The Gospel

Initially I was annoyed with God. After all these years of following Him, He decides to spend over a month ministering the Gospel message to me. Seriously? Of all the revelations and knowledge and mysteries to choose from, and all He wanted to do is talk to me about the Gospel. Eventually I just let Him do His thing. This is what He said:

If you know that the Gospel is simple, why have you complicated it? You have complicated the life out of it and all thats left is a dead pile of fruitless theologies and vacant terms. The Gospel is not merely a message as you have imagined it, but rather a person. Jesus, that is. No, I’m not talking about all of the hundreds of times that you have heard it said “Jesus died for your sins”. If this whole thing was about Jesus dying because you need saving and He loves you that would be enough, but there is more you need to know. There is more to the story, beloved. Jesus did not die alone. You died with Him— this is the very source of your freedom. This is what makes the Gospel a living and breathing reality. You were co-crucified with Christ. If you dilute the Gospel to solely an issue of forgiveness, you are just going down that same endless road. You will have the mentality of an orphan. You will find that abstaining from sin and experiencing my fulness will be nearly impossible. You will labor and you will fight. Instead, understand that your flesh died 2,000 years ago. It ceases to exist. The Gospel is the complete fulness of life for those who believe. You were co-risen with me, a new creation. You see the Gospel is about identity. Walk in your identity and you will live in your destiny. Don’t be deceived anymore, dear child. I am God and love is my name, can’t you see? I have made it so simple for you, because I care. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Go to the well of your salvation. Run to the well of your salvation, and fall in. 

The Feasts of Israel: Introduction

Leviticus chapter twenty-three sums up everything. All of eternity— from darkness to salvation and beyond— is artistically assembled in this chapter of scripture. This is done by revealing the nature and timing of the feasts of God. The nature of the feasts include a sweet communion with Father God and the timing reveals historical, present day, and prophetic insight. The feasts create a historical and prophetic timeline; they sum up the essence of Christianity.  

The pressing concern, then, is what as believers we do with this. Many Christians will claim that as “New Testament believers” there is no need to recognize Jewish tradition, including the feasts of Israel. The great thing about Jesus is that through him all believers have full access to the fullness of the traditions of God. It is important not to take on a mindset that misses this point. It is not about abiding by a set of rules. It is crucial not to look at the feasts as mere Jewish holidays, but rather see them as God’s “appointed times” like it says in scripture. We don’t have to take part in the feasts, we get to. So when all concerns about rules and legalism are put to rest, we are able to see that our Father designed the feasts to be opportunities for Him to commune with us in intimate dining and the most pleasurable form of friendship. The feasts are optional for the believer to celebrate, but they are so full of rich glory and I believe that God wants to bless us through them even today.

There are three Hebrew words used in scripture for the feasts. The first is mo’ed, which means a season or an appointed time. The second is mikrah, which is a holy convocation, a sacred assembly, or a rehearsal of God’s past, present, and future acts. The third word is chag, which means a festive celebration. 

Not only are the feasts pleasurable ways to commune with God and learn of His nature, they build a timeline. The feasts are blatantly prophetic. Four of the seven feasts have been fulfilled in New Testament times, the most recent being Shavuot (Pentecost). The other three feasts have not yet been completely fulfilled; these feasts naturally provide insight into the future. Right now we are living in an time between Pentecost and the fulfillment of the last three feasts, the next of which is the Feast of Trumpets (the return of Christ). Understanding the significance of the feasts as a timeline is crucial for the believer, as it is God’s practical prophetic calendar. It provides a layout for the history of God, the present role of God, and prophetic insight into what God is going to do.

The names of the feasts often times get confused, as there are the Old Testament and New Testament names, as well as English and Hebrew names. For the sake of not being confusing I will list the most common English names of the feasts (in order) and you can use a search engine for more specific/other names. Here are the seven feasts:

  1. The Feast of Passover
  2. The Feast of Unleavened Bread
  3. The Feasts of First Fruits
  4. The Feast of Weeks (Pentecost)
  5. The Feast of Trumpets
  6. The Day of Atonement
  7. The Feast of Tabernacles

Eventually I hope to go in order and adress each of the seven feasts in detail, including where they are seen in the Old and New Testaments, how they apply to us today, the significance of recognizing them, their prophetic meanings, as well as what God is revealing through each one. I am also going to talk about how they relate to moves of the Spirit throughout the history of the Church and today. I hope that what I right will provide some practical information on what the feasts are as well as how they can edify you in your walk with Christ. The feasts of Israel are beautiful, holy, and intimate when experienced in their fulness. Also note that I am not writing to make a point or argument, but to bless those who will be blessed by this. 

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as official days for holy assembly’.” (Lev. 23:1-2)

Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with love that I can’t contain it. I have to find someone to encourage, to hug, someone to pour my affection onto. Thank you God for this spiritual gift of love, its glorious. I can’t wait until I’m a father. Someday I will have many children, an army of sons and daughters that will walk in a love revelation. They will be children of miracles. Apostles, teachers, lovers, and healers. They will not be looked down upon because of their age, because God can use anyone yielded, especially the little ones. CAN’T WAIT. SHACKA SHACKA SHACKA.