Christian Churches of God No. 65Z

Summary: The Leaven of Pentecost

(Edition 1.0 20040503-20040503) The meaning of the Leavened Loaves of Pentecost was lost to the Churches of God in the last half of the 20th century, as was the understanding of the de-leavening in order to become Sons of God in Power from the Resurrection of the Dead. (Romans 1:4)

Christian Churches of God PO Box 369, WODEN ACT 2606, AUSTRALIA Email: [email protected]

(Copyright ã 2004 Wade Cox) (Summary by Patti Gambier, Ed. Wade Cox)

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The Leaven of Pentecost

The two-day Feast of Pentecost (count fifty) in the Mysteries of God. Thus the Church can falls on the Sabbath and the First day of the bring out old and new from the treasures of week in the Third month of the Sacred Scripture (Mat. 13:52). Calendar. During these 50 days from the Wave Sheaf Offering during the Days of Christ spoke in parables, actually to protect Unleavened Bread, love and unity with the people from understanding, and seeing and brethren and for God should grow for the being saved before their time (Mat.13:13; cf. receipt of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Isaiah 6:9,10). So over the 2,000 years the Church has survived persecution, by parables The entire period of 21 days in the month of by slow release of information and from Nisan/Abib is one of sanctification – from the action of the adversary. Sometimes New Moon of the New Year (1st Abib), the disobedient officers of the Church and the fast on the 7th Abib for the sanctification of people have hindered. The Church is like the the Simple and Erroneous, and on to the 21st moon, waxing and waning in understanding day. To understand this whole period of over the centuries. sanctification, one has to keep the 21 days, as commanded. God requires obedience more The old leaven of malice and wickedness than sacrifice (1Sam.15:22). must be put off, and the Feast kept in sincerity and truth, allowing the leaven of the Holy Thus the keeping of these days, leading up to Spirit to develop and convert the person as a Pentecost, commences the process to the new functioning whole. The Holy Spirit (the receipt of the leaven of the Kingdom of spirit of truth) guides the Church into truth, Heaven, i.e. the Holy Spirit. and it grows in knowledge of God. Truth sets us free (Jn. 8:32) and truth is the foundation of Christ said the Kingdom of Heaven is like the whole armour of God (Eph. 6:13-17). leaven given to the woman (Mat.13:33) who placed it in 3 measures of meal. These 3 We see there is a distinction between the measures represent the threefold aspects of the normal carnal mind and the minds of the sons Kingdom of God – King, Priest, and Prophet, of God. We are made alive by the leaven of which Christ embodied. See paper Jesus the the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:1,2). Our minds are Christ, King, Priest and Prophet (No. 280). enlightened and no more blinded by the leaven of the spirit of the adversary (2Cor. God ordered the 2 loaves at Pentecost to be 4:4). “Many are called and few are chosen” leavened. This should have muzzled any (Mat. 22:14). These are they that hear and see inference or declaration that God was placing and bear fruit as in the parable of the sower. the symbol of sin (i.e. leaven, as (Mat. 13:1-9) misunderstood) in one of His Holy offerings. God addresses the Philadelphian Church, who By disobedience in not keeping every loved one another, and though having little ordinance in connection with the first 21 days power, has worked diligently through the of Abib, understanding was blighted. power of the Holy Spirit (Rev. 3:8). That Proverbs 16:3 says: “Give your ways to the power enables us to keep the commandments Lord and He will establish your thoughts”. of God and the testimony of Jesus (Rev. Do as He commands and understanding 12:17; 14:12). follows. Upon repentance and baptism we receive the The Holy Spirit works in the individual, gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). We keep bringing him into the Body of Christ, and the Holy Spirit by our obedience (Acts 5:32). develops each of us to become kings, priests Our robes are washed in the blood of Christ and prophets, and as scribes we are instructed (Rev. 22:14). Summary: The Leaven of Pentecost Page 3

compared. Leaven as the spirit of Satan The Holy Spirit enables us to hear and obey, permeates the whole world with sin, whereas and thus understand, and bear fruit by action the leaven as the Spirit of God permeates the (Mat. 13:10-23, 24-30). God becomes all in individual creating a new man, for the all and we then become elohim (see the paper Kingdom of Heaven. The Elect as Elohim (No. 1)). The leaven in the loaves at Pentecost The elect are redeemed by Christ’s sacrifice represented a pure offering, symbolising the as a body of kings and priests, and in them is “pure” repentant hearts of Israel. handled the spirit of prophecy. Individuals in the Church are developed by the Holy Spirit Leviticus 23:15-22: ….two wave with gifts according to the needs of the loaves….shall be baken with leaven, for the Church and the time. first fruits unto Yahovah….the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits for Adhering to the faith is worth the effort for a wave offering before Yahovah….they shall the salvation of us all (Jn. 16:21) be holy to Yahovah……

This woman, the Church of God, which is the These are the loaves or Bread of the First Bride of Christ is persecuted by the adversary Fruits. It is the plainest of symbols that the (Rev. 12:13,17). First Fruits, after Christ, is the Church of God and they are represented by leaven in the The seed (Christ) and His Church triumph loaves. Both Christ and the Church are made over the adversary and his system (Zec. 5:5- into sons of God through the power of the 11). Holy Spirit. Thus the bread at Pentecost becomes a leavened loaf. We are rendered unclean by association with sin (Hag. 2:13) and Leviticus 22:4-6 instills in We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. Israel the requirements of ritual purification. Repent and be sincere; overcome and be Sin requires repentance. In 1Corinthians 5:1- strengthened by the Holy Spirit. 6 the sin of one member was permeating the whole congregation. This is the sense of Paul depicts the duality of the conflict leaven as a corrupting agent. between the leaven of Satan and the leaven of the Kingdom of Heaven, which is the Holy There are two competing leavens. Satan’s Spirit. It is thus that the kingdom can be spirit seeks to make us unfit for the Holy among us (Rom. 7:14-25). Spirit which will withdraw from us if grieved (Eph. 4:30) and can be quenched (1Thes. We are all corrupt carnal people. Yahovah 5:19), because of our disobedience and sin. searches the mind for the intent of what we do and think (Jer. 17:9,10) Read Matthew 13:34-58. We cannot overcome without the intervention The use of “leaven” also concerns teaching of God through the Holy Spirit (Jer. and doctrine, and the Bible teaches that the 10:23,24). leaven of the Kingdom of Heaven not only refers to the Holy Spirit as the Power of God God promises us through Isaiah 44:3 that He extended to all mankind, but also to the truth will pour out His Holy Spirit on the seed, it imparts. Matthew 16:6-12 shows that which is the body of Christ as the Church, and doctrine contrary to God is a leaven to be symbolised by bread. The unleavened bread avoided. In 1Corinthians 5:6-8 leaven is of Passover shows we have to remove the called malice and wickedness. From these leaven of malice and wickedness. It is texts the concept of leaven as sin was important that we keep the full eight days of formulated. It is the action of leaven that Unleavened Bread, that we become de- permeates the substance that has to be leavened of former self and sin, and can Page 4 Summary: The Leaven of Pentecost proceed to Pentecost to receive the Holy Spirit and be leavened by the power of God. The Holy Spirit is also symbolised by water (Judg. 15:19; Jn. 7:37-39). Christ also The Sin offering made those who touched it extended that gift to the Gentiles (Jn. 4:10- holy (Lev. 6:24-27) and that was to indicate 15). We are baptised with the Holy Spirit that Christ would atone for sin and make (Mat. 3:11; Mk. 1:8; Luke 3:16) and that Israel, and eventually the whole world holy. power fills us and makes us new beings. Leviticus 6:28 – The earthen vessel used was Ephesians 5:26 shows how sanctification broken; this means we lose our bodies and occurs. The Holy Spirit is the fountain of the become spirit beings. water of life (Rev. 21:6).

Numbers 8:7 shows the Levites had to be We must keep in mind these symbols as Jude cleansed, and we must also be cleansed. The 12 points out they can be usurped and symbols of Christ being the means by which perverted. we access the Holy Spirit of God were given to us in the wilderness (Num. 20:8-11). We shall be as angels and sons of God together with loyal host as spirit beings (Rev. Nehemiah says they were given that food 21:17). from heaven, so that they might inherit their birthright promises (Neh. 9:15). And that We have been washed and sanctified and Rock was Christ (1Cor. 10:4). justified (1Cor. 6:11) and all made into one body for that Spirit is one (1Cor. 12:13). And that was the well of the oath (Num. 21:16). In this we are one and brothers together, and brides of Christ, all of us. We are the leavened The Holy Spirit is also likened to the oil that loaves of Pentecost with the heavenly host as fills the lamps of the elect (Mat. 25:1-13). first fruits unto God.