The Meaning

Old Testament Reference: Leviticus 25: 8-18 – "On the Day of Atonement of (every) fiftieth year, blow the trumpets loud and long throughout the land. This year will be set apart as holy, a time to proclaim release for all who live there. It will be a jubilee year for you…"

In the Old Testament of the Bible, God commanded his people to observe a special year of celebration every 50 years, called the Year of Jubilee. It was set apart as a time of rest, recovery, release, and renewal for everyone within the nation of Israel. Basically it was a time for new beginnings. Debts were forgiven; slaves and indentured servants were set free; wealth was redistributed with property being returned to its rightful owners; and work was suspended for the entire year to give rest to both the people and the land. The Year of Jubilee was established to be a time of renewed commitment to God and a celebration of everything that He has done for His people. Ultimately, the Year of Jubilee foreshadows the Kingdom of God in heaven. And in keeping with this tradition, our desire is for our church to serve as a signpost for God’s Kingdom here on Earth. We want to demonstrate radical grace, forgiveness, spiritual renewal, and commitment to God. We want to live our lives—both individually and collectively—as a celebration of what God has done for us. And we want to provoke and invite others to join this celebration with us.

New Testament Reference: Acts 2: 1-4 – "On the day of Pentecost, seven weeks (fifty days) after Jesus'' resurrection, the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them, and it filled the house where they were meeting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit…"

The Greek word "Pentecost" means "50" and it refers to the fiftieth day after the Sabbath of the Passover week. In Old Testament times, the nation of Israel celebrated Pentecost as a festival of joy, showing thankfulness for the Lords blessing of first fruits of the harvest. However Pentecost received its full meaning on that fiftieth day following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ when the Holy Spirit was revealed to be the fruit (or result) of faith in Christ, filling the life of each believer and giving birth to the church as Gods agent for change in the world of the New Testament and of today. At that moment in history, the world was forever transformed as ordinary people were filled with the very Spirit of God, and they started to experience miraculous and supernatural events as the newly defined people of God. They devoted themselves to deepening their understanding of God and developing their faith in an ever-expanding community of believers. They took care of each other like one big extended family, eating meals together regularly and frequently spending time in community worship and prayer. The Bible records that multitudes of people were continually being added to their church, and from that first Christian community the gospel of Jesus went out to every part of the world—influencing history even into the present. We desire our church to echo this initial expression of Gods Spirit-filled community. We want God to revolutionize our perspective of faith; we want to experience God in amazing ways, and we want to be a part of Gods plan for the present—redeeming our homes, our neighborhoods, our cities, our countries, and our world for God like the original church described in the New Testament.