Dear Family,

Today is Sunday, April 17, 2022. This is Day One of Week One. It is Day 1 in our Count to Pentecost. This special day is the Day of the Wavesheaf.

In Leviticus 23:15-16 we are told to “complete” seven Sabbaths and also to “number fifty days” from the day the sheaf was brought to be presented as a “wave offering.”

The Wavesheaf ceremony, which is described in Leviticus 23 and occurs during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, has important prophetic significance for God’s Church.

The Wavesheaf is the prophetic foreshadowing of the risen Christ! And, the priest’s waving this sheaf of the firstfruits is a picture of Jesus Christ’s appearance before His Father to be accepted for us.

Leviticus 23:11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.

The ceremony of the Wavesheaf prophetically explains an integral part of God’s plan of salvation for mankind. The Wavesheaf pictured the resurrected Christ; Who is the first of the firstfruits of God’s early harvest.

The rest of the firstfruits pictures God’s harvest of Christ’s brethren. The children in whom God has planted His seed of everlasting life will finally be harvested just as Jesus was harvested. They too will become the everliving children, born of Almighty God, our Father.

Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

1 Corinthians 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Through the Apostle Paul’s writings to the Corinthians, we learn that without the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the True Wavesheaf, we would still be dead.

1 Corinthians 15:17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

As the Sheaf of the firstfruits, waved and accepted, Jesus was first to be a fully born spiritual Son of God. Because of His life, death, and first-of-its-kind resurrection to a future everlasting life, we can also live forever with Him.

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
© Copyright 2022, Church of the Sovereign God

Dear Family,

Once again we begin our Counting to Pentecost. There will be an entry for each day. We plan to have a write up for each day in our Counting to 50 for 2022.

The Wave Sheaf is Day 1.

The 2022 counting is being added so that it can be referenced on the website though it is not 2022 when it was added.

Love and Blessings to you and your families,
Ben Faulkner

Dear Family,

Today is Pentecost, May 28, 2023. It is Day 50; we have come to the end of our Counting.We have completed 7 cycles of 7 weeks, and the Day we have looked forward to has finally arrived.

Historically, this Day has had great significance for worshippers of the true God. Ancient Israel entered into a marriage covenant with their Creator. And, the New Testament Church was born on this Day about 2000 years ago when God poured out His Holy Spirit on those who had gathered faithfully to observe this festive Holy Time.

In the year our Savior completely fulfilled the Passover sacrifice and the symbolism of the Wavesheaf, everything was ready for God to perform more of His wonders!

In accordance with the instructions of our risen Savior, the disciples had obediently gone to Jerusalem to wait.

Acts 1:4 And [JESUS} being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of Me.

They were there in one accord. They knew something significant was about to happen. And, it did!

Acts 2:1-4 (1) And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one
accord in one place. (2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. (3) And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. (4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

May God bless us richly as we focus our entire being upon Him, worship Him, and rejoice before Him today!

Happy Holy Day!

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
©2023, Church of the Sovereign God

Dear Family,

Today is Sabbath, May 27, 2023. It is Day 49; Day 7 of Week 7 in our Count to Pentecost. Tomorrow is the day we have been anticipating now for many weeks.

As the sun set at the beginning of this day, we moved into holy time, and when the sun sets this evening, we will continue to be in holy time. That happens infrequently during the 365 days of the year. This weekend we have two days of time God has set apart for His people to fellowship with Him.

“Set apart” is another way of saying “sanctify.” It means that God has a significant purpose for something that is sanctified. God has set apart the weekly Sabbath. He has set apart the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost). He has also set us apart as His people. And, God expects that we will also sanctify what is important.

Exodus 31:13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying; Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.

Deuteronomy 5:12 Keep the Sabbath Day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.

Leviticus 11:44 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

May God bless us to enjoy our own sanctification as an integral part of the process of salvation that God has designed in His infinite wisdom!

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
©2023, Church of the Sovereign God

Dear Family,

Today is Friday, May 26, 2023. It is Day 48; Day 6 of Week 7 in our Count to Pentecost.

God expected Israel to be ready to meet Him at Mt. Sinai. And, God also expects that of His people today!

God certainly does allow a lot of variations in many things. However, when God makes a point about something He wants to be done exactly as He tells us, we had better pay close attention.

That is what happened with the ancient Israelites at Mt. Sinai during that Pentecost season long ago.

Exodus 19:10-11, 14-15 (10) And the LORD said unto Moses; Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, (11) And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. (14) And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. (15) And he said unto the people; Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.

When we are summoned before God for Holy Convocations during the three annual festival seasons, God wants us to be sanctified, clean, and mentally prepared. The focus of our attention needs to be on what God wants, what He tells His people to do, and what God intends to bestow upon us.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (11) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (12) Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. (13) And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.

May God bless each of us with hearts that are willing to prepare, hearts that are willing to be cleansed, and hearts that truly seek our God.

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
©2023, Church of the Sovereign God

Dear Family,

Today is Thursday, May 25, 2023. It is Day 47; Day 5 of Week 7 in our Count to Pentecost.

As they camped at the foot of Mt. Sinai, most of ancient Israel had little idea of what was about to transpire in a few days. One of the wonderful features of the covenant God was making with ancient Israel was the point of their being chosen as a people. This involved many things, including having blessings passed on to future generations. God had promised this to Abraham and his seed.

Genesis 12:1-4 (1) Now the LORD had said unto Abram; Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: (2) And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: (3) And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (4) So, Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

It is a marvelous thing to be one of the chosen of God and to walk among His people. As disciples of the One True God, we have just such an opportunity. What an awesome blessing!

Because of the work God has done and is continuing to do in us through Christ, the Messiah, we are the seed of Abraham. God has called us to go into a land He will show us also. God has bestowed great promises upon us and our children, just as He did on ancient Israel. We are the seed of Abraham by faith.

Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not; And to seeds, as of many; but as of One; And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Let us move forward in faith. May God grant us that we will receive all the blessings and the promises He has prepared for us and for our children.

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
©2023, Church of the Sovereign God

Dear Family,

Today is Wednesday, May 24, 2023. It is Day 46; Day 4 of Week 7 in our Count to Pentecost.

In order to strike the rock at Mt. Horeb, Moses and the elders had gone ahead to camp near the base of the mountain. The people followed and arrived soon after. It is at this camp that Jethro brought Moses’ family to him.

We know little about Jethro except that he was a priest in Midian (Exodus 3:1). Of course, God had not set up His priesthood yet. That would be done in the months following Pentecost. However, Jethro recognized something special about the God Who had delivered Israel from Pharaoh and Egyptian slavery.

In Exodus 3:18 we learn Jethro also had another name. The name Reuel means friend of God.

Exodus 3:18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said; How is it that ye are come so soon to day?

Apparently, Jethro was quite discerning and had a bit of wisdom. He noticed how overworked Moses was in dealing with the everyday leadership of the people. Much of Moses’ time was used in settling squabbles and various disputes. Jethro suggested a way to ease Moses’ efforts and share the responsibilities with other leaders. And, Jethro also suggested that Moses ask God about the suggestion.

Exodus 18:13, 16, 19-23 (13) And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening. (16) When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and His laws (19) Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: (20) And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. (21) Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: (22) And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. (23) If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.

There are many lessons we can learn from this account. Here are several to ponder:

• Moses’ ceaseless efforts on behalf of God’s people
• Moses’ humility in taking wise counsel from others
• Jethro’s wisdom
• Sometimes we learn important things from unexpected sources (Jethro)
• God can use anybody for His purposes (even a non-Israelite priest of Midian)
• Statutes, ordinances, and laws of God were already in existence and being used

May God bless us all with the spirit of wisdom, insight, and humility.

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
©2023, Church of the Sovereign God

Dear Family,

Today is Tuesday, May 23, 2023. It is Day 45; Day 3 of Week 7 in our Count to Pentecost.

During this last week of our Count to Pentecost, we find several people coming to see Moses. Jethro, Moses’ Midianite father-in-law, brought Moses’ family to him: Zipporah, Gershom, and Eliezer. Moses had been completely involved in the specific commission God had given him, so Moses had not seen his wife and sons for some time.

Exodus 18:1-4 (1) When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt; (2) Then Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back, (3) And her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land: (4) And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh:

Moses’ two sons were half Levite and half Midianite. Although the Bible contains much about Moses and how God used him in such mighty ways, God’s promises to make a great nation did not come through Moses and his two sons. Yet, it is interesting to consider that God offered Moses just such an opportunity. After all, Moses’ sons were from Abraham’s line, at least partly.

After Israel’s encounter with God at Pentecost, it did not take long for them to turn to idolatry, and God was so angry with them, He offered this special position to Moses. Of course, Moses declined. He begged God for mercy on these specific people and reminded God of His promises.

Exodus 32:9-15 (9) And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: (10) Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. (11) And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth Thy wrath wax hot against Thy people, which Thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? (12) Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say; For mischief did He bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from Thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. (13) Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; Thy servants, to whom Thou swarest by Thine own self, and saidst unto them; I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. (14) And the LORD repented of the evil which He thought to do unto His people. (15) And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.

This is one of the many stories about Moses that shows he had no agenda of His own. He was a faithful servant of the LORD and a caretaker of God’s people. May God bless us all with such a true servant’s heart.

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
©2023, Church of the Sovereign God

Dear Family,

Today is Monday, May 22, 2023. It is Day 44; Day 2 of Week 7 in our Count to Pentecost.

Some of the experiences Israel had in the days just prior to their encounter with God at Mt. Sinai provide some of the most valuable lessons of the entire journey. While we can put a lot of attention on Amalek and the treacherous devices he uses against us personally, we must also remember that we have brethren who may be even more feeble and vulnerable to devastating attacks than we are.

Deuteronomy 25:18 How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.

Apparently, Amalek never fought a fair fight. In fact, it appears that Amalek never actually attacked an army. Rather, Amalek took out the weak, struggling ones first. And, God wants us to love our neighbors as ourselves. So, what do we do to help?

Our Savior said that one of the ways it becomes obvious to others that we are His disciples is when we have love one to another. And, not only does it become obvious to others, such love also makes it more and more obvious to us and to God that we are His disciples.

John 13:34-35 (34) A new commandment I give unto you; That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. (35) By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.

As we prepare to assemble before God on Pentecost, let us make a concerted effort to strengthen and care for our brethren; all of them. Most certainly, let us not look down upon them because they are having difficulty in their journey.

Passages in the New Testament indicate how God prizes our care of others. We find one example of this in the book of Romans.

Romans 16:2 That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.

May God give us eyes to see the needs of our brethren and the hearts to respond to them with God’s love.

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
©2023, Church of the Sovereign God

Dear Family,

Today is Monday, April 21, 2025. This is Day 2 of Week 2 in our Counting toward Pentecost. It is our 9th day of Counting.

As we move through this Counting and tracing the activities of ancient Israel, please notice the vast number of times that Israel cried out and God delivered them. Also, notice just how infrequently Israel’s attitude was good. God did not save them out of Egypt because they had repented in any way. He saved them according to His will and for His name’s sake. He did it as a witness to other nations that He is God!

From this perspective where we see Israel’s “poor” example, one overwhelming lesson is regarding God’s goodness. In this story we discover the depths of God’s grace. He demonstrated restraint, patience, forgiveness, kindness, gentleness, generosity, and many other aspects of His divine nature when He dealt with Israel.

There is no way we can come to the conclusion that Israel deserved any of God’s mercies, yet, God poured out His mercy over and over. Grace! Israel received God’s grace!

The pure truth is God has prepared the entire family of man to received God’s grace. We learn of it in John 3:16 and in other Scriptures like 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

As part of the Church today, we need to realize we are recipients of even greater measures of God’s grace than ancient Israel received. God has given us life and numerous talents and abilities. He has watched over us, protecting us and bringing us to a place where He has called us to repentance. He has forgiven us and granted us the gift of His Holy Spirit. He is placing His divine nature within us, daily teaching us and fellowshipping with us. Now, that’s GRACE!

Truly, God does none of this because we deserve His favor in any way. We have these blessings because He is a determined GRACIOUS God!

We are truly a blessed people. Let us strive to really get our minds around this kind of perspective about Who and What God is as He deals with us. God did not fail ancient Israel. He will not fail us. All of us who will put our trust in Him will be delivered!

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
© Copyright 2025, Church of the Sovereign God