The rich symbolism prescribed for the ancient Hebrew celebration of Pentecost culminated in the inauguration of a brand-new entity in the program of God. It all occurred, according to His perfect plan, on the Pentecost Sunday which was the 50^th day following the resurrection of Christ.

As Bruce Scott stated, even in the Hebrew Bible, “Both the so-called Feast of First Fruits and the Feast of Weeks are inextricably linked” (The Feasts of Israel: Seasons of the Messiah [Bellmawr, NJ: The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, 1997], 58).

“Barna data from a recent pastor survey show that over two in three U.S. Protestant senior pastors (67%) say they feel ‘very confident’ about their preaching right now. One in three (32%) is ‘somewhat confident’ while just one percent is not confident.” - Barna Research

“Several people responded to Aniol by posting Bible verses that describe people raising hands in worship…Psalm 63:4 and 1 Timothy 2:8… Aniol responded, ‘Prayer. Not emotional singing.’” - C.Leaders

“Q&A with First Amendment champion Eric Treene on religious freedom, land use, and how the Westminster Confession contributed to his work at the Department of Justice.” - C.Today

“I’d like to zoom out and ask a broader question: What should the Christian’s posture be to a hostile world? Not surprisingly, the question does not allow for a simple answer. The message and model of the New Testament cannot be reduced to a single attitude or strategy. But there are important lessons to learn.” - DeYoung

“Such good old days are often talked about in passing, and most people agree how much better it would be if only we could return. We don’t realize the damage at stake in allowing our brains and hearts to live in this imagined land of yesteryear.” - Desiring God

Read the series.

Federal Theology and the Baptism of Infants

[W{hen Reformed people speak of “the covenant,” we are speaking of the one covenant of grace that runs from its seed-promise in Genesis 3:15, was expanded in detail to Abraham in Genesis 15, fulfilled in Christ, and continues throughout time until the consummation. Anyone who has or will ever be saved – in any period of human history – is a member of the covenant of grace. (Michael G. Brown and Zach Keele, Sacred Bond, 95)

“The share of U.S. adults who are transgender is particularly high among adults younger than 25. In this age group, 3.1% are a trans man or a trans woman, compared with just 0.5% of those ages 25 to 29.” - Pew

“the Guidepost Global account tweeted its commitment ‘to strengthening diversity, equity and inclusion’ as an organization that welcomes employees to ‘bring their authentic selves to work.’ It further positioned the company as ‘an ally to our LGBTQ+ community’ accompanied by the image of a rainbow flag.” - BPNews

“In this book I repeat, but with updated information and insight, J. Gresham Machen’s conclusion in his classic book ‘Christianity and Liberalism’ that was published in 1923. In a way, my book is a centenary celebration of his book but filling in the gap of a century between that book and mine” - Olson

“The widespread cultural breakdown we see around us cannot by explained by a mere loosening of morals, or the wrong political party being in power, a pandemic, or our response to it. What we are seeing is the catastrophic emptiness when life is built on the wrong foundation.” - Breakpoint

“Americans have a wide range of opinions and impressions about Christian denominations, but most won’t rule out a church based on its denomination, according to a new study from Lifeway Research.” - BPNews

“As Morrison leaves office, evangelicals are assessing the way his faith interacted with his politics: how that was covered by the media, how it was viewed by the public, and how they would want Christians to act, as Christians, in the public sphere.” - C.Today

“Careful readers may have noticed that… I called it a ‘church-history term’ and I’m sticking to that.” - GetReligion

“more than six-in-ten say the same about China’s power and influence (67%), Russia’s power and influence (64%) and the condition of the global economy (63%)” - Pew

“Seven survivors of sexual abuse in … (SBC) have issued a joint statement calling for four reforms to be implemented immediately. Among the actions … are the creation of a restoration fund for survivors and the funding of a memorial devoted to all survivors and named in honor of Christa Brown.” - C.Leaders

“At the turn of the 19th century, however, a decisive shift started. Baptists shed the sacramentology of their ancestors, embracing an exclusively memorialistic understanding of the Supper.” - TGC

Reposted from Rooted Thinking. (2020)

Bathe the children. Cook three square meals. Weed the garden. Repair the fence. Beat back the vines of the encroaching jungle. Unclog the outhouse. Patch the hole in the roof. Help the neighbors. Such was the life of missionary Mary Slessor. Far from the conveniences of her homeland, this Scottish woman found the mundane chores of daily life in Nigeria consuming her time. Is your life similarly filled with repetitive, mind-numbing tasks? Do you feel there is little value in the mundane?

“The UMC North Georgia Conference announced last Thursday that 70 congregations representing 9% of its churches and 3% of its members have chosen disaffiliation.” - C.Post

“The answer to this difficulty lies in recognizing the proper relationship between chapter 1 and chapter 2.” - Ligonier

“When we are called haters and bigots, let’s extend an open hand, saying, ‘Let’s sit down and talk together.’ Then let’s show our new friends the love of God, face to face.” - Michael Brown

“When people ask me to list some must-read books — if the goal is understanding religion and the news — the first one I mention is “Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America” by sociologist James Davison Hunter.” - GetReligion

“The non-alcoholic trend started to pick up a year or two before the pandemic, with no-alcohol bars catering to the so-called ‘sober curious’ popping up in some cities, and has continued to grow at a rapid clip.” - CNN

This world is a mess. A few decades ago, Carl F.H. Henry wrote: “The West has lost its moral and epistemic compass bearings. It has no shared criterion for judging whether human beings are moving up or down, standing still, or merely on the move only God knows where.”¹ In the absence of a Biblical world-explanation, Henry argued, “[t]he search for an alternative model is beset with confusion, and Western society drifts indecisively toward chaos. Secular scholars seem unable to tell us where we are.”²

“Reforms would include a website to track abusers and hiring staff to respond to abuse allegations.” - RNS

“…we are hypocrites about being hypocrites. We hear the pastor mention the Pharisees during the Sunday sermon, and we smugly draw a bit of a caricature in our minds. The Pharisees are those other Christians we’ve known who ‘just don’t get it.’” - Ref21

“This past weekend I participated at a conference on prayer … One of the questions I was asked during a Q & A time had to do with mind-wandering during prayer. …Here are ten suggestions that might help you when your mind starts to wander in prayer.” - Kindle Afresh

Podcast with transcript: “John Yates leads a pastoral panel with Matt Carter, Vermon Pierre, and Afshin Ziafat in a discussion on how hard ministry can be and what it takes to not lose heart. They discuss their personal experience of carrying the weight of the church and encountering criticism and fatigue.” - TGC

Christians throughout the world will celebrate Pentecost Sunday and the coming of the Holy Spirit—in a new and fresh way, to begin the church age—this coming Sunday.

Interestingly, these celebrations may not involve many of our readers, as oftentimes the churches in our circles do not make much of this day on the calendar.

If you were like me, however—raised in a liturgical church that celebrated Pentecost Sunday every year—its chronological relation to the resurrection was likely fixed clearly in your mind. But, regardless of how we remember Pentecost, we certainly need to be familiar with it and understand its vast significance.

“The new grading practices are designed to help students struggling with difficult home situations but, according to an official statement, ‘OPRFHS does not, nor has it ever had a plan to, grade any students differently based on race.’” - Relevant