Celebrating Atonement Season

In Old Testament times, God established Feast Days—His holidays (holy days). The season into which we are now coming was called the Feast of Trumpets. This holiday was to begin with ten days of fasting, praying, and repentance, all leading up to the eleventh day, Atonement. This season, called High Holy Days in Judaism, is God’s New Year. (You can read more about this in Pastor Steve's book, Seven Blessings of the Atonement.)

Isn’t it interesting that this time of year brings Satanic attacks? The worst disaster in U.S. history occurred on September 11, 2001, just seven days before Rosh Hashanah, the first of the ten days’ of repentance, also called Days of Awe. This year, 2008, the weather has produced horrific damage to several areas of the country. The economy has been attacked, also, with major losses in industry and banking. Why? I believe it is because Satan knows that when God’s people follow His commandments, God will rain blessings on them, and he’s trying to get his licks in first!

God told His Old Testament people in Leviticus 16 that the celebration of His holiday would be a forever thing, an everlasting statute (law). (See Leviticus 16:29 and 34.) Did God intend that New Testament Christians should celebrate this Atonement? It seems that forever is forever in any time-frame, in any culture, in any language.

Deuteronomy 16:16-17 commands . . . and . . . shall not appear before the LORD empty: Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee. Why do we sow to the Lord in this Atonement season? Is it a matter of salvation? No, you can be saved without ever having given a thought to celebrating God’s holidays. It is about celebrating your getting into covenant with what God has spoken for this time. It is about honoring His once-and-for-all sacrifice of His only begotten Son by doing what is important to Him. It’s about BLESSING! God sincerely wants to bless His people, and paying attention to what makes Him happy brings great blessing.

For the past several Wednesdays we have been studying the season of Atonement. We have now entered into prayer and fasting. And now our hearts are open to stand before God as we honor him corporately on October 11th and 12th with our special offering.

Come and celebrate with us!