The Feast of Pentecost - (First fruits or Weeks)
Deuteronomy
16:9-12
1: Count off
seven days from the day you begin to harvest the wheat.
2; Celebrate
the feast of weeks by giving a freewill offering in
Proportion to the blessing
of the Lord your God has given you.
3: Rejoice before the Lord in a place He
will choose as a dwelling for His Name. You and you sons,
your daughters, the Levites, you men and maidservants, the foreigners, fatherless
and widows among you.
4: Remember your
slavery in
Two loaves of leavened bread were offered along with sacrifices
of ten
animals for burnt offerings,
a goat was offered for a sin offering and two-year-old male lambs for a
peace offering.
This feast celebrated The Coming of The Holy Spirit as in
Acts 2.
The two leavened loaves represent the Church, which is still
under the
influence of evil while alive
in this body of sin, leaven represents sin, which
spreads throughout. The separate
stalks of barley bundled together as the
disciples were, become loaves
into one mass representing the church.
The examples of evil within the Church:
1: The church of deception, lies and approbation.
Acts 5:1-11
2: The appeasing church. Galatians 2:11-14
3: The self-directing church. Acts 1:12-26
& Acts 21
4: The divided church. 1Corinthians
1:10-17
5: The adulterous church. 1Corinthians
5:1-11, 6:12-20
6: The murderous
and hatful church. 1John 3:15
7: The religious
church. Colossians 2:16-19
8: The gossiping
church. James 3:9-12
9: The Arrogant
and boastful church. James 4:13-17
10: The slandering
church. James 4:11-12
11: The proud
church. 1 Peter 5:5b
12: The sensational
church. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
13: The deceived
church. Galatians 1:6-10
The Church’s Spiritual Opportunity
The enriched and exemplar church
Ephesians 4:1-2
“As a prisoner for the Lord, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling
you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing
with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace.”
The humble church
1 Peter 5:6-7
“Humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand, by casting all your cares
upon Him, because He cares for you, and He will lift you up in due time.”
The loving church
John 15:9-17
“Love one another as I have loved you”
The giving church
2 Corinthians
9:6-7
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will read sparingly, whoever sows
generously will also reap generously. Each person should give what He has
decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God
loves a gracious giver.”
The fruitful church
Galatians 5:22-23
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self control”
The forgiving church
Colossians
3:13
“Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
The compassionate church
Colossians
3:12
“Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience.”