Pentecost – the Harvest Festival
Pentecost is coming up! In fact it is this Sunday - the 7th Sunday after Easter.
Pentecost is actually an Old Testament tradition, called The Festival of Weeks. God's people the Israelites were instructed by God to celebrate the Passover every year - a memorial of how God spared His people from the plague of death and then set them free from their imprisonment in Egypt.
50 days later, the Israelites would then celebrate the completion of the Wheat Harvest, with a day of celebration called Pentecost.
Now, Jesus' disciples were Jewish, remember. So, fifty days after the Passover - which was the week Jesus had been crucified - we read this: "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." (Acts 2:1-4)
Pentecost Fulfilled in Christ
We Christians believe that the Jewish festivals were completed or fulfilled by Christ. We don't celebrate Passover, because Jesus is our Passover lamb. So we celebrate Good Friday instead.
We don't celebrate Pentecost as the completion of the Wheat Harvest anymore. We celebrate it as the coming of the Spirit of Jesus, in which thousands of souls were 'harvested' for the kingdom of God.
Jesus, remember, had spoken about how "the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few" (Matthew 9:37). So Pentecost was a kind of completion of the 'harvest', because the first Christian converts were made that day.
Praying for a Harvest This Sunday
Here's an idea. Pentecost is just a few days away. Why don't we pray this week for a great harvest of souls this Sunday at our churches?
I think about 2,000 people or so get these daily devotions, between my WhatsApp channel, my YouTube channel, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. What if we all prayed each day this week that God would do something remarkable in our local churches on Sunday - that He would pour out His Spirit like He did that day in Acts, and draw many people into His grace on that day?
For the rest of the week I want to answer some questions about the Holy Spirit, which I hope will be useful to you.
Let's add to that some fervent prayer for a harvest festival on Sunday. And I hope you and I will have some stories to share on Sunday afternoon.
When dealing with difficult people, remember to be gentle – a true sign of your strength.