Why Jesus’ Last Words Are Important to You Today
As we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, which we also know as Shavuot, let us pay attention to the last thing Jesus did on Earth before He ascended to Heaven. He instructed His followers to wait for the Holy Spirit. Why is that important to you today? Look at it this way. If you were leaving your husband or wife, children, and friends, what you said before you departed would be important. You would want each person to remember what you said. Your words would not be trivial, or something to be ignored. You would want them to pay close attention to what you had told them.
That is why you and I should take Jesus’ words seriously. He told His followers not to leave Jerusalem until they had received the Holy Spirit. He didn’t want them to miss the power that would transform their lives and change the world on that day, during the Jewish celebration of Shavuot, or what you and I call, Pentecost.
Is Your Tradition Standing in the Way of God’s Power?
His disciples, and other followers, could have missed the impact of that day. Like so many Christians that call themselves, “Spirit-filled” believers, they could have let the moment pass without receiving that explosive power and supernatural presence that would change everything. Their traditions, just like those remaining today, would have made the Word of God of “no effect.” (Mark 7:13)
The religious traditions you and I believe can limit the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was not commanding His followers to remain in Jerusalem so they could have a temporary experience. He wanted them to be impacted forever by the power and might of the Holy Spirit!
Right Now, Look at Pentecost Through a Jew’s Eyes
Do you remember what happened on the Day of Pentecost? The Book of Acts, Chapter 2:1-4 says that, “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord, in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
You and I can easily miss what was going on there that day if we read this with a Christian perspective and not as a first century Jew. You probably think that Pentecost happened on the day that the Holy Spirit fell. Actually, it is just the opposite. The Holy Spirit fell on the day of Pentecost!
What Happened When the Holy Spirit Came to Jerusalem?
When the Holy Spirit came, the Book of Acts records that there was thunder and lightning, and tongues of fire. They all began to speak in other tongues. Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs had come to gather together.
Whatever languages were in existence at that time, they began to speak them. It was a miracle of God. They were praising Him in tongues they didn’t know. They heard their own language spoken in praise and worship to God. They knew it had to be supernatural. A great revival had begun. What happened that day would literally change the world. Do you know what? It still is.
An Amazing Series of Events That Changed Two Lives Forever
Decades ago when I lived in Arizona, my pastor shared a story with me. When he was a young man, before he became a pastor, he was in a prayer room. He was praying to God and speaking in other tongues. All of a sudden he spoke a language in did not know. He left the prayer room and went into the church service. He felt the Spirit of God moving. He stood up, spoke in that new tongue, and a woman across the room began to interpret.
Interpretation is something biblical and is needed when you do not understand what is being said. God gives the meaning so that the congregation can benefit from what the Spirit of God is saying. As the woman continued, two Navajo women burst into tears, ran down to the front, and fell on their faces, repenting before God. The young man had been speaking fluent Navajo. Neither he, nor the woman who interpreted had one drop of Navajo blood in them. God had used them both to speak to these Native American women by His Spirit. The two women instantly recognized their native tongue. God was saying to them, “I know who you are, and I’m reaching out to you. Receive My love.” They received Jesus as their Lord and Savior that day.
To Understand the New You Have to See the Old
For you to understand what the day of Pentecost truly is, I have to take you to the Book of Exodus, Chapter 19:16-18.
“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. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 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.”
Pentecost, or what in the Hebrew language is called Shavuot, is the day when God gave the world the five books of Moses, or the Torah which was the early beginnings of the Bible. The Jews coming out of Egypt were coming from the land of not enough. Then God took them on a journey to the land of more than enough.
This is also what we’re expecting during this appointed season. It’s no coincidence that God chose a fifty-day period because it is the number of the Lord’s Jubilee. This is a powerful biblical time of financial freedom and financial miracles! It’s when an extraordinary flow of our Lord’s redemption, restitution, and restoration is released upon you. We’re standing in faith with you for an increase in your income, miracle debt cancellation, and restoration of whatever has been lost or stolen.
When the Holy Spirit fell, the Bible says the place was shaking, and there was thunder and lightning, and tongues of fire. Four thousand years earlier, on Mount Sinai, when Moses received the Word of God, these same supernatural manifestations happened.
What Happened to 70 People That Sparked An Awesome Revival!
The purpose of Pentecost was much more than a sound and light show from Heaven. Holy Spirit came to empower us to, as Mark describes in Chapter 16, verses 15-18, tell others that the Kingdom of Heaven is here to heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out demons.
The power of the Holy Spirit is not yours or mine to put on some kind of show. It is to glorify God, bring people into the Kingdom of God, heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons and do the greater works Jesus said you and I would do.
The Feast of Pentecost is an appointed time on God’s calendar. Fifty is the number of Pentecost. There were fifty days from Egypt to Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Word of God. Fifty is also the number of Jubilee, when God cancels debts, sets people free, and brings a harvest of blessings. God restores all the blessings you have lost, rejected, or missed out on.
The 50 days before Pentecost is a preparation time. Look at your life and ask yourself if you are serving God with all your heart. Is He your top priority? Have you replaced Him with something else? Are you loving God and your neighbor? You need to make sure your life is lined up with God’s Word.
Celebrate This Pentecost with An Unlimited Blessing From God
God delivered His people out of the bondages of slavery and death in Egypt, which we celebrate during Passover. Now, fifty days later, at Pentecost we celebrate the giving of the Torah and the Holy Spirit. God has given you the Holy Spirit so that wherever you go, He goes with you. You have His authority and command to go into all the world, preach the Gospel, make disciples, and confirm His world with signs, wonders and miracles.
Another powerful blessing that comes during Shavuot is the teaching that this is when God takes us on a JOURNEY TO PROSPERITY! Shavuot is also when God asks us to come before Him with the second of three special offerings, as stated in Exodus 23 and Deuteronomy 16.
It is considered a First Fruits offering that we bring three times a year, on Passover, Shavuot (Pentecost), and Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. This offering expresses our thanks to the Lord for all He has done. It also is a seed we sow toward our next miracle harvest.
As we participate, God’s promise in Malachi 3 is activated, as well as many other Shavuot promises. This Pentecost, receive a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit. You have wisdom, knowledge, and revelation of God’s Word. You are empowered by the Holy Spirit, are anointed and have every spiritual gift.
Tiz and I pray that you receive an extra measure of joy, peace, anointing and prosperity – it is a double blessing!
