A NEW SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHING MATERIAL FOR THE 21ST CENTURY CHURCH
Pages: 128
Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5
BOOK REVIEW
In the Old Testament era God gave series of detailed description of the mode of worship. Five books of the Bible are dedicated for the instructions on worship.
These five books of Moses became the teaching manual in homes, families and the synagogue.
Right from the birth of the Old Testament Church God demanded that worship be taught to the children, youth, toddlers, and adults Exodus 12:17;24-27; Josh 4:7; Esther 9:28.
So the people of Israel had a better understanding of worship and therefore were very cooperative when it came to the art or practice of worship.
When the people of Israel understood worship the result was amazing.
The Out-Pouring of the Holy Spirit - Power To Witness
PRAYER SCHOOL
Written by george annan
Wednesday, 05 August 2009 19:17
Acts 1:1-9
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost
is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria,
and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Before the resurrected Jesus ascended to heaven He instructed His disciples who were recovering from the shock and despair of his death to wait for the endowment of power to be able to undertake the assignment He had commission them for. The assignment was to take the gospel to all the ends of the earth.
Behold the day came and it coincided with the Jewish feast day of Pentecost. Pentecost or Shavuot also referred to as the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Harvest and the Latter Firstfruits was celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover and was a joyous time of giving thanks and presenting offerings for the new grain of the summer wheat harvest in Israel. The name ‘Feast of Weeks’ was giving because God commanded the Jews in Leviticus 23:15-16, to count seven full weeks or 49 days beginning on the second day of Passover, and then present offerings of new grain to the Lord as a lasting ordinance.
Shavuot was originally a festival for expressing thankfulness to the Lord for the blessing of the harvest. And because it occurred at the conclusion of the Passover, it acquired the name ‘Latter Firstfruits’. The celebration is also tied to the giving of the Ten Commandments and thus bears the name Matin Torah or “giving of the Law”. Jews believe that it was exactly at this time that God gave the Torah to the people through Moses on Mount Sinai.
Shavuot is considered to be the conclusion of Passover. One school of thought believes that Jews gain their independence from Pharoah on Passover but were only truly free on Shavuot when they accepted the Torah and became servants of God.
Shavuot is thus called Zman Matan Torataynu (the time of giving of our Torah) because it commemorates the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people on mount Sinai.
Historically Pentecost was a feast of celebration:
vCelebration of harvest
vCelebration of the birth of the Nation of Israel or (freedom); the Old Testament Church in the Wilderness
vCelebration of the Torah (the Old Covenant or Testament)
Typologically Jesus Christ was crucified on the Jewish feast day of the Passover a day sacrifices were made for the remission of sins of the people. He became the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world. He resurrected on the third day which was the second day God instructed them to start counting seven full weeks (49days) after which they should present offerings of new grain Lev. 23:15-16. On the fiftieth day was the Pentecost.
God chose this day of the feast of Pentecost to pour out the gift of the Holy Spirit on His disciples; fifty days after His resurrection.
Even though the disciples had believed in Him and being called Christians that day will be the:
vCelebration of their new identity in Christ.
vCelebration of the birth of the New Testament church
vCelebration of the coming into effect of the New Covenant (Testament)
The disciples were all together in one place (the upper room) at Jerusalem. Suddenly there was a sound of mighty rushing wind from heaven that filled the house where they had assembled and there was an appearance of tongues of fire resting on each of the disciples. Verse 4 of Acts chapter 2 says they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. The crowed gathered for the original Pentecost observed the experience as they saw and heard them speak in different languages.
In Acts 1:5 Jesus referred to the experience as baptism of the Holy Spirit. An endowment of divine power that will enable the disciples to carry out His divine mandate of carrying the gospel message to the ends of the earth. The promise of the Holy Spirit was associated with power for evangelism.
However the baptism of the Holy Spirit happened with more than one manifestation
1.Manifestation of the endowment of power
2.Manifestation of the speaking of other tongues
What the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not:
a)The baptism is not for the speaking of tongues
b)The baptism is not a license to be content and feel as having attained a right standing with God.
c)The baptism is not for the learning of how to speak in tongues
d)The baptism is not to let you feel superior over another Christian who has not had the experience
e)The baptism does not make you any better than another Christian of other denomination or who has not had the experience.
f)The baptism does not make you better preferred by God
g)The baptism is not for Christians to sit on church pews or in our closest just praying in tongues.
What the baptism of the Holy Spirit is:
a)The Holy Spirit baptism is the baptism of power, a divine endowment for Christians to fulfill our mandate for the great commission to be fishers of men.
b)To celebrate the power of Pentecost and usher in the birth of the New Testament Church.
c)To celebrate the coming into effect of the New Testament; a better covenant established on better promises.
To my understanding of the scriptures the first and initial sign of the Holy Spirit baptism in any Christian is the new passion, fearless desire and radical and lasting interest and involvement in Evangelism.
The world we live in may never notice the day we get baptized in the Holy Spirit. What will make them question what is going on in our lives just like Simon the sorcerer asked Paul in Acts 8:1-24 is when they notice our tireless, passion, the level of desire and dedication, zeal and radical involvement in our father’s kingdom business. When they witness our boldness, sacrifices and uncompromising stand in fulfilling the great commission that will be convincing evidence to the world that we have had a divine encounter with the Holy Spirit.
We read that the disciples began to speak in tongues at the baptism of the Holy Spirit as they were enabled by the spirit. Am suggesting that tongues are not important. NO! I am only setting the precedence as seen in the scriptures which has been twisted and shifted the churches primary mandate for mission to churching.
The apostle Paul in the book of Corinthians emphasizes that tongues is to be used to assist us in our prayer life. Praying in tongues is to revive, rekindle, recharge the power we receive at the baptism and renew our commitment to our fathers mandate for missions for his church and to build our innermost faith for a lasting dedication to the great commission.
Next we will talk about the benefits of praying in tongues. See you again. Shalom!
PRAYER SCHOOL 
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