  We grew up hiding.  We didn’t know we were hiding until a realization crept in during childhood that something was wrong.  When we come to Jesus and experience the joy of His salvation through the New Birth, our spirits are awakened to the love of God for the first time.  The shame is removed.  We experience God’s love that we’ve never known before.

            But learning to live in His presence without shame is difficult for most people.  When we find ourselves falling back into sin, the Holy Spirit is faithful to convict us of our wrong and call us back into fellowship with Abba.  He graciously gives us a way back through I John 1:9:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  If we are quick to respond to the callings of Holy Spirit, we can be restored to intimate fellowship with our Father.  We don’t have to hide from Him. 

            For the mature believer who has walked with God for many years and enjoyed daily relationship with the Father, sin is a jarring experience.  The sense of shame and alienation is palpable.  Prayer becomes a struggle.  Intercession for others impossible.  But there is hope!  I John 1:9 works for the old saint just as effectively as for the young saint who is just beginning his walk of intimacy with God. 

            Though the conviction of Holy Spirit is always gut wrenching, it is a good thing that it makes us so uncomfortable.  We are in deep trouble if we ever get to the place of rationalizing our sin and shrugging off the promptings of Holy Spirit as “no big deal—everybody does it”.  So if you are feeling badly over something you’ve done or thought or felt toward someone else, confess it, repent of it, receive God’s forgiveness and cleansing, and start fresh with Abba once more.  Come out of hiding and enter His rest:  “Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through the same example of disobedience.”  Heb.  4:11.

Hope In Perseverance

            I was amazed when a Sunday School teacher taught my children to quote from memory Jer. 29:11.  When I was four all I remember memorizing was “God is love.”  Then thirty years later my kids were quoting this long verse.  This past week I saw this verse written in four different contexts—it seems everyone is claiming this verse for themselves now.

            It is a wonderful sentiment:  “‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’”  We all derive strength and renewed hope from this verse.  But let’s look at it in its context.

            This promise is in the middle of a letter Jeremiah wrote to the discouraged exiles in Babylon.  These people had been through horror.  They had endured a siege on Jerusalem, with all its privations of no food or water for many months.  They had endured the fear that threatened to drown them knowing that any day this invading army would breach the walls and probably slaughter them and their children.  Then when the breach came they watched as many members of their families were in fact killed before their eyes.  The ones who died were the fortunate ones—the survivors lived to relive the nightmare every day as their captors put them in chains and made them walk hundreds of miles to a foreign country.  Now, in poverty, displaced to a foreign culture and language, they had to eek out some sort of “living”.

            Into this bleak, discouraging existence Jeremiah sends this message.  At first it seems to mock them—“plans for welfare and not calamity”?  This is faring well?  Where is the “future and hope” when your last image of your beloved home, Jerusalem, was seeing it go up in flames as soldiers ransacked the city and carried off anything of value?

            To gain hope from this message, those exiles had to go on to verses 12 through 14:  “‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord.” 

            Their situation did not change over night.  They did not immediately return to Israel and rebuild Jerusalem.  In fact, many of them never lived to return from exile.  Their children did, but seventy years would pass before that prophesy was fulfilled and most of the adults who went into captivity would die in exile. 

            In meditating on this scene, and trying to apply this promise that God has a future and a hope for me, I have gained much strength to persevere by seeing the context of this promise.  The difficult things in my life may not change immediately just because I quote Jer. 29:11.  But I am changed when I call upon the Lord and seek Him with all my heart.  When I search for Him in that way—He is always there.  I find Him, in the middle of my troubles.  And for today, until He changes those circumstances, I find hope.