The Sunday Mail
Mr Elisha Jambaya
THAT special day is finally upon us. It is joy unspeakable because it is the day of Pentecost – the fiftieth day since the day of Passover during the Easter period.
The term Pentecost in Hebrew is Shavuot, that means weeks (Leviticus 23:15-17, 20-21 and Deuteronomy 16). As the ministers of the gospel pointed out in the last two instalments, this is a special day for the body of Christ, for on that day as recorded in the book of Acts of the Apostles 2, the Church was born, and true to what the Lord Jesus decreed in Matthew 16:18 and Acts 1:8, the Spirit of the Lord that descended on the 120 disciples on that day propelled the preaching of the gospel to all corners of the world.
From the 3 000 that were converted when Peter preached a powerful message in Jerusalem about the love of Jesus Christ, Christianity continues to grow and it is now estimated that there are about 2.2 billion Christians globally, and the figure keeps growing.
Pentecost is for everyone, including Vapostori. One of the churches that believe in Pentecost is Simba Rekutenda Apostolic Church. Simba Rekutenda has assemblies in Budiriro and Zvimba, and it is a breakaway church from Mabasa Ezviratidzo Apostolic Church.
Before the break-up, the Church celebrated the three main festivals recorded in the Bible: feast of Passover, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles.
Tendai Manzvanzvike (TM) spoke to Mr Elisha Jambaya (EJ) (Reverend Never Chikwiramakomo’s spokesperson), who is also the interim leader of Simba Rekutenda to establish how they celebrate Pentecost.
TM: Simba Rekutenda split from Mabasa Ezviratidzo Apostolic Church. I gather that most of you had been with the Church for a long time. Why did you leave and start your own? Is it because of the current phenomenon where churches are splitting due to leadership wrangles?
EJ: The best way I can explain this is with reference to Romans chapter 6. As we moved on, we noted that the Church was no longer in line with the Word of God.
However, to be fair to both sides, I think that you can write about the split after you have gotten their side of the story. It should not be our word against theirs, and vice versa.
The name Simba Rekutenda did not just come out of our heads. It was confirmed by the Holy Spirit through the prophets in the Church.
TM: From what I have gathered, you celebrate Pentecost. Do you also observe the feast on May 24 like the majority of churches?
EJ: Our celebrations will be held from June 5 to June 7.
TM: Are you then saying that your Pentecost festival is different from what is recorded in Acts of the Apostles 2? And, how do you reconcile the number of days since your festival takes place more than 50 days after the feast of Passover?
EJ: If we read the Scriptures – Deuteronomy 16, we see that there are three important festivals that are celebrated each year.
We could have celebrated Pentecost on May 24, but since we started recently, and since we had gone for about two years without celebrating these feasts, we then decided to hold it at the beginning of June. However, in future, we will follow the normal calendar used by other Christians.
In the same vein, if we look at the Passover feast, most of us take it as the month of Abib (the Passover month). Some celebrate from the beginning of the month right up to the end. Then, Pentecost among some is celebrated in the winter months. So, we saw it fit to do it during the first week of June.
Let me also say that to us, Pentecost is an event, taking place among people gathered together. We believe that when people are gathered together to hear the word of God, there, the Holy Spirit must come down.
TM: But, there used to be gatherings in the Old Testament days, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit recorded in Acts 2 never happened. Why?
EJ: Because this was the set time, since Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit would come.
TM: If you have followed the debate on Pentecost, you will have noted that some churches were specific on what they do on that day. How will Simba Rekutenda celebrate Pentecost?
EJ: We do not go to our normal shrines, but we go up the mountain, and for three days we pray and fast for the Holy Spirit to continue to move in our midst with power. We also believe that when we have water baptism (immersion), the Holy Spirit descends upon us, but there is a time when we are told to come together and ask God that the Holy Spirit is with us always – coming and moving with power.
TM: So, those three days are strictly for prayer and fasting?
EJ: There will also be the preaching of the word of God, because teaching is very important. We desire that the whole congregation understands what we are doing and why we are doing it, and whether it is in line with the word of God. The Scriptures are also used to demonstrate where we are coming from, and where we are going.
TM: Some say the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost gave birth to the Church. What is your view on this?
EJ: When we read the Bible, we note that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was not just on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit first descended when the Lord Jesus was baptised. Before baptism, the Holy Spirit was not in Him, but when He came out of the River Jordan, it descended on Him in the form of a dove. In Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit came on the disciples, it seemed like tongues of fire.
TM: The argument is that after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the 120 disciples had power (dunamis) to witness about Christ. Peter preached the gospel and on that day, 3 000 were converted. (Acts 2) This is where the argument that this signaled the birth of the Church emerged. Do you agree with that interpretation?
EJ: Yes!
TM: How does your celebration start?
EJ: On Friday June 5 we will go up a mountain we identified in Zvimba, and descend on Sunday June 7.
TM: Why mountain?
EJ: Our churches are “masowe” where we hold open air services because we do not have church buildings.
TM: Why are you not constructing church buildings?
EJ: For now, we have shades.
TM: So, why not celebrate under those shades?
EJ: We want everyone to get the power of the Holy Spirit and we go back to the Scriptures where we see that when Jesus asked for power from His Father (though He had it), he went in the wilderness to pray, without disruption. When He got the power, He would return and start to teach and/or perform miracles.
TM: So, you are following Christ’s footsteps? Then what will happen on the third day?
EJ: Yes we are! We end the celebrations and people return home.
TM: Final remarks?
EJ: WE are grateful to the Government and President Mugabe in particular for the freedom of worship we enjoy in this country. It is a freedom that is enshrined in our Constitution.
We might be facing socio-economic challenges, but we are free to worship God anywhere and anytime, unlike in other countries where Christians are being killed and denied the right to worship freely. This freedom of worship is possible because of the peace and unity we enjoy in the country. Christians must not take this blessing for granted.
