UNDERSTANDING GOD'S FEASTS AS A CHRISTIAN

OCTOBER 7/2019

THERE ARE TIMES WHEN I FIND MYSELF AMAZED AT HOW MANY YEARS I HAVE SPENT IMMERSED IN A VERY SIMPLE VIEW OF GOD AND MY FAITH AS A CHRISTIAN BELIEVER. EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BE CENTERED ON SALVATION. CHURCH WAS CENTERED ON THE GOSPEL AND THE NEW TESTAMENT. THERE WAS VERY LITTLE TIME SPENT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT OTHER THAN A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF GENESIS AND THE GARDEN, MAN’S FALL, MOSES AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, THE PARTING OF THE RED SEA, AND ULTIMATELY GOD MOVING THE JEWISH PEOPLE INTO THE PROMISED LAND. IT WAS A VERY SIMPLE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE…BUT SOMEWHERE IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, THINGS BECAME MORE COMPLICATED….AND MUCH MORE COMPLETE. AS I BEGAN TO MOVE INTO A DEEPER AND DEEPER RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS, A WHOLE NEW PERSPECTIVE BEGAN TO UNFOLD. IT WAS A BURNING DESIRE TO UNDERSTAND GOD THE FATHER AND HIS KINGDOM. A DESIRE TO SEE HOW HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH MANKIND HAD EVOLVED. WHO HE IS AS A FATHER, AND I WANTED TO KNOW HIS CHARACTER AND HOW HE LOOKED AT ME AS HIS CHILD. I GAINED A WAY DEEPER UNDERSTANDING ON HOW ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, FROM MOSES TO THE PROPHETS WERE A FORESHADOWING OF GOD’S UNIQUE PLAN TO RE-ESTABLISH A COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH US. FORESHADOWING….HMMM. GOD TOLD US ALL ALONG HIS GIFT WAS GOING TO BE A MESSIAH. A MESSIAH THAT WOULD COMPLETE THE NEED FOR OUR SINS TO BE FORGIVEN BY AN ULTIMATE SACRIFICE. THE ULTIMATE ACT OF LOVE, TO DIVINELY GIVE US MARY, AND THE MIRACULOUS BIRTH OF HIS SON. A SON THAT WOULD WALK AMONG US IN PERFECTION, SHOWING US HOW TO LIVE, AND PRAY, AND UNDERSTAND WHO HIS FATHER WAS. TO SHOW US MIRACLES AND HIS FATHER’S POWER AND AUTHORITY. TO SHOW US THE LOVE THAT GOD HAS FOR US….AND ULTIMATELY, TO KNOWINGLY DIE FOR US, THAT WE MIGHT HAVE SALVATION AND A PLACE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

THEREFORE THE LORD HIMSELF WILL GIVE YOU A SIGN; BEHOLD, A VIRGIN WILL BE WITH CHILD AND BEAR A SON, AND SHE WILL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL. Isaiah 7:14

I AM THE VINE; YOU ARE THE BRANCHES. WHOEVER ABIDES IN ME AND I IN HIM, HE IT IS THAT BEARS MUCH FRUIT, FOR APART FROM ME, YOU CAN DO NOTHING. John 15:5

AS PART OF MY GROWTH IN LEARNING TO WORK HARD AT ABIDING IN JESUS, I ALSO REALIZED THAT A BIG PART OF ABIDING MEANT THAT I HAD TO LIVE AND ACT AS HE DID. I NEEDED TO KNOW WHAT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS FATHER WAS LIKE, HOW HE WORSHIPPED HIS FATHER, AND WHAT DID HE MOST CHERISH IN SPENDING TIME WITH HIM. HE MODELED A LOT OF THINGS THAT I EXPECTED, AND ONE I DID NOT. JESUS SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN THE TORAH, LIVING THE COMMANDMENTS OUT PERFECTLY, AND HE SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN PRAYER. HE WAS ALWAYS SHOWING THOSE AROUND HIM HOW TO SEEK GOD’S KINGDOM AND HOW TO WORSHIP AND HONOR GOD COMPLETELY IN HIS LIFE AMONG US AS A MAN. HE ALSO CELEBRATED AND HONORED GOD’S FEAST DAYS. FEAST DAYS ? WAIT A MINUTE….THE FEASTS PERTAIN TO JUDAISM, RIGHT ? OK, WELL JESUS WAS JEWISH. I AM A CHRISTIAN, SO I DON’T REALLY UNDERSTAND THEM, AND I HAVE NEVER PRACTICED THEM. RIGHT ! BUT THE FUNNY THING IS THAT I COULDN’T GET THEM OUT OF MY MIND AND HEART. THEY ARE GOD’S FEAST DAYS…..AND, THE JEWISH PEOPLE HAVE LONG CELEBRATED THEM AS GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE. BUT JESUS CAME TO OPEN GOD TO EVERYONE, INCLUDING THE GENTILES…..SO WHY WOULDN’T WE BE CELEBRATING HIS FEASTS AS WELL? JESUS CELEBRATED THEM, AND THEY WERE IMPORTANT TO HIM. PUZZLING QUESTIONS TO SAY THE LEAST. FOR A WHILE, I KIND OF AVOIDED THE TOPIC, BUT GOD JUST WOULDN’T LET THEM GO AWAY. SOMEHOW, THROUGH FRIENDS, TEACHINGS, PODCASTS, AND READING SCRIPTURE, THEY ALWAYS CAME BACK. GOD’S VOICE, ASKING ME TO LOOK DEEPER AT HIS APPOINTED TIMES….HIS MOADIM.

THE LORD SPOKE TO MOSES, SAYING, “SPEAK TO THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL AND SAY TO THEM, THESE ARE THE APPOINTED FEASTS OF THE LORD THAT YOU SHALL PROCLAIM AS HOLY CONVOCATIONS; THEY ARE MY APPOINTED FEASTS. Leviticus 23:1-2

HIS VOICE AGAIN. “JIM, YOU ARE GRAFTED IN WITH MY CHOSEN PEOPLE….READ MY WORD AND GO DEEPER”. SO I HAVE LOOKED DEEPER, AND WHAT I HAVE PERSONALLY FOUND IS THAT THE FEASTS SHOW ME THE JOY OF KNOWING JESUS, AND THAT JESUS IS CRITICAL FOR THE VERY PURPOSE OF THEM. I CHALLENGE YOU TO THINK THEM THROUGH AND SEE THE CONNECTION…..PASSOVER - JESUS WAS THE PASSOVER LAMB. HIS DEATH AND BLOOD PROTECTS US FROM DEATH. UNLEAVENED BREAD.- LOOK AT THE SINLESS LIFE OF JESUS AND THE UNLEAVENED BREAD, STRIPED AND PIERCED,,,,FIRST FRUITS - JESUS WAS RESURRECTED ON THIS VERY DAY. WEEKS - PENTECOST, THE TIME WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS POURED OUT INTO THE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS. ALL THESE FEASTS FULFILLED BY JESUS…..AS SPOKEN BY THE PROPHETS. TRUMPETS - 1ST FALL FEAST, IT POINTS TO THE 2ND COMING AND THE RAPTURE. IT LEADS TO A TIME OF “REPENTANCE” IN THE DAYS OF AWE LEADING UP TO THE DAY OF ATONEMENT - SINS ARE FORGIVEN, JESUS IS RECOGNIZED BY ALL AS THE MESSIAH, THEN, JUDGEMENT AND WRATH COME….FINALLY THE TABERNACLE OF BOOTHS. A DAY OF CELEBRATION AND RELATIONSHIP AS JESUS COMES TO LIVE AMONGST US….HIS PEOPLE, AND HE REIGNS AS KING….FOREVER.

GOD HAS SHOWN ME THAT FOR MY LIFE, I CAN CELEBRATE HIS FEASTS FOCUSED ON JESUS. THE JOY OF KNOWING JESUS HAS FULFILLED MANY OF THE REASONS FOR THE FEASTS, AS WELL AS LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FEASTS HE WILL TRULY SOME DAY COMPLETE WHEN HE RETURNS AS OUR KING. THE DAY WHEN THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS COMPLETELY OURS IN FULL GLORY ON THE EARTH. NOT EVERYONE SHARES THIS PERSPECTIVE I HAVE GLEANED, BUT I SIMPLY ASK YOU TO CONSIDER….THE WONDER AND LOVE AND POWER AND WILL OF OUR MIGHTY GOD. MAY JESUS BE YOUR EVERYTHING. I CELEBRATE MY SAVIOR, LORD, AND KING ! PEACE AND WISDOM/JAA

THAT WHICH WAS FROM THE BEGINNING, WHICH WE HAVE HEARD, WHICH WE HAVE SEEN WITH OUR EYES, WHICH WE LOOKED UPON, AND HAVE TOUCHED WITH OUR HANDS, CONCERNING THE WORD OF LIFE-THE LIFE WAS MADE MANIFEST, AND WE HAVE SEEN IT, AND TESTIFY TO IT AND PROCLAIM TO YOU THE ETERNAL LIFE, WHICH WAS WITH THE FATHER, AND WAS MADE MANIFEST TO US- THAT WHICH WE HAVE SEEN AND HEARD WE PROCLAIM ALSO TO YOU, SO THAT YOU TOO MAY HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH US; AND INDEED OUR FELLOWSHIP IS WITH THE FATHER AND WITH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST. AND WE ARE WRITING THESE THINGS SO THAT OUR JOY MAY BE COMPLETE. THIS IS THE MESSAGE THAT WE HAVE HEARD FROM HIM AND PROCLAIM TO YOU, THAT GOD IS LIGHT, AND IN HIM IS NO DARKNESS AT ALL. 1 John : 1-10