by Kevin Tillman | May 29, 2023 | Theology
What exactly is Shavuot? Simply put, it is the fourth of seven Feasts of Israel. Shavuot is Hebrew for “weeks”. This festival is also known as the “Feast of Weeks”, because it occurs 7 Sabbaths and one day from Passover, or 50 days (thus the Greek translation of “Pentecost”). Shavuot is Pentecost, Pentecost is Shavuot. Same day, two translations.
But, what is Shavuot? It was a summer harvest celebration. Grain offerings were presented as an act of thankfulness. What is not mentioned in the Bible, but is in Ancient Jewish rabbinical teachings is the significance of the day. Fifty days after the Passover (escape from Egyptian slavery), was the monumental event of the giving of the Law. (Charlton Heston anyone?). Important to notice is that this day was a remembrance for the foundational giving of the law. This feast was instituted well before the time of Jesus, and is still celebrated today by Jews.
Imagine this: It’s first century AD. The disciples are gathered with 120 others in the Upper Room. The day is Shavuot. It’s the day of remembrance and thankfulness for the law. But this year is different. Fifty days ago their Messiah had died (on Passover), was buried (on Feast of Unleavened Bread), then rose again (on Feast of First Fruits). Now, it’s the day of the fourth feast: Shavuot. There are many similarities in the events that happened on the day of Pentecost and the day the law was given on Mt. Sinai. At Sinai “a loud trumpet blast”, and “the whole mountain trembled violently”. In the Upper Room, “a sound like the blowing of a violent wind”. Both occurrences saw a visible fire. Both occurred on exactly the same calendar day (Shavuot). In rabbinic tradition, when the law was given the soul of every Jew in all of history was present, and each person heard the law in their native language. At Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given, “each one heard their own language”. Of course they did!
At Sinai, 3000 people lost their lives for worshipping the golden calf false idol. At Pentecost, 3000 lives were saved. So, Pentecost occurred on Shavuot. It’s amazing how God gives us such a perfect timetable. It’s all rooted in the festivals and in plain sight! God is so good!
by Shannon Tillman | May 15, 2023 | Theology
I think sometimes when we are around the extraordinary we consider it ordinary. I had some people tell me recently about how their dog can open the gate to go out to the beach. I was amazed and exclaimed, “She taught herself that. It’s amazing!”
The owner’s response, “It took her some time to figure it out.” So it would only be mind boggling for him if the dog also spoke to him while she let herself out? “Hey, Master, I am heading to the beach. There is a guy dog next door I want to meet. Wish me luck! By the way, could you add real bacon to dinner tonight? I’m tired of that fake stuff that you think you are tricking me with.”
It reminds me of a mom I know whose first-born is a genius. However, she did not know that his IQ was off the charts. She assumed every child was reading books by the age of three. The mom did not know he was already on an elementary-school grade level; she thought this is what all three years olds do. Then, her second child was born. Her daughter could not read by the age of three and in fact did not want to sit long enough to have a story read to her. The mom took her second-born to the doctor, thinking something was wrong. The doctor figured out the problem and let the mom know her daughter was intelligent but should not be compared to a genius. The mom was so used to extraordinary she thought it was ordinary.
(Isn’t strange that I used a dog and a genius to make an illustration? Who would have put those two together? I wonder who is more offended the genius or the dog?)
The point is: I believe we have become too familiar with the extraordinary that we pass it off as ordinary. I was reminded of this the other day as I listened to a message by Brandy McCombs, a friend from back in the day…long time ago…in a land far, far, away…I could keep going but I won’t. Anyway, she shared of how the Bible is the Word of God, not just a book, but the living, breathing Word of God. The same God who said “Let there be light” and there was also wrote the Bible we so casually lay on our nightstand. She also pointed out how only 7% of the world’s population has the entire Bible written in their language. Although we are part of that small percentile, we see it as ordinary and not the extraordinary gift that it is.
Her message took me back to a Bible study I participated in years ago. The leader set his hand on the Bible and moved it up and down as if the Bible was breathing. He said something like, “The Word is alive. Approach the Bible remembering that it is living and active today.” It is not words on a page. It is not ink and paper. It is a conversation with God, the Word speaking to you and to me, the breath of God exhaling into our souls.”
That truly is extraordinary.
by Kevin Tillman | Apr 24, 2023 | Theology
“In any culture in which God is largely absent, sex, money, and politics will fill the vacuum for different people. This is the reason that our political discourse is increasingly ideological and polarized.” – Tim Keller
Life is an endless pursuit of fulfillment. We all desire to be filled. God has created us with a longing, this is from Him! I’ve grown up hearing and knowing that “only God can satisfy”. If you’ve been around the church for a while like me, you likely have as well. But, have the words that we’ve heard been absorbed into our heart? Do we truly live as though God is my one and only satisfaction? We might know the sufficiency of God in theory, but do we live it out in actuality? To be honest, there are so many other things that satisfy me: Pizza, Football, Hot Wings, Entertainment, Ice Cream … that’s three food references for those keeping score! Yes, those things do satisfy … or do they? What about deeper things? Can a new job making bucket loads of money satisfy me? (I’d sure like to try that one). What about fame? Maybe if I was famous, and everyone looked to me I’d be satisfied. What about power? What if I could say it and it would happen? What about pleasure? To keep it real, we have to admit that sin can be fun right? We live in a society that is continually lowering the moral standard. Go to the bar, get hammered, forget your worries, have a good time, find someone to go home with … have a good time … then repeat next weekend. There is some fulfillment in that. Power, Sex, Money, Fame, Control … they all offer some form of fulfillment. But, as you know, it’s fleeting. It doesn’t last. When you get money, you fear losing it, or you need more. You achieve fame, and find it isn’t as fulfilling as you thought. People in power positions are some of the loneliest people there are. They have many that listen to them and do everything they say, but yet they are lonely.
Only God can satisfy. It’s not just a trite Christian phrase we throw around. It’s truth. Solomon is said to be a man full of wisdom. He had everything life could offer: money, fame, women, power. You name it, Solomon had it. So, what was this wise mans conclusion? Solomon doesn’t waste time in the book of Ecclesiastes. Chapter One, Verse One says, “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” Don’t miss it … that’s his opening statement. I’d like to try that as a sermon introduction one Sunday. “Good morning congregation … Today’s message is, “It’s all Meaningless, Utterly Meaningless”. Now that would be an uplifter right? For twelve chapters in Ecclesiastes Solomon repeats over and over “meaningless, it’s all meaningless”. He gives example after example of his search, but still, “meaningless, it’s all meaningless”. So, twelve chapters later, what is the conclusion? Solomon writes, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Fear God. That’s the answer. Live under his commandments. Basically, do it God’s way.
The quote above also included politics. Politics is the new religion. Many fall into the trap of making politics their hope. The problem is that politics are lead by politicians. I’m not saying all politicians are bad, but I am saying that all politicians are human. Humans are fallible and make mistakes. Humans will disappoint. People will let you down. Underneath the politics is the ideology. We all have an ideology, or a way we see the world. We have an “ideal”. Could it be that our ideology is our hope instead of God being our hope? The thing that is dangerous about ideology is that it is never achieved, yet it’s always out there as something to strive for. Our ideal lingers under the surface reminding us that if we can just get to that next step, get that next promotion, get that candidate elected, etc… then, fulfillment will be found. But we never reach that point. We do fight for it though. Wars are started over ideology. Families are divided over ideology. Churches are split over ideology. Ideology is a silent killer that wrecks us.
So, what to do with this? Sex, Money, Fame, Ideology, Power … none of it will last, none of it will fulfill. Do we really believe that only God can satisfy? If so, how do we practically live that out? How do we live a life that is dependent solely upon God for satisfaction. At this point you might expect me to quote Scripture, which is always a good thing. I have numerous references I could use here. The Bible consistently talks about leaning on God, trusting in God, looking to God, etc. There is no shortage of those verses. That’s a common thing. But, I’d rather end this posting with a practical bit of advice. Here it is …. big drumroll …. RISK! Yeah, live with risk. Risk your life on God. If what you are doing right now has not brought you satisfaction, why not risk it all and go for something completely different? I’m not really a poker player, but if I was, I’d say put all your chips in. Go “all in” on your relationship with God. Risk it! Become the Jesus freak you used to make fun of. Get into God’s Word, listen to Christian music, ask questions, become over involved in your local church. Basically, sell out to Christianity.
I see two choices: Live the way you have been and experience moments of fulfillment, followed by droughts of loneliness and hopelessness. OR, try something completely different and RISK your life on God. I assure you the risk is worth it!
The quote above is from Tim Keller’s book Counterfeit gods (yes with a little “g”). This is one of the most influential books I have read over the last five years. I highly recommend it.
