Passover and Counting the Omer.



1 Corinthians 5:7-8

Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us:

 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.



 

I took notes and have digested our Bible Study at Open Door Church and present it here.

The Children of Israel were released by Pharaoh to leave Egypt because the “Death Angel,” had taken the first born son of those households not protected with the blood of the Sacrificial Lamb. 

Remembrance of the Death Angel Passover has been handed down through the families, generation after generation.

At Mount Sinai the Power of God came down and Moses was given instructions how to live a life pleasing to God.

On the day of Pentecost recorded in Acts chapter two; the Holy Spirit came down with Power to change a culture and empower believers to live a life pleasing to God. 

Jews from all over the then known world had come to Jerusalem to celebrate The Passover.  They had no idea that God was going to do something so spectacular. 

The Passover had been celebrated for 49 days, and the 50^th day was the day of Shavuot (or Pentecost.) 

On that 50th day, 120 believers had been fasting and seeking God, when the Holy Spirit came down like a rushing mighty wind setting tongues of fire upon the heads of the believers assembled there.
 
The visiting Jews heard these unlearned men, speaking in other languages and thought they were drunk. 

Peter explained these men are not drunk, but this is the promise unto all who believe in Jesus.  That day 3000 men became believers in Jesus and received the gift of the Holy Spirit.  They would soon return to their own land with this new message of a living Christ who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with power to live a Christian life.

With every historical move of the Holy Spirit there is a culture change; meshing together in unity various denominations and believers. 

The gifts have not been revoked, but they continue as believers seek God and desire a personal Spiritual awakening.

True worship and praise will usher in a move of the Holy Spirit.  Keep your mind focused on God and on His Holiness.  Don’t allow your mind to wander, but keep zeroed in on our Mighty God. 

God desires to use you in your world.  Allow God to stretch and bend you. 

The Holy Spirit mends broken hearts and broken lives, when they are placed on the altar of sacrifice.  The Holy Spirit brings healing to physical, mental and Spiritual needs within our nature. 

Sing from your heart unto the Lord a New Hymn, using new words that come to you as you open your mouth.

Our teacher gave us a hand-out about “Counting the Omer” and asked us to read each verse on the day selected; and to focus on the comments; beginning on Saturday, April 23, 2016.

What is the Counting of the Omer you might ask:  This from a search on the Internet:

The Counting of the Omer begins on the second day of Passover (the 16th of Nisan) for Rabbinic Jews (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform), and after the weekly Shabbat during Passover for Karaite Jews, and ends the day before the holiday of Shavuot, (Pentecost) the 'fiftieth day.'

The idea of counting each day represents spiritual preparation and anticipation for the giving of the Torah 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. The Hebrew people were only freed from Egypt at Passover in order to receive the Torah at Sinai, an event which is now celebrated on Shavuot, (Pentecost) and to fulfill its laws. Thus the Counting of the Omer demonstrates how much a Hebrew desires to accept the Torah in his own life. 

We as Christians look forward to the 50^th day being the Day of Pentecost.