What is authentic Christianity? What is the church? What is its message? The Book of Acts gives a clear answer to these questions.

Do you realize that Pentecost did not originate with Pentecostals?  Do you know that the first Pentecost was not the birthday of the church?

Pentecost was an ancient annual Israelite feast, full of prophetic meaning. It was celebrated centuries before the day we read about in the second chapter of the Book of Acts.  In Leviticus 23 the annual Feast of Pentecost was also known as the Feast of Weeks, and marked the start of the ingathering of the wheat harvest. The priest lifted high two leavened loaves of bread and waved them before the Lord. Leaven speaks of sin, and the loaves represent Jews and Gentiles, presented faultless before the Lord by one saving act. The waving of the loaves represents the fact that the harvest has just begun and there is much  more to come- from the north, east, south and west.  He did this in conjunction with the traditional burnt offering, drink offering, meal offering, fellowship offering and sin offering representing Christ's perfect devotion, selflessness, purity, fellowship and His atoning sacrifice for sin. This symbolic act foreshadowed the fruit of the gospel, both Jews and Gentiles, being accepted as one new humanity before God, and made to sit in heavenly places in Christ on the basis of His perfect work of redemption (the five offerings of Leviticus 1-5).

It was on this day that Jesus was glorified (John 7:39; Acts 2:33, 36) and on this day that the gift of the Holy Spirit was given to believers in fulfillment of the Father's promise. It was on this day that believers were first joined to Christ and joined one to another through the gift of the Holy Spirit. This day was the birthday of the church as the body of Christ!

What does this mean for us?  First, Pentecost is about Christ being glorified as He is presented as our representative at the right hand of the Father and glorified in us by the Indwelling Holy Spirit.

Secondly, Pentecost is about our being joined to Christ, the Head of this new humanity, as members of His body that are joined to one another.

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Thirdly, it is about the Holy Spirit empowering the church for witness. When we come alive to God from faith in Christ, we are given the capacity to be continually filled with the Spirit.

What are the abiding elements of Pentecost? What were the meanings of the supernatural signs? Which of these supernatural happenings came and stayed? Which disappeared after they arrived?

Can we hope for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives? How can we experience all that the Father and the Son have promised? What are we to do to be filled with the Spirit?

Come join us at New Life Community Church for worship at 10:30 AM on Sunday mornings at the Umbrella for the Arts, 40 Stow Street in Concord, as we anticipate an experience with the Purposeful Power of Pentecost. 

One month from today and we will be officially celebrating Resurrection Sunday!  But we do not need to wait for a once-a-year celebration. We are celebrating and discovering "How the Resurrection Changes Everything" this Sunday. Come learn how "He is risen is just as He said"!

We welcome the children to join us for the first half hour of the worship service, so I want to remind families to please come early for check in so you don't miss what we have planned.

Tomorrow, Sunday February 28th, we start our study of the final chapter of what has been a journey of more than three years walking with the revelation of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke.

• The discovery of the empty tomb on the morning of the resurrection in Luke 24:1-12 sends people scrambling. What does this mean?
• The appearance of the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-32 sets hearts on fire as He explains the necessity of His death, burial and resurrection to two of His disciples.
• The physical proof of His bodily resurrection and the corroborating testimony of the Scripture as they are taught by Christ Himself, open the minds of the apostles and prepare them for a life that is otherwise inexplicable.

If it were not for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our calendar year, the day we gather for worship, our own freedoms from guilt and fear and our hopes for the future, would be radically different. This was the message of the early church and it is the message of the church today: We have a risen, living Savior who is the Appointed One to judge the living and the dead. He calls us to repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:47) and offers the free gift of His deathless life through the indwelling Holy Spirit to those who are willing to turn from their sin and trust Him as their Lord and Savior.

Traditionally Christians gather to hear of Christ's Resurrection once a year. Yet the early church proclaimed it continually. They have no identity or life apart from the Risen Christ.

So join us for the important final messages of our series on Luke's Gospel.

Pastor David

It's a new year! 2016 marks a new beginning. And so does every day with Jesus! New mercies!  New discoveries! New answers to prayer! As Christians we have the privilege of walking in the "newness of life" in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:4).

To mark this new beginning, on Sunday January 17th we will have a "new beginning of the worship service" at 10:30 AM. Be sure to arrive early so you don't miss it. We are going to promptly receive His fresh self-disclosure in the Word and then break bread together (as we do on the third Sunday of the month).

The Bible is the Lord's primary means of making Himself known to His people and we are asking the Holy Spirit to reveal the Lord Jesus Christ to our hearts more fully and deeply (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Cor 3:18; 4:4-6). God's self-revelation in the Word is inexhaustible. The Lord also made Himself known in the breaking of bread (Luke 24:30,31). He makes Himself known through the many members of the body of Christ as they live out their lives in faithful obedience to Christ the Head.  So let us honor His self-disclosure among us with praise, prayer, and thanksgiving!

The only logistical change is that the Middle School Students will meet in the Umbrella's kitchen area (1rst floor, 40 Stow Street) at 10:30 for a short gathering and then will go with their teachers to the Hunt Gymnasium at 90 Stow Street. All other classes will meet in their regular locations.

We are expectant that our earnest prayers that "His kingdom come and His will be done" will be answered in many ways in our lives, families, in His church, in our communities and for the advance of His global mission.

Hope you can share in this experience.

Pastor David

Today is the last day in 2015 to make a gift to New Life Community Church. Soon 2015 will slip into history and we will greet a new year of ministry opportunity.  You can help us to both finish and start strong!

As we look back on 2015 we can see God's faithful provision in strengthening and expanding the testimony of Christ in our area. We have seen conversions.  God has been at work changing lives, strengthening marriages and launching new outreach ministries. The gospel is being preached here and abroad by our members. It has been a year of faith-filled prayer and spiritual growth.

We are anticipating great things in 2016 as we move into our remodeled facility on a new campus.  We look forward to new opportunities to express the heart of Christ, communicate His message and be His hands and feet in our communities. 

Your financial gifts help make this ministry possible and are greatly appreciated.  Any financial gift needs to be post-marked today, December 31 or made online before midnight at newlife.org.

Thank you once again for your faithfulness!

David K. MacAdam
Pastor, New Life Community Church