Class Notes: 6/7/2009

The Church Age was launched on Pentecost

We are continuing in our study where we are discussing the relationship between the Jewish Feasts and the events of the First Advent of TLJC that launched the church age.

We have seen that the Jewish Feasts that relate to the events of the First Advent of TLJC are Passover, Unleavened Bread: First Fruits and Pentecost, the day that the Holy Spirit was sent to indwell and fill believers universally providing the power for unique spiritual life for believers in the church age.

We have seen that the model and precedence for this unique spiritual life was established by TLJC during his life on this earth in unglorified humanity at the beginning of the hypostatic union. Heb 10:5; Heb 12:2a;

Last time we stopped when we were looking at some concluding points regarding the ascension and session:

The ascension explains the uniqueness of the Church Age John 7:37-39; as well as TLJC as the unique Celebrity of all time and eternity.

Ten days after the ascension and session that we have been discussing was the Jewish feast of Pentecost.

In the Bible, the number 10 is used to represent fullness or completion in the divine order.

There are the 10 commandments, the tithe, the parable of the 10 virgins, the 10 I am's. of TLJC, the 10 plagues in Egypt, the 10 miracles in the desert....

Pentecost was the event when the Holy Spirit from heaven to take up His residence upon the earth in order to finish or complete the body of TLJC in newly formed church, the Royal Family of God.

Although as God, the Holy Spirit is omnipresent, and therefore present among men in all ages, this new age was to be characterized by the Spirit's intimate presence via his indwelling and filling ministries, that our Lord in the Upper Room Discourse revealed to his disciples as recorded in John chapters 13-16.

Just before His death, he said that the Father would send the Spirit from heaven and that He would arrive upon the earth to take up His residence in the new people of God on the earth.

John 14:16; "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;

John 16:7-8; "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;

John 16:13; "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

These prophecies spoken in the upper room, show that TLJC had the events of Pentecost in view when he spoke to his disciples the evening prior to his crucifixion.

Pentecost marks the giving, receiving, and depositing of the gift of the Spirit in the members of the newly formed church on earth. Our Lord, before His death and resurrection, promised this "going-away present" as His ascension gift to His disciples. John 14:26 ;Luke 24:49,; Acts 1:8;

We see from this that the Spirit and his benefits have been made available to every church age believer ever since he was sent at Pentecost in Acts 2.

On the basis of the reception of the newly received gift at Pentecost and its being deposited in the church, Peter urged the unbelieving Jews to change their mind about their Savior and as a result share in the spiritual wealth of the outpoured gift. Acts 2:38-39;

Pentecost was a unique once-for-all, unrepeatable event.

It is just as unrepeatable as the creation of the universe or the creation of mankind in the garden. It marked the creation of the Royal Family of God as a new spiritual species that was to be the body of TLJC. Gal 6:15;

This event is just as unrepeatable as the incarnation or the death, or the resurrection, or the ascension or the session of Christ.

God the Holy Spirit could only come once to take up His permanent residence inside church age believers which He did at Pentecost.

The event occurred at a specific time (Acts 2:1-4), in fulfillment of a specific Old Testament event (Lev 23:15-22),

It occurred in a specific place, Acts 1:4-5; (Jerusalem)

upon a specific few, Acts 1:15; ( initially about 120)

It occurred for a specific purpose 1Cor 12:12-14; that was to introduce a completely new relationship between God and man.

Pentecost presents the advent and gift of the Spirit to perform all His ministries in this present age.

This includes all the operations of the Spirit's Person including His regenerating, baptizing, sealing, indwelling, and filling ministries that result in his teaching and enabling ministries.

All these are established in the believer at the moment of salvation and constitute the basic and inseparable elements of his so-great salvation, provided by the death and resurrection of Christ Heb 2:3;.

The only condition placed upon those who would participate in this reality is simple faith alone in TLJC alone since they are only component parts of salvation.

Old Testament saints were regenerated by faith: Gen 15:6;Rom 4:3;

In the same way as the Old Testament believers, Jesus' disciples with the exception of Judas. were born again prior to their experience at Pentecost .

At Pentecost they were introduced into a new age, after having already been regenerated in the previous age when they had believed in TLJC.

Now that the church age has been introduced and established the epistles reveal that unlike Old Testament saints, all believers the moment they are regenerated, are simultaneously baptized by the Spirit into Christ Rom 6:3-4; Gal 3:27; Col 2:10-12;.

and into union with all other believers 1 Cor 12:13,

and sealed perpetually by the Spirit Eph 1:13; Eph 4:30;,

Church age believers are permanently indwelt by the Spirit John 14:16; 1Cor 6:19;

and have the privilege and responsibility to be continuously filled with the Spirit Eph 5:18.

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