Shavuot (שבועות) / Pentecost
Shavuot is the second of the three main harvest festivals (Passover and Feast of Tabernacles are the other two), described in Leviticus 23, also called feast of weeks (shavuot is Hebrew for weeks). Pentecost comes from the Greek and means 50, since it is celebrated 50 days from the feast of first fruits (Resurrection Sunday).
Passover symbolises the redemption of Israel and Shavuot the abundant provision of God.
It was on this day that Moses recieved the Law at Mount Sinai (according to rabbinical tradition) and it was on this day the promise of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled and the church was born.
While the Jews eagerly counted off 7 weeks from Passover and waited for this festival, the disciples were eagerly waiting for the fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit by Jesus. In Acts Chapter 2 the disciples were surrounded by a sound of a violent wind, the Hebrew word Ruach for the Holy Spirit and the Greek pneuma for the Holy Spirit both mean wind or breath. God breathed into Adam and He came alive and now He was breathing over and baptizing the disciples with the Holy Spirit.
The baptism with the Holy Spirit transformed these unsuspecting, unremarkable and mostly underrated Galilean men and women into the most powerful witnesses and birthed the church. Hence, it became the birthday of the church. What originally was an agricultural harvest celebration became a celebration of the harvest of souls.
Acts 2:5 says there were Jews from every nation gathered in Jerusalem for the feast and 3000 of them responded to the first sermon by Peter and God added to their numbers daily. These thousands of Jews who accepted Yeshua as the Messiah and received the Holy Spirit would then take the gospel back to their homes in their nations. So the great outpouring on the Pentecost not only have birth to the Church but also to evangelism.
It’s been ~ 2000 years since then and the world continues to wage war against the church but Jesus promised that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. The wind and the fire phenomenon which birthed the church is not a one time event (as erroneously taught by many) but it is for each of us who believe in Jesus.
Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”
Acts of the Apostles 2:38-39 NLT
God bless you.
joyancejames 