“On God’s calendar we are in the middle of the 50-day countdown to Mt. Sinai – a day called Pentecost, which is three Sabbaths away. This is one of the 3 pilgrimage festivals exactly 50 days past the time of Passover, thus the name Pentecost – and if God called us to remember and celebrate a date in history – then we need to know why. What was happening 50 days past Passover? What is the parallel?
Well, let’s see. Let’s go back and remember where we are on God’s calendar. This history reflects quite a love story – that has never been surpassed. How can one improve upon the true story that on behalf of His beloved…the eternal, glorious and God who refers to himself as love, and He prevailed over the pompous, mortal enemy of mankind? God was triumphant in a long, drawn-out battle of the wits and brawn against the satanic Pharaoh, and with obvious intent to facilitate the liberation of His beloved children, His called out, His Ecclesia, His people so that He could draw His beloved to Himself – alone in the desert away from all that stuff. In the night, in the light of the full moon, He opened up a door for His loved ones to escape with articles of silver, gold, and clothing. The Bible says in Exodus 12:36, ‘The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.’ Think about this. Egypt had been one of the richest and most advanced cosmopolitan cities in the world, even if it was here today in that light, there would be nothing to compare it to, and now this new nation of approximately two million walked away with its valuables, silver and gold and plunder – with more assets than could have been accumulated even if they had not been enslaved over the last – they weren’t enslaved the whole 400 years – 300 or so years. What a tremendous transfer of possessions – turning of the tables for the children of God. God has always taken from the wicked and given it to the righteous and He continues to do this to this day in each of our lives, not for us, but for his glory alone to recognize those that obey Him. HE blesses so that they are a light so that people can find their way home.” – Words from Remnant Fellowship and Weigh Down founder, Gwen Shamblin – April 27th 2013
In all of your life…whether you’ve read or heard a little or a lot about the “Pentecost,” you likely have NEVER heard an introduction to this special time of year quite like the one you’ve just read above…in those words from Gwen Shamblin. In transitioning during the 50 days between “Passover” and “Pentecost,” she has taken the recounting of historic events and made them PERSONAL to anyone who has eyes to see and ears to hear the Truth. Yes, GOD rescued and delivered His people then…and He continues to do so now…even today. After GOD defeated Pharaoh and decimated the Egyptian army in the parting and rejoining of the Red Sea, He set up His people, the Hebrews, in the desert where HE would be their focus, provider, and protector. Gwen went on to read and share perspective on Exodus 19, explaining what happened 50 days past that original Passover…3,300 years ago. Let’s keep reading words from Gwen that describe the MEANING behind those amazing events as they unfolded…
“As ominous as this scene is, God showed me early on that this was nothing but the most romantic, beautiful love story of God reaching down from the Heavens to connect to mankind – offering mortal man a relationship with the immortal Omnipotent God…
What do you need for a lasting relationship, with any relationship, much less God? You first of all need to know His love for you…God is the symbolic husband throughout the Bible. God made mankind and knows how many hairs are on your head. He has the digits, the numbers. He knows every need and want. If you want to unite with this jealous and passionate God – you need to know His wishes and how to please that symbolic husband. You need to study what He wants, not study facts to get facts out. What good is that going to do you? It is studying to have a relationship. Your studies should be born out in your actions. How does a boss help promote an employee that he really, really likes? He tells him what the boss ahead of him wants or tells him personally what he really wants him to do to get ahead. A covenant between two people is essential for lasting relationship. The world is desperate for a revelation from their Creator – a revelation is the penetration of God into history – into the life of man. Communication from the Heavens is strategic – valuable – there is not enough money in the world to buy this opportunity of words from The Source of all things – the Omnipotent – and the infrastructure that man needs to live on is this communication, and it is a living communication. The Ten Commandments – also called “The Covenant” – agreement, pledge, contract that man needed to remain in good standing with God. Without a covenant, there is no relationship. As dramatic as this entire scene is, the real point God was trying to get across was the words of the Ten Commandments into the heart of man, because as you meditate deeper into these things – it is beyond a relationship – it is the revelation that man can live only because God has spoken to him. The Ten Commandments: Love God first. It is all about God. Your whole life, morning, noon, night, hopefully your dreams all of it, it is God and then that overflow, and extension of that love to others. What happened 50 days beyond the Passover – God descending and man ascending – the Ten Commandments or the covenant given – is one of the most important historical events ever recorded for the life of mankind – and these words have made life on this earth tolerable…”
What a beautiful picture of the true DEPENDENCY that man has upon GOD! And our opportunity to CONNECT with and have a RELATIONSHIP with this Almighty GOD is MORE than just “the chance of a lifetime.” It is an opportunity that leads to ETERNAL life! Gwen went on to explain the necessity of FULL OBEDIENCE as man’s part of this covenant relationship with GOD, and she displayed a scrolling list of MANY, MANY Scripture references from the Old Testament through the New Testament…highlighting concepts and terms like “full obedience, fully committed, wholehearted, obey all the commands, careful to obey, careful to follow all the commands…” And she carried on with this description…
“Full obedience, complete obedience – In the book of Revelations it refers to complete as the number 7 – it means obeying every time with a whole heart like an army officer with his general, like a servant to a king or a president. This generation under pharaoh and under kings of various nations understood reverent fear and full obedience, instead of the casual approach of today with minimal effort, anti-authority, half-hearted Christianity. People aren’t afraid to be anti-authority at all, not understanding that authority is one of the biggest, hugest keys to salvation given to mankind. It is fundamental and essential.”
AMEN! It was an amazingly, clearly told LOVE story and an offer for the ages that Gwen described – GOD offering His love to man…IF…man will give GOD his whole heart BACK in return. As this Pentecost 2013 approaches, we praise GOD for this offer and opportunity, and we thank Him that His Spirit is being poured out so powerfully through Gwen and her explanation and teaching of His Word. The messages, testimonies, and music are continuing through this month of May as we approach the May 18th Pentecost weekend. We hope that you’ll JOIN US locally if you’re in the Nashville area or via webcast if you aren’t in the Nashville area. And if you have struggled to give GOD your whole heart…but you know that you really WANT to…then this is the place where you can learn how to do it! We would love to help you with whatever those struggles are. Praise GOD for this opportunity to love HIM wholeheartedly and completely!
