When Pentecost Was Fully Come…

28 Monday May 2012

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Acts 2:1-4, crossed the Red Sea, Ezekiel, fifty days after the resurrection, first Shavout, I am a litte pencil in the hand of a writing God, Jeremiah, love letter to the world, Mother Teresa, Pentecost, Shavout, the law of God shall be written upon your heart, Yeshua

And when the day of Pentecost (Shavuot) was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:1,4

In Israel, the celebration of Shavuot took place yesterday. Most Christians would recognize this as the celebration of Pentecost in Acts 2. However, the very first Shavuot took place fifty days after the Israel crossed the Red Sea. It was on this day according to Jewish tradition that the law was given on tablets of stone.
Fifty days after the resurrection of Yeshua (Jesus), Shavuot was celebrated again when the Holy Spirit was poured out and the law of God became written upon the hearts of men. Just as God had promised in Ezekiel and in Jeremiah — the law of God shall be written upon your heart.
Shavuot is both a celebration of the God’s faithfulness in the early harvest and an anticipation of the abundance of the final harvest yet to come. Just as three thousand Jewish people came to faith in Messiah on this day a couple thousand years ago, the day will soon come when the fullness of the Gentiles will be completed and then “all of Israel shall be saved!”

(Reblogged from Worth Brief)

Blessings,

Pastor

Building Altars to Worship

26 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by eisakouo in Abraham: Life of Faith

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Abraham, building altars, church, Genesis 12, Hebrews 13:10, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus Christ, Mother Teresa, New Testament, obedience, Old Testament, trailblazer, worship

I don’t know if you have picked up on this fact before from reading through Genesis, but Abraham was an altar builder. Isaac dug wells; Jacob made monuments; but Abraham built altars to worship the Lord.

Why were altars so important? If altars were so important to God in the Old Testament, then why don’t we build and worship at altars today? I’m glad you asked that question. Some of you are probably thinking, “We consider the altar to be the front of our church.” Yet, this is not really the same type of altar in which Abraham worshipped. I ask those questions to draw a parallel between the altars of the Old and the altars of the New Testament.

~ Altars Are About Worship ~

True worship takes place in the context of our obedience to God (see Genesis 12:1-5). Abraham was in the process of obeying God’s prompting to go to the land of Canaan. We cannot truly worship God unless we are in the place of obedience.

How many of you have discovered it is difficult, if not impossible, to worship God on Sundays when your living in known disobedience? The only effective way to truly worship the Lord in body, soul, and spirit is to be obedient throughout the week. It is your obedience that gives you excitement, passion, and fervor to worship the Lord. Disobedience breeds apathy, coldness of heart, neglect, and boredom in worship. It was only after Abraham became truly obedient to God that his real worship of God began.

~ Abraham Built Altars to Worship Effectively ~

Wherever Abraham went (cities, countryside & villages) he built altars to the Lord God. There he worshipped the Lord.

The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him. Genesis 12:7

⁸Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. Genesis 12:8

Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD. Genesis 13:18

Abraham was a trailblazer. We know now that God prescribed and commanded the children of Israel to build and worship Him on altars. Abraham didn’t have all this information. He blazed a trail. He was simply a lover of God. He was just discovering the art of worshiping God on altars.

We live in the New Testament era of grace, so where are our worship altars? Are all the altars gone or are they present here today? Why ask? In order to gain forgiveness, acceptance, and access to God, altars were needed. Sacrifices were made on altars. Blood was spilled on altars. This was done that sin might be removed and the worshiper cleansed.

We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat (Hebrews 13:10) which is in Christ! Through His blood we have access any time to the throne of God. In Christ we have everything we need that “pertains to life and godliness.” So today we no longer have need of “altars” in the Old Testament sense. But we do need altars in our lives in another way.

~ The Altar Represents True Worship ~

The altar represents true worship and involves: SURRENDER, SACRIFICE, and SERVICE. Abraham would have used raw stones (not touched by man’s strength and skill) to represent a yielding to God’s strength and not trusting in his own strength. (Exodus 20:25). We cannot worship or offer God anything that is not tainted in some way by the world. Therefore we are to take things God gives us (Jesus Christ) and worship the Father. It is important that you understand this point because most people do not. They want to worship God in their own way or fashion. When God rejects them by not gracing them with His presence they are offended. It is imperative we worship God as He requires through Jesus Christ and Him alone. He is our altar. We are to approach God in and through Him. In Abraham’s life we can see the need for altar worship. It is gives a keen sense of who Jesus is and our need for Him.

Are you ready to examine the three types of altars Abraham erected and discover the deeper meaning of what it means to worship at God’s altar? I will discuss these later this week.

Blessings,

Pastor

Top Ten Ways To Know You’re Growing In The Lord (V)

07 Wednesday Sep 2011

Posted by eisakouo in Our Spiritual Process

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Ephesians 6:18, I Thessalonians 5:17, intimacy, Mother Teresa, quiet time, silence in prayer, talking to God, unceasing prayer

This is final installment of ways to know you are growing. We will be discussing the top two indicators.

9. More Silence In Your Prayer Time! Good friends enjoy silence with each other. Because their relationship is matured, they don’t feel the need to fill the vacuum of silence with chatter. I have even had the Lord tell me, “you talk too much.” Ouch! Suffice it to say, I have had to learn that prayer is more than just talking to God. Prayer involves a deeper level of intimacy that mere words dare to tread.

Someone asked Mother Teresa one time, “You pray hours a day. What do you talk about all that time?” She said, “Mostly, I just listen.” This simple answer was puzzling to the questioner. He further inquired, “You listen to God? What does He say?” She answered, “Mostly He just listens too.”

Have you learned to enjoy and appreciate the comfort and presence of the Lord? Or…does your prayer time have to be filled with words all the time? I believe Jesus knew how to enjoy the presence of His Father. He knew heaven’s discourse, how to ask and receive from the Father.

10. Unceasing Prayer! When asked how long you pray each day, you should have no idea. The scriptures exhort us to “pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17) and to “pray always.” (Ephesians 6:18) It is imperative all believers have quiet times with the Lord. The problem is we have a tendency to “lock” God out of the rest of the day. We relegate prayer to that “special time” with God we set aside each day. Our quiet moments with the Lord are not meant to be the end all, but should set the tone for the rest of our day.

I am amused by polls that reveal the average Christian prays about 45 minutes a day. This means many believers are not praying at all. Wow! If you are truly growing in the Lord, you have grown way past this point. Those who desire to mature in the Lord know that constant prayer changes everything, including themselves. Make it your goal to stay connected to the Lord 24/7.