Family is the heartbeat of Heaven. We are moving into a time that people are being called out of Babylon (the world’s culture and system that is inherently evil), and awakening to the fact that their lives have been tethered to a culture that has been manipulating and guiding them in a false narrative towards Hell, and God is saying, “My body, my bride is waking up to this fact, and I am leading them out, starting with families.” There is a shift and God is moving and positioning people for the coming revival that is beginning and generating through families.
Pentecost is not a weird denomination, it’s a Jewish feast that literally means 50, and it falls 50 days after Passover. Holy Spirit is the Promise Jesus told the disciples to wait for, and is the one that came on the day of Pentecost. Holy Spirit is the person of Pentecost. Jesus baptizes us into Holy Spirit, and it is through Holy Spirit that we have supernatural influence in the midst of opposing forces to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to hand. Our hope is not found in horizontal solutions. Kingdom culture has vertical solutions that override natural realities. God is a god that wants to encounter you. The gifts of Holy Spirit are for each and every person, and we need His power in our lives to live victoriously.
John 14:15–18, Luke 24:44–53, Acts 1:4–8, Acts 1:9–15, Acts 2:1–13
The Cup of Praise or The Wedding Cup is the fourth and final cup of Passover. Exodus 6:7 “I will take them as my own people, and I will be their God” sounds very much like the verse in Song of Solomon 6:3 “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” “I will take” in Hebrew means “to marry.” These verses are not just promises, they are a marriage proposal. God is asking the Hebrews: These are my promises and terms, will you marry me?
Betrothal, called the kiddushin, is the Jewish ritual that takes place when making a covenant marriage. In Biblical times, the kiddushin was taken very seriously. The written words of the covenant are called the: Ketubah (ke-tu-bah). Once conditions of the covenant are discussed and agreed upon, the agreement is put in writing. The Ketubah or Word became the property of the bride. She would hold on to this document to protect her rights, and to be sure the groom kept his word. Once the Ketubah is signed by two witnesses, the couple would be legally married.
The Old Testament is the first Kiddushin and the Ketubah is between God and Israel. The first Ketubah was based on the law and it turned into a one-way love affair. The Hebrews essentially said, “I will marry you and be faithful out of duty”.
The New Testament is the second Kiddushin and the Ketubah is between Jesus and any who will receive Him. This second Ketubah (new covenant) was not based on duty, but on love. Jesus is saying to us: “Will you marry me and be faithful out of love?”
John 14:23–24, Exodus 6:6–7, Song of Songs 6:3
The four Seder cups tell the story of God rescuing His people out of slavery. It is part of the celebration of Passover in the Jewish Culture, passing down the story from generation to generation. The story is told through the cups in a specific order – Cup of Sanctification, Cup of Deliverance, Cup of Redemption and Cup of Praise. The Four Cups are relevant and have significant meaning for Jews and Christians today.
The Cup of Sanctification – The first cup of the Passover is “The Cup of Sanctification.” It is the first cup to be drunk at the Seder meal, and it was to remind the Israelites of God’s promise of a new life, free from the forced labor and heavy yoke of their enemy. As Christians, we too have been given the promise of a new life. We too have been brought out from under the heavy yoke and captivity of our oppressor.
The Cup of Deliverance – The second Passover Cup to be drunk during the Seder meal is “The Cup of Deliverance.” When drinking this cup, the Israelites were to remember that it was Jehovah that delivered them from the chains of bondage. It was Jehovah who passed over and saved them from the darkness of death when He saw the blood of the Lamb. And it was Jehovah that provided an escape through the water and put a barrier between them and their oppressor. As Christians, we too have been delivered. We have been set free, and we are no longer chained to sin. Because of the blood, death cannot hold us in captivity, and because of the Living Water, our oppressor can no longer reach us.
The Cup of Redemption – The third cup of the Passover Seder meal is “The Cup of Redemption,” and it is to be drunk after the meal has been eaten. This cup signified the slaying of the Passover lamb that spared the Israelites from the 10th plague. Those who had the blood of the lamb painted on their doorpost were “passed over,” when death came for the first born. This is the cup Jesus speaks of in Matthew 26:27-29, when He ate with His disciples for the last time, and this is the cup Christians drink when they observe Communion.
The Cup of Praise – The fourth and final cup of the Passover is “The Cup of Praise.” For the Israelites, this cup symbolized restoration and completeness. When drinking this cup, it was a reminder to them that one day they would finally be accepted by God. For Christians, it holds a very different meaning. It is The Wedding Cup. “I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” Matthew 26:29
By God’s grace we have been saved, rescued, healed, made whole. Saved isn’t about “getting” saved, but rather about “becoming” saved. It’s an ongoing, continual process of: “I have been saved,” because Jesus saved us by dying on the cross; “I am being saved,” as we are becoming who He wants us to become; and “I will be saved,” when Jesus returns and takes us to heaven. And just like we go “through” a door to get somewhere, we go “through” faith to step into being saved, which God has already provided for us. We must put our faith in the condition provided to us by Jesus, and not circumstantial evidence. When were we “saved?” The Cross. We step into that condition when we receive it by faith.
Ephesians 2:8–9, Romans 10:3–5, Galatians 3:21–26, Acts 4:5–13, Romans 10:1