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Pentecost Birth of the Church

The Birth of the Church: Community and Mission

The Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 as the “birth of the Church.” This language ostensibly implies the start of something new. However, we should be cautious of such terminology lest we fall into the trap of “replacement theology.” The Pentecost event in Acts was not a replacement of Israel but rather the renewal of covenantal relationship and purpose with a radical expansion.

Receive Power

You Will Receive Power and You Will Be My Witness

A Fire that Will Not Die “You will receive power… and you will be my witnesses…Acts 1:4,5,8 – The Resurrected Lord spent forty days with His disciples, preparing them to set the world on fire and carry out the Great Commission. However, He did not immediately send them out. Instead, He told them that they needed to wait and pray. While they knew the Father and spent years getting to know Yeshua, they would now need to receive and get to know the Ruach (the Hebrew word for “Spirit”).

Pentecost Black Fire White Fire

Black Fire on White Fire | Shavuot, Pentecost and the Word

Shavuot / The Sinai event was several things wrapped in one; perhaps most significantly, the “Word became flesh and dwelt among us”. In recounting the giving of the Law at Pentecost, Moses said, “Adonai came from Sinai and dawned on Bnei-Yisrael from Seir. He shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came from the holy myriads— blazing fire for them from His right hand.” (Deuteronomy 33:2). Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks), also known as Pentecost, is the traditional Jewish celebration of the reception of the Torah. It occurs seven weeks or fifty days after the feast of Passover, hence its name (the Greek word Πεντηκοστή – Pentēkostē, meaning “fiftieth”)

Counting the Omer

What is the Counting of the Omer? Are You Preparing for His Power and Presence?

Starting from the second night of Passover, the Bible encourages us to all become “Pentecostals” by initiating a forty-nine-day minor festival culminating on the Day of Pentecost—“Pentecost,” meaning “fifty.” The first fruits festival, known as “The Counting of the Omer” or simply “The Omer,” marks a culmination of three unique historical events and has enormous significance in the life of a disciple of Yeshua – Jesus.

El Shaddai God Almighty

El Shaddai – God Almighty…but there is more

El Shaddai appears in the Bible seven times, or as just Shaddai an additional forty-one times. English translators typically (and conveniently) render El Shaddai as “God Almighty.” Its meaning is murkier and will require some verbal archaeology to uncover. Moreover, it is one of the few biblical names of God that is virtually absent from the Jewish liturgy, only finding its place when we read Psalm 91:1 in the evening service, “He who dwells in the shelter of Elyon, will abide in the shadow of Shaddai.”

Equality Half-Shekel Remembrance

Equality and the Half-Shekel Remembrance

We should also keep in mind that the half-shekel tax funded the operation of the Tabernacle/Temple. As to the value of each individual—existentially and liturgically (i.e., pertaining to the significance of their worship)—each Israelite was equal. There were no spiritual giants or supermen whose worship and prayer were more valuable. Neither were there spiritual infants whose spiritual service was worth less.

What is Rosh Chodesh

What is Rosh Chodesh

By observing Rosh Chodesh, we “invite” God into the entire month and make Him Lord over all “our” time. The observance of Rosh Chodesh starts with, “This month will mark the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year for you” (Exodus 12:2). In response to this text, the Midrash notes, “‘For You’, God said to Israel, ‘Until now, the sanctification of months was in My hands, from now on it is given to you.’”  The first and critical part of Rosh Chodesh observance is the sanctification of the month. As a general principle, sanctification or holiness means “set apart,” and in biblical thought, set apart to God.

Parashat Beresheet

Genesis 1:1 “In The Beginning God Created…” | Torah Portion: Parashat Beresheet

The people saw glimpses of both Elohim and YHVH, but most could not understand who Yeshua was. His hidden divinity as Elohim made it hard for people to see beyond His physical being. His true identity was hidden like that of God’s identity in nature. The Divine clothed and concealed in the garments of gashmius—physicality. But after the Resurrection, those who had “eyes to see” recognized Him as both Elohim and YHVH. 

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