The weekend before this New Year's eve, my wife and Minister Jang had brought up in our meeting to have a service on New Year's eve. I have been living in America for 39 years and I do not remember any American churches having a New Year's eve service. But many Korean churches have a New Year's eve service. Of course, in many of my adult years, I was in rebellion to God and I was more or less going out to parties on New Year's eve than to church service. I was a bit hesitant because I thought I would not have enough time to prepare a message for that day. But I knew the Holy Spirit was leading so I agreed and we decided to schedule our first New Year's eve service. It would start at 8 PM until the year 2013 and beyond.
God had impressed on me to speak about the Hebrew New Year and this would give us a foundation of why we are to celebrate our Lord with a service on New Year's eve. In the Jewish civil calendar, the New Year is Rosh Hashanah or on the month of Tishrei. Tishrei is considered the 7th month of the Jewish calendar. The month of Tishrei is during our September/October time frame.
Rosh Hashanah marks the Jewish New Year. It is considered the "Head of the Year" and the "Birthday of the world." According to Hebrew discipline, Tishrei 1st is when Adam and Eve was created and therefore it is considered the "Birthday of the world." Rosh Hashanah can be considered the Feast of Trumpets.
But before Rosh Hashanah, in the previous month of Elul, there is a special season called Teshuvah. On the 1st of Elul (August/September), a special season known as Teshuvah begins for forty days and ends on Yom Kippur. In Hebrew, Teshuvah means to "repent or return." Therefore thirty days into Teshuvah comes Rosh Hashanah which is Tishrei 1st. This begins a final ten day period beginning on Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur. The ten days are known as the High Holy Days or the Awesome Days. The sabbath that falls within this ten day period is called Sabbat Shuvah, the Sabbath of Return. Five days after Yom Kimppur is Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles.
After each morning service during the thirty days of Elul, the shofar is blown to warn people to repent and return to God. The shofar we hear on Rosh Hashanah is to remind us of our acceptance of the Torah (bible) and our obligations to it. All the days in the month of Elul is to be used to personally examine one's life and repent for the coming Holy Days. They would read Psalms chapter 27 as well. The basic message was to repent before Rosh Hashanah or you will find yourself in the days of Awe.
Ephesians 5:14 (AMP) Therefore He says, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine (make day dawn) upon you and give you light.
Another name for Rosh Hashanah is Yom Hadin which means the Day of Judgment. On this Day, according to Hebrew Talmud from the school of Shammai, there are three classes of people, the wholly righteous, the wholly wicked, and the intermediates. In Hebrew, the word for rapture is natzal. The wholly wicked will face the Great Tribulation of God and will never repent. The average person has until Yom Kippur till his fate is sealed forever. In other words, the days of Awe represent the seven year tribulation and they have until that time to repent. The average person and the wicked must go through the "Awesome Days" or all of the Great Tribulation until they reach Yom Kippur which is the end of the tribulation. Rosh Hashanah is considered the last trumpet.
1 Corinthians 15:52 (AMP) In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the [sound of the] last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [in Christ] will be raised imperishable (free and immune from decay), and we shall be changed (transformed).
At the Fire of God Ministries International Church, we had a normal service and at 11:30 PM on December 31, 2012, all the saints were told to examine their lives and repent for their sins. All the saints were told to rededicate and commit with a whole heart to the Lord. At midnight, a shout came and we all in unison shouted "Jesus" three times and I blew the shofar to usher in the New Year of 2013 for our church and people.
But during the service, we took in a special offering for the New Years and I reminded our people that their presence was to show God that we would give our first fruit or fruit hour or two (our time) in the New Year to God. The world will dress up, blow their horns, and many will get drunk and at midnight as they cheer and congratulate one another for a New Year. The people of God are to separate ourselves from the world. We are to gather among ourselves where ever we are and we are to blow our horns (our mouths) shouting out the Name of Jesus and to celebrate HIM as we usher in the New Year. We are to give HIM our first hour or hours to HIM rather than to ourselves and the world.
1 John 5:21 (AMP) Little children, keep yourselves from idols (false gods)—[from anything and everything that would occupy the place in your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for Him that would take first place in your life]. Amen (so let it be).
We must renew our minds and come back to our First Love. We have lost priority in our God. Many come to church late. Many come to church with a blemished sacrificed attitude. Many are robbing God because they cannot trust HIM enough to give HIM His tenth! God is not their first. Many rather be somewhere else. Many rather be watching sports on Sundays or fishing. The shofar is being blown. The spiritual shofar is being blown. The shofar is being blown to gather God's people. The spiritual shofar is being blown with our shouts and praises from the top of our lungs. We are calling for WAR!!! We are calling for WAR against our enemy and our flesh! We are calling for repentance for His people. We are calling for His people to return to their FIRST LOVE!!! The KING OF KINGS is Returning and we must prepare for the Great Harvest. He is calling His people to pray and to begin tilling the soil of the Land. Can you overcome sleep? Can you overcome hunger? Can you overcome laziness? Can you overcome distance? Can you overcome your TV? Can you overcome deception? Can you overcome the world?
1 John 2:15 (AMP) Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.
1 John 5:4 (AMP) For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith.
The spiritual shofar is being blown across the world. We are to start gathering and start praying/worshiping. Our weapons are His Word, His Blood, Fire, praising, prayer, etc! But we must have a spiritual gathering. Not a religious gathering. And No, not just on Sunday and Wednesday for an hour or two. We are to gather as much as possible to have nightly prayer services. We are to begin tilling the soil. We are to begin fanning the Fire of God in our lives. We are to be purged and consecrated. We are to separate ourselves from the world. He is Returning!!! The King of Kings is Returning!
Fire of God Ministries International Church
Pst Steve Yong Kim
Dec 31, 2012
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