Being a witness to what God has done was the beginning of the Holy Spirit’s effects on believers on Pentecost and part of the transition of the early church. Although many associate Pentecost solely with the New Testament era, its origins are in the Old Testament. Specifically Leviticus 23, where God established the seven biblical …
Witnesses to God’s saving work were essential to the early church’s spread of the Gospel. Their witness was a message that transformed lives. This mission began just before the ascension, when Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures and prepared them to proclaim the good news. Luke 24:46 And Jesus said, “Yes, it was written …
As we do in the fall, Israel, too, celebrated a thanksgiving for the end of the harvest. The Festival of Tabernacles was the last of the Holy Days listed in Leviticus 23 and took place on the 15th of the Jewish seventh month. This would be in September or October on our calendar today. By …
When the people were in the wilderness after leaving Egypt, they had to depend on God for their provision. God provided food and water and didn’t let their clothes wear out. The Festival of Tabernacles also celebrates God’s provision in the past and the present, and looks forward to His provision in the future. Remembering …
Jesus is the Gate. He was using a common image to explain a spiritual reality. His first-century listeners would have been knowledgeable about sheep and shepherds. Those of us in the twenty-first century are not as familiar with a sheepfold and need more information. A first-century sheepfold was a rock wall enclosure of loosely stacked …
Sheep know their spiritual shepherd because they have a relationship with their Savior, Jesus. In the Bible, believers are called sheep and share many of the same characteristics. There’s something about a relationship with our Savior that lets us hear His voice above the noise of everyday life, just as sheep recognize their shepherd’s voice. …
The healed blind man discovered that true sight begins with Jesus. This man received his physical sight after Jesus had stated, “I am the Light of the World.” The healed blind man acknowledged Jesus as a prophet (John 9:17), but had not seen him until Jesus found him. John 9: 35 When Jesus heard what had …
If you follow Jesus, you won’t walk in darkness. Why does the world seem turned upside down because of ungodly behavior? Jesus reveals the answer to this age-old question. John 8:12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk …
Another Temple tradition that had developed during the Feast of Tabernacles was the Candle Ceremony. God had not commanded it, but the tradition pointed to God as the source of light. On the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the priests constructed three seventy-five-foot-high candles in the court of the Women of the Temple. …
If you thirst, come to Jesus. This has never been truer than in the world we live in. The words Jesus spoke nearly 2000 years ago in the Gospel of John still call out to thirsty sinners today. John 7:37 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, …