When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4)
Feast Of Pentecost, 2015.
Shavuot, Pentecost, And The Church (notice that repetition is used to enforce the teachings of this study)
Shavuot, known as the Festival of the Giving of the Torah, is reflected in the Bible, which recounts how, after the Exodus from Egypt, the Children of Israel proceeded to Mount Sinai in the desert. Moses ascended the mountain to meet God, who gave him the Ten Commandments, which were written on two tablets to be delivered to the Children of Israel.
According to the Torah, it took precisely 49 days, or seven weeks, for the ancient Israelites to travel from Egypt to the foot of Mount Sinai. The Torah commands: “And you shall proclaim that day (the 50th day) to be a holy convocation!” (Leviticus 23:21). The name Shavuot, “Weeks,” symbolizes the completion of this seven-week journey. The rabbis tightened this connection by associating Shavuot with Moses’ receiving the Torah from God atop Mount Sinai.
Shavuot also is a harvest holiday. In the time of the Temple, the ancient Israelites brought their first fruits to the Temple to offer to God at Shavuot. Along with Sukkot and Passover, it is one of the Shalosh Regalim (Three Pilgrimage Festivals), during which people gathered in Jerusalem with their agricultural offerings.
Shavuot is known by several names: Chag Hashavuot (the Festival of Weeks), Chag Habikkurim (the Feast of the First Fruits), and Chag Hakatzir (the Festival of Reaping). Ashkenazi Jews may pronounce and write the name of the holiday as Shavuos.
Pentecost Sunday, May 23, 2014. The feast began on Saturday at sundown, and lasted until Sunday at sundown for Jews in Israel. It continued until Monday at sundown for Jews in the Diaspora (outside of Israel).
It is important for believers in Christ to know the importance of Shavuot (Hebrew) and Pentecost (Greek), which created a large gathering of Jews in Jerusalem on “the Day Of Pentecost,” 3,000 of which accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior (Acts 2:1-41)
Shavuot has different pronunciations, per my study of Jews who spoke: “sha’ voo ut.” “sha voo’ oat ”
Church Planting
Churches And Church Plants: All were plants. The largest and the smallest churches were plants, at one time.
Parental knowledge of the Bible is lacking; is essential for teaching children.
Goal: Knowledge of Bible should be greater than that of most other Christians. Use the Berean approach to study.
Acts 17:11 King James Version (KJV)
11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Consider two notable church plants.
Romans 16:3-5 New King James Version (NKJV) 60 A.D.
3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. 5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia to Christ.
Consider: “the church” met in the home of Priscilla and Aquilla.
Colossians 4:15 New American Standard Bible (NASB) 64 A.D.
15 Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house.
Consider: “the church” met in the home of Nympha.
Passover
Exodus 12:11-12 New King James Version (NKJV) – Passover – Delivered the Jews from Egyptian slavery.
11 And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.
12 ‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.
Shavout
Exodus 19:1-9; 16-20 20:1-4 New King James Version – Shavuot – God gave the Law to the Jews at Mount Sinai on Shavuot. The Jews accepted the covenant conditions of God.
Israel at Mount Sinai
19:1 In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. 2 For they had departed from Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before the mountain.
3 And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
7 So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him. 8 Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord. 9 And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.” So Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.
16 Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. 17 And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. 19 And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice. 20 Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
The Ten Commandments were given by God to the Jews on Mount Sinai.
20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
Feast Of Pentecost
Acts 2:1-4 New King James Version (NKJV) – The Holy Spirit fell on the Jews who were in Jerusalem on Shavuot, which was the day that God also gave the law to the Jews at Mount Sinai.
2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Shavuot:( Hebrew) “The Giving Of The Law To The Jews.” Pentecost: (Greek) “The Giving Of The Spirit To Jews” in Jerusalem, which became the birthday of the church of Christ.
Feast Of “Weeks, Shavuot, Pentecost”
The word Shavuot means “weeks.” It marks the completion of the seven-week counting period between Passover and Shavuot
Deuteronomy 16:15-17 New King James Version (NKJV)
15 Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice.
16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you.
Counting of the Omer
“Today is the forty-ninth day, totaling seven weeks of the Omer.”
The period between Passover and Shavuot is called the “Counting of the Omer” (Sefirat Ha’omer). Omer means “barley sheaf” and refers to the offering brought to the Temple on the second day of Passover. Starting from that day, the Torah also instructs that “you shall count off seven weeks. They must be complete: you must count until the day after the seventh week — 50 days” (Leviticus 23:15-16).
The festival of Shavuot is observed on the 50th day. According to the Bible (Leviticus 22:15), “You shall count for yourselves from the day after the day of rest, from the day brought the Omer of the wave offering; seven complete weeks there shall be, until the day after the seventh week shall you number 50 days…”
The counting, which lasts for 49 days, takes place at night, commencing with the second night of Pesach. Those who “count the Omer” recite a blessing each night of the 50-day period:
Shavuot (Saturday Evening: Jews read the Torah all night. Celebrated one day in Israel – two days in dispersed lands.
Shavuot is the Hebrew word for “weeks” and refers to the Jewish festival marking the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, which occurs seven weeks after Passover. Shavuot, like many other Jewish holidays, began as an ancient agricultural festival that marked the end of the spring barley harvest and the beginning of the summer wheat harvest. In ancient times, Shavuot was a pilgrimage festival during which Israelites brought crop offerings to the Temple in Jerusalem. Today, it is a celebration of Torah, education, and actively choosing to participate in Jewish life.
The Torah was given by G‑d to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai more than 3300 years ago. Every year on the holiday of Shavuot we renew our acceptance of G‑d’s gift, and G‑d “re-gives” the Torah
.
The word Shavuot means “weeks.” It marks the completion of the seven-week counting period between Passover and Shavuot.
The giving of the Torah was a far-reaching spiritual event—one that touched the essence of the Jewish soul for all times. Our sages have compared it to a wedding between G‑d and the Jewish people. Shavuot also means “oaths,” for on this day G‑d swore eternal devotion to us, and we in turn pledged everlasting loyalty to Him.
In ancient times, two wheat loaves would be offered in Holy Temple. It was also at this time that people would begin to bring bikkurim, their first and choicest fruits, to thank G‑d for Israel’s bounty
On Passover, the people of Israel were freed from their enslavement to Pharaoh; on Shavuot they were given the Torah and became a nation committed to serving God.[2] The word Shavuot means weeks, and the festival of Shavuot marks the completion of the seven-week counting period between Passover and Shavuot.
Pentecost
The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Sunday, 50 days after Resurrection Sunday; 10 days after the ascension (40 days after Resurrection, last Thursday)
In the Old Testament Pentecost was the feast which occurred fifty days after Passover. As the Passover feast celebrated the exodus of the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt, so Pentecost celebrated God’s gift of the ten commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai.
In the new covenant of the Messiah, the Passover event takes on its new meaning as the celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection, the “exodus” of men from this sinful world to the Kingdom of God. And in the New Testament as well, the Pentecostal feast is fulfilled and made new by the coming of the “new law,” the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:20-23 New King James Version (NKJV) Christ, The Firstfruits
Christ, The Firstfruits
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming
.
15:20 the firstfruits. At harvesttime the Israelites were required to bring an offering from the first part of the crop (Lev. 23:10). This offering was a token of the whole harvest, that all belonged to God. Jesus is called the “firstfruits” because His resurrection and the resurrection of believers are closely related events. Jesus was “the first to rise from the dead” (Acts 26:23), rising as our representative. His resurrection caused us to be raised spiritually (Rom. 6:4; Eph. 2:6), and at the same time guarantees that we will be raised bodily. Another use of the metaphor is found in Rom. 8:23 (cf. also 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5;Eph. 1:14).
Fulfillment of Feast Of Weeks/Harvest/Shavuot/Pentecost In Christ Acts 1:5; 2:4
Acts 1:5 New King James Version (NKJV)
5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”.
Acts 2:4 New King James Version (NKJV)
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The Promise Of The Church
Matthew 16:18 New King James Version (NKJV)
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
‘to you that you are Peter,” Πέτρος petros 4074 “a stone” or “a boulder,” Peter, one of the twelve apostles a noun akin topetra, used as a proper name
Petros: “a stone” or “a boulder,” Peter, one of the twelve apostles
Original Word: Πέτρος, ου, ὁ
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: Petros
Phonetic Spelling: (pet’-ros)
Short Definition: Peter
Definition: Peter, a Greek name meaning rock.
rock πέτρᾳ petra 4073 a (large mass of) rock a prim. word
petra: a (large mass of) rock
Original Word: πέτρα, ας, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: petra
Phonetic Spelling: (pet’-ra)
Short Definition: rock
Definition: a rock, ledge, cliff, cave, stony ground.
My church; ἐκκλησίαν ekklēsian 1577 an assembly, a (religious) congregation from ek and kaleó
ekklésia: an assembly, a (religious) congregation
Original Word: ἐκκλησία, ας, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: ekklésia
Phonetic Spelling: (ek-klay-see’-ah)
Short Definition: an assembly, congregation, church
Definition: an assembly, congregation, church; the Church, the whole body of Christian believers.
Colossians 1:18 New King James Version (NKJV) The Spiritual Church
18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
Colossians 1:24 New King James Version (NKJV)
Sacrificial Service for Christ
24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,
Colossians 2:9-14 New King James Version (NKJV)
9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
Not Legalism but Christ
11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
Verse 14 is important in understanding the security of the believer in Christ, eternal, unending.
Acts 2:42-47 New King James Version (NKJV) 33 A.D. The Early Church, Non-Denominational; Part Of No Superstructure
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
Acts 14:23 New King James Version (NKJV) 46 A.D. Church Physical Leadership
23 So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
There was non hierarchy of Bishops (managers) over the local congregations or their leaders (Elders, Pastors, Overseers).
Elder presbuteros: elder 4245 4245 presbýteros – properly, a mature man having seasoned judgment (experience); an elder.
Pastor ( KJV, NIV, NASB, HCSB) Eph 4:11, (4166) Definition: a shepherd; hence met: of the feeder, protector, and ruler of a flock of men.)
Bishop (KJV – Phil 1:1; 1 Tim 3:1-2. Tit 1:7 – 1985) episkopos: a superintendent, an overseer) Overseer – NIV, ESV, NASB, HCSB
Strong’s Greek: 3044. Λίνος (Linos) — Linus, a Christian
… Untersuch., p. 42), Λινου, ὁ, Linus, one of Paul’s Christian associates; according
to ecclesiastical tradition bishop of the church at Rome (cf. …
//biblehub.com/greek/3044.htm – 11k
Strong’s Greek: 2815. Κλήμης (Klémés) — Clement, a …
… at Philippi: Philippians 4:3. According to the rather improbable tradition of the
catholic church, he is identical with that Clement who was bishop of Rome …
//biblehub.com/greek/2815.htm – 11k
Ephesians 4:11-12 New King James Version (NKJV) Spiritual Church Leadership
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
“He gave some” (Non Gender Specific)
Not mentioned: Popes, Cardinals, Monsignors, Arch Bishops, Priests, Trustees, Deacons, Reverends
Psalm 111:9 King James Version (KJV)
9 He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.
Basic Theology, Charles C. Ryrie: Offices and spiritual gifts.
Offices were held by pastors of physical brick and mortar congregations.
Spiritual gifts of leadership were given by the Holy Spirit, per Eph 4:11-12. Consider the word “some,” as opposed to men or women. These people may never be “voted in” to lead a physical brick and mortar congregation, but are spiritually equipped to provide such ministry as given by the definition of Eph 4:12.
It is important to know that the early church had a standard of scripture, which was the apostles doctrine. Translations were made from the Apostles’ doctrine. The believers shared in fellowship meals. The breaking of bread was not “the Lord’s supper.” The new believers in Christ were Jews; they continued their temple worship, but met as disciples of Christ in each others’ homes. The adding of believers to the church by God was an addition to the spiritual body of born-again believers in Christ. The decision to meet in homes was one of necessity, not necessarily of design. It was not until the third century A.D. that “the church” began to meet in non-residences on a large scale basis. Consider the following passage of scripture.
Acts 2:42-47 King James Version (KJV)
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
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Eternity 