As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“somewhere in between the late middle ages and today, Christians began to detach their view of spiritual authority from the church and began to locate it the individual….Not only are various authorities pitted against one another, such as the spiritual against the political. All authorities began to be pitted against the individual and the individual conscience.” - Word by Word
“This article was produced by Claude.AI based on a message preached by pastor Johnson on June 15, 2025. The audio and video will be available later this week.” - P&D
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 50th 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).
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—on Sunday, June 8.
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.
“There are two key areas in which the biblical pattern is accountability to the congregation—the entire church body—and where decision-making is assigned to the entire church body…. in financial accountability and in church discipline.” - P&D
“To many the church appears as a cult, an archaic institution clinging to outdated beliefs. Others see the church as a place of judgment, intolerance, and hypocrisy. This perception isn’t entirely unwarranted…. But it also stems from a misunderstanding of what the church is supposed to be.” - Brian Cederquist
In this series we have learned how it is always dangerous to replace Israel.
Replacing Israel occurs when one interprets the word Israel in the text of Scripture to mean the church or all believers—understanding them to be the new Israel or the spiritual Israel. It is taking the concept of Israel (the people, the nation, or the land) in a non-literal sense.
In the previous installment, we considered the origin and nature of Replacement Theology, which involves understanding the church to be the new Israel or the spiritual Israel, or otherwise taking the concept of Israel (the people, the nation, or the land) in some non-literal sense when we encounter it within the text of Holy Scripture.
As Bible-believing Christians, we must maintain a keen focus on the importance of Israel—from its biblical past, through its strategic present, to its prophetic future.
And, indeed, we must always remember that God still has a future for Israel! Proclaiming this truth—and acting on it—is the very reason The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry came into existence more than 86 years ago.
“Church membership makes sense of a Christian’s obligation to other Christians…. Church membership makes sense of a Christian’s obligation to his spiritual leaders…. Church membership makes sense of a pastor’s obligation to his church.” - Challies
Discussion