From: Muriel Luedeman
Preparation for Pentecost 2021
Let Us Prepare for Pentecost 2021
By Muriel Luedeman
Brother Jim Hobbs, by command of the Holy Spirit, invited the Saints to gather at Waldo Restoration Branch on March 27 to prepare to receive the Endowment. There, the Lord gave a message to the people. It was a call to repentance by His people for not putting God first, causing Zion to languish these many long years. The Lord stated, “My City, the New Jerusalem will be built. I want My Restoration and Reorganized peoples to be part of it... In the next few months, your life as you know it is going to be turned upside down. You will cry out to me! I will be just as slow to hear as you have been slow to hear. I chastise those I love. I want them to be better. I also want them to remember, so they won’t respond in the same way again or turn back to the old ways...Are you being led by My Spirit as Jesus was? If not, why not? Did I not promise I and My father would come and live in you, the Holy Comforter (John 14:20)? Paul calls it a mystery, Christ in you. You call it Endowment. Are you ready for it, or is your fear of being deceived greater than your desire to receive it?” ...1Nephi3:230-231 - And it came to pass that I Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth: And they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory. Thus saith the Lord."
Brother Hobbs told the gathering the Lord was calling the Saints to prepare for Endowment at the time of this upcoming Pentecost and the Lord would bless them at that time.
Marilyn Middleton and a friend attended this gathering. Their hearts were greatly touched by the Spirit and came away with an earnest desire to do what they could to help themselves and others prepare for this Holy Event. They tendered an invitation to several women they knew who might participate with them and do the tasks the Spirit laid upon them, so that we all might receive the blessing the Lord has in store for His people. Seven women attended the meeting April 2, at Marilyn’s home.
It was determined that all of us should learn what Pentecost is all about as part of that preparation, for we know little about it and its significance to the Lord, and to us. All of us at the meeting sensed that this Pentecost was important to keep, because the Lord had called us to it, also because it was at Pentecost after Christ ascended, that the Holy Spirit was poured out in power upon the saints and their world was transformed for Christ in less than 300 years. The First Century Saints came to that Pentecost with great anticipation and praise and thanksgiving for the Law that was given to Moses on Mount Sinai, and for Jesus Christ, the LAW GIVER, who they had lived with, loved, saw killed by wicked men, risen the third day, spoke with numerous times for forty days, and then ascended to the Father.
The plan of action for each woman was to pray for direction on how the Lord would have us individually reach out to our Restoration families and friends, to encourage them to make preparation for Pentecost and come with joyful anticipation to hear from the Lord, our Savior. Each one would do as the Lord directs. We plan to meet every Friday to share and assess the progress we have made. This email message is what the Lord put on my heart to do toward that end.
Daily Preparation for Pentecost
Pentecost this year is Sunday, May 23rd. It is fifty days after the end of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Feast of Unleavened Bread ends April 4th.
Pentecost is a time to grow in righteousness. It is a time for fasting to draw closer to the Lord, a period of intimacy with Him. The deliberate daily preparation includes a study of God’s Word, songs of praise, and the Counting of the Omer, a countdown to the day, much like Christians prepare and count down the days to Christmas. Observants count out 50 grains of barley, then remove one each day, beginning with the day that ends the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The idea of counting each day focuses our hearts daily on faithful preparation, on the Spirit which is to come, and gratitude for the giving of the Law which was given by God on Mount Sinai at the beginning of the month of Sivan, around the same time as the holiday of Shavuot. This practice serves as a reminder of the upcoming commemoration and generates anticipation and excitement for the blessings that will occur when the people gather to the House of the Lord. Daily prayer also keeps our eyes on the Lord and the day of blessing to come.
This is time for the application of the parable of the woman who puts three measures of leaven in two loaves of bread. That is 1 ½ times the amount of leaven normally used, because this is the time for the soul to grow greatly in righteousness. Jesus speaks of leaven being both bad and good. This is a time of good leaven. The leaven of the Holy Spirit which swells within the loaf. Seeking the movement of the Holy Spirit is strong during this period.
For Restoration believers, and all Christians, who are unfamiliar with the Hebrew Feasts, it will be important to make reading and studying about Pentecost a part of our preparation, to know what occurred, how it transformed the fearful saints into fearsome followers and defenders of the Faith of Christ, and to come expecting God to speak to us, and bless us with power from on High. The Lord would have us become knowledgeable about this most Holy of all Days, next to Resurrection Day, and begin to observe it each year. Individually and as branches, we can embrace this holy time with reverence and in obedience.
Pentecost was the day Jesus pointed to before He returned to His Father. This was the transfer of power from the Son of Man to God’s sons and daughters on Earth. By the power of the Holy Spirit, who is God the Father and the Son all in One, believers in Jesus were imbued with the power to convert the nations, live godlike lives, and do all the things Jesus did while on Earth. Indeed, Jesus prophesied the night before he gave himself as the perfect sacrifice, that the things He did, we, his disciples, would do, and greater things we would do than He did. (John 14:12). He promised that we, the believers, would speak with new tongues, cast out demons, heal the sick and no evil or deadly thing would harm us. Mark 16:19
That was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost; the saints by the power of the Holy Spirit spoke in many tongues, which caused three thousand men to hear the mighty works of God spoken in their own language, were converted, and baptized all in one day.
Dear, Saints, please be encouraged! In 2016 I was given a powerful word from the Lord. “This is a new day! Though I will judge the world, this is a day of blessing for those who love Me and want to be with Me continually.”
The God who created the Universe and determined the day for our existence on earth at this time, is our Father, and has given us everything we need to accomplish His work, the bringing forth of His Kingdom and Zion. He is the one who ordained and prepared our time on Earth. We were meant to be alive at this time, handpicked, custom fit and trained for this work of loving obedience. God knew we would awake and answer His call. We will live and move under the hand of the Holy Spirit, oftentimes unaware that we are serving His needs. Be assured, we are His and He is ours. We can and will do this because of our love for our Father in Heaven, and our desire to be with Him. And God is rejoicing even now because of many who have wakened from their sleep and responded to His Spirit and are doing His work among men. More are coming to fill His ranks. Read the words of Isaiah that tell of the many prophecies of blessing to Israel in the last days. Our Father assures me that these are the prophecies He wants us to cling to and declare to all men. Be hopeful and bold as you come to Pentecost, 2021, declaring the mighty works of God before all men.
No comments:
Post a Comment