Kroner Ministries: equipping the saints for the work of the minsitry

Here is one of their posts about Jesus and how He fulfills the Jewish Feasts. Enjoy!

DK

 The way in which Jesus fulfilled the Jewish feasts is a fascinating study. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the Jewish prophet Amos records that God declared He would do nothing without first revealing it to His servants, the Prophets (Amos 3:7). From the Old Covenant to the New, Genesis to Revelation, God provides picture after picture of His entire plan for mankind and one of the most startling prophetic pictures is outlined for us in the Jewish Feasts of Leviticus 23.

The Hebrew word for feasts (moadim) literally means “appointed times.” God has carefully planned and orchestrated the timing and sequence of each of these seven feasts to reveal to us a special story. The seven annual feasts of Israel were spread over seven months of the Jewish calendar, at set times appointed by God. They are still celebrated by observant Jews today. But for both Jews and non-Jews who have placed their faith in Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, these special days demonstrate the work of redemption through God’s Son.

The first four of the seven feasts occur during the springtime (Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Weeks) and they all have already been fulfilled by Christ in the New Testament. The final three holidays (Trumpets, The Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles) occur during the fall, all within a short fifteen-day period.

Many Bible scholars and commentators believe that these fall feasts have not yet been fulfilled by Jesus. However, the “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13) for all believers in Jesus Christ is that they most assuredly will. As the four spring feasts were fulfilled literally and right on the actual feast day in connection with Christ’s first coming, these three fall feasts, it is believed by many, will likewise be fulfilled literally in connection to the Lord’s second coming.

In a nutshell, here is the prophetic significance of each of the seven Levitical feasts of Israel:

1) Passover (Leviticus 23:5) – Pointed to the Messiah as our Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) whose blood would be shed for our sins. Jesus was crucified on the day of preparation for the Passover at the same hour that the lambs were being slaughtered for the Passover meal that evening.

2) Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6) – Pointed to the Messiah’s sinless life (as leaven is a picture of sin in the Bible), making Him the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus’ body was in the grave during the first days of this feast, like a kernel of wheat planted and waiting to burst forth as the bread of life.

3) First Fruits (Leviticus 23:10) – Pointed to the Messiah’s resurrection as the first fruits of the righteous. Jesus was resurrected on this very day, which is one of the reasons that Paul refers to him in I Corinthians 15:20 as the “first fruits from the dead.”

4) Weeks or Pentecost (Leviticus 23:16) – Occurred fifty days after the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and pointed to the great harvest of souls and the gift of the Holy Spirit for both Jew and Gentile, who would be brought into the kingdom of God during the Church Age (see Acts 2). The Church was actually established on this day when God poured out His Holy Spirit and 3,000 Jews responded to Peter’s great sermon and his first proclamation of the Gospel.

5) Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24) – The first of the fall feasts. Many believe this day points to the Rapture of the Church when the Messiah Jesus will appear in the heavens as He comes for His bride, the Church. The Rapture is always associated in Scripture with the blowing of a loud trumpet (I Thessalonians 4:13-18 and I Corinthians 15:52).

6) Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27) – Many believe this prophetically points to the day of the Second Coming of Jesus when He will return to earth. That will be the Day of Atonement for the Jewish remnant when they “look upon Him whom they have pierced,” repent of their sins, and receive Him as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10 and Romans 11:1-6, 25-36).

7) Tabernacles or Booths (Leviticus 23:34) – Many scholars believe that this feast day points to the Lord’s promise that He will once again “tabernacle” with His people when He returns to reign over all the world (Micah 4:1-7).

Should Christians celebrate these Levitical feast days of Israel today? Whether or not a Christian celebrates the Jewish feast days would be a matter of conscience for the individual Christian. Colossians 2:16-17 tells us “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” Christians are not bound to observe the Jewish feasts the way an Old Testament Jew was, but we should not criticize another believer who does or does not observe these special days and feasts (Romans 14:5).

While it is not required for Christians to celebrate the Jewish feast days, it is beneficial to study them. Certainly it could be beneficial to celebrate these days if it leads one to a greater understanding and appreciation for Christ’s death and resurrection and the future promise of His coming. As Christians, if we choose to celebrate these special days, we should put Christ in the center of the celebration, as the One who came to fulfill the prophetic significance of each of them.

The honest fact is I never wanted to be a children’s pastor. I offered to do anything at my home church in Illinois upon completion of Bible School, with the exception being children’s ministry. And yet, 8 years later, here I am with a passion to reach kids and help families. Why?

This world map comes from the global 4/14 day website (4/14 Day)

If you look at it you see that a significant part of our culture in America is made up of people under the age of 15. And in South/Latin America and across Africa and the Middle East into lower Asia, even more so. But the percentage isn’t what’s important. This stat is why it all matters:

Do you see the importance now? If we’re going to be effective in expanding the Kingdom of God, targeting adults is all well and good…but the future of the church is in the kids it reaches. Adult ministry is critical and important. Adults need to be trained and educated and equipped. They need to know what they believe and why. And then they need to be activated into ministry so that they can make a difference!

That difference should include their workplace, favorite hangout, social circles, etc. But it should also include their family at home, and their community at large.

Being a christian isn’t about believing differently, it’s about living differently.

That quote came from a friend of mine here at Cross Points. While I’m sure he stole it from a sermon he was listening to, it sums up perfectly the reason to engage kids. We complain about the state our society is in. We worry about the future. We wonder if our culture can deteriorate further… all of those things can be addressed if we properly reach and train the next generation. If they’re going to live for Christ, they’re going to start while they’re kids. The stats prove it out.

Some people may say ‘yeah, but what about the kids that go up for every alter call, or raise their hand every time?’ What about them? Here’s what I see play out as a children’s pastor in the trenches: eventually those kids acquire the knowledge to go along with the desire to live for God, and they start actively seeking Him. Especially if the child is on the younger end of the spectrum, I don’t worry about them wanting to get saved on a weekly basis, because I understand that they don’t thing abstractly at young ages. The idea of Jesus being a sacrifice for their sin may make sense, but the idea that it is a one time occurrence doesn’t always register. They just need time and training for it to ‘click’.

That, again, is where parents become so critical. If mom and dad aren’t leading at home in the spiritual things, then the child is left confused and trying to navigate the waters of spiritual development on their own. This often puts them in a position as they are older to be more influenced by false teachings or erroneous doctrine, because they hear a lot of snippets of Bible Truth, but don’t see it played out everyday.

So, I want to do everything I can to empower my kids in the time I have them in service every week with Truth. But I also want to do everything I can to empower parents…and adults in general. Because this is a war we cannot afford to lose.

Don’t forget to pray for Children on Global 4/14 day this Saturday. And if you’re in the KC area, join us at 8:30am at Cross Points Church for a special time of worship and prayer for our community, our schools, our ministry, and our kids.

What can you do? Here are 4 things that will make a difference:

1. Pray for your local community, schools, church youth and children’s ministries, and kids
2. Put feet to faith. Everyone can give up at least one Sunday a month sitting in service to go get involved and serve. Help in Sunday School. Volunteer in the nursery to love on and play with kids. Go back and do games once a month with the elementary kids. It’s not about how much you do, it’s about THAT you do!
3. Do it at home. Pray with and for your kids, and read Bible stories with them. Then discuss the story, what you all get from it, and how it can help in your everyday life. Family devotions don’t have to be long and drawn out…they just have to be thought out. Contact me if you need help on how to get started by emailing devin@crosspointschurch.com. I’m happy to hook you up with some resources.
4. Do something strategic. I just found out about a pilot program to help 2nd grade kids in our community get up to their reading level. Once a week I take my lunch brake and drive to the school to read with a kid for 40 minutes. It doesn’t cost me anything. It’s just 1 hour, and I’m making a difference in a child’s life. I also sponsor a World Vision child, helping to improve the life of a child in India and her entire community. The sacrifice? I don’t eat out that extra time each month. Not all evangelism has to involve the church or the gospel (Yup, i said it!). It just has to involve loving people!