"Pentecost - No Longer a Rehearsal"

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Pentecost, no longer a Rehearsal but a Happening
Second in a series by Rita Bennett

Annually I write a message on Pentecost to commemorate my late husband Dennis's empowering ministry to all denominations. Of his personal Pentecost Dennis said, "I'm floored and I'll be floored the rest of my life." And he was.

The Feast of Pentecost (or Shavuot) comes in the spring or early summer but each fall in Dennis's Morning Watch newsletter, his life, death, and ongoing ministry are remembered. Ongoing because when, like a seed, a committed life falls into the earth it continues to bring a harvest of souls.

One of the exciting things about the Acts account of Pentecost is that it's one of the seven Feasts God commanded Jew and Gentile to keep annually. Since the time of Moses the Jews had been rehearsing this Feast for about 1500 years until it finally was no longer a rehearsal but a happening!

And what a happening it was! Tongues of fire landed on many of the heads of those 120 who had waited 10 days in the Upper Room. The fire of God also filled their bodies and especially their speech. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, Ruach HaKodesh, and began to speak in languages they had never learned. At least 14 languages were recognized as Jews from all over the Diaspora magnified God. They had obediently returned for the Feast as they were commanded to do.

Then the newly empowered, formerly weak, Apostle Peter preached one sermon that brought 3,000 souls into God's Kingdom that very day.

In last year's Morning Watch I spoke of further knowledge we can acquire about this Feast by studying the Old Testament (Tanakh) in more detail. We saw in Leviticus 23:17 how the two loaves of wheat bread represent Jew and Gentile coming together in and through Messiah near the end of the age. This will be one of the signs that will occur to let us know that our "Redeemer draws near." Since it is God's will for us to come together, shouldn't we be doing what we can to bring understanding between these two groups of people? (To review this concept read "The Blessing of Pentecost"on the CRA Website.)

How many Christians spend much time celebrating Pentecost on its special day or would be willing to join others at a special location for such an event? Some churches don't have a church year calendar and miss the feast celebration altogether. Still, other clergy may remember this special feast in a sermon but still not make an opportunity for their congregation to pray afterwards for those wanting to actually experience Pentecost.

I'm glad to say, Pentecost has been experienced by Believers in Jesus Christ for the past 2000 years. Jesus, who is the Baptizer with the Spirit, is described in the Book of Hebrews as being the same "yesterday, today and forever" (Heb.13:8). He never told us that He stopped giving His people Pentecost, or Baptism with the Spirit, as He did at the first.

In Jewish synagogues this year they celebrated Shavuot on June 11th according to the Rabbinic calendar. This year in the Episcopal Church the date according to our Gregorian calendar was also June 11. The dates coincided which is convenient, especially when people are on tour in Israel as both Jews and Gentiles make their pilgrimage to the Upper Room together. I had an opportunity of doing this in 1996.

Another group in Israel and the US is attempting to use a new Biblical calendar according to sightings of the new moon. They chose their date this year as July 7th.

Counting the Omer

The Jewish people keep track of the 49 days until Pentecost by a biblical method called "counting the omer." An omer is "the sheaf of barley traditionally offered in Jewish Temple worship on a day that marks the start of a 7-week liturgical period of expectancy between Passover and Shabuoth [Shavuot]."1

Deuteronomy 16:9-10 says, "You shall count seven weeks for yourself; you shall begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. Then you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with a tribute of a freewill offering of your hand, which you shall give just as the Lord your God blesses you" (NAS).

Other names for Pentecost (Pentekoste in Gr.) meaning 50 days, are Feast of Weeks, and First Fruits Feast of the (fall) Wheat Harvest. In the New Testament (Brit Hadasha) names for this experience are Baptism with the Spirit, Filled with the Holy Spirit [to overflowing], Anointed, and Empowered, etc.

To know when the appointed date of Pentecost occurs, see Lev. 23:15 which follows.

"And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath [Day of First Fruits, or Easter], from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed" (NKJV).

"Because of this ritual of counting, the period between Passover (Pesach) and Pentecost (Shavuot) came to be known as the omer. ln fact, Shavuot does not have a fixed calendar date in the Bible, but rather falls on the day after the completion of the omer count--that is, the fiftieth day after the omer offering is brought."2 Remember this day is figured from sunset to sunset the next day.

Each evening before the counting of the omer, this prayer is offered, "Praised are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe who has sanctified us with His commandments, commanding us to count the omer." The leader would then say something like, "Today is the first day of the omer."

"Some people recite Psalm (Tehillim) 67 after the counting since it consists of seven verses and a total of 49 words in Hebrew."3

Why all the Attention?

Why did God make such a big deal about counting the days until Pentecost? It looks as though He was setting the day up to impress us with its importance.

The Lord (Adonai) is a Lord of dates and He keeps His appointed dates with His people, both Jews and Gentiles. This is an appointed Feast God wants to spend with us. These Feasts, of which Pentecost is one, are called "feasts of the Lord" (Levit. 23: 2). They are given to all people who love Him. How many times do we disappoint Him by not giving attention or celebrating this set Feast?

Even if your church or fellowship fails to remember this Feast, you can still do some of these activities with your family. It might be fun at the dinner table to make the 49 day count until Pentecost, pray the prayer, and read Psalm 67, Acts 1,2 and other Scriptures.

On the Feast of Pentecost 34A.D.it was fulfilled and will continue to be an empowering experience for all who look to Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha Mashiach) including Christians, Messianics, and believing Jews down through the millennia.

"And when the Day of Pentecost was fully come . . ." Some see this from the Old Testament perspective to say " 'When the count of the omer commanded by God was fully made,'4 they were all with one accord in one place" (NKJV). Jesus who had ascended after His death and resurrection and 40 day ministry in His glorified body, with the Father He sent the Holy Spirit in this new experience of indwelling people's inner beings and then over- flowing their speech centers in praise. This was 40 days since Jesus' resurrection, plus the 10 days of the disciples waiting in the Upper Room (some think the Temple). Then the light show of all ages came with tongues of fire on their heads and words of power on their tongues and voices.

Bishops in the Episcopal Church (and other liturgical churches) wear a hat called a miter that looks something like the Pentecost fire. Some Bishops may have this fire in their hearts and sadly others have not experienced it, just as is true of some laymen in the church.

Two great things happened on Pentecost. First, the apostles who were met by Jesus after His resurrection had been born again and indwelt when Jesus breathed resurrection life into them. In John 20:22 He said to them, "Receive (admit) the Holy Spirit!" (Amplified Bible). He breathed into them eternal life . Their spirits, dead from the fall of man in the Garden, came alive, being resurrected into Christ's likeness. Satan's plan to control and destroy mankind was defeated. The enemy's head was (and is) under Jesus' feet. Then on Pentecost the apostles were Baptised with the Spirit and praised God in new languages, empowered for service.

Secondly, now anyone who wanted to be born into God's family could do so. Everyone who was thirsty could come. The church was born. Not only that, they could also receive the power of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) strengthening them to live the life.

God was now sure the Church (ecclesia, fellowship) would go on even though Jesus had ascended. The Word would be passed on through this group of several thousand believers some 2000 years ago.

And here you are reading this and are a potential person to receive and pass on the power to change the world for good until our Messiah comes.5 Meanwhile, will you keep the Feast of Pentecost and invite others to join you? God promises to meet you there.

_________________________

NOTES: (1) Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, p. 794. (2) The Seven Feasts of the Messiah, by Edward Chumney. (3) Ibid. (4) Dr. Amos Millard, Biblical Archaeologist Northwest College, Rtd. (5) See The Holy Spirit and You by the Bennett's to help you pray.


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	Pentecost, no longer a Rehearsal but a Happening Second in a series by Rita Bennett
	Annually I write a message on Pentecost to commemorate my late husband Dennis's empowering ministry to all denominations. Of his personal Pentecost Dennis said, "I'm floored and I'll be floored the rest of my life." And he was. The Feast of Pentecost (or Shavuot) comes in the spring or early summer but each fall in Dennis's Morning Watch newsletter, his life, death, and ongoing ministry are remembered. Ongoing because when, like a seed, a committed life falls into the earth it continues to bring a harvest of souls. One of the exciting things about the Acts account of Pentecost is that it's one of the seven Feasts God commanded Jew and Gentile to keep annually. Since the time of Moses the Jews had been rehearsing this Feast for about 1500 years until it finally was no longer a rehearsal but a happening! And what a happening it was! Tongues of fire landed on many of the heads of those 120 who had waited 10 days in the Upper Room. The fire of God also filled their bodies and especially their speech. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, Ruach HaKodesh, and began to speak in languages they had never learned. At least 14 languages were recognized as Jews from all over the Diaspora magnified God. They had obediently returned for the Feast as they were commanded to do. Then the newly empowered, formerly weak, Apostle Peter preached one sermon that brought 3,000 souls into God's Kingdom that very day. In last year's Morning Watch I spoke of further knowledge we can acquire about this Feast by studying the Old Testament (Tanakh) in more detail. We saw in Leviticus 23:17 how the two loaves of wheat bread represent Jew and Gentile coming together in and through Messiah near the end of the age. This will be one of the signs that will occur to let us know that our "Redeemer draws near." Since it is God's will for us to come together, shouldn't we be doing what we can to bring understanding between these two groups of people? (To review this concept read "The Blessing of Pentecost"on the CRA Website.) How many Christians spend much time celebrating Pentecost on its special day or would be willing to join others at a special location for such an event? Some churches don't have a church year calendar and miss the feast celebration altogether. Still, other clergy may remember this special feast in a sermon but still not make an opportunity for their congregation to pray afterwards for those wanting to actually experience Pentecost. I'm glad to say, Pentecost has been experienced by Believers in Jesus Christ for the past 2000 years. Jesus, who is the Baptizer with the Spirit, is described in the Book of Hebrews as being the same "yesterday, today and forever" (Heb.13:8). He never told us that He stopped giving His people Pentecost, or Baptism with the Spirit, as He did at the first. In Jewish synagogues this year they celebrated Shavuot on June 11th according to the Rabbinic calendar. This year in the Episcopal Church the date according to our Gregorian calendar was also June 11. The dates coincided which is convenient, especially when people are on tour in Israel as both Jews and Gentiles make their pilgrimage to the Upper Room together. I had an opportunity of doing this in 1996. Another group in Israel and the US is attempting to use a new Biblical calendar according to sightings of the new moon. They chose their date this year as July 7th. Counting the Omer The Jewish people keep track of the 49 days until Pentecost by a biblical method called "counting the omer." An omer is "the sheaf of barley traditionally offered in Jewish Temple worship on a day that marks the start of a 7-week liturgical period of expectancy between Passover and Shabuoth [Shavuot]."1 Deuteronomy 16:9-10 says, "You shall count seven weeks for yourself; you shall begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. Then you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with a tribute of a freewill offering of your hand, which you shall give just as the Lord your God blesses you" (NAS). Other names for Pentecost (Pentekoste in Gr.) meaning 50 days, are Feast of Weeks, and First Fruits Feast of the (fall) Wheat Harvest. In the New Testament (Brit Hadasha) names for this experience are Baptism with the Spirit, Filled with the Holy Spirit [to overflowing], Anointed, and Empowered, etc. To know when the appointed date of Pentecost occurs, see Lev. 23:15 which follows. "And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath [Day of First Fruits, or Easter], from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed" (NKJV). "Because of this ritual of counting, the period between Passover (Pesach) and Pentecost (Shavuot) came to be known as the omer. ln fact, Shavuot does not have a fixed calendar date in the Bible, but rather falls on the day after the completion of the omer count--that is, the fiftieth day after the omer offering is brought."2 Remember this day is figured from sunset to sunset the next day. Each evening before the counting of the omer, this prayer is offered, "Praised are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe who has sanctified us with His commandments, commanding us to count the omer." The leader would then say something like, "Today is the first day of the omer." "Some people recite Psalm (Tehillim) 67 after the counting since it consists of seven verses and a total of 49 words in Hebrew."3 Why all the Attention? Why did God make such a big deal about counting the days until Pentecost? It looks as though He was setting the day up to impress us with its importance. The Lord (Adonai) is a Lord of dates and He keeps His appointed dates with His people, both Jews and Gentiles. This is an appointed Feast God wants to spend with us. These Feasts, of which Pentecost is one, are called "feasts of the Lord" (Levit. 23: 2). They are given to all people who love Him. How many times do we disappoint Him by not giving attention or celebrating this set Feast? Even if your church or fellowship fails to remember this Feast, you can still do some of these activities with your family. It might be fun at the dinner table to make the 49 day count until Pentecost, pray the prayer, and read Psalm 67, Acts 1,2 and other Scriptures. On the Feast of Pentecost 34A.D.it was fulfilled and will continue to be an empowering experience for all who look to Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha Mashiach) including Christians, Messianics, and believing Jews down through the millennia. "And when the Day of Pentecost was fully come . . ." Some see this from the Old Testament perspective to say " 'When the count of the omer commanded by God was fully made,'4 they were all with one accord in one place" (NKJV). Jesus who had ascended after His death and resurrection and 40 day ministry in His glorified body, with the Father He sent the Holy Spirit in this new experience of indwelling people's inner beings and then over- flowing their speech centers in praise. This was 40 days since Jesus' resurrection, plus the 10 days of the disciples waiting in the Upper Room (some think the Temple). Then the light show of all ages came with tongues of fire on their heads and words of power on their tongues and voices. Bishops in the Episcopal Church (and other liturgical churches) wear a hat called a miter that looks something like the Pentecost fire. Some Bishops may have this fire in their hearts and sadly others have not experienced it, just as is true of some laymen in the church. Two great things happened on Pentecost. First, the apostles who were met by Jesus after His resurrection had been born again and indwelt when Jesus breathed resurrection life into them. In John 20:22 He said to them, "Receive (admit) the Holy Spirit!" (Amplified Bible). He breathed into them eternal life . Their spirits, dead from the fall of man in the Garden, came alive, being resurrected into Christ's likeness. Satan's plan to control and destroy mankind was defeated. The enemy's head was (and is) under Jesus' feet. Then on Pentecost the apostles were Baptised with the Spirit and praised God in new languages, empowered for service. Secondly, now anyone who wanted to be born into God's family could do so. Everyone who was thirsty could come. The church was born. Not only that, they could also receive the power of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) strengthening them to live the life. God was now sure the Church (ecclesia, fellowship) would go on even though Jesus had ascended. The Word would be passed on through this group of several thousand believers some 2000 years ago. And here you are reading this and are a potential person to receive and pass on the power to change the world for good until our Messiah comes.5 Meanwhile, will you keep the Feast of Pentecost and invite others to join you? God promises to meet you there. _________________________ NOTES: (1) Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, p. 794. (2) The Seven Feasts of the Messiah, by Edward Chumney. (3) Ibid. (4) Dr. Amos Millard, Biblical Archaeologist Northwest College, Rtd. (5) See The Holy Spirit and You by the Bennett's to help you pray.