[Steve Myers] Pentecost is peculiar. Ever considered that fact? I mean, here we are meeting on a Sunday. That might seem a little peculiar for some, but we know there's a reason behind that. But when you consider the fact that Pentecost is peculiar, there's actually a number of things that come to mind with this special day. One of the things that's interesting and peculiar about Pentecost is the many names that this feast has. It's called the Feast of Harvest in Exodus 23. But that's not all. It's also called the Feast of Weeks in Exodus 34. But that's not all either. It's peculiar that it's also called the Day of Firstfruits. That's over in the book of Numbers. And sometimes the names get a little bit longer than that. In fact, I think Pentecost is the feast that has the most names for it. You can find it's also called the Feast of Weeks of the Firstfruits of the Wheat Harvest. So that's the long-form name. But there's also another one that's connected to that. It's called the Feast of Harvest, the Firstfruits of Israel's Labors.

And that's not all. We can't forget the New Testament reference to this day is Pentecost, the Feast of Pentecost in the New Testament. And we know that Greek word in the New Testament means 50. Fifty because we are 50 days from the wave sheaf offering during the Days of Unleavened Bread. And 50 is a significant number. You could say it's a peculiar number because it represents freedom. It represents liberty. It represents deliverance. And all of those are connected to this very day. In fact, in the Old Testament, being called the Feast of Weeks ties in with that number 50 as well because we are seven weeks from the Passover, but really 49 days plus one. On the 50th day was when they held this tremendous Feast. And so when you think about Pentecost being peculiar, yeah, the word can mean odd, it can mean unusual, maybe even strange but there's more as well.

Maybe a hint at the more part is when we look back to the book of Exodus. If you make your way over to Exodus 19, we find that Israel has left Egypt. God has now called everyone together and He calls them to the mountain. And at that mountain, we know what happened. God thundered His law with the voice of a trumpet and the mountain was shaking, and there was fire, and it was quite the scene. That's the first Pentecost. You know, history seems to show that that was the day that God gave His law on that Feast of Weeks, on that Feast of Harvest, on what we would call Pentecost. And Exodus 19 records some of that as the people came together. And then, of course, in Exodus 20, we have the Ten Commandments that were given.

And on that first Pentecost, I think you could say something peculiar happened. Look at verse 5 in Exodus 19. Exodus 19:5, it says, "Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice…" So here's God's speaking through Moses. He says, "Obey My voice, keep My covenant, and then you shall be a peculiar treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine." So there's that word again, peculiar. This is a peculiar day. Then He goes on in verse 6, “'You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you should speak to the children of Israel," God says to Moses. “So Moses came, called the elders of the people, laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded. And then all the people answered, in a sense, sealing the covenant that God was making, they said, "All that the Lord has spoken, we will do."

And so here we find God setting these people apart. Certainly, this peculiar feast has many names but this is a different kind of peculiar. This kind of peculiar doesn't mean odd. It doesn't mean strange. It means special. It means unique or it means something that's valuable, you know, a distinctive kind of a thing, a unique thing, a notable thing. And God says, well, what's special? What's notable? What's important? What's unique? His people. His people are valuable. So what we find happening on this Feast of Weeks, this Pentecost, this peculiar Pentecost, we could say, was that Israel becomes God's special people, His peculiar people. Israel became a nation. And that's a second aspect of the peculiarities of Pentecost. Yes, there's many names for this feast but Israel became a special nation, a peculiar nation. And in fact, it's mentioned over and over and over again.

And there's more to it, even right here in the book of Exodus. If we skip ahead just a little bit to chapter 23, there's a familiar passage here, where it speaks of keeping the feast days. Exodus 23:14, see if this sounds familiar. Here in chapter 23 verse 14, God says "Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year." And He names those times. The Feast of Unleavened Bread,” says “you should eat unleavened bread seven days.” Then verse 16, He says, “the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors” that would be Pentecost. And then He says, “and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you've gathered the fruit of your labors from the field.” And then verse 17, He says, "Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord God.” And so we find that reference to three times, three times. And it seems to be saying it twice in these few little verses here.

Now, if you were to look this up in a word dictionary, the Hebrew becomes interesting in connection to Pentecost. In fact, maybe a better word than interesting would be peculiar, a peculiar word. In verse 14, the word times can mean a foot or a leg. So, what in the world would three legs in keeping a feast in those times have to do with it? That sounds kind of odd. Is it the odd kind of peculiar or is it the special kind of peculiar? Well, if you were to look this up in the Encyclopedia Judaica, it says under an article of pilgrimage feasts, that this three times is pointing to walking in a sacred procession. So, that's the connection to legs or to feet. In other words, we move our feet to observe God's feast days. We get on the move. So we're told to keep a feast to the Eternal. And He says three times we do this, Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Those are the times of the years that we do this. And so we've got to be moving.

And in fact, verse 17, when it says three times, that's a different word. It's not the same word that means leg or foot, as in verse 14. This word in verse 17, has a different meaning. In fact, it's the same meaning of the word that's used in Deuteronomy 16:16. Now that verse might sound familiar. Deuteronomy 16:16 is normally a verse we'll read on the high days because that particular verse talks about bringing God an offering. Don't appear before the Lord empty-handed, it speaks of. And it says three times in a year. But that word for times, like we read here in verse 17, is a different Hebrew word. But the meaning is peculiar. It's a special word. It means to order, or to beat regularly, or to strike in a beat, or move your steps in order. Of course, I think of that as, you know, a kid who used to play in marching band, we all march together, we move together.

And so, here we see a couple of different words used for times associated with the Feast of Pentecost that all have to do with walking, moving together, being regular, striking up the beat, moving our footsteps in order. Well, are we going to follow God's beat? You see, I think a peculiarity about Pentecost is that we're to get moving. That's a third thing that's peculiar about Pentecost because it reminds us, we've got to get with the beat, get with God's beat, walk in His way. There's a job to do. We've been around for 25 years. Is the job over? Are we done? Are we finished? No, we better not be. We better get the beat and walk that much better, in an organized way, an orderly way, proclaim His word, strike up the band, walk in order. All of those things are associated with God's beat.

And we got to walk to a different drummer than this world does. We've got to walk to God's day. So when we consider Pentecost as being peculiar, we recognize we've got to be on the move, put to work by utilizing God's Spirit so we can accomplish His will. So we're going to get moving because God says that's what He requires on this day. And in fact, as we consider that, part of this movement and part of the possibility of even making that happening is intricately associated with this special day. How are we going to do that? How do we get with our beat? How do we walk together? How are we orderly? How can we walk in this procession that proclaims the truth of God?

Well, I think that's part of the peculiarity of this special feast. I mean, it's called sometimes the Feast of Wave Loaves. Sometimes it's referred to that because of one of the offerings that were given on this day in the Old Testament. They would offer wave loaves. They would bring two loaves of bread before God. These loaves were baked of new grain. And it's interesting if you study into that, and I won't take too much time to do that this afternoon, but you could study this at some time. When the people would take this new wheat, it was freshly harvested, it was the firstfruits of the harvest that tie into this day. And the priests would bake two loaves, two loaves. And there's some symbolism here that ties-in to what we were reading about these times, this movement we're to be about.

I mean, it's symbolic, first of all, because there's two of them, two loaves, that when we think of the church, it was supposed to be formed of, I suppose you could think of it as two bodies, two bodies. Well, what are we talking about? Well, some might feel, well, it's Old Covenant, New Covenant, that type of thing. But it seems to, more specifically, refer to the fact that it's talking about people, that the gospel was not just for the Israelites. Later on during Jesus' time, was it just for the Jews? Well, no, when we recognize what the message was all about, it was for people. It was Jews and non-Jews, Gentiles alike. It was for both.

And in fact, when we recognize what Christ said, He said He came first to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But it's interesting what He says in John 10. You could just write this down. John 10:16, Christ said that there were other sheep that He has that were not of this fold. In other words, they weren't Jews. They weren't Israelites. But He said, "Them also must I bring that they are may be one flock." So we have two loaves, Jews and Gentiles, coming together. And so He was referring to that. So those wave loaves on Pentecost were symbolic, that God was going to take Jews and Gentiles alike and bring them together. And Pentecost, in a sense, is how He was going to do that.

When you think of the fact that these loaves on this day were baked with leaven, leaven is yeast. And oftentimes in Scripture, yeast is a symbol of sin. Now, why would these loaves be baked with leaven? Well, because as physical people, the Church is not made up of people who are perfect yet. We're not Spirit beings yet. We sin. And so, we have sin in us. We're still in the flesh, but we're in the process of becoming what God wants. And so when we recognize these loaves, it's a reference to God's peculiar people. It's a reference to us as His people. And it's reflected in how we can then overcome, how we can get on the move. How can we be of one mind? How can we march together and get moving in order to proclaim the truth of God?

In fact, that same truth, I think is reflected on what happened on this day in 31 A.D. If you'd like to turn over to Acts 2, I'm going to head over there next. And in Acts 2:1, it describes this very day. It describes this day and there was a peculiar experience that happens. Of course, here we are in Acts 2, we're 50 days after that wave sheaf that happened that year, and we see this connection to getting moving together, getting moving together. Notice verse 1, we see this togetherness mentioned specifically here. It says, "When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place together." They were together. They were all there. So, they moved together to be in the presence of God as they're worshiping Him.

Verse 2, "Suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." So as we consider what was going on, on that first Pentecost, miraculous things happened that day. We have these 120 individuals that came together, their one connection was their interest in Jesus Christ, that connection to Christ. Were they one body before this? Were they moving together before this? Were they in time? Not really. Not really.

When you really consider this, receiving the Spirit of God is what brought them together and made them one body, moved them together so that they could be in time. This was that fulfillment of Jesus' promise that the Holy Spirit would come and they were baptized with the Holy Spirit. And of course, we remember what John the Baptist said about being baptized with the Holy Spirit. That's over in Matthew 3:11. Remember, John said, "I baptize you with water unto repentance, but…” he said, "After me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I'm not fit to carry." What did he say about the Christ? He said, "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."

And so when we recognize we're talking about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, that's what makes progress possible. That's the key ingredient that brings us all together, brought them together as one body, brought them together so that they could be in time. They could be totally of one mind. They were of one Spirit. And it wasn't just this outward demonstration, having the Spirit of God was an inward reality. It wasn't just associated with languages, and fire, and wind, and all those types of things. No, there was so much more. Those were kind of in a sense, the incidentals. What was really exciting was how God was going to move His people together in order to be that one body.

And that also then connects us back to what was happening on that first Pentecost. We remember that a nation was created, a peculiar, special people were created on that first Pentecost. As God said, "You are my special treasure." Well, here we are in Acts 2, it's not the birth of Israel as a nation. But now, we have a fourth peculiarity about Pentecost because here we find it's the birth of the New Testament Church. The New Testament Church of God is born, you might say, on Pentecost, and it became one body, God's family through the power of God's Holy Spirit.

And so now it all takes us to this next level, that it's not just about loving God. It's about being together. It's about working together. It's about moving together. It's about having a true relationship with God. I can't be a part of the Church, that spiritual Body without having a right relationship with God. And what makes it possible? The power of God's Spirit. It makes us a body and not just any old body, one body, the Body of Christ. And so when we consider that, it is an interesting aspect of what Pentecost is all about, that we are one through the power of God's Spirit, and we can be one with God the Father in Jesus Christ. And we must have that relationship in order to accomplish His will.

And so when we consider this baptism of the Spirit, this connection to God the Father and Jesus Christ, we see there's some interesting references, peculiar references, we could say, to this very fact. One is given in a pretty familiar passage. It's over in 1 Corinthians 12:12. Notice this passage, you'll recognize it. Chapter 12 talks about spiritual gifts quite a bit but it also talks about the Body, combined of people that God calls, whether they're Israelites or Gentiles. Whether they're any people that He works with, we all come together as one.

And in this particular section of Scripture, we're going to look at verse 12. 1 Corinthians 12:12, we find this one reference. In fact, this is the only reference in the New Testament that connects the Spirit with baptism and with the Body. I mean, you might think there would be a whole lot more passages specifically that connect those things, but there aren't. This is the one that specifically makes that connection. And let's notice it as we look at it from that perspective. 1 Corinthians 12:12, it says, "As the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body— whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free— and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many."

And so we make this connection, one Spirit, we're baptized into one body. Now we know that doesn't happen on Pentecost. This was a unique situation in the first century. But we know we're baptized into that body when we are baptized. At our baptism, our individual baptisms as we commit our lives to God and we forsake sin, we are baptized into His body. And we recognize the Spirit and baptism, and body all connected here. And it's saying we can't be separated. We're together, We're moving together, we're with God, we are of one mind, one heart, and I can't live in isolation anymore. You see this physical distancing that we're experiencing right now is not something that's acceptable spiritually. We have to be together spiritually.

And so when we consider this one Body, we could say, one loaf. We've been given the power to live sin-free. We've been given the power to have a right relationship with God. We've been given the power to be this collective Body of Christ. And so we've got to come out of sin and we've got to live sin-free. And the only means to be able to do that, I mean, how do you get sin out? Well, it says right here, it's by one Spirit. In fact, as it says in verse 13, "We've been made to drink into one Spirit." So take a big drink. That's what it's talking about, drinking into one's Spirit. And sometimes maybe we get it a little reversed.

I was thinking about this particular concept and I thought, way back when I was in junior high school science class. And in science class, there was one day the teacher set up this experiment. And she had a beaker up there, just an empty beaker was sitting there. And so, she asked the class, "How do I get all of the air out of this glass?" And so, we started to have a little classroom discussion about how do you get the air out? So it was like, "Well, I know, you just stick a pump on it and suck all the air out and that'll do it." She said, "Yeah, but this is just a cheap little beaker and it would explode if we tried to create a vacuum and it'll just shatter the glass all over the place. So that's not going to work." So we're all kind of puzzled. It's like, "I don't know, how are we going to get the air out of the glass?"

Well, she went over to the counter and brought back a pitcher of water. And we all kind of just looked at her as she poured the water into the glass and all the air left the glass. It was like, "Yeah, I guess I should have thought of that." She said, "Here it is, all the air is removed." And it was pretty striking to try to think a little bit differently. And I think this particular concept has struck me with the idea that how do we get rid of sin? You know, can we just pull it all out of there and that'll get rid of it in my life or does it work better the other way around, that I should be filled with the water of God's Holy Spirit? If I'm filled with the Spirit of God, then sin has to leave. It has to leave. It can't be contained in that way. It has to go. If I'm filled with the Spirit, responsive to the Spirit, utilizing God's Spirit, sin has to depart.

And so, that same aspect I think comes true when it comes to our spiritual lives. Pentecost is a reminder of that very thing, that as a part of God's Church, yes, I have to strive to live sin-free, but I know the only way that's possible is by the power of God's Spirit. So I've got to replace that sin by means of the Holy Spirit and get rid of that by being filled. In other words, not that I need more of God's Spirit, God's given me everything I need. I just got to get myself out of the way. I got to get my own thinking out of the way. I've got to submit my thinking, my aspect, my way of life to God's so that I'm acting according to His will. And I could do that by the power of God's Holy Spirit.

So as we think about Pentecost being peculiar, we read a little bit about some of those amazing miracles that happen that way. In fact, I think we could say that's probably a fifth thing peculiar about Pentecost is there were peculiar miracles that happened when the New Testament Church began. There were pretty strange things, maybe peculiar in that way but also, they were miraculous. They were amazing. They were unique. They were special. What were they? Well, we had the symbol of the wind, the fire, and the tongues, the languages. And in fact, those three things only occurred together in Acts 2, all connected with the beginning of the Body of Christ, the New Testament Church.

And we recognize those three things were symbolic. As well as some miracle that literally happened, there was symbolic meaning behind those things. And what's interesting about those is that they're all connected to the function of the Body of Christ. And when we look at Acts 2 and we think of this peculiar Day of Pentecost, in a sense, it's God's way of telling us, this is what the Body is supposed to do. This is how the Body is characterized, you could say. And when we think about that, well, let's see if that applies. Let's see if it does.

That first thing was there was wind. Well, it really wasn't wind but it was something that sounded like a mighty rush of wind. It wasn't the wind, but it kind of seemed that way. And it filled the house right where they were sitting. And we consider that, well, I can't see the wind. It's not obvious by sight. It was an invisible power. But it was strong. It was a mighty wind. It was powerful. You weren't going to be able to hold that thing back. And as we consider that, shouldn't be a characteristic of the Church? In fact, shouldn't it be a characteristic that we have? As a characteristic of the Church, we find this thing that was like the wind could be symbolic of what we're to be like. We are a band of men and women that God has called and we are bound together by the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We've been given the invisible power of God's Holy Spirit and we are expected to accomplish great things. And when others look at us, they can't figure out why we're different because you can't see it, you can't touch it, you can't measure it, but it's there. It's there. That source of our power is there, and we should never be able to be stopped because we have that invincible, invisible power of God's Holy Spirit. And that fire or the wind on that day, certainly, was symbolic of that.

Now, we also know there was a second aspect of mere miraculous things that were going on and there was this thing that looked like fire. Now, Acts 2 says it really wasn't fire but it was like fire. All right, well, how would that be connected to the work of the Body of Christ? How would that be characteristic of what you and I should be like? What does that mean when it comes to God's Church today? Well, when we look at fire throughout the Bible, a couple of things come to mind, especially when you think about Old Testament use of fire. Oftentimes, it was used to purify things, especially if you look at passages like Malachi 3:2, it refers to fire as something that purifies. It's a refiner's fire because you get rid of all the junk, you get rid of the dross. And if you're purifying silver or gold, you have to heat it up in fire so it will melt and you can just take off, you could purge all the waste and get rid of it. And so fire certainly was used to purify, get rid of the junk, get rid of the dross.

But we also find a second aspect when it comes to fire. Fire also symbolized something else. In fact, I'd like to read a passage in the Old Testament that's referred to in Psalms 39:4. Psalms 39:4 refers to this peculiarity of fire. And we can kind of see if there's a connection here to that Day of Pentecost as well and to us, for that matter. Psalm 39:4, here we find it says, "When I was silent and still, not even saying anything good, my anguish increased." It says, "My heart grew hot within me. As I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: 'Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number of my days let me know how fleeting is my life. You've made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of years is as nothing before you, each man's life is but a breath. Selah.'" Think about that. Consider this.

Now, it's interesting when he says, "My heart grew hot within me. I meditated and the fire burned." Well, he's not talking literally there. You know, what's he talking about? It's something coming out from within him, a passion, an enthusiasm for God's way. God, I know, my life isn't going to last forever. This physical life wasn't intended to last. So help me to number my days so I can serve You, so I can love You, so I can live Your way, so I can become like Christ. I recognize I have a short physical life ahead of me, help me to have the passion for Your way. Help me to have a purpose that I am driven to serve You, help me to have this hunger within, that fire that burns within me. And, of course, we see that aspect as well when you consider this Day of Pentecost. Isn't God's Church supposed to be characterized by a purifying passion?

And we've got to have a hunger for God's way. We have to purify our lives and we have to have this relentless drive to please God, to worship Him, and to be like Jesus Christ. In fact, we find in that third symbol was tongues. Now, of course, we know that's not just gibberish, it's not some Pentecostal crazy languages or anything like that. It's glossa. It's dialects. It's talking about specific languages, we might say foreign languages, different languages, real languages. And it's interesting when you think about, what were they saying? What were they saying? Did people say, "Oh, I don't have a clue what they were saying, it's just a bunch of gibberish?" No, it's not like that at all.

Take the time to read through Acts 2 and you'll find these were intelligent speaking. It was utterances that people could understand. And what were they doing? They were praising God. They were worshiping God with these various languages. They were prophesying. They were speaking in inspired ways. They were seeing visions. They were preaching the gospel. They were telling the mighty works of God. All of those things were happening on that first Pentecost. Now, hopefully, we can see this connection then to us. We've been given God's Spirit, are we to reflect these same symbolic characteristics so that we speak with boldness, we speak with clarity, we speak the Word of God? We are sincere, we are earnest. We're speaking the very words of God and telling of His mighty ways, His mighty works. We're speaking the gospel in words that are easy to understand and convicting people to the power of God's Spirit and the Word of God itself.

And so here we see, in Acts 2, the church applied that, and we must too. We must too. When you look through the book of Acts, we see the apostles and the early church apply the symbolism of those miracles because they certainly expressed their faith. They were filled with the power of God's Spirit to speak mighty things. And part of us being filled with that Spirit is to do the exact same thing that we would speak with that boldness and that clarity, that we are filled with power and passion, and we're ready to proclaim the Word of God. And that means, yeah, we've been around for 25 years but there's more to do.

It would lead us by the power of God's Spirit in new ways, in new directions, that we are the people that are proclaiming the words of God, that we understand that God has shown us His way and He expects us, in whatever means we can, in new approaches and new methods to have a passion for His way, to get His word out to the world, and He will call people that He will so that we can become a body that is working to honor and proclaim the truth of God, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. And that we're not going to allow the dross and the waste to overcome us. But we're going to get rid of that out of our lives so that we can proclaim His praises.

And so Pentecost is a peculiar day in that way. It is such a special day when we consider our great calling. But we don't want to forget the empowering aspect of this day. Because Pentecost was also peculiar because it's unique among the feasts in that it has to be counted every year. Every year, it must be counted. And so it has to be 50 days from that wave sheaf offering. And so we have to count that omer every year. And you have to ask, well, why would God want it to be counted? I think there's a measure of personal responsibility there, no doubt about that. But another aspect of the counting, I think that's peculiar, that's special is when we consider each and every day, one day after another, after another, we recognize each day we see the need to draw closer to God.

We see the need to fulfill His calling. We see the need collectively to fulfill the vision and the mission of the Church. We see the need each and every day, step by step as we're ordering, you know, our steps together, moving together to recognize the fact that each and every day, that Spirit of God must be renewed. As I count every day, from the wave sheaf to Pentecost, it's kind of representative of my life, the seven weeks of our life, the completeness of our life. We must order our steps by the power of God's Spirit, and that Spirit has to be renewed each day. I have to count it every single day.

In fact, 2 Corinthians 4:16 is such a beautiful reminder of that. It reminds us of that necessity to renew God's Spirit, to stir up that Spirit each and every day, to have that focus in our lives. 2 Corinthians 4:16 is certainly one that is beautiful reminder of the peculiarity of Pentecost and it's counting each and every day. Notice what it says here. Paul wrote to God's Church in Corinth, 2 Corinthians 4:16. He says, "Therefore we do not lose heart." And, of course, as we look around the world today, it's easy to lose heart. We may feel isolated because we've been, you know, socially distanced. We haven't been able to be together. We see the tragic things that are happening in our world around us. We see the need for the Kingdom of God. It could be easy to lose heart, but we don't. We don't lose heart.

Even though these terrible things are happening, as Paul writes, "Even though our outward man is perishing," he says, "yet the inward man is being renewed day by day, step by step, week in, week out." And so, we recognize that very fact that we each have to stir up the Spirit of God and draw close to God each and every day to be filled with that Spirit, to renew that Spirit, to renew that passion and that hope that we have to draw ever closer to God. And we know that we have to come out of sin and be filled with the Spirit. And that's such a powerful thing.

I was reminded of the fact of what one man once said. It was a man named Billy Sunday, He said something interesting about this very aspect. He said, "The only way to keep a broken vessel full is to keep it always under the tap." Yeah, you better keep that glass under the faucet. You want to keep the air out, you want to keep the sin out, keep that glass under the faucet. Keep that water pouring in. Keep God's Spirit coming. Renew it every single day. Pentecost is certainly a reminder of that, in the counting of our lives, that we recognize the fact we are totally dependent on the Spirit of God so that we can have a right relationship with Him.

And that's probably another particular thing about Pentecost. I think that brings us up to seven, a beautiful number, certainly a number of completion. The fact is, it's not just about us. It's not just about my calling. In fact, it's not just about those that God's working with right now, all of us as God's people, as His church. One of the interesting peculiar things about Pentecost is the fact that it's not just about us. It's not just about us. There's a day that's coming when all people could be called peculiar. We can read about that over in John 4:13. John 4:13, here Jesus is talking to the woman at the well. He's gone to Samaria and He makes this point. And I think it's such a powerful one when it comes to God's purpose and His plan.

And overall what God is doing in the big picture, Pentecost is a reminder of that as well. Notice what Christ says to this woman. John 4:13, He says, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again." Yeah, you drink physical water, you're going to get thirsty physically. But He says, verse 14, "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst," the water of God's Spirit. He says, "The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." And then He goes on, skip down to verse 21. He says, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you don't know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."

He says, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth.” And so, Christ talks about what's happening right now with those who He's called. But He also has this intimation, you might say, He intimates what's going to happen in the future. In the future, the second resurrection, those who never have had an opportunity to know God will have an opportunity to worship God in Spirit and truth. They'll have that opportunity. And by the power of God's Spirit, they too can become a peculiar people, a special people, a unique people to God because God's looking forward to the time that all will have that opportunity because we know He doesn't want any to perish but He wants us all to come to repentance. And so that's made possible through the power of God's Holy Spirit.

And so as we consider these things, there's no doubt Pentecost is peculiar. It's a peculiar time, but in a number of ways, in special ways, because we have become spiritual Israel. We are a spiritual nation. And after 25 years of the United Church of God, it's a reminder, it's time to rededicate ourselves. It's time to be sure that we're following God's beat. We're following His direction. We're following marching in order. By the power of His Spirit, like the wind, we have an invisible power that God has given us so that we can be invincible when it comes to the Spirit. And so we should certainly fan the fire, burn off the waste, get rid of the dross, and have that burning desire for God and His Kingdom. Have that kind of perspective.

And with our talk, with our language, we can determine to be that shining light, to speak the Word of God and what we say, let it shine forth in our actions, and be determined collectively to powerfully preach the Word of God. Be that watchman that cries out the truth in this dark world, and teach the way, and live the way, and be sure that we're counting. Be sure that we're counting on God. We can count on God for His love. We can count on God for His mercy. We can count on God for His grace. And at this special time, we can recommit to constantly renew that Spirit of God that's within us. So let's remember to continually pray to our great God that we may be filled with power, that we may be filled with passion, that we may be filled with His purpose and then we can truly be called His peculiar people.