September 8
Happy Sabbath Everyone,
 
The scripture for today is Acts 2:1
 
Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
 
In the Old Testament, the day of Pentecost was called the "feast of weeks" and the "feast of harvest" when the first fruits were offered to the Lord. The word Pentecost means fiftieth in Greek and it was the celebration of the giving of the law to Moses on Mt. Sinai after the departure from Egypt. It was celebrated fifty days from Passover. In New Testament times, Jews from all over the world came to Jerusalem for this celebration. Given that Jesus had appeared to His disciples over a period of forty days after His resurrection and had been in the grave for three days, it is probable that this celebration of Pentecost began seven days after He ascended back into Heaven. That would satisfy the fifty-day period from Passover, which is the day that He died on the cross.  
    
At Mt. Sinai, God gave the law to Moses written on tablets of stone.  This law was a transcript of the character of God. All who followed His law would live a life that reflected what God was like.  The celebration of the giving of the law was the time that God chose to send His Holy Spirit to seal the New Covenant. God did not change the law, but with the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, the location of the law changed. Under the New Covenant God, through His Holy Spirit, writes His law upon the hearts of those who receive Him. "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them."Hebrews 10:16His indwelling Spirit imparts His character to those who receive Him.
   
At Mt. Sinai while Moses was upon the mountain with God, receiving the Ten Commandments, the children of Israel grew impatient and demanded that an idol be made for them to worship; they chose to reject God and wanted a god of their own creation. The disciples in the New Testament however, followed the command of Jesus and waited in the upper room for the promise of the Father, "they were all with one accord in one place." It was when they were in this condition of singleness of mind and purpose that the Holy Spirit came and filled them.  
    
Jesus prayed, "That they all may be one." John 17:21It is in the spirit of obedience, unity and oneness that the power of God is received by His church. We can expect that He will pour out His Spirit upon His church once again as we come into that same place of being in one accord in Christ Jesus.
 
God bless you as you continue in His service.
Tim