First Century Christianity

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from  any tree of the garden'?" Gen 3:1 (NASB)

It’s intriguing to see such a very important doctrine coming from the Adversary, but there it is. Has God said ________ ? (fill in the blank) Eve did answer correctly, but the story went south from there. Satan directly contradicted God and Eve listened to the fork-tongued liar. Hmm.

Print and electronic Bibles are how we discern “hath God said” today. The inerrancy of the scriptures is pretty high on the list of important doctrines for those of the faith of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jesus. Reading the Bible is how I broke with the errors I was taught as a youth. It is difficult to even challenge the foundations and traditions that are taught to us from birth. It is another, even more difficult thing to accept the correction shown to us through the scriptures and by the Holy Spirit and make those changes. 

The word ‘bible’ is actually from the Greek word for book, biblion.

And he *said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Rev 22:10 (NASB). 

In Revelation 22:10, the word book is biblion, but now we use the modern transliteration of that word to refer to the entire Bible, the Word of God. The Bible is where we turn to find out if what we are being told is true. The Bible is where we go to learn more about God and to get to know Him and His Son.

Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however,  continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to  give you the wisdom that leads to  salvation through faith which is in  Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate,  equipped for every good work. 2 Tim 3:12-17 (NASB)

I just noticed something. I’ve known for some time that Paul is referring here to the Tanakh or the Old Testament, but I just caught that he mentions Timothy had known the sacred writings since childhood. This means that Timothy, a New Testament evangelist, was brought up on the Old Testament and then became an ambassador for Christ. So, to learn about Christ, we need to study the Old Testament as well as the New and, if possible, do it from an early age. This way, when teachers of the doctrines of men try to influence us or our children, we will already know:

Hath God Said?

Some guy on The O'Reilly Factor just said "I'm a Christian Evangelical Pastor and I support gay marriage". 

Christianity is Weak

Let’s look at the Catholic birth control controversy of five minutes ago. The Roman Catholic Church has outstanding positions on family values. They are absolutely pro-life and pro-marriage. They went to the mat on a small part of the Health Care Reform (HCR) law that forced all employers to provide insurance coverage for contraception. This is because their church’s stance is that contraception is bad. This small issue was enough for the Roman Catholic Church to unleash their entire US clergy to speak forcefully against this one provision of the HCR law. 

Then, the other day Joe Biden, Vice President of the United States and a professed Roman Catholic who was strutting around with an ashen cross on his forehead last Ash Wednesday (a big Roman Catholic holiday) came out in full blown public support of gay marriage. Have the Roman Catholic Bishops rushed to the pulpits to set the record straight on this one? Is Joe Biden still offered communion? I think we all know the answer.

The same thing is happening with “evangelical” Christianity on a host of issues. I do wish I knew what “evangelical” Christianity is, but I just assume it is Protestant. What happened to our country which was founded on strident Protestantism? Only 50 years ago, it would have been unthinkable for any preacher to even be tolerant of divorce and premarital (heterosexual) sex and now we have “evangelical” churches ordaining openly gay men AND women as paid leaders in their organizations! There is even word that a Judaic university in modern-day Israel has accepted their first openly gay student in a program that produces Rabbis. The moral decline is so steep that I think our collective ears are popping from the pressure change.

The country is crying out for powerful and biblical preaching. 38 states have rejected gay marriage, some even amending their constitutions to prohibit gay marriage. So why are the churches taking either the opposite position or remaining silent? I’m genuinely curious here. Oftentimes I’ll ask a rhetorical question or two in my blogs, but I really have no idea how ANY Christian or Jewish church can possibly take an unbiblical stand in light of what the bible teaches on the subjects of biblical morality. If God destroyed two whole cities over sexual immorality, do they think He will not do it again? If God destroyed entire nations over the murder of infants, do they not thin He will do it again? And to lead congregants into these sins seems to me to be lunacy.

Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. James 3:1 (NASB)

You shall not steal. Exodus 20:15 (NASB)

This is a commandment that everyone knows and nobody misrepresents. It’s an easy concept. Well, it used to be. In our modern world with a myriad of financial theories and products, theft can be very hard to identify and can be in the eye of the beholder. 

When I was fresh out of the Navy, my first job was as a Field Technician for a fire alarm company. This job paid a car allowance and we had to have a pickup truck big enough to carry a 6’ ladder. I went to my credit union and was pre-approved for enough of a loan to get a brand new Chevy S10. I was elated. A couple years later, I developed knee issues and needed a bigger truck with an automatic transmission. Back to the credit union and I was approved for an even bigger loan. I purchased a used Silverado and went about life just fine. Until I saw an ad for a new Silverado for six thousand dollars less than what I paid for my used Silverado just a couple months prior. I was dumfounded.

What I learned was that I had owed more on the S10 than it was worth and they worked a “deal” to wrap that up in the purchase of the Silverado. At that point, I owed much more on the Silverado than it was worth. But, I paid it off. And it took a really long time.

In 2008 we had an economic meltdown. It turns out that people were borrowing more on their houses than the houses were worth, to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Based on that fact alone, tens of thousands of people defaulted on their houses. Even though they had the means to continue the payments, they just defaulted on the loans and allowed the banks to repossess the houses. This is theft. 

Similar chickens are coming home to roost with the entitlement programs all over the developed world. Governments created retirement and medical programs and promised their citizens that their future needs would be covered. The governments didn’t save the money and banked on future generations being able to shoulder the burden. Woops, that was theft, too. Some countries have even confiscated the private retirement savings of their citizens in order to cover the entitlements they created and didn’t fund. More theft.

In the private sector, workers are being squeezed to their productive limit and left there. Some companies are actively trying to avoid paying their people overtime wages they are legally obligated to pay. More theft. (I am blessed that my employer is ethical, by the way.) 

It seems our society is steeped in theft. We have to comb over each financial transaction trying to limit our exposure to unseen rip-offs. 

But, again, there is hope. More than hope, actually. The LORD will bring righteousness and justice to this planet.

The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior.

He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. “I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts—They came from you, O Zion; The reproach of exile is a burden on them. Behold, I am going to deal at that time With all your oppressors, I will save the lame And gather the outcast, And I will turn their shame into praise and renown In all the earth. “At that time I will bring you in, Even at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I will give you renown and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” Says the Lord. (Zeph 3:17-20)

Last Sabbath, as we were getting ready for services, my daughter said to me, “Daddy, there’s a man at the door. And he looks spooky.” So I went to the door and found a 40-something guy in a sport coat and tie with a brief case. He identified himself as being some sort of evangelist. Since he came to the door on Sabbath, I asked if he was a Sabbath-keeper, too. He was confused about my question and turned out to be a Sunday-keeper from a “bible” church. I asked him if he would like to come in and learn about the Sabbath and he informed me that he was “here to teach, not to learn.” When I meet folks of the faith, I assume the best (hence the question about the Sabbath). This guy was working from a perspective that nobody he met could teach him anything. 

At any rate, things went badly. He told me that the Sabbath and the law was done away with. I retorted with,  “the commandments aren’t in effect anymore?” He nods and I continue, “well, is your wife good looking?” He was dumfounded and replied, “I’m not married but why would you ask such a question?” I replied, “well, if the commandments don’t matter any more, then that means adultery is OK, right?” He managed to stammer out, “But.....” And I left him with, “you better get back to that Bible, brother.” And returned to preparing for services. 

This guy was preaching lawlessness door to door. Amazing.

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His  coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be  judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. 2 Thess 2:7-12 (NASB)

Now, I am not passing judgment on Mr. Evangelist, but it is a sobering thing to contemplate that there are very well intentioned Christians whose self-imposed mission is to go door-to-door preaching lawlessness. Yep, that’s a mystery.

Let’s take a brief look at what Jesus Christ, Yeshua Messiah, said about this behavior:

"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. "For I say to you that unless your  righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matt 5:17-20 (NASB)

Can it get any clearer than that? “Do not think I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets” has somehow become, “I came to abolish the Law and the Prophets.” I hope that Mr. Evangelist does go back and do some more studying before knocking on any more doors. At the least, I pray he approaches his “mission” with a little more humility.

While researching the Jewish doctrines about the mikvah, I came across this:

Jewish life is marked by the notion of Havdalah -- separation and distinction. On Saturday night, as the Shabbat departs and the new week begins, Jews are reminded of the borders that delineate every aspect of life. Over a cup of sanctified wine, the Jew blesses G-d who "separates between the holy and the mundane, between light and darkness, between Israel and the nations, between the seventh day and six days of labor...."

I appreciate the article and have gained much insight from it with respect to the mikvah. But I was struck by the perspective that being Holy or set-apart is intended for exculsivity. Some believers of Messiah in the Sabbath and Holy Day observing groups have taken to using the words “set-apart” in the place of “holy” in parlance and even in some new Bible translations. This can lead to the ideas of “The One True Church” where groups are inclined to separate themselves from the world entirely and even from other believers who don’t accept all their doctrines. This is applying being “set-apart” in the same context as above.

So, what does it mean to be holy or set-apart? From the NASEC, the words translated “holy” in the Old Testament are:

Hebrew Word: קֹדֶשׁ Transliterated Word: qodesh (871c) Definition: apartness, sacredness:--

Hebrew Word: קָדַשׁ Transliterated Word: qadash (872d) Definition: to be set apart or consecrated:--

And the New Testament has just one:

Greek NASB Number: 40 Greek Word: ἅγιος Transliterated Word: hagios Definition: sacred, holy:--

Since the Old Testament word is kind of generic and the use of “set-apart” is definitely of Old Testament origin, let’s explore the use of the words “holy” in the Old Testament:

'For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.'" Lev 11:45 (NASB)

But the Lord of hosts will be exalted in judgment, And the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness. Isaiah 5:16 (NASB) (Both words “holy” are used in this verse to describe God.)

When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then He said, "Do not come near here;  remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." Ex 3:4-5 (NASB)

Do those verses above make sense if we swap the words “set-apart” for “holy”. Not really. The people can be considered “set-apart” in Lev 11:45, but God can’t. There is only one God, so He can’t be “set-apart” from anything. If we insert “sacred” for “holy” in that verse, then it makes sense. The ground that Moses was standing on was considered “set-apart” in Exodus 3:4-5 and I think this is be best place to look for how to illustrate that inserting “set-apart” doesn’t work. Moses continued to stand on that ground. If the ground was “set-apart” for the sake of being “set-apart”, then Moses would have had to move. What makes sense is that the ground was “sacred” or “sanctified”, because Moses was allowed to continue using the ground, he just had to removed  his sandals, which were tainted from being in contact with common ground.

Being holy in the set-apart sense means that we are set-apart for a purpose! In my reference at the beginning of the article the context (and the context of the entire article) is that the set-apart people are set-apart for the sake of being set-apart. Separation is the goal. Not wanting to be like the rest of the common, corrupt, and damaged world is the entire nexus of existence in that perspective. The bigger the divide between the set-apart people and the rest of the world, the better. And this perspective is not just in Judaism, it permeates the Sabbath and High Day community of believers in Messiah, too! “One-True-Churchism” abounds where congregants are even taught NOT to evangelize! (God forbid)

But what was the goal of the nation of Israel? Why were they “set-apart” to begin with? So that God would have just one nation to bless and the rest could just rot? No, they were set-apart for the purpose of showing the world how to live. They were supposed to be a light to the nations. Now that torch has been passed to us.

But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be  sanctified in truth. "I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. John 17:13-21 (NASB)

Here we have Jesus explaining all the concepts of being holy, sanctified, and set-apart. We are set-apart because of our faith and our actions. We are primarily set-apart from the world by God for His purposes, but the world also sets us apart because we act differently. Thus we are hated, albeit not as hated as the first century Christians. But the Messiah does not ask for us to be taken out of the world! This is in direct contradiction to the idea of “One-True-Churchism”. Jesus is praying here that we can be holy, set-apart, consecrated, and sanctified for works. Not just for the sake of being set-apart. We are to be a light so that the others God is calling out can see us and come and join us as we worship Yahweh in the name of His Son, Yeshua. We are set-apart for service.

I don’t get out much. Well, with regards to visiting other congregations, that is! Church of God, Fellowship (COGF) in Lansing, MI recently had a big meet-up for the Last Day of Unleavened Bread and the Sabbath and my family and I got to go! Yay!

I’d first like to thank the guys from Church of God, Kansas City that have stepped up to share some of the duties that have kept me busy. Russell, Kyle, Brian, and Ed have all come together to help in the production of the services and publishing the sermon to the web. Ed used to do this work by himself for many, many years and it is such a blessing now to have a team for this work! Thanks guys! It was really cool to be able to watch our services on my iPhone live while on the road back from Michigan, too!  

COGF is a very inspirational group. I observed the Feast of Tabernacles with them last year in Iowa and came away incredibly uplifted. I was quite excited for the chance to see them on their home turf. To list out all the good works of service and accommodation they provided for this special fellowship would take many pages. In summary, they had their hall open Thursday night for meet and greet (we arrived too late for this), then they had their hall open with studies, services, several meals, and a full band for about 24 hours over a 48 hour period. Their young adults and teens aren’t just “involved” in the ministry, they are crucial components of an incredibly functional all-volunteer team. To say these folks are letting their light shine is an understatement. They are an example to all of us in the Sabbath and Holy Day movement.

A stumbling block I had when coming to the knowledge of the Moedim was: Why so much emphasis placed on the fall high days over the spring? Apparently I’m not the only one who has noticed this! This recent celebration at COGF is an effort to rectify this. A gent named Hal gave a presentation on this, encouraging us to have special gatherings for all the Moedim. While it’s not feasible to have “blow-out” celebrations like FOT more than once a year, I agree with Hal’s thesis and will commit to helping make the other Moedim more special. Having additional teaching in our fellowships on the High Days and having pot-luck meals at our meeting places shouldn’t be too much of a burden. Perhaps regional congregations could take turns meeting together for each of the High Days to share the added responsibility? Like I said before, though, I don’t get out much so perhaps these things are already happening?

Again I would like to thank the great servants of Church of God Fellowship for hosting such an uplifting event. They are an inspiration to me and I look forward to meeting with them again!

I’m going to take a liberty here with the site and address something I see in modern western society that is quite troubling and contrary to Christian values. This is in direct response to the comments made by some lady named Rosen that Ann Romney has never had a “real job”. This is because Ann Romney stayed home and raised five boys. Having a stable traditional family unit is the Biblical path. Mrs. Romney is a woman to be admired, especially raising all boys and those boys all appear to be well adjusted and productive members of society. Here’s a link to the story if you haven’t heard:

http://www.christianpost.com/news/ann-romney-and-hilary-rosen-spar-over-womens-work-73105/

Let’s take the social liberal stances point by point:

Women are not supposed to get married, they are supposed to have careers (as if these two concepts are somehow opposed to each other).

Women are definitely not supposed to have children (pro-contraception).

If a woman happens to get pregnant, she is not supposed to bring the birth to term (pro-abortion).

If the first three steps fail and a woman happens to actually give birth to a child, she is absolutely not supposed stay home and raise that child into a productive, traditional citizen. She must go to work and hire someone else to instill society’s contemporary values into said child/children.

If a woman actually does marry, has children, stays home instilling traditional Biblical values into those children, and those children then become productive citizens, then apparently she is the enemy. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, indeed.

It’s not a “War on Women”. It appears to be a “War on Population”.

Do you have plans for the future? Do you know where you’ll be in 5 or 10 years? 

When questions like those come up, most everybody instantly thinks about their careers. If not careers, then they think about their children or whether they will have them by that time (in the case of traditional moms, this IS their career!). 

For those of us in corporate America and those who are business owners, our careers consume the lion’s share of our lives. We have to constantly strive to do our best, set short and long term goals, compete both externally and internally, and focus much effort staying employed and being upwardly mobile. This can really take a tool on one’s life, both physically and spiritually. The modern business culture is geared to squeeze every drop of productivity out of a person, so our home lives spend a long time being on hold. I am blessed that my career provides enough that my wife can devote all of her time to managing our children and our household. I truly feel bad for those who have to have dual incomes, especially if they have children. 

Fulfilling career goals is a great feeling. Moving up a notch at work, getting a sizable raise, or gaining new knowledge through continuing education are all feathers in the cap. However, what does the Bible say about our efforts in the world?

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity." What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun? A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. Also, the sun rises and the sun sets; and hastening to its place it rises there again. Eccl 1:1-5 (NASB)

Even more succinctly:

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 2 Peter 3:10 (NASB)

Indeed, our works are folly. The things we do “for a living” seldom have much to do with our eternal lives. I look at my career as a necessity and approach it with Christian morals and a strong work ethic, but it really is a means to an end. My career allows me time off for the High Days and it very seldom interferes with the Sabbath. It allows my wife and I to raise our children outside of the Babylonian system of this world’s education system. It allows me time to spend studying the WORD and writing. It is a blessing. So what does Peter go on to say about the works of men?

Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:11-13 (NASB)

Yes, we should conduct ourselves like Christ is coming back any moment, performing our jobs to the best of our ability understanding that all of our works will be brought under judgment. Do you know where you’ll be in 5 or 10 years? How’s about: Do you how you will spend eternity?

Two deer seasons ago I got my first deer. It was a long road to finally becoming a “hunter” instead of a “guy in the woods with a rifle”.

It all started with a trip to Cabelas and the purchase of a beautiful stainless steel, lever action, Marlin rifle that I had absolutely no use for. At that point in time, I was shopping for a totally different rifle for a totally different purpose and I fell head over heals for a gun I did not need. 

I learned how to shoot my new 30-30 and I liked shooting it. At some point, I think a friend invited me to go hunting. I figured, since I had a deer rifle, I probably should learn how to do hunt deer. I attended a hunter safety course, bought a scope for my rifle and a whole lot of other stuff for going afield. I spend a huge amount of money and time sighting in my scope and becoming a very good shot with my deer rifle. Well, at that point it was actually “a rifle I intended to shoot deer with”.

My first try to go hunting, both my mentor and I were too sick to go. The next year, we hunted on my property which is heavily wooded. I staked out a place halfway down a hill and sat there listening to the deer walk right behind me for hours. And I mean right behind me. Finally, out of frustration, I slowly stood up and saw a doe hiding behind a cluster of trees so close to me that I could have hit her with a rock, providing the trees were not in the way. I waited for her to present herself, pulled the trigger, and she jumped straight up in the air and landed on all fours - unscathed. My ears still ringing and the deer still sitting still, I racked the action and pulled the trigger again. Click. I hadn’t pulled the lever far enough to eject the spent shell and fired on the empty. Then the doe ran away and took my pride with her.

The next year I had another mentor. A church brother named George who is a very wise man let me come hunting with him. George and his sons “do it right” with wonderful deer stands placed strategically over a large plat of land. Two mornings and two nights I sat in a deer stand looking out over the only farm land in the state of Missouri that deer do not care for. Nothing was coming, nothing was going. At sunset on the second night, I decided to shoot at a tree that was pretty far away just to see if I could hit it. I also wanted to see if the sound would scare up anything in the woods. So I took aim and fired. Boy was that loud. My ears rang for a very long time. George almost immediately called on the cell to see if I had shot a deer. I had to tell him no, that I just shot just to break the monotony before I climbed down for the night. (Incidentally, I hit what I was shooting at almost exactly.)

The next morning was my last chance. In fact, it was going to be my last outing if I had no success. There was just no way I could justify spending any more time or money hunting without bearing any fruit. On a chilly, pre-dawn morning in central Missouri, I climbed back up into that incredibly nice deer stand and began to scan the tree line and open field that lay before me. Using my binoculars, I did finally see a deer dart from one tree line out into the open and into another about 600 yards out - much too far for an ethical shot. Hours pass and nothing, until, right near 8:00 AM, I look down the tree line my deer stand is nestled against and, as my eyes came to the intersection where the tree line breaks right, I see a doe. She is in range but not presenting herself as we were taught in hunter class. Being this is going to be my last shot, possibly ever, I decide to go for it and risk ruining some of the meat. 

I laid my rifle on the railing of the deer stand, and placed the cross hairs high on the doe’s chest. I gently squeeze the trigger and see the doe fall right where she stood. I actually remember watching the doe fall through the scope, which is remarkable since the rifle recoils and all. She had died instantly, which is the most humane outcome possible. 

Another remarkable thing was that I never heard the shot. My ears weren’t ringing, my heart wasn’t pumping, and I never heard the shot.

I climbed down the stand and paced out the distance to the doe. 95 paces and my shot hit exactly where I had put the cross hairs and the bullet did what it was designed to do. Success. I am now a hunter.

So how does this correlate with first century Christianity? 

But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Matt 10:19-20 (NASB)

All of my training in marksmanship and learning about hunting came together perfectly when God wanted it to happen. It took years of trying and practice before it was finally time for me to have success. The same applies to our studies in the WORD. We may think that we are not ready to testify, but we’ll be ready when God wants us to be ready. All of our studying and prayer are preparing us. And when it is time, the Spirit will work through us in order for God’s will to be done. 

Christ our Passover was sacrificed on Passover, Abib 14, at twilight. This is a pretty heavy thing to contemplate, which is probably why I’m blogging on it again.

The ordinance of the Passover was actually before the law was given on Mt. Sinai. The blood of the lambs were used to mark the houses of the believers. Take a look:

Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight. Ex 12:5-6 (NASB)

The entire nation of Israel, while still in Egypt as slaves and without the law to provide them guidance, had a specific task to do all at once. They had to take an unblemished lamb days in advance and all slay it at once on the 14th on Abib at twilight. Well, the word twighlight there literally means “between evenings”, so it is possible they slayed the lambs at slightly different times so they could be bled and cooked, ready for the necessary meal at sunset. This is interesting because everyone had to do the same thing at the same time. They could not do it a day early. They could not celebrate Passover on the 13th, for instance, and still be saved. And they certainly couldn’t do it late! They were still all completely in sin, especially having been immersed in a pagan culture for over 400 years. Anybody who decided to do it a little different died. That’s amazing and scary all at once.

Over time, they fell away from the pure practice of keeping the Passover as outlined above. At some point, they began to have all the lambs slain at the temple instead of in homes. I have read that the Jews stopped slaying lambs altogether once the temple was destroyed in 70 AD. 

But keep in mind that they were supposed to slay their own lambs at their own houses while reading this next verse. 

Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified." Acts 2:36 (NASB)

The whole house if Israel was supposed to slay their own lamb at precisely the same time on exactly the same day. That equates to everyone being equally guilty and in need of the forgiveness. It's also a parrallel that the entire nation present either cried out "crucify Him" or remained silent. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, indeed.

After Peter preached that first sermon, and ended with such strong language, imagine the anguish those who heard it must have felt. As the days went on and their knowledge increased, it must have been excruciating to learn that they slew the actual Lamb of God. But the next verses show much hope:

Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself." And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation!" So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.

Acts 2:37-41 (NASB)

What an amazing thing it is that our God will forgive any sin, up to and including the murder of His own Son.