Welcome to … Sharaka Shares

“Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your G-d by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your G-d has given you…” Deut. 16:10

Have you ever really considered this Scripture before? We are to come with an offering – not our tithe, this would be over and above our tithe. I finally got a handle on this and I keep a little tzadaka box in my kitchen window sill. Every quarter I come across goes into the box. I’ve been known to ask for quarters from family and friends from time to time…. Do you realize how many quarters you can come up with in a year? It really works – try it or come up with some plan of your own. Never again will I come to celebrate Shavuot without an offering.

I have a Stone’s Chumash and I see some valuable reading there. It’s NOT Scripture, but greater minds than mine have put a lot of prayer and thought into it and there is much to learn. As long as it conforms to Scripture, I am happy to read and accept it. I found an interesting piece (under V’Yikra (Leviticus) 23 concerning holy convocations: [page 683] BTW = a “holy convocation” is a gathering together of His people to worship Him. You can’t fulfill this mitzvah by staying home – so best you find a place to go and go prepared with an offering!

“The Festivals are days on which the people are “invited” (commanded, actually!) to assemble in prayer and thanksgiving and to celebrate with fine clothing and festive meals……….The purpose of the festivals is spiritual elevation and the special foods and festive clothing are to help people achieve that goal. By giving honor and distinctiveness to the day, we focus our minds on it and thereby foster a realization of the opportunities it offers us, if we but utilize them properly.”

Did you notice that “fine clothing”? How can we come to meet our Master, the King of the universe in less than our best? Let’s dress up and look like we really care about what we are doing! Let’s have a festive meal! We can use our best dishes and serving pieces and go all out with preparation of some extra special recipes for this very special occasion! It does matter.

“Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and follow carefully these decrees.” Egypt is a symbol of sin. When we were in sin, we were lost and undone. We that have accepted His salvation have escaped the Egypt of sin in our lives and we need to be ever so grateful for our deliverance. So let’s keep His decrees and do our best to follow all that He has to say regarding this very special holy day.

Since the giving of the Torah on Mt Sinai is equivalent to a betrothal, it is “wedding time”! What a wonderful time to dress up, bring an offering, a festive dish and enjoy a wedding atmosphere! We can celebrate two major events – G-d’s special personal Word to us and His gift of the Ruach HaKodesh!

Oh, and do you have any extra quarters?

See you next time!
Shalom, Sharaka
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D’varim (Deuteronomy) 16:10-12 = “Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your G-d by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your G-d has given you. And rejoice before the Lord your G-d at the place He will choose as a dwelling place for His name – you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and your maidservants, the Levites in your towns, and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows living among you. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and follow carefully these decrees.” (Leaving Egypt is the same as leaving the sin of this world)

Next Shabbat (May 14th, 2005) will be the celebration for the early Feasters and June 13th for the traditional calendar observers. Shavu’ot (shaw-vu-OAT, as pronounced by the Sephardic Jews and is the national language of Israel) is one of the three pilgrim festivals that were to be celebrated in Jerusalem – the place where G-d has chosen to put His name. All men were to travel to the City to wave their two loaves of leavened bread before the Lord. This was a public testimony of the Lord’s provision for His people. It is a celebration of the abundant spring harvest. Since the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, the emphasis has changed from animal sacrifices and agricultural aspects to celebrating the gift of Torah at Mt. Sinai. This day became the legal birth of Israel as a Nation.

Messianic Believers can also celebrate the gift of the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit which occurred on the same day. Christianity calls this day Pentecost, which means “50”, because it occurs 50 days after Passover, and considers this day to be the birthday of the “church“. We know that the “church”, actually the “called out ones” or ecclesia/congregation/kehelot were called out at Mt Sinai where G-d betrothed Himself to His people. That was the true birthday of the “church”.

“The festival of Shavuot arrived, and the Believers all gathered together in one place. Suddenly there came a sound from the sky like the roaring of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire which separated and came to rest on each one of them. They were all filled with the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) and began to talk in different languages, as the Spirit enabled them.” Acts 2:1-4 Complete Jewish Bible

Y’shua gave His disciples the Holy Spirit on the day of His resurrection (First Fruits) but He told them not to leave Jerusalem until they received the gift of the Father. (Acts 1:4-5) Throughout the Bible, fire has been a symbol of G-d’s presence and His covenant. The burning bush in the desert, the pillar of fire in the wilderness, etc. Fire is considered a symbol of the presence of the Ruach. Fire came down on the day of Pentecost (Greek word for 50)

As Believers, we can celebrate Shavuot as the giving of G-d’s instructions for daily living (the Torah) and as the giving of the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit) the power and enablement to be bold witnesses in the world we live in. We are to take the gospel to the world with miracles of healing. We are to make disciples of all nations and teach obedience to G-d’s commandments. Somebody once said, “Without the work of missions and evangelism, Pentecost (Shavuot) is just so many goose bumps!”

To quote “Special appointments With God”, a book prepared by Cedar Park Assembly of God:
“Pentecost (or Shavuot) represents the work of God in a new dimension in our life. It stands in contrast to the work of God in salvation. In Salvation, Jesus is our Saviour but at Pentecost He is our baptizer. In salvation, the Holy Spirit comes into our life while at Pentecost the Spirit is released in power. Salvation comes from the resurrected Christ, while Spirit Baptism comes from the glorified Christ. Regeneration is the in-breathed Spirit while baptism is the out-poured Spirit. Salvation brings us into relationship with God while (Spirit) baptism is meant to bring us into a new relationship with the world. Salvation is God in you, whereas Pentecost is God released through you. Salvation and Spirit Baptism are as different as Passover is from Pentecost.”

Let’s begin to prepare our hearts to receive all G-d has for us while we do our best to keep His Torah.

See you next time!
Shalom, Sharaka
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