The Lord’s Day/Conversion to Christ

SCRIPTURE OF INTEREST

(Jeremiah speaking) “Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name. But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not” (Jeremiah 20:9 NKJV).

MY COMMENTARY

WHAT SO SPECIAL ABOUT THE LORD’S DAY?

What is so special about the Lord’s Day (Sabbath)? This is the question that I would like to address in my blog. It is a topic that you might say is boring or it could stimulate some thoughts for discussion. I want the reader to consider this topic because I for one believe that we have focused so much on “do’s” and “don’ts” of religion that we are free to do what we want without any regard as to what the Bible really says about things like the Lord’s Day (Sabbath). Now, I am not advocating that we change the Lord’s Day to Saturday or vice versa. I really don’t care which day you choose but I do care how we see it.

As mentioned, it’s how we see it. In the eyes of the Lord every day is equal because He created them all but there is something unique and different about the seventh day or if you prefer the first day of the week which we call the Lord’s Day, which was inaugurated as the Sabbath Day for Christians because of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ on the first day of the week.

I remember as a little boy living on a farm in Manitoba that when Sunday arrived it was a special day and we treated it as such. We didn’t go to church very often but this day was different from the rest. Six days we worked doing all the necessary things of life but on Sunday we did only essential things. During the summer time we milked cows in the morning and in the evening and whatever else was associated with that. The same was true during the winter time when we did only the essential things and the rest of the day was family time and as children we played games. Our neighbours pretty well did the same things. I remember one farmer in particular who said “If I can’t do my work in six days then it is too bad because I will not work on Sunday.”

You wonder where the people got this idea? It seems to me that the Bible had something to do with it. Because the traditional churches would have taught the people that this was so and even though many of them did not attend church on a regular basis there was an understanding. Would this be considered as a religious practice? I guess it would. But what about us who are evangelical believers? We have for many years respected what scripture said about the Lord’s Day (Sabbath) but now I see that we are not as zealous in keeping it as a unique day. Oh, we still go to church but to us it is like any other day and sometimes we do so because we have no other choice. But let us stop and consider what we are really doing?

But let’s look at this a little closer. As we read the Bible we find that in Genesis God did His work of creation in six days and on the seventh day He rested “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made” (Genesis 2:1 – 3 KJV). This is something that God had done and put in place for mankind to observe. Jesus in fact said “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27, 28 KJ|V).

We know that the Sabbath became part of the Law for the Jewish nation and specific instructions were provided concerning it. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God . . .” (Exodus 20:8 – 10 KJV). More instructions were given as to how to observe the seventh day. However, over time many other rules and regulations were implemented by the religious hierarchy which became a huge burden for the people of the land. God was their source of supply but instead the religious leaders became the God to the people.

We are not bound to this Law but we are bound to Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ did not come to destroy the Law including the Sabbath but to fulfill its demands. Following the Law perfectly, including the Sabbath, could never be achieved but showed us how unrighteous we really are. James 2:10 says, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” That means we have all missed it. We have all broken the law. That is why Romans 8:3, 4 (KJV) states “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Right standing with God is only possible through Christ.

Jesus is our righteousness, not the keeping of the Law. Now that Jesus is our Saviour, our Lord, and our righteousness the Lord’s Day (Sabbath) takes on a different perspective. Now it is not about striving to keep the Lord’s Day (Sabbath) holy but rather it is about wanting to keep it holy. Why? Because He has made that day for us. It is a day of rest and we need it. If God rested on the Sabbath Day how much more do we need to rest? But it is a day where we go to church and gather together as a body of believers to worship God and we tune our hearts to the Word of God. God delights in us coming together. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20 (KJV) “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” This is not to say that we can’t get together during the week as well, and we do, but Sunday is a special day. Here we need to make a bigger effort in making family a greater priority instead of trying to accomplish house or yard work which can be done some other day. Let’s get disciplined.

Now I know that some will say “What if I have to work.|” Hey, God knows that. There are essential services that we cannot avoid. Therefore, I believe then that we need to make an effort to connect with the body of Christ during another day. Let me end by saying we only get out of life what we put into it. Jesus also said in Mark 3:4 (KJV) “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath day or to do evil? To save life, or to kill?”

TESTIMONY OF GOD’S GOODNESS

WHEN FAITH DISRUPTS A FAMILY

As a child Samuel Lee had an unusual desire to learn about Jesus. That was strange because at the time he lived in a Middle Eastern country surrounded by Muslim culture.

His journey to Christ began one day in 1976 when Samuel, who was only 6 at the time, was driving with his father through a downtown market. At one point Samuel spotted a painting of a man hanging on a cross. The image immediately caught the boy’s imagination.

Curiosity compelled him to begin peeking inside church windows and buying books about Christianity. And it eventually led him to a boy who was an Orthodox Christian. After the two became best friends, the boy explained to Samuel how Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead.

Samuel never forgot the story.

When civil unrest erupted in 1978, Samuel’s friend fled the country. Before leaving he took off his cross necklace and handed it to Samuel.

“That’s my favourite childhood memory,” said Samuel, who was now an international Christian evangelist based in Amsterdam. “Even though I was surrounded by Islam, Christ still found me and planted the seed of His gospel in my little heart.”

Samuel and his two sisters grew up in a wealthy family that did not practice Islam as devotedly as most people around them. When he was 13 his parents sold everything and moved to Holland – out of fear that Samuel’s political and intellectual interests could lead to his arrest or expulsion from school.

While studying sociology at the state university, Samuel met a devoted Christian named Sarah from South Korea. Sarah began sharing with Samuel about Jesus when he was 20.

The two fell in love and got married even though Sarah’s mother preferred they wait until Samuel became a Christian. That happened during their honeymoon in Spain when Samuel had a profound encounter with God and surrendered his life to Christ.

Samuel’s mother-in-law was delighted, but he got a different reaction from his Middle Eastern family. “As soon as my parents, relatives and family friends heard about my conversion,” Samuel said that, “they suddenly became so-called Muslims.” Many of his relatives consider him a traitor, he says. Yet two years after his conversion, both his sisters also became Christians.

Since then, Samuel’s faith has spread more rapidly. In 1995 he started JCF World Evangelism, which spread the gospel by providing training materials, preaching tapes and study books to poor Christians around the world. He also shared his testimony in his book, Soldier of the Cross (Creation House Press).

“Not only did I become a Christian, but I became a preacher. So my problem with my parents was doubly hard. They asked me, “We sold everything we had and brought you to Europe to become a preacher?”

“But despite all this,” Samuel said, “they still loved me, and gradual respect and understanding toward my ministry grew in their heart.” As of today, it is not known whether his parents ever came to know the Lord.

TIDBITS FOR A HAPPY MARRIAGE

In the previous blog the first Tidbit was: Say goodbye to singleness.

Today the second Tidbit is: Consider the feelings of your spouse – learn to be selfless.

Some points to consider.

1 Corinthians 13:4 – 8 says the following, “Love is patient, and love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always preserves. Love never fails.”

Real love does not seek its own but desires to see that the needs of another person are not ignored.

In this also it is very important that your spouse’s feelings are not ignored.

Eliminate selfish things you might say or do. Be considerate in what you say.

Sometimes we do things and wonder why our dearest friend is distant and cold.

Learn to be selfless.