We
are on the verge of a major move of the Holy Spirit! We live in days when
Pentecost is important because Pentecost is the feast of the open Heavens. Just
as Passover is God’s time to deliver His people (See Exod3:8), Pentecost is the
Appointed time for the Heavens to Open! This Sunday, I will be sharing a
powerful word on Pentecost, and Chuck Pierce will also be here that night to
release the sound of provision. But, before that, I thought I would share with
you a little bit of what Pentecost really means and what it can do for you, as
we draw to the end of our fifty days of freedom. First of all, it is important
to understand Pentecost, for which I will share with you what Chuck Pierce shares
with all of us in his book, “A Time to Prosper.”
When
most Christians think about Pentecost, they think only about the outpouring of
the holy Spirit described in Acts 2, but Pentecost is also a feast instituted
in the Old Testament as described in Leviticus 23:15-16, Numbers 28:26-31, and
Deuteronomy16:9-12. Chuck illustrates that there are three significant dimensions
of Pentecost, and each represents a new expression of God’s blessing. The three
dimensions are a direct reflection of the three things that God wants to accomplish
in our lives. Each one involves a doorway we must pass through in order to
enter into the full release of God’s blessing.
Provision is the first dimension because it
celebrates God’s blessing of abundant provision. In Old Testament times, from
the first sheaf of every new harvest, each year the Jews would bring a
thanksgiving offering to the Temple. This
was a praise offering that was offered by faith before the full harvest was
gathered. The Israelites would express their praise by bringing burnt
offerings, drink offerings, sin offerings, fellowship offerings, grain
offerings, drink offerings, etc. It was a massive out poring of giving, and this
is what the disciples would have done the evening before “Pentecost morning.”
The night before the Spirit fell, they would have brought offerings to the
temple to thank God for His physical Provision.
Revelation
is the second dimension because Pentecost was the day that God opened the
heavens to reveal His word. After being rescued from Egypt, God did not guide his
people directly to the Promised Land. He had things to show them! Fifty days
after Passover, God directed Moses to come to the top of Mount Sinai, and it
was there that the Heavens opened, and God gave Him the Torah. Some people call
the Torah the “Law” but the word Torah really means “the teaching of God.” It
is the revelation of God’s will, God’s love, and God’s character to His people,
and even though the word “Torah” is most specifically used for the first five
books of the bible, in reality, all Scripture is “Torah.” At the time Jesus
lived, part of the celebration of Pentecost included staying up all night
studying receiving God’s revelation through scriptures because it was a way of
receiving God’s Word again. As they filled their minds with God’s word, I
believe God prepared them for the third dimension of Pentecost. We know that
Jesus had recently promised the release of God’s power, so it is fitting to
think that at the disciples would have stayed up all night Scriptures that
described the outpouring of God’s power.
Power is the third dimension of Pentecost. The bible says that it was in Pentecost that the Holy Ghost came and gave the disciples power. The power that Jesus promised fell upon them, and in turn, it then empowered men and women to proclaim the gospel. Just as power had come down on Mt. Sinai in Moses’ time, the fire of God’s glory now came to clothe those who had gathered in the Upper Room. With this power, the gifts of the Spirit were energized, and the anointing of God equipped them to see the sick healed, the oppressed delivered, the gospel boldly proclaimed, and the world changed! Come on Jesus!
We know that this is what the church longs for! The church all over is crying for a new Pentecost; however, because we don’t understand Pentecost, we don’t know how to prepare for it. The apostles understood Pentecost, and they positioned themselves to receive it. So, it is when we fully understand what Pentecost is about, that it moves us into a better understanding of the time of Pentecost in which God wants to lead us through: the release of provision, power and revelation in our lives.
Yet,
perhaps the best way to celebrate Pentecost is to follow the example of the
apostles who set apart an extended time to be with God. It is important to acknowledge
and celebrate the fact that God’s provision is plentiful. He is constantly
bringing bread from the earth. Gaining a mind to prosper involves developing a thankful
heart by giving to the poor and bringing first fruits offerings. We must also
be thankful to God for His desire to reveal Himself to us because He wants us to
know His mind and heart. If you meditate in His word day and night, you will
prosper (as psalm 1 promises), so be prepared to receive His revelation afresh.
Last, you should be prepared to step in with God and obey His directives. We need
to begin walking by faith, and meditate on His promises.
So, this Sunday, be
prepared to celebrate Pentecost by bringing first fruits offerings to position ourselves in a place of abundance and provision, and come anticipating to receive revelation from the Word. We expect to be filled with strength and joy as we release the sound of abundance through radical praise and worship.
Sunday services are at
9:00am and 11:00am
Chuck Pierce will be
here releasing the sounds of abundance at 6:00pm
Kent.
