Ascension Day Service & Sacred Assembly of the Day of Pentecost 2022

The members of the early Church, who had witnessed the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, delivered the truth of life and the hope of salvation to all people, being deeply moved and filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The book of Acts records that 3,000 to 5,000 people were added to the number of disciples at that time (Ac 2:41; 4:4).

The members of the Church of God all around the world attended the Ascension Day Service (May 26) and the Sacred Assembly of the Day of Pentecost (June 5), hoping that the blessings of the Holy Spirit would be poured out in a more powerful way to lead all people to salvation in this age. During the 10-day Prayer Week of the Pentecost, which lasted from the evening of Ascension Day to the early morning of the Day of Pentecost, they offered up morning and evening prayers for the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Ascension Day Service celebrating the glory of the ascension that Christ Himself showed as an example for us

Ascension Day commemorates the ascension of Jesus into heaven on the 40th day after His resurrection. It originated from the historical event that Moses went up to Mouth Sinai as God had commanded him, 40 days after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, being freed from Egypt through the Passover (Ex 19:1–7; Ac 1:3–9).

During Ascension Day Service held at the New Jerusalem Pangyo Temple on May 26, Mother offered a prayer of deep gratitude to the Father, who had personally set the example of the glory of His ascension in order to allow people to firmly believe in salvation and heaven. She also prayed that Her children would fully realize the holy love of the Father, who had sacrificed Himself to give them the heavenly inheritance, and would diligently preach the hope of heaven and the good news of salvation to the people trembling in fear of various disasters such as diseases and conflicts.

General Pastor Kim Joo-cheol said, “Ascension Day is the day when Jesus showed us that we too would be transfigured and ascend into heaven, just like Him, after completion of the gospel.” He added, “The saints of the early Church firmly believed that they would enjoy that blessing, and they joyfully preached the gospel, giving hope to people.” General Pastor Kim emphasized that before His ascension, Jesus commanded us to be His witnesses in Samaria and to the ends of the earth, and that this command could only be fulfilled through the power of God. Then he urged the members, “Prayer is a tool for invoking God’s power. Like the saints of the early Church who received the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost by devoting themselves to prayer, let us ask for the Holy Spirit through prayer, believing that God will surely grant our prayer, so that we can receive the blessings of the Holy Spirit” (1 Th 4:13–18; 1 Co 15:50–58; Mk 9:28–29; Mt 7:7–11; Mk 11:24; Mark 1:35–39; 1 Th 5:15–17).

The Prayer Week of the Pentecost and the Pentecost Preaching Festival of the Holy Spirit Movement started from Ascension Day. The members all over the world devoted themselves to prayer and preaching, in the hope that the history of the early Church would repeat itself again.

Sacred Assembly of the Day of Pentecost—revival of the amazing work of the Holy Spirit, achieved by those who have received the Holy Spirit

After the 10-day prayer week, the members celebrated the Sacred Assembly of the Day of Pentecost on June 5, expecting the blessings of the Holy Spirit like a waterfall.

The Day of Pentecost (The Feast of Weeks in the Old Testament) also finds its origin in the work of Moses. This feast was established to commemorate the historical event that Moses went up to Mount Sinai for the second time to receive the Ten Commandments from God on the 50th day after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, having left Egypt (Ex 24:12–18; Lev 23:10–11, 15–16). This prophetic event was fulfilled when Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit upon the disciples on the 50th day after His resurrection. After receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the saints boldly testified about Christ, which was the prelude to the prosperous work of the gospel in the Apostolic Age (Acts 1–2).

Mother gave thanks to the Father for giving His children the seven feasts in three times to save them. She also prayed that the Father would pour out the grace of the Holy Spirit on His children, who attended the Sacred Assembly of the Day of Pentecost, more abundantly than He did 2,000 years ago, so they could find all of the heavenly children scattered over the world. Then She complimented the efforts of the members who had devoted themselves to prayer for ten days, and repeatedly encouraged them by saying, “You have all received the Holy Spirit. So if you preach God’s word powerfully, we will achieve greater results of the gospel than the early Church and many good things will happen.”

General Pastor Kim awakened the members to their mission by saying, “The apostles of the early Church received the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost and boldly testified that Jesus is the Christ. Since we have received the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, we too should boldly preach the way of the new covenant to the whole world. This is the mission of those who have received the Holy Spirit.” He also mentioned the law of nature where once seeds are planted, they bloom and bear fruit, and the amazing work that the Church of God was established even in the Himalayan alpine region and the Amazon jungle within just a half century. Then he urged them, “When we sow the seed of the gospel, God makes it sprout and grow into good fruit. There are many people in the world who are waiting for the good news of salvation. Let us preach the gospel powerfully and lead them all to salvation, believing that God’s plan and purpose will surely come to pass” (Ac 1:6–15; 2:1–12, 41; Ac 4:1–4; Isa 14:24–27; 46:11; Mt 28:18–20).

The members all around the world prayed that those who were exhausted and frustrated due to the COVID-19 pandemic would find comfort and courage through God’s love, and they committed themselves to delivering the blessing of salvation and the hope of heaven to all people through the power of the Holy Spirit that God Elohim bestowed upon them on the day of Pentecost.