The Feast of Shavuot / Pentecost is upon us. AHAYAH introduced the Feast of Shavuot to be celebrated on the day after counting seven full weeks starting after the Feast of First Fruits which is the first Sabbath after Passover. That takes us to the 50th day - Pentecost.
Following YahshaYah's ascension to heaven, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit occurred on this day of Pentecost when men from all over gathered in Jerusalem as instructed in the Word (Deut.16:16). "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" (Acts2:1-4). Hallelujah! What a glorious experience.
Jesus promised His disciples the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts1:8). The description of the Holy Spirit in the verses below gives us an idea of what a wonderful gift and blessing YahshaYah gave his disciples.
- "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever" (John 14:16).
- "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you" (John 14:26).
- "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me" (John 15:26).
- "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us … according to the will of God" (Rom.826-27).
Today Shavuot also holds the promise for us of a greater outpouring of the Spirit to what we have already received when we confessed our sins and accepted YahshaYah as Saviour. "And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy" (Act2:17-18). With this great promise before us, let us prepare ourselves for this. The disciples left us a good example of how to do that. After the ascension of YahshaYah the disciples separated themselves from the world and gathered themselves together in the upper room where they devoted themselves in one accord to prayer, 120 of them (Acts1:12-14).
We are to do the same. We are to devote ourselves to prayer as we wait expectantly for the greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Based on guidance from the Word, prayer takes place at three levels:
- Individual prayer: "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matt:6:6).
- Prayer with one or two prayer partners: "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matt.18:20).
- Corporate Prayer: "That together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom.15:6). There were 120 gathered together for prayer in the upper room.
Our prayer should be firstly focussed on repentance. We have to make room for the Spirit of Yah to fill us. If the spirit of the flesh and the world are still occupying or mind and our time then there is not room for the Spirit of Yah. Secondly, we must be expectant in our prayers and ask for this greater infilling of the Spirit promised to us. The Word says that we have not because we do not ask (Jam.4:2). Let us therefore ask, and expect to received.
Our prayer should be accompanied by fasting. Jesus said to His disciples that some evil spirits only go out through prayer and fasting (Matt.17:21). Yah also says to us: "Yet even now, says AHAYAH, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping and with mourning" (Joel2:12).
My Prayer
Father AHAYAH thank you for Your Appointed feast of Shavuot. Thank you that on this day you poured out the Holy Spirit on the disciples of YahshaYah. Father we desire a greater infilling of Your Spirit. Please baptise us with Your Holy Spirit fire. Please guide us in our preparation to cleanse us from the sins of the flesh and help us to make our physical and spiritual temples ready for this greater outpouring as promised to us in Joel 2. We pray in the mighty name of YahshaYah HaMasiach. Aman.