| Author | Message | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 1288 Registered: 9-2006  |
I woke up this morning at three o:clock with the Adventist Saturday Sabbath and these words running through my head. They make Saturday a day of rest in Christ, then make it impossible to achieve. So, here I am asking myself “What do you mean?”. So here I sit trying to put this thought into some semblance of order. I think it is simply this. They well try to honor God by making Saturday a day of rest and then with the IJ make that impossible to achieve. I can’t say that I don’t make Sunday a day of physical rest and worship because I do and I have to be honest about it if I am going to be honest with them. I try to honor God by not working on Sunday as the opportunity presents itself; I have no job that demands my presence on Sunday so I put off my projects and unnecessary work to give the body physical rest and rejuvenation and to make it a complete a day of worship as I can. So what is the difference I have to ask myself? Namely this, I rest in Christ in an assured state of rest, both Sunday and throughout the week. I rest in the assurance of his divine love and saving grace on Sunday and throughout the week. I don’t rest on Sunday because of a particular command, but because of this assurance of divine love and saving grace. Not to perfect myself but because he is my perfection, resting in his atonement which assures a good day of physical rest (and) worship most Sundays, not all Sundays, there are Sundays when I have to travel or work or when there is not much rest, but very few and I would prefer to have all Sundays as a day of physical rest, a day off from thinking about work, phone calls concerning work, and to attend my place of worship together with others of like mind unfettered by the demands of Ma Bell. I am thankful that I don’t have to punch a clock anymore and I can do my best to make this happen. There is not much preparation to Sunday, I just drop what ever projects I am doing and put it off till Monday if I can and enjoy a day of physical rest and a day devoted to worship and the things of God. So is there a great amount of difference in my Sundays and their Saturdays? I think much in every way, without his assurance of salvation there can be no rest any day of the week, Saturday or Sunday included, there may be physical rest but that is not all there is to rest, the mind and spirit cannot rest in an insecure state, for in my resting on Sunday both mind and body and spirit are secured and so the day is secured. Even if the day requires manual task if ones salvation is secure then one can rest mentally and spiritually if no physical rest occurs. So in simple form, I do not rest in the day, but rest in him and his assured love and atonement. I don’t have to wait for the day or spend Fridays or Saturdays in preparation for the day for today is the accepted time of his salvation. Sunday just rolls around and I’m off to worship with those like minded folk, who take a day to worship together and to further the Gospel of Christ and to lift him up to the world round about, a day of proclaiming his name and furnished perpetual rest to the soul and to invite others round about to do so. I would be particularly interested to know what Pastor2move thinks of what I have just written, but also to hear from others, maybe others can clarify or deny to the forums satisfaction or you might like to say how worship days effects you. I really don’t know whether it was the Lord who woke me up with all this or what, but three comes REALLY early. Now if you will excuse me, after my morning Bible session I will go back to bed. Thank God for a California King bed and a good firm mattress. Hoooohuuuum. River | ||
| Helovesme2 Registered user Username: Helovesme2 Post Number: 1010 Registered: 8-2004  |
Thanks for writing this down River! I think it fits. Mary | ||
| Pastor2move Registered user Username: Pastor2move Post Number: 5 Registered: 8-2007 |
Hey River, Get some rest! Maybe that is the whole point. By making the Sabbath too big a deal we don't focus on the Lord of the Sabbath. It is more about us than it is about Him. I go by what Paul says in Romans 14. The issue is not about a day, or which day. God does not want the day that we worship to be a point of conflict with the culture that we live in. Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples-If you have love for one another". A ritualistic approach to any day militates against love for each other. People are more important than any day. We should never make the observance of a day a test of faith. We all naturally need and want performance props and much of organized religion stands ready to give them to us. Beware of artificial guilt and those who make it their stock in trade. In the place of performance props we should only want fellowship with Jesus. It is all about Him. pastor2move | ||
| Jonvil Registered user Username: Jonvil Post Number: 110 Registered: 4-2007 |
Rest without the burden of condemnation if you don't. | ||
| Asurprise Registered user Username: Asurprise Post Number: 144 Registered: 7-2007 |
Resting in Jesus every day is far more restfull than trying to "keep" a day! | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 1290 Registered: 9-2006 |
Pastor, You have come a long way from staunch Adventism. I really can't imagine why I woke so early with those words running through my head "They make Saturday a day of rest in Christ, then make it impossible to achieve." That is the exact words that woke me, I thought about slamming my head back down into my soft pillow and going back to sleep. I usually wake up at 4:00 thinking about my projects for the day, and I felt I must get up and write, I will just leave it with the Lord. If it was the Holy Spirit speaking to me, well and good, if not it still seems well and good. I did indeed get another hour of bed rest and I do indeed feel at rest in him this morning. As you said "its all about him." I might add that he seems all about people so if we are not about loving people we are not much about him seems to me like. River | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 6575 Registered: 12-2003  |
Thank you for sharing your thinking, River. I'm glad you got a bit more sleep! I think you have accurately summarized the situation. The great divide between Adventists and people who rest on Sunday, I believe, is that Adventism distinctly links acknowledging the intrinsic sacredness of the seventh day with being obedient to Jesus. In their minds, if a person moves away from believing the day is sacred and eternal, he moves away from acknowledging God is sacred and eternal. In effect, they elevate the Sabbath to "godhead" status. To an Adventist, Sabbath and God cannot be separated. To a set-free Christ-follower, days are not eternal nor intrinsically sacred. Jesus is eternal, and He is our eternal Sabbath rest. Colleen | ||
| Cortney Registered user Username: Cortney Post Number: 19 Registered: 8-2006 |
Colleen, I've never thought of it that way,well put! Don't they understand that a person can leave the Sabbath shadow behind them and still believe and accept God as sacred? And if God is so sacred to them why don't they preach about how Christ[God's only Son]died on the Cross for us? He took our sins and made himself a living sacrafice,to atone for sin once and for all.Now we live under grace. Why is there always a catch-22 with Adventism? | ||
| Gcfrankie Registered user Username: Gcfrankie Post Number: 40 Registered: 1-2007 |
The bible says "Today" and does not specify any special day as sacred. That is the Jews and the O.T Law. Yes we are told to come together to worship and encourage each other. I don't know about other SDA churches but the one I left you never heard from any one unless they wanted something or you saw them on the sabbath. What a blessing to not have to worry anymore about the day. | ||
| Belvalew Registered user Username: Belvalew Post Number: 1075 Registered: 7-2004 |
Behold I stand at the door and knock... I don't know about you, but my experience of being an Adventist had a lot to do with the necessity to Sabbath appropriately, of course, but the next thing was achieving perfection as well, and most often the two were presented as being packaged together. If you achieve the one, the other will take place automatically. Those of you who have read my previous posts know that I've been influenced to a great deal by Dr. Gene Scott. Well, our dear Dr. Scott has gone on to his reward, and his widow was pressed into service to pastor his church in Los Angeles after his passing. I now watch her, and she's a gifted teacher just like her husband was, though not exactly like him. She was speaking about our access to salvation and brought up the fact that Jesus had told us to be careful to enter by the straight gate. You know how much the Adventists like to talk about the narrow way that leads to heaven. Pastor Melissa Scott has made it very clear that the way is, indeed narrow--the gate is Jesus, the door is Jesus, the narrow way is Jesus. There is only one way to hope, to salvation, to justice, to redemption...Jesus is the way, the only way, and that explains why the way is so narrow. We do not achieve by any way other than Jesus. It is a gift from Jesus. The way has been paid for by Jesus, and He is the straight gate. You cannot achieve through brilliant exposition of scripture, or philosophy, or responding to charismatic ministers or teaching. The only way is Jesus, and we must admit we didn't earn it but rather that He decided to gift us, even though we are totally undeserving. Jesus is our Sabbath Jesus is our redemption Jesus is our peace Jesus is our hope Jesus is love Satan will continually try to distract us with the Sabbath, or the promise of redemption, peace, hope, or love, and we need only hold to the faith He has given from the beginning and our restoration will be assured. | ||
| Bigal Registered user Username: Bigal Post Number: 86 Registered: 9-2006  |
Belvalew, I also believe that Jesus is the narrow way. There are many roads "ways" to destruction, but only one (Jesus)to life. Praise Jesus this way is available to be found. Alan | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 6580 Registered: 12-2003 |
Belva, it's always good to hear from you. I agree; Jesus is the only way. He must be our only focus. All the theological dilemmas and in-house "arguments" within Christianity resolve in Jesus. We won't always see eye-to-eye on every secondary issue where the Bible is not explicit, but we can be united in Jesus. He is the One who brings us theological clarity and gives us spiritual security and authority. Holding fast to Jesus is the antidote to spiritual confusion. You are so right, Belva, that Satan will try to distract us with whatever he can so we lose our first love. Only He brings us resolution and peace. Colleen | ||
| Pheeki Registered user Username: Pheeki Post Number: 879 Registered: 1-2003 |
As an SDA, I was taught that the narrow way consisted of the SDA doctrines...especially the Sabbath. Remember Ellen saw people falling off the narrow path to heaven?!? Praise God I was delivered from that mess! |
