
Thriving in Babylon is looking at this story and gleaning from them. In a culture that doesn’t know, worship, or believe in God, how can we elevate and gain influence in our culture without compromising our faith, character, or identity?
It is fitting that we are ending our Thriving In Babylon Series this weekend because this weekend is Pentecost Weekend.
What is Pentecost and why does it matter?.
Many of us may not know what Pentecost is.
Some of us may know it from the story in Acts 2.
But that is just a small part of the significance of Pentecost.
Pentecost…
Goes all the way back to the Israelites’ beginning with Moses at Mount Sinai in Exodus.
Was celebrated and revered for over 1,500 years.
Was on display through the life of Jesus.
Was the catalyst to the inception of the early Church.
Is the “HOW” if we are going to indeed Thrive in Babylon.
What is Pentecost?
Pentecost is a Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday.
It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1–31).
The term Pentecost comes from the Greek (Pentēkostē), meaning “fiftieth”. It refers to the Jewish festival of Shavuot celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover. It is also known as the “Feast of Weeks: and the “Feast of 50 days” in rabbinic tradition.
In Judaism the Festival of Weeks (Shavuot) is a harvest festival that is celebrated seven weeks and one day after the first day of Passover (the Feast of Unleavened Bread) in Deuteronomy 16:9 or seven weeks and one day after the Sabbath referred to in Leviticus 23:16.
Shavuot (Festival of Weeks) is a harvest festival that is celebrated seven weeks and one day after the first day of Passover.
Deuteronomy16: 9-10
9Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. 10Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you.
Leviticus 23:16
16Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord.
The Festival of Weeks is also called the feast of Harvest in Exodus 23:16 and the day of first fruits in Numbers 28:26. In Exodus 34:22
Shavuot commonly known in English as the Feast of Weeks, is a major Jewish holiday, one of the three pilgrimage festivals.
Rabbinic tradition teaches that the date also marks the revelation of the Torah to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai.
Shavuot = Feast of Weeks = Pentecost
In order to understand Pentecost we must first understand the significance of Passover.
Without PASSOVER there is no PENTECOST.
Passover
Deuteronomy 16:12
Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and follow carefully these decrees.
Passover = Freedom
This counting of days and weeks is understood to express anticipation and desire for the giving of the Torah. On Passover, the people of Israel were freed from their enslavement to Pharaoh.
On Shavuot, they were given the Torah and became a nation committed to serving God.
Pentecost (NOW)… 7 Sundays (50 days) after Easter Sunday.
Pentecost (THEN)… 50 days after Passover.
OLD TESTAMENT
The Clues, Connections and Irony…
Pentecost is seven 7’s after passover. Then One day after which is after a Sabbath.
At Passover they were freed…
It is one of 3 pilgrimages to Jerusalem.
(Originally the “Feast of Weeks”)
It celebrates the “Giving of the Torah”
On Shavuot, they were given the Torah and became a nation committed to serving God.
Sinai…
Moses went up to the mountain and God (God’s Spirit) “came down” (descended) on Moses on the mountain.
Fire
He then imparted His wisdom, His way of living, even His power upon Moses.
And everyone at the bottom of the mountain saw it.
50 Days after Passover, Moses met with God on the mountain, they celebrated and called it “The Feast of Weeks”.
This counting of days and weeks is understood to express anticipation and desire for the giving of the Torah
On Passover: the people of Israel were freed from their enslavement to Pharaoh.
On Pentecost (on Shavuot:) they were given the Torah and became a nation committed to serving God.
Passover = Freedom
Pentecost = Power to live Free
GOD:
“Now that you are free, let me teach you how to live free, and let me impart my power and wisdom into you to actually do it.”
The Prophets
In the OT the presence of God resided on specific individuals.
Namely Prophets and Priests.
Daniel was a type of these.
The main function of the priest and the Prophet…
To reveal (God and His ways)
To convince (people to trust and follow God’s ways as best)
To remind (when we forget, and live like the world.)
JESUS
Jesus JUST HAPPENED to die on PASSOVER - because He is the new passover… for everyone.
40 days
Wait 9 more
Then Acts 2, JUST HAPPENED to happen on PENTECOST…
NEW TESTAMENT
HERE & NOW
Points everyone toward Jesus.
Not themselves.
Yoke
Paul was the 1st one to say don’t follow me, but…
Follow me… as I follow Christ.
Galatians 5 is the litmus test.
Galatians 5:13-14
13You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Galatians 5:19-23
19The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Christianity is not about going to a place… temple/church.
It’s the second baptism…
Not the baptism of Jesus - Repentance
Baptism in the Holy Spirit - Power/empowerment
Most of us become Christians so we can not die and go to hell.
God wants you to bring heaven here.
His presence is with us.
Paraclete, advocate, counsellor.
How much time are you spending with Him?
“Receive the Holy Spirit”
Daniel prayed 3 times a day
Shut out the world.
We need His Presence
We need His Power
We cannot THRIVE in Babylon without it,
We can barely SURVIVE.
Time in His Word
Time in His Presence
Additional Notes:
Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day[a] (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday.[2] It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1–31).[3]
The term Pentecost comes from the Greek Πεντηκοστή (Pentēkostē), meaning “fiftieth”. It refers to the Jewish festival of Shavuot celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover. It is also known as the “Feast of Weeks”[i] and the “Feast of 50 days” in rabbinic tradition.[7]
In Judaism the Festival of Weeks (Hebrew: שבועות, romanized: Shavuot) is a harvest festival that is celebrated seven weeks and one day after the first day of Passover (the Feast of Unleavened Bread) in Deuteronomy 16:9 or seven weeks and one day after the Sabbath referred to in Leviticus 23:16.[20] The Festival of Weeks is also called the feast of Harvest in Exodus 23:16 and the day of first fruits in Numbers 28:26.[21] In Exodus 34:22 it is called the “firstfruits of the wheat harvest.”[22] The date for the “Feast of Weeks” originally came the day after seven full weeks following the first harvest of grain.[23][24] In Jewish tradition the fiftieth day was known as the Festival of Weeks.[21][22] The actual mention of fifty days comes from Leviticus 23:16.[6][25]
Feast of Weeks
Shavuot (listen (help·info)), or Shavuos (listen (help·info)) in some Ashkenazi usage (Hebrew: שָׁבוּעוֹת, Šāvūʿōṯ, lit. “Weeks”), commonly known in English as the Feast of Weeks, is a major Jewish holiday, one of the three pilgrimage festivals, that occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan (in the 21st century, it may fall between May 15 and June 14 on the Gregorian calendar). In the Bible, Shavuot marked the wheat harvest in the Land of Israel.[2] In addition, rabbinic tradition teaches that the date also marks the revelation of the Torah to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai, which, according to the tradition of Orthodox Judaism, occurred at this date in 1314 BCE.[3]
The word Shavuot means “weeks”, and it marks the conclusion of the Counting of the Omer. Its date is directly linked to that of Passover; the Torah mandates the seven-week Counting of the Omer, beginning on the second day of Passover, to be immediately followed by Shavuot. This counting of days and weeks is understood to express anticipation and desire for the giving of the Torah. On Passover, the people of Israel were freed from their enslavement to Pharaoh; on Shavuot, they were given the Torah and became a nation committed to serving God.[4]
While Shavuot is sometimes referred to as Pentecost (in Koinē Greek: Πεντηκοστή) due to its timing after Passover, “pentecost” meaning “fifty” in Greek and Shavuot occurring fifty days after the first day of Pesach/Passover, it is not the same celebration as the Christian Pentecost, which comes fifty days after Pascha/Easter.[5][Note 1][6]
One of the biblically ordained Three Pilgrimage Festivals, Shavuot is traditionally celebrated in Israel for one day, where it is a public holiday, and for two days in the diaspora.[7][8][9]
Biblical names[edit]
In the Bible, Shavuot is called the “Festival of Weeks” (Hebrew: חג השבועות, Chag HaShavuot, Exodus 34:22, Deuteronomy 16:10); “Festival of Reaping” (חג הקציר, Chag HaKatzir, Exodus 23:16),[10] and “Day of the First Fruits” (יום הבכורים, Yom HaBikkurim, Numbers 28:26).[11]
Shavuot, the plural of a word meaning “week” or “seven”, alludes to the fact that this festival happens exactly seven weeks (i.e. “a week of weeks”) after Passover.[12]
Later names[edit]
The Talmud refers to Shavuot as ʻAṣeret (Hebrew: עצרת, “refraining” or “holding back”),[13] referring to the prohibition against work on this holiday[14] and also to the conclusion of the Passover holiday-season.[15] The other reason given for the reference ʻAṣeret is that just as Shemini ʻAṣeret brings the Festival of Succoth to a “close”, in the same respect, Shavuot (ʻAṣeret) brings The Festival of Passover to its actual “close”.
Since Shavuot occurs fifty days after Passover, Hellenistic Jews gave it the name “Pentecost” (Koinē Greek: Πεντηκοστή, “fiftieth day”).[16]