Information Related to "Living a Great Miracle - Being Led by God's Spirit"
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God's Spirit doesn't drive, drag or push us around; it lead us, and must be willing to follow.
by Jim Franks
od commands that, in the late spring of every year, a special day be observed (Leviticus 23:15-21). It is commonly called Pentecost, from the Greek pentekoste. The Jews refer to it in various ways. One is as Shavuot, meaning "Weeks," because the date of its observance is determined by counting a specific number from an earlier religious observance.
Another name given it is Hag Hakatzir, the Festival of the Harvest, for it marks the harvesting of the wheat, the last grain harvest of the spring harvest season. And, in that context, it is also called Yom HaBikkurim, the Day of the Firstfruits. There is much significance to this festival, which is vitally important for Christians.
When celebrating this festival we know as Pentecost, the descendants of the ancient Israelites are reminded of one of the greatest events in their history-the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. In his book To Be a Jew, Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin writes: "Shavuot commemorates the awesome event experienced by the children of Israel seven weeks after the exodus from Egypt when they camped at the foot of Mt. Sinai somewhere in the Sinai Peninsula. This event was the Revelation, when God's will was revealed to Israel. It marked the declaration of the Ten Commandments ... While the exact manner of this communication between God and man is not known and was always subject to various opinions by the great thinkers and Sages of Israel, it was an event of awesome proportions and a unique spiritual experience that indelibly stamped the Israelites with their unique character, their faith, and their destiny."
The events leading up to this time-the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery, the death of Egypt's firstborn, the crossing of the Red Sea, the giving of manna from heaven and the giving of the law-were miracles that had a tremendous impact on the history both of Israel and much of the world. As Christians, we sometimes forget that another great miracle has taken place in all our lives. It is one of the greatest miracles of all time, the coming of God's Holy Spirit.
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