The topic of discussion at last H.U.B. gathering was the The Third Day.  This was an interesting topic and was full of potential.  So, before we get to the material discussed let's first digress for a moment.

This did not turn out like we expected...not even remotely!  So, we met at the usual location on Shabbat morning and lo and behold...we don't have the key to the building!  Some folks were scrambling to find the key, some were trying to contact people that were coming to The H.U.B., some were scouting out alternative locations, etc.  It was a dynamic morning.  However, we all finally just settled in to the fact that Yahweh was doing something here so we finally just went with it.  We ended up settling on a meeting in the park and just planned on winging it.

Let's just say that is was a fantastic time.  The weather couldn't have been better, the park was beautiful, the spot we settled in was shaded and Yahweh provided a wonderful breeze, the time of praise was heartfelt, the pot-luck dishes were perfect for the park, etc., etc.   Yahweh provided us a perfect day and we delighted in the day that he indeed made.  Oh yeah, it was also the third official meeting of The H.U.B. and we were studying The Third Day in scripture.  Finally, to top it all off, we never lost the key!  The key was with us the entire time but Yahweh had hidden it from us for his purposes.

Enough about that.  The following images are snapshots of our meeting notes from our last meeting.  You can click on any of the images to view larger and un-skewed version.

Shalom Aleichem!
The H.U.B.

Food for thought:

What if we applied the same “standard” to all the commandments that some believers apply to the Sabbath commandment? The standard goes something like this: It doesn’t matter which day of the week you honor as the Sabbath, so long as you honor a Sabbath day. With that same standard applied, the Ten Commandments might look something like this:

1. You shall have no other gods before me – after me, that’s okay. 
   
2. It doesn’t matter what images you make of me, just make sure they’re not graven.
   
3. You shall not take one of the names of the Lord your God in vain…you pick which one and keep that one sacred. 
   
4. It doesn’t matter which day of the week you remember and keep as holy. Just pick one.
   
5. Honor your father and mother…If you don’t like the ones you were born to, pick someone else to call Dad and Mom and honor them instead.
   
6. You shall not murder. However, selectively taking defenseless lives is acceptable, as a matter of choice.
   
7. Don’t commit adultery against your spouse; someone else’s spouse is fair game. (So, if you’re not married yet, stay that way and have a good ol’ time!)
   
8. You shall not steal…borrowing without the intention of returning, that’s okay though. 
   
9. You shall not bear false witness – unless it is to their (or your) benefit/advantage.
   
10. Covet anything that doesn’t belong to your neighbor. 
    

Seems a little ridiculous, doesn’t it. However, if we look at our society, we can quickly see the ramifications of this exact mentality. It’s a slippery slope when we start applying our own standards to God’s Word, isn’t it? Romans 1:25 puts it this way:

In stubbornness of heart, we see God’s people (us!) repeatedly being admonished for applying their own standards to His Word instead of His standards to their life.

Psalms 81 coveys the heart of our Father so well:

Shalom Aleichem!
The H.U.B.

We have seen a tremendous amount of interest at The H.U.B. from individuals interested in what we are doing.  Now, we would like your input.  We would like to solicit the input from the larger community to provide us direction on what types of topics you would like to cover during our Shabbat midrashes and on our blog.  The survey below is very simple and is intended to simply gather ideas so we can better serve you.

You have probably heard that the Church started at Pentecost.  That is what I was always taught in the past. 
Recently The H.U.B. did a study on Shavuot or Pentecost in the Greek. While getting ready for our study I saw that the Bible said the following:

  Act 7:38  This is he (Moses), that was in the church (G1577) in the
                   wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount 
                   Sina, and with  our fathers: who received the lively oracles
                   to give unto us: (KJV)
 
So when I saw this I dug a little deeper.
 
G1577
ἐκκλησία
ekklēsia
Total KJV Occurrences: 116
Translated as church 77 times, churches 36 times, and assembly 3 times.
 
Well that is interesting so I thought I wonder how the Septuagint uses G1577 ekklēsia?
 
Sure enough the first place it is used is:

   Deu 4:10  Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy
                    God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me
                     the people together(G1577), and I will make them hear my
                     words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they
                     shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.  (KJV)

So yes the Church did start at Pentecost but not the one mentioned in Act 2, the one Moses recounts in Deu 4:10 that actually took place in Exo 19. The first Pentecost or Shavuot in Hebrew.

Hey wait a minute….. If disciples were keeping Pentecost in Acts
 what were they “counting” in anticipation?
 (hint – look at Lev 23:15)
 
Shalom Aleichem!
The H.U.B.