In our early faith walk as young adults, we attended Non-Denominational churches in the different places we lived). We were very zealous and passionate about our faith and active in our church. We specifically chose Non-Denominational churches, because we were aware of enough of religious corruption that we did not want to be a part of that and we thought that this choice would protect us from it. These non-denominational churches claimed to "just follow the Bible" and that is what we wanted to do - right from the start. Our pastors were upstanding people, who were honest and kind and had fruits hanging off their family tree! We (thought we) wanted what they had - so to speak. We were just starting to learn the Bible for ourselves. (It takes time! It is very big and full living book! We still consider ourselves students of it today more than 20 years later and we will until we die.) What we did not realize at first, was the subtle inconsistencies and then contradictions between the doctrine being taught and the Bible as it read. However, as our maturity and pursuit of truth was growing, and as we studied the Bible and found ourselves in Leadership Positions in our church, things started to change. This caused us to take more responsibility for our doctrine and caused us to search for answers from questions that came from others (that we never even thought of at that point). Well...that was about 10 years ago - that this topic of Sabbath rose through our study of Scripture and the Spirit poking at my conscience on the topic. We didn't truly "get it" fully for couple years after that..because we were not mature enough in our willingness to submit EVERYTHING to our savior and His ways. (Even though we sang that we would do that, every Sunday morning!) In spite of this, our Saviour was preparing our hearts and when we were (truly willing), we GOT it! We took our questions to our pastors and leaders and they gave us all the "usual" arguments for Sunday that sound good to the ignorant, well indoctrinated or casual Christian who acknowledges God because of what God can do for them. Some even said Saturday is the Sabbath - but "we keep the Lord's Day" because that's when Jesus rose. (Even though Scripture NEVER authorizes such a radical doctrine change.) They also quoted Scripture out of context to support
more replacement theology principals, ever so subtly. Later when we studied more Scripture in context, and became better students of the Word from the context it was written instead of the context it was being falsely preached - we saw very clearly that they were using apples to prove oranges. As time and study and research went on, we also learned this was very common practice in the protestant church and maybe one of the reasons why we have over 3000+ denominations , yet teach our of the same Bible! The fact is -
we were ignorant of the Scriptures (not stupid - but ignorant - there is a difference) and we were indoctrinated incorrectly (as were the people who taught us). (In other words - we developed our Biblical view from sermons, teachings and doctrines shared from the pulpit and seminaries. This happened much faster and stronger than
our own study habits developed. As a result it seeded itself in our minds as truth and colored our perspective because our understanding was filtered through the incorrect things we were taught. We did not know to question the validity of it - these teachers, preachers and servants had been doing this FAR longer than us. They were more together than us and they were genuine "good people"! We were not so proud or rebellious to think that we understood it better then them. We knew that we did not understand this beautiful book, but we WANTED to!!) We were blind to the truth and happy to be spoon fed the alternative (lies of connivance)
unknowingly. However, because we wanted the Lord's Truth - above all; above our convenience, our church culture, our comfort, our popularity, above our ignorance, etc...the truth was able to penetrate our thick heads and it changed our lives in yet another way. (Because our lives were sincerely changed in our time in the church - no one can take THAT away from us...No one an take that away from YOU! Our Savior meets us right where we are and works with us to bring us closer to Him and His truth!!) "Getting" Sabbath was a door that opened to so much more that we were "missing" in understanding in our "bible believing non- denominational church". I am so thankful for it! Eventually we left that church - which also opened another world of discipleship, ministry and service directly with our Savior, that we never knew was possible without a "church covering" as was previously taught. Our accountability, responsibility and relationship is stronger now. Davine appointments and assignments happen daily, it is so beautiful to walk in submission and harmony with the Creator the Universe (without the "middle man" in the way). After some "quite time" of refining alone with our Creator, He has brought us into community to help encourage and assist many other whom He is showing these things. It is so very exciting to see such revelation happening in the hearts of men, one family at time - yet SO MANY families simultaneously - as he reveals us to one another.
There is a wonderful website that is devoted to sharing this information specifically about Sabbath. ( I can not know of any of their other doctrine.) It is called
SabbathTruth.com . You can research and confirm all this second party once you know there is a trail to follow! I highly encourage you do so if you doubt its accuracy or truth. Please please do your homework! It is time to stand accountable for our faith! Our Father is drawing us nearer to His truth in THIS time for a reason. May those who have ears to hear, hear!
You may also like to visit
our page above - as we try to show the scriptural definition of Sabbath.
Below is a video of some of that same information we found when we researched church history that shook us out of our ignorance and made us face truth and test our own doctrine. It really helped us see that the "protestant church" that we were so sure had it right (even our "safe" non-denominational one) was very different than it was painted in my "protestant church history" studies. We were actually
Protesting Catholics! We were practicing more unbiblical Catholic doctrines then we knew. Some of them were shed at the time of "Reformation"...but
many still remain as fundamental and foundational for Protestants, even today- yet they are NOT Biblical. Keeping and excepting the change of the Sabbath Day is
one of those (very very important) things that Martin Luther and the other Reformers took with them. This is very important for us to recognize and repent of, if we desire to worship in Truth.
I pray that my God-fearing faithful brothers and sisters who are in these churches (like we were) who seek truth -but are ignorant and are believing and teaching things that are not true to their children and others, are able to humble themselves with teachable hearts and honestly seek the Father on this topic. May you have the ears to hear this and the courage to do what we are taught to do in the Bible, when we come to a cross road of decision between right and wrong in Our Savior's Eyes. I know there is a lot to search out and "untangle" when our doctrine is off the mark (we have and continue to test ours own docterine to this day!). You will see that it is a sticky web when you start - because Sabbath is not the only thing that we brought with us from Catholsism. However, God is faithful and so very willing and able to show you the way..if you are willing to submit to Him and the truth - and let it transform you. If you do..you will find yourself stepping into the pages of the Bible and "owning it" like you never ever have before. Scale will be removed, that you didn't even know existed!
The Sabbath is very important because God says that it is a sign between Him and His people. (Ezekiel 20:8-25) He was very mad at Israel when they ignored it. It is one of the things that sets us apart from the world. If it is important to God it should be important to us!
We Love You!
Shabbat Shalom
(Sabbath Peace and Wellness)
4 comments:
Thank you Pamela for these words.
The Shabbat has become the most beautiful day of the week in the last year.
The Lord gave me His Words about His holy day!
I hope you understand what I wrote...my english is not so very good.
Blessings, Shalom, to you and your family
First thank you for your site and your post, I enjoy both. On this post though I thought I should post a comment to help you understand why the Sabbath is no longer observed by Catholics (and other denominations). For lack of better words I am going to quote here:
"This is a common misunderstanding. Catholics do not worship on the Sabbath, which according to Jewish law is the last day of the week (Saturday), when God rested from all the work he had done in creation (Gen. 2:2-3). Catholics worship on the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week (Sunday, the eighth day); the day when God said "Let there be light" (Gen. 1:3); the day when Christ rose from the dead; the day when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles (Day of Pentecost). The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: "The Church celebrates the day of Christ’s Resurrection on the ‘eighth day,’ Sunday, which is rightly called the Lord’s Day" (CCC 2191).
The early Church did not move the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. Instead "The Sabbath, which represented the completion of the first creation, has been replaced by Sunday, which recalls the new creation inaugurated by the Resurrection of Christ" (CCC 2190). Sunday is the day Catholics are bound to keep, not Saturday.
We see evidence of this in Scripture:
On the first day of the week when we gathered to break bread, Paul spoke to them because he was going to leave on the next day, and he kept on speaking until midnight (Acts 20:7).
On the first day of the week each of you should set aside and save whatever one can afford, so that collections will not be going on when I come (1 Cor. 16:2).
Let no one, then, pass judgment on you in matters of food and drink or with regard to a festival or new moon or Sabbath (Col. 2:16).
The Catechism also says:
By a tradition handed down from the apostles which took its origin from the very day of Christ’s Resurrection, the Church celebrates the Paschal mystery every seventh day, which day is appropriately called the Lord’s Day or Sunday. The day of Christ’s Resurrection is both the first day of the week, the memorial of the first day of creation, and the "eighth day," on which Christ after his "rest" on the great Sabbath inaugurates the "day that the Lord has made," the "day that knows no evening." (CCC 1166)
Other CCC references to the Lord’s Day: 349, 2174, 2175, 2191" found at (http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions/did-the-early-church-move-the-sabbath-from-saturday-to-sunday)
As you can see this provides both biblical quotes and reasons.
So celebrating the Sabbath on Saturday is actually continuing the old (Jewish) traditions from the old covenant.
The ending quote you gave was (Ezekiel 20:8-25) from the Old Testament, which would support the Saturday Sabbath given the New Covenant was a future event.
God Bless. Looking forward to your thoughts.
Sensei Mitch,
Wow.
Before I completely reject your premise as unbiblical, let me praise the consistancy of the Catholic religion.
Catholics believe that they have the right to create new Holidays, change Sabbaths, ignore the law of God, while creating new Laws, etc... and they do so proudly with a clear chain of evidence of their actions.
Protestants, however, claim to protest such obvious sin and proudly fly the "Sole Scriptura" banner as they separate themselves from Catholics.
The embarrassing truth is that Protestants still embrace the unauthorized and sinful creation of "The Lords Day" with ZERO understanding of it's purely Catholic origins. They are stuck with a false paradigm that makes "Saturday" Jewish and old, and "Sunday" Christian and new.
Both "brands" have embraced PRIDE, and in the process have neglected the obvious solution: "If you love me keep MY commandments". It doesn't say "Jewish" commandments--as in many ways, "Jews" of both Messiahs day and today, have neglected the very same solution. The Messiah and the Father are ONE...they agree with one another completely. Any notion that the "old" was done away with, so we can have "new" is the same error that Eve made when fondling the forbidden fruit.
Lets look at "the Lord's Day" in a brief way consistant with a comment on a blog:
Throughout prophecy, this prase is consitant with the FINAL coming...the Day of Judgment...the day that those who have tossed His Instructions in the trash and have chosen instead to create a forgery religion...complete with their own set of commandments. The irony is amazing that "The Lords Day" is the name a religion would choose to poke the Father in the eye with.
It's ironically simliar to the "gay pride" movement using a flag with a rainbow--a symbol of his grace--to pridefully live a sinful lifestyle, while daring Him to flood the earth a second time.
The second Irony is that according to the actual scriptural instructions as to HOLY days (in Leviticus 23 for example) that Messiah UPHELD every one of these during his life, death, ressurection, and even the sending of his Holy spirit. The idea that "The Church" uses these facts to create new and improved Holy days is hysterical.
Messiah says he is LORD of the SABBATH. To me, that means if he is MY LORD, than HIS Sabbath is MINE too. Why manufacture another? He even rested in the grave on that day. That is devotion to a very specific day.
The day he rose (the day after the Sabbath) was ALREADY a Holy Day (via Leviticus 23) known as "The day of First Fruits". Messiah is known as the First Fruits of the Ressurection. Once again...instead of seeing the obvious UNDERSCORING of the Holy Days found in scripture, man's sinful temptation is to re-create the Law in our own image---worse, taking former pagan days and gods and dressing them up as "christian" and presenting them as "new". Shameful.
Part II...
The day the Holy Spirit came is also a Holy day detailed and commanded in Leviticus 23, and is part of the Mosaic (not Jewish) Law Cathoics and Protestants seem to be contantly running from. This day is to be celebrated exactly 7 weeks after the Feast of First Fruits. It is always to be celebrated on the day after the Sabbath (Sunday). In Hebrew it would be called Shavuot ("Weeks") in English it's translated as "The Feast of Weeks", in Greek it's called "Pentecost".
Every one of these scriptural events points NOT to some heretical need to re-create new holidays (or better yet unholidays), but to embrace the only true Holy-days there are. YHWH's.
Mathew 5:17 "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."
Renew your mind to the Word, not to the traditions of men.
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