As we approach the day of Pentecost, many of the churches that were formed since the break up of WCG will be preparing to celebrate the day as the "the birthday of the church." And the hirelings that now operate out of UCG, PCG, LCG, RCG, COG-Hulme and all the other divided splinter groups, will be preparing sermons entitled, "The Meaning of the Day." This approach is not surprising, for they inherited it as a tradition from WCG.
But does God require or has he asked his children to celebrate the birthday of the church? The answer to this question will surprise many! And I defy anyone to prove to me that Pentecost is a celebration of the birth of the church!
On the contrary, Pentecost is a day or a period of judgment, as it mirrors The Last Great Day, which follows the Feast of Tabernacles, which is also a period of judgment. Pentecost begins that period of time, which is summed up in the phrase, "now is the day of salvation". It is during this time that the prophecy given to Moses is being fulfilled. For God told Moses: "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion"(Romans.9:15). That act of mercy and compassion began on the day of Pentecost, with the gift of the Holy Spirit being given to God's elect.
So when Jesus stood up on the The last Great Day of the Feast, and spoke thus: John 7:37-39. His sermon was about what would happen on Pentecost and beyond, as God began to call "the vessels of mercy" to salvation, and reject "the vessels of wrath"(Romans 9:22-24).
But does God require or has he asked his children to celebrate the birthday of the church? The answer to this question will surprise many! And I defy anyone to prove to me that Pentecost is a celebration of the birth of the church!
On the contrary, Pentecost is a day or a period of judgment, as it mirrors The Last Great Day, which follows the Feast of Tabernacles, which is also a period of judgment. Pentecost begins that period of time, which is summed up in the phrase, "now is the day of salvation". It is during this time that the prophecy given to Moses is being fulfilled. For God told Moses: "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion"(Romans.9:15). That act of mercy and compassion began on the day of Pentecost, with the gift of the Holy Spirit being given to God's elect.
So when Jesus stood up on the The last Great Day of the Feast, and spoke thus: John 7:37-39. His sermon was about what would happen on Pentecost and beyond, as God began to call "the vessels of mercy" to salvation, and reject "the vessels of wrath"(Romans 9:22-24).
