Pentecost and Shavuot - Richard Maisenbacher
There are three major feast seasons of the Lord described in Leviticus 23. They are Passover/Pesach, Pentecost/Shavuot, and Tabernacles/Succot, in which God meets with His covenant people. During June, Shavuot will be observed from June 1st through June 3rd, and Pentecost will be on June 8th.
Pentecost is a Feast of the Lord recognized by believers, as mentioned in Acts 2:1. The presence of God fell upon the believers, accompanied by tongues of fire (a pictographic symbol of blessing) as they began to speak in the native languages of those who were listening. In the book of Jeremiah, chapter 31, he prophesied that the Spirit of God would come upon the believers and the Torah (God’s Word) would be written on their hearts, rather than on tablets of stone.
When Paul was at Ephesus, he found some disciples and he asked them in Acts 19:2-6, “And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized? And they said, “into John’s baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.”
Fifty days after Passover, the Apostle Paul planned his travels so he could be in Jerusalem during Shavuot. It was to celebrate God’s faithfulness with the early wheat harvest (the early First Fruits offering), which increased hope for a fall harvest (Sukkot). Later, the Rabbis, while searching for historical facts, discovered that around the same time as Shavuot, Moses ascended Mount Sinai and received the Law.
The Jews celebrated Shavuot when they received the Torah from God, as described in Exodus 20. The presence and the revelation of God appeared on Mount Sinai to Moses in the form of fire. Torah, or the Word of God, was then given to the people on tablets of stone. In Acts 2:3, there appeared tongues of fire that rested on the early followers of Jesus while they were waiting in Jerusalem. In Joel 2:28, “That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind, and your sons and daughters will prophesy.” This Feast is an excellent combination of Shavuot, when we receive His Word, and Pentecost, when we receive His Spirit, and both Feasts had fire manifest!
Our prayers reflect our conviction that truth, revelation, and transformation will be revealed in this new era. We look forward to celebrating this Feast with joy and thanksgiving! He has given us His written Word and continues to write His Word upon our hearts. We are in covenant with Him and blessed to have the opportunity to be intimate with Holy Spirit.
This is a special time to immerse ourselves in His Word (Torah) and Spirit (prayer) as we anticipate a fresh outpouring of His Spirit to accomplish great and mighty things in His Kingdom over the next several months and years. This is a new era! Let’s rejoice!
In His Covenant Love,
Richard
Covenant Outreach MInistries, Inc.
www.thecovenantcenter.com
Contact: info@thecovenantcenter.com
Richard Maisenbacher was born in Columbus, Ohio and began his walk with the Lord in 1977. When he was 28, he began attending a traditional church and received the baptism in the Spirit a year later. After participating in everything available in his church, he began to see many of the requirements of church life, did not line up with his biblical understanding. In 1988, Richard and his family moved to Florida to pursue prophetic training, igniting a quest to learn more about hearing God, healing, deliverance, as well as studying Hebraic culture with greater understanding of God’s ways.
Richard and his wife, Rebecca, incorporated Covenant Outreach Ministries in 1999, and began several house group meetings with the goal of teaching regarding Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit, charismata, hearing God and prophetic training, with dream understanding. By 2002 the once small group of seven grew from renting a room, purchasing a small building, ultimately moving to a large rental building. The Covenant Center in Lakeland, Florida was birthed from the vision God gave to Richard to train and equip a generation in their gifts and personally hear from God. Encompassing over twenty-six years of full-time ministry, The Covenant Center’s website www.thecovenantcenter.com, contains the online school of ministry; Bookstore containing books written by our TCC authors; as well as blog posts and contact information. He also has served as an adjunct professor at Southeastern University.