This will be a somewhat difficult post for me to write,
as I swim upstream to share
what the Father has been showing me.
Some readers may agree whole-heartedly.
Some readers may have thought on this in their own lives,
but never drew any conclusive conclusions.
Some readers may have never really considered this,
and may be led to pray and seek Truth.
Some readers will disagree with this,
perhaps even be angered by it
and may do well to read another blog.
I have received many emails and messages...
some out of love and in kindness, some not.
I've postponed writing this (even debated whether to),
waiting for the Holy Spirit's leading.
I even tried "kicking and screaming",
resistant of leaving my 'comfort zone'.
But, in His vast goodness and longsuffering,
He taught me, in spite of self,
and has been reaffirming those things
and fully persuading me
all that He has been showing me.
I do not rejoice in causing
contention, confusion, or division
but I must share Truth.
And it's time to share...
For quite a few months now,
I have been, what I would say,
a semi-secret Sabbath keeper.
I have eluded vaguely to the 7th day Sabbath,
in some of my blog posts and on Facebook,
but refrained from outrightly sharing
(there were many reasons for this,
which I choose not to share).
I will, however, now publicly share...
I have chosen to keep, to observe, to honor,
the 7th day Sabbath.
I'm not going to use this post
to debate Sunday worship vs Sabbath keeping.
If you want to read discussions, debates, etc...
regarding that, there is lots of info online.
I'm going to try to simply stick with
sharing Scripture... adding emphasis ...
However, I may choose, also,
to share my personal comments
that may further explain my own thoughts.
With that being said...
Let me start from the beginning...
the VERY beginning...
"In the beginning God {Elohim, Yahweh}
created the heaven and the earth."
Genesis 1:1
He did.
And after He was finished with His creation...
"And on the seventh day
God {Elohim} ended His work which He had made;
and He rested on the seventh day
from all His work which He had made.
And God {Elohim} blessed the seventh day,
and sanctified it: because that in it
He had rested from all His work
which God {Elohim} created and made"
Genesis 2:2-3
Our Father, our Creator,
set the pattern, the example, the principle for us.
A time to cease from work,
a time to review, acknowledge, celebrate
the beauty of the creation that He pronounced "good".
It belongs to Him from the very beginning.
The 7th day Sabbath honors, remembers,
God {Elohim}, JEHOVAH {Yahweh} as our Creator.
He blessed the 7th day and declared it holy,
set apart to Himself.
The Sabbath distinguishes JEHOVAH {Yahweh}
from false gods. It identifies WHO we worship...
The Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
He reaffirmed observing the Sabbath
in the Ten Commandments:
"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 {JEHOVAH; Yahweh} thy God:
in it thou shalt not do any work,
thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter,
thy manservant, nor thy maidservant,
nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger
that is within thy gates:
For in six days the LORD {YHWH}
made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that in them is,
and rested the seventh day:
wherefore the LORD {YHWH}
blessed the sabbath day,
and hallowed it."
Exodus 20:8-11
(Deut. 5:12, too)
The 7th day is the sabbath of the LORD {Yahweh},
not the Jews... of the LORD {Yahweh}.
The cattle were not Jewish,
neither were the strangers,
yet, He commands them all
to remember the Sabbath.
"Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it,
as the LORD {JEHOVAH, Yahweh}
thy God hath commanded thee.
But the seventh day is the sabbath
of the LORD {Yahweh} thy God {Elohim}:
in it thou shalt not do any work,
thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter,
nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant,
nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle,
nor thy stranger that is within thy gates;
that thy manservant and thy maidservant
may rest as well as thou.
And remember that thou wast a servant
in the land of Egypt, and that
the LORD {Yahweh} thy God {Elohim}
brought thee out thence through a mighty hand
and by a stretched out arm:
therefore the LORD {Yahweh} thy God {Elohim}
commanded thee to keep the sabbath day."
Deuteronomy 5:12-15
The Sabbath remembers the Exodus from Egypt,
which is an example of His salvation.
"Thus saith the LORD {Yahweh},
Keep ye judgment, and do justice:
for my salvation is near to come,
and my righteousness to be revealed.
Blessed is the man that doeth this,
and the son of man that layeth hold on it;
that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it,
and keepeth his hand from doing any evil...
Also the sons of the stranger,
that join themselves to the LORD {Yahweh},
to serve him, and to love
the name of the LORD {Yahweh},
to be his servants,
every one that keepeth the sabbath
from polluting it,
and taketh hold of my covenant"
Isaiah 56:1-2, 6
Jew and NON-Jew ("stranger") is blessed
in keeping this command.
"If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath,
from doing thy pleasure on My holy day;
and call the sabbath a delight,
the holy of the LORD {Yahweh},honourable;
and shalt honour Him,
not doing thine own ways,
nor finding thine own pleasure,
nor speaking thine own words:
Then shalt thou delight thyself
in the LORD {YHWH};
and I will cause thee to ride upon
the high places of the earth,
and feed thee with the heritage
of Jacob thy father:
for the mouth of the LORD {YHWH}
hath spoken it.
Isaiah 58:13-14
It's supposed to be a delight.
It is His holy day, honorable...
It honors Him.
"For as the new heavens and the new earth,
which I will make, shall remain before me,
saith the LORD {Yahweh}, so shall your seed
and your name remain.
And it shall come to pass,
that from one new moon to another,
and from one sabbath to another,
shall all flesh come to worship before Me,
saith the LORD {YHWH}."
Isaiah 66:22-23
Sabbath observance in the new heaven and earth...
... in the beginning... and in the end...
why not in between?
"I am the LORD {Yahweh} your God {Elohim};
walk in My statutes, and keep My judgments,
and do them; And hallow My sabbaths;
and they shall be a sign between Me and you,
that ye may know that I am the LORD {YHWH}
your God {Elohim}"
Ezekiel 20:19-20
It is HIS Sabbath, not any particular people's.
It is a sign between Him and His people,
that they/we will know HE is our God.
He ordained it, set it apart, set the pattern for it,
commanded it, reminded of it, called it His,
and blesses those that keep it.
And His Son?
He came to do the Father's will...
"Jesus {Yeshua} saith unto them,
My meat is to do the will
of Him that sent me,
and to finish His work."
John 4:34
He kept the Sabbath...
"And He came to Nazareth,
where He had been brought up:
and, as His custom was, He went
into the synagogue on the sabbath day,
and stood up for to read."
Luke 4:16
"And they went into Capernaum;
and straightway on the sabbath day
He entered into the synagogue, and taught."
Mark 1:21
"And when the sabbath day was come,
He began to teach in the synagogue..."
Mark 6:2a
He was our example...
walk as He walked...
"He that saith he abideth in Him
ought himself also so to walk,
even as He walked."
1 John 2:6
His disciples, apostles?
They observed it...
"But when they departed from Perga,
they came to Antioch in Pisidia,
and went into the synagogue
on the sabbath day, and sat down."
Acts 13:14
"And when the Jews were gone
out of the synagogue,
the Gentiles besought that these words
might be preached to them the next sabbath...
And the next sabbath day
came almost the whole city together
to hear the word of God."
Acts 13:42,44
"And on the sabbath
we went out of the city by a river side,
where prayer was wont to be made;
and we sat down..."
Acts 16:13
"And Paul, as his manner was,
went in unto them, and three sabbath days
reasoned with them out of the scriptures"
Acts 17:2
"And he reasoned
in the synagogue every sabbath,
and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks."
Acts 18:4
"And he said unto them,
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
Jesus {Yeshua} said...
"Think not that I am come
to destroy the law, or the prophets:
I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For verily I say unto you,
Till heaven and earth pass,
one jot or one tittle shall
in no wise pass from the law,
till all be fulfilled.
Whosoever therefore shall break
one of these least commandments,
and shall teach men so,
he shall be called the least
in the kingdom of heaven:
but whosoever shall do and teach them,
the same shall be called great
in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17-19
"By this we know that we love
the children of God {Elohim},
when we love God {Elohim},
and keep His commandments.
For this is the love of God {Elohim},
that we keep His commandments:
and His commandments are not grievous."
1 John 5:2-3
I love Him.
Enough to obey.
Enough to observe.
Enough to honor.
Enough to identify.
It is not grievous.
It is a delight!
p.s. comment moderation has been activated
as I swim upstream to share
what the Father has been showing me.
Some readers may agree whole-heartedly.
Some readers may have thought on this in their own lives,
but never drew any conclusive conclusions.
Some readers may have never really considered this,
and may be led to pray and seek Truth.
Some readers will disagree with this,
perhaps even be angered by it
and may do well to read another blog.
I have received many emails and messages...
some out of love and in kindness, some not.
I've postponed writing this (even debated whether to),
waiting for the Holy Spirit's leading.
I even tried "kicking and screaming",
resistant of leaving my 'comfort zone'.
But, in His vast goodness and longsuffering,
He taught me, in spite of self,
and has been reaffirming those things
and fully persuading me
all that He has been showing me.
I do not rejoice in causing
contention, confusion, or division
but I must share Truth.
And it's time to share...
For quite a few months now,
I have been, what I would say,
a semi-secret Sabbath keeper.
I have eluded vaguely to the 7th day Sabbath,
in some of my blog posts and on Facebook,
but refrained from outrightly sharing
(there were many reasons for this,
which I choose not to share).
I will, however, now publicly share...
I have chosen to keep, to observe, to honor,
the 7th day Sabbath.
I'm not going to use this post
to debate Sunday worship vs Sabbath keeping.
If you want to read discussions, debates, etc...
regarding that, there is lots of info online.
I'm going to try to simply stick with
sharing Scripture... adding emphasis ...
However, I may choose, also,
to share my personal comments
that may further explain my own thoughts.
With that being said...
Let me start from the beginning...
the VERY beginning...
"In the beginning God {Elohim, Yahweh}
created the heaven and the earth."
Genesis 1:1
He did.
And after He was finished with His creation...
"And on the seventh day
God {Elohim} ended His work which He had made;
and He rested on the seventh day
from all His work which He had made.
And God {Elohim} blessed the seventh day,
and sanctified it: because that in it
He had rested from all His work
which God {Elohim} created and made"
Genesis 2:2-3
Our Father, our Creator,
set the pattern, the example, the principle for us.
A time to cease from work,
a time to review, acknowledge, celebrate
the beauty of the creation that He pronounced "good".
It belongs to Him from the very beginning.
The 7th day Sabbath honors, remembers,
God {Elohim}, JEHOVAH {Yahweh} as our Creator.
He blessed the 7th day and declared it holy,
set apart to Himself.
The Sabbath distinguishes JEHOVAH {Yahweh}
from false gods. It identifies WHO we worship...
The Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
He reaffirmed observing the Sabbath
in the Ten Commandments:
"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 {JEHOVAH; Yahweh} thy God:
in it thou shalt not do any work,
thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter,
thy manservant, nor thy maidservant,
nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger
that is within thy gates:
For in six days the LORD {YHWH}
made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that in them is,
and rested the seventh day:
wherefore the LORD {YHWH}
blessed the sabbath day,
and hallowed it."
Exodus 20:8-11
(Deut. 5:12, too)
The 7th day is the sabbath of the LORD {Yahweh},
not the Jews... of the LORD {Yahweh}.
The cattle were not Jewish,
neither were the strangers,
yet, He commands them all
to remember the Sabbath.
"Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it,
as the LORD {JEHOVAH, Yahweh}
thy God hath commanded thee.
But the seventh day is the sabbath
of the LORD {Yahweh} thy God {Elohim}:
in it thou shalt not do any work,
thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter,
nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant,
nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle,
nor thy stranger that is within thy gates;
that thy manservant and thy maidservant
may rest as well as thou.
And remember that thou wast a servant
in the land of Egypt, and that
the LORD {Yahweh} thy God {Elohim}
brought thee out thence through a mighty hand
and by a stretched out arm:
therefore the LORD {Yahweh} thy God {Elohim}
commanded thee to keep the sabbath day."
Deuteronomy 5:12-15
The Sabbath remembers the Exodus from Egypt,
which is an example of His salvation.
"Thus saith the LORD {Yahweh},
Keep ye judgment, and do justice:
for my salvation is near to come,
and my righteousness to be revealed.
Blessed is the man that doeth this,
and the son of man that layeth hold on it;
that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it,
and keepeth his hand from doing any evil...
Also the sons of the stranger,
that join themselves to the LORD {Yahweh},
to serve him, and to love
the name of the LORD {Yahweh},
to be his servants,
every one that keepeth the sabbath
from polluting it,
and taketh hold of my covenant"
Isaiah 56:1-2, 6
Jew and NON-Jew ("stranger") is blessed
in keeping this command.
"If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath,
from doing thy pleasure on My holy day;
and call the sabbath a delight,
the holy of the LORD {Yahweh},honourable;
and shalt honour Him,
not doing thine own ways,
nor finding thine own pleasure,
nor speaking thine own words:
Then shalt thou delight thyself
in the LORD {YHWH};
and I will cause thee to ride upon
the high places of the earth,
and feed thee with the heritage
of Jacob thy father:
for the mouth of the LORD {YHWH}
hath spoken it.
Isaiah 58:13-14
It's supposed to be a delight.
It is His holy day, honorable...
It honors Him.
"For as the new heavens and the new earth,
which I will make, shall remain before me,
saith the LORD {Yahweh}, so shall your seed
and your name remain.
And it shall come to pass,
that from one new moon to another,
and from one sabbath to another,
shall all flesh come to worship before Me,
saith the LORD {YHWH}."
Isaiah 66:22-23
Sabbath observance in the new heaven and earth...
... in the beginning... and in the end...
why not in between?
"I am the LORD {Yahweh} your God {Elohim};
walk in My statutes, and keep My judgments,
and do them; And hallow My sabbaths;
and they shall be a sign between Me and you,
that ye may know that I am the LORD {YHWH}
your God {Elohim}"
Ezekiel 20:19-20
It is HIS Sabbath, not any particular people's.
It is a sign between Him and His people,
that they/we will know HE is our God.
He ordained it, set it apart, set the pattern for it,
commanded it, reminded of it, called it His,
and blesses those that keep it.
And His Son?
He came to do the Father's will...
"Jesus {Yeshua} saith unto them,
My meat is to do the will
of Him that sent me,
and to finish His work."
John 4:34
He kept the Sabbath...
"And He came to Nazareth,
where He had been brought up:
and, as His custom was, He went
into the synagogue on the sabbath day,
and stood up for to read."
Luke 4:16
"And they went into Capernaum;
and straightway on the sabbath day
He entered into the synagogue, and taught."
Mark 1:21
"And when the sabbath day was come,
He began to teach in the synagogue..."
Mark 6:2a
He was our example...
walk as He walked...
"He that saith he abideth in Him
ought himself also so to walk,
even as He walked."
1 John 2:6
His disciples, apostles?
They observed it...
"But when they departed from Perga,
they came to Antioch in Pisidia,
and went into the synagogue
on the sabbath day, and sat down."
Acts 13:14
"And when the Jews were gone
out of the synagogue,
the Gentiles besought that these words
might be preached to them the next sabbath...
And the next sabbath day
came almost the whole city together
to hear the word of God."
Acts 13:42,44
"And on the sabbath
we went out of the city by a river side,
where prayer was wont to be made;
and we sat down..."
Acts 16:13
"And Paul, as his manner was,
went in unto them, and three sabbath days
reasoned with them out of the scriptures"
Acts 17:2
"And he reasoned
in the synagogue every sabbath,
and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks."
Acts 18:4
"And he said unto them,
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
Jesus {Yeshua} said...
"Think not that I am come
to destroy the law, or the prophets:
I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For verily I say unto you,
Till heaven and earth pass,
one jot or one tittle shall
in no wise pass from the law,
till all be fulfilled.
Whosoever therefore shall break
one of these least commandments,
and shall teach men so,
he shall be called the least
in the kingdom of heaven:
but whosoever shall do and teach them,
the same shall be called great
in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17-19
"By this we know that we love
the children of God {Elohim},
when we love God {Elohim},
and keep His commandments.
For this is the love of God {Elohim},
that we keep His commandments:
and His commandments are not grievous."
1 John 5:2-3
I love Him.
Enough to obey.
Enough to observe.
Enough to honor.
Enough to identify.
It is not grievous.
It is a delight!
p.s. comment moderation has been activated
53 comments:
This may sound strange but I always thought you did keep the Sabbath. You and your family come across as completely devoted to the Lord. It is a natural thing to do when you love the Lord that much. I am glad you shared and understand it must have come from a place of previous pain to have struggled with posting it. I appreciate your openess and thank you. I always learn so much from your posts.
Chistina~ First of all I wanted to share that I, too am a 7th Day Sabbath keeper as well. I can totally relate to you being reluctant to sharing that information on your blog. It seems that many time when trying to follow Jesus that we have to swim upstream in this sinful world.
Your love for Jesus shines through and is such an inspiration to me and I am sure to many other people. May we all continue to study the Bible to find truth - God's truth and not just what the world tries to tell us is truth,
Lisa :o)
Well, thank you as always for sharing your heart Christina! Maybe I just don't understand fully what it is that you're doing that is supposed to be so shocking to folks but I do agree with all the verses you posted. I suppose I am one that has certainly considered the Sabbath keeping but never drew any conclusions.
Recently, my eldest was memorizing the ten commandments for SS. I asked my husband, in an off-handed manner - how come people preached on all the commandments and we kept all of them (or rather, encouraged people to keep all of them) except the Sabbath.
I would love to know more, so if you do not want to talk about it personally, perhaps you could post links that you recommend. The only point where I could see us not agreeing is if you were forsaking the assembling. Then we would simply have to agree to disagree as I believe the Lord gave his life for the church and gets glory in the church and expects us to go....to church. lol
Stop reading? never! I love you too much :)
having been a Sabath observer I can say the is something about sitting down together and taking that time to rest and reflect that is so sweet. Some times I miss it so very much
Christina,
I admire you for being bold about your beliefs. It is important to speak out about things that God is teaching us...but...I never thought you were doing this in secret. :) You always post about "resting on God's appointed day" and such. I always knew you were Torah observant and never thought anything else. Maybe it's just because I am your friend on Facebook. I am sorry that you have received mean emails. Who could be mean to someone as sweet and kindhearted as you??? Bless you my friend. (((HUGS)))
Interesting. I was taught that the switch from the seventh day sabbath to the first day sabbath was not only because, of course, Christ rose on the first day of the week, and the N.T. shows the early disciples breaking bread on the first day of the week, but also because:
In the Old Testament, God the Father worked, and then rested. Because the Israelites were under the Law, not grace, they also worked (spiritually speaking) and then they rested.
Because of Christ's finished work on the Cross, it is now the other way around.
We rest (in Christ, spiritually, beause of what He did for us), and out of that rest, we work.
They worked and then rested. We, on the other hand, rest and then we work.
A difference in perspective and attitude, because of Christ's work on the cross, and thus the switch in the day of sabbath rest.
This is something I have been struggling with for quite a while....and there is always this tug at my heart when I read anything about the Sabbath.....I am just waiting on the Lord to show me without a doubt what He wants me to do, and with His grace I will do it. He will have to speak to my husband...
I'm not offended in any way, and always suspected (well, not ALWAYS, but more recently- perhaps in the past year maybe) that you celebrated a traditional Sabbath.
I was always taught the same things as Mary R. above.
Mrs. Mandy ~ Thank you for your kind words of encouragement and your understanding. They are a blessing!
Lisa ~ Thank you, too, for your words of encouragement. Yes, may we all continue to seek our Father's Truth, found in ALL of His Scripture.
Karen (Adorning Grace) ~ I suppose the "shocking" part is that keeping the set apart, 7th day Sabbath tends to go contrary to mainstream Christianity, as it is taught to keep Sunday and NOT Saturday. As I mentioned in my post, the little that I have shared over the past few months has already provoked questions and debate in private emails.
I, in no way, believe we should be forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, however, I do believe that the 7th day Sabbath was and still is the Father's intended day to gather and worship.
But, as you said, we can lovingly agree to disagree. ;o)
Mrs. B ~ Thank you for sharing. Yes, indeed, that day is a wonderful blessing! An entire day to spend with our Creator, the Love of our life! Not working, just resting in HIM, sitting at His feet, worshipping Him! A delight, indeed!
Jaime Lynn ~ Thank you. :) I made reference to the "semi-secret" because I have been blogging for many years and have only recently (the past few months or so) been observing and honoring the Sabbath, as well as observing Torah (which is a whole other subject that I may or may not write about one day). So for many that have been reading my blog for years, this is something "new" and different from what has been shared and observed in my life.
Thank you so much for your kind words. You are a blessing! :)
Mary ~ I do understand all of those reasonings, as I, too, was taught much of that. However, after reading the Scriptures and studying them in the context they were written (and reading the history of the "Sabbath change"), I believe much differently know, as He has opened my eyes to Truth.
No where in Scriptures is there a direct command to stop observing the 7th day Sabbath and to begin observing the 1st day.
Yes, the disciples did break bread on the first day, but they also preached all night... we don't follow that. But, also, the disciples kept the Sabbath.
I must, lovingly, disagree that the Old Testament believers were not "under grace"... indeed, they were. Grace is from the Father and has always been.
Yes, the Messiah's work on the cross provided the ultimate sacrifice and the way of salvation through His shed blood, however, there was still no commandment to stop observing the 7th day Sabbath.
Yes, Jesus Christ (Yeshua, the Messiah) is our spiritual rest, but the Sabbath remains our physical rest (and a time to 'linger' in the spiritual rest).
Yes, "they" worked and then rested and it may be that many, now, rest and then work but where is the Scriptural basis for that? Our Creator worked and then rested. He set the pattern for mankind. And our Messiah did the Father's will.
Yes, His work on the cross should, indeed, give us a difference in perspective and attitude, but, again, He did not put an end to His Father's Sabbath.
For those that may be interested, here is one link (though there are many) that answers some questions:
http://www.sabbathtruth.com/
I pray that we may read HIS Scripture, listen to Him, despite our tradition we have been taught. Open the eyes of your people, Father, that we may behold the wondrous things out of Thy law, Thy instructions, Thy Word.
~ Christina
Debbie ~ I had a similar experience... never quite having complete peace about the Sabbath "being done away with". And, in all honesty, I wasn't really seeking Truth in this particular area. But He knew I needed to know and He began showing me. When I admitted that I could simply not argue it away, I stepped out in faith, knowing that one day I will stand before him as an individual to be held accountable to whether or not I obeyed Him, and I began observing it. He has taught me a lot since then and He continues to teach me more and more and continues to reaffirm those things He has been revealing to me. It has been a blessed journey, indeed.
Tracy ~ :o) I, too, was always taught similar to what Mary stated. I am thankful there is no offense, friend. ;)
;0) When we came to the observation of the Seventh Day Sabbath, we were totally blessed and filled with peace. Praise YHVH!
I'm sorry to hear that you felt that you could not openly share your beliefs. While we do not observe the Seventh Day Sabbath, I can not comprehend why people feel so threatened by those who do.
At this duty station, we've been blessed to be friends with a family who observes Seventh Day Sabbath. It's been a learning experience for our family. While we don't feel lead to observe Seventh Day Sabbath, we were convicted that we need to make sure that we are taking a day of rest.
I'm truly sorry that you have received nasty emails. I pretty much figured that you had started to observe Seventh Day Sabbath based upon your posts.
One thing I have learned is to never say never to the Lord as you don't know where He may lead you in your life.
What I have found to be very interesting is that God wrote the 10 commandments on stone with His finger - these were commandments meant to be the commandments forever. And It is interesting to note that the word Remember is used in the 4th commandment as well. He knew that there would be a counterfiet of the Sabbath and he wanted us to "remember" His day.
Lisa :o)
Praise the Lord! What a beautiful post. You've expressed what is in my heart, only much more eloquently than I could. I love you, dear sister, and I admire your courage. The Father bless you and your family, and continue to guide you in Truth.
What a wonderful post, Christina! May YHVH bless you for remembering His day!
Andi ~ Exactly! :o)
Heather ~ Thank you. Yes, it is sad when we are so quick to make assumptions and to judge. And, yes, as you said, we should be very careful in that, as we do not know how the Father will lead us.
Lisa ~ Yes, exactly... "Remember".
Tammy ~ You are a dear friend. Thank you for your encouragement and for your prayers during this time.
Praise YHWH Sister Christina!!!! I have been meaning to write about this subject on my blog. I probably should do that soon.
Love in Messiah,
Victoria
Christina~ This is wonderful...it does feel good to not be living "secretly". We haven't come totally out to our families either, but only because they don't really respect what they thought we believed before now. We have even more shocking news now, but we are keeping quiet for a while longer on that too. I'm so happy for you and your family.
Much love,
Nancy
I came to this understanding about a year ago and had to walk away for a time from all my fave 'Christian' sites and blogs because I felt so disgusted - not that I blame the authors of course, but it was just a general feeling of ugh and hurt and also of not being 'allowed' by the Father to speak out on my differing thoughts yet. Your was one of the harder blogs to step back from. I was so happy to see your recent comments on Jacques posts :D
Its funny how you begin to see more and more once you get over that 'bump' Things make so much more sense now to me.
Shalom :)
~Erela /Angie
Leslie ~ Thank you. :o)
Victoria ~ Thank you. And I understand. ;o) It took me a while but it was time well spent, in prayer, collecting thoughts, and being persuaded by His Spirit.
Nancy ~ Thank you. Yes, it is a great burden lifted when you no longer feel in hiding. ;)
Erela/Angie ~ I understand completely! And, yes, it is amazing how once you get over that 'bump', so many other things become so much more clear! A beautiful journey, indeed!
Thank you, sisters, for your support and encouragement. You are all a blessing!
~ Christina
Greetings Christina,
You know I stand with you on keeping Sabbath and being TO. We travel this road together. This is a wonderful post.
I would love to hear your story, either here or by email, how you came to this point. What books besides the Scriptures :) or tapes led you to this path? Does the assembly you currently attend keep Sabbath or do you have a fellowship that is supportive? I'm always curious to hear other's stories if you care to share.
Blessings and Shabbat Shalom My Freind!
Christina,
I too, knew there were changes going on for you and was thrilled to read this post which touches on one of those changes...I know there are more, which I pray you will feel free to post on in the near future. Freedom in Christ needs to be set on a candlestick...not hidden under a bushel basket.
I do have a question....as a believer who has been taught the same as Mary R and most others, what is it you actually do differently? I get that your Sabbath is Saturday and not Sunday, but there has to be more to it that that. Is that the day you go to church? Do you cook, clean, play, or fellowship? And one more...;) please bear with me as I know this sounds SO nosy, but how does the rest of your family feel about this? Did the Lord reveal the same things to your husband? Ignore my questions if they are too personal...I totally see your reason for seeing this as truth...I am not saying it isn't. Still thinking and praying on it. Like I said on your facebook status, Matt 5 talks about how Jesus did not come to destroy the law but to fullfill it, which is the verse that has really been on my heart the past month or so.
Christina ~ I see! Someone I totally missed your entire point of a "Seventh Day Sabbath" - Saturday vs Sunday! duh. Sorry. lol
I just don't see how this is such a big deal (not to you but for others to get upset with). If you want to observe a Saturday Sabbath, then you should certainly do so! Your enthusiasm and desire to do what you feel the Lord is commanding in this area has certainly provoked me to look into it further!
I too have always been taught like Mary (? was it?) about Sunday being the NT sabbath but after reading your response, I have to agree that I cannot point to a Scripture that indicates our doing so...hmmm....more study!
And YES! Always grace! OT/NT....it's always God's grace. I grew up in a church that preached it was works in the OT and grace in the NT. then I got saved at the age of 27, got into a different church and heard about grace throughout the Scriptures. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord...God didn't have to allow the Israelites an opportunity to offer sacrifices, but because of His grace, they were allowed to offer for atonement of sins. And it still took faith....grace and faith....only one way! Praise the Lord.
You are a blessing sister - whether we come to the same place on this subject or not - I love you!
I really loved this post, especially the part about 'it is HIS Sabbath'. Not a peoples Shabbat. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac - yeah they were not Jewish either. The 7th Day Shabbat is a praise of the Father and he blesses us with this time as well!
Shabbat Shalom!!
Yay, it's almost Shabbat :D
Thank your for your courage to share as Father lead you to. It is so exiting to see more people questioning, being lead, and guarding His commands.
Shabbat Shalom dear one!
May you experiance YHVH's precious shalom as you have let your light so shine on this very special Sabbath. Your gracious humbleness and love for your readers/friends is very evident in your desire to share what the Father has shown you. Your love for the Father and Messiah is also very evident. May all who read it have the ears to hear.
It is a pleasure to meet you and I look forward to coming to knowing you better.
Shabbat Shalom,
MommySetFree
Christina, what lovely post. Praise Yah for the peace He has given you. What freedom you must be feeling to finally embrace His Sabbath. Being a 7th day Sabbath for most of my life (since I was 5), there was a time in my 20's that I had to revisit everything and allow our Father to show me the truth in scriptures. Thank you for posting and sharing on Shabbat Shalom Link Up this week. I know it will be a blessing for others who are new to this as well.
May your Shabbat be a blessed one with your family.
Jane ~ ;o) Yes, it has been a blessing to see us traveling this road together. My 'story', I suppose is fairly simple... I've always wondered about the 7th day Sabbath, even sitting in church hearing all of the 'reasons' we keep Sunday but never had complete peace with it. I pushed it aside for a long time, assuming the teaching I was hearing must be right. Then last year, He led me to begin reading through my entire Bible (plus we were going through it for our homeschool, which was really speaking to me). When we moved here, I was going about my business one day, reading my Bible (I was in Isaiah at the time) and came across a Scripture regarding the Sabbath that struck a chord. I remembering sitting, dumbfounded, and rationalizing that surely He couldn't mean THAT. So I kept reading and "boom", "bam"... there were MORE. I had to stop reading and start writing and praying. So I did. I started reading and writing all the Scripture that talked about the Sabbath and started noticing key words that I had overlooked or rationalized my entire life. Once I knew He was confirming those things, THEN I started reading a few selected things online. (sabbathtruth.com; and quite a few other sites that came up, that were Messianic in nature because I wanted to see what others, that believed in the Messiah, thought about these Scriptures. But before I began reading outside information, I wanted to make sure He was already affirming those things in my own heart... and He was... He did. I even read some things that well-meaning, like-denomination friends sent me, all contrary to Sabbath keeping, yet, I could no longer see it. My eyes had already been open. And I am thrilled beyond measured! :o)
Since then, I have begun reading and listening to other resources but we can email regarding those (for now).
Regarding the other questions, No, our fellowship does not observe the Sabbath and I have, yet, to find out if they are "supportive". But, either way, I know He has a plan, a path, and a purpose!
Shabbat Shalom, friend!
Bren ~ I thank you for your observation and for your patience. ;o) I was thrilled to be able to share this topic. I do hope to share others, too, but am waiting for His timing. ;)
What is different, aside from it being the only day the Father commanded to keep, is that it is an entire day, set apart for Him. I am still learning here but I do try to not work (cook, clean, any laborious work) on that day and rest as He said. I, also, (personally) try not to do "my own pleasure" (as in one of the verses mentioned in the post). For instance, I do try to refrain from spending the whole day sewing, etc... Not because it may (or may not) be "wrong" but simply because I desire to honor Him by spending the day focused on Him.
This is not impossible, it just takes a little planning and preparation, which really isn't difficult either. I believe that gathering with like-minded believers and fellowshipping is good to do on His day, however, it has not been available to me, thus far. We have had some fellowship on Shabbat, but not with those that keep it. So far, I spend that day in more prayer, reading, studying, singing praise, enjoying time with my family, blessing, thanking, and worshipping Him.
Regarding my husband & my family, well, I will be a little more vague with this topic. ;) I will say this... our spiritual walks have always been in different places (one way or another) & I understand that in addition to being a wife, I am an individual that will one day stand before my Judge. Thus, I will obey where He reveals and provides a way. It is still possible to live in peace, love, and even unity when each person is in a different place in their relationship with the LORD. It is a lifetime lesson of love, mercy, and grace. ;o)
Karen ~ Perhaps the "problem" some have is rooted in fear. Perhaps fear of bondage. I don't know for sure. But as you said, yes, you would think it wouldn't cause such a fuss but I am learning (as I have in the past), that when you follow His way, His narrow way, there will always be opposition... and many times it comes from those we love dearly.
Thank you for your kind words and for your love. You are a blessing, Karen. May He open eyes and may He bless as you seek His truth.
~ Christina
All that concerns me is that you are doing as God wills you to do. I can see by the life you lead that you are a christian and desire to please our Lord and Savior. love and huggles.
Jocelyn ~ Thank you. :) Yes, it is not a "Jewish" Shabbat. It is HIS. Oh, how thankful I am that He opened my eyes to this (and so much more)! Thank you, dear, for being a light for Him. ;)
Shabbat Shalom!
Sigalit Chana ~ Yes, it is exciting, indeed, to see how He is working, calling His people back to Him!
Shabbat Shalom!
Mommy Set Free ~ What peace He gave just by me typing up this post! A weight lifted and peace within!
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. They are such a blessing. I, too, look forward to getting to know you better.
Shabbat Shalom!
Carmen ~ Thank you for sharing that testimony. I love how He draws His children back to Him. HalleluYAH!
Shabbat Shalom!
Michelle ~ Yes, I am a believer and follower of the Messiah and, yes, I do desire to do His will, to serve Him, to please Him... not to earn my salvation... but because I love Him. And if we love Him, we keep His commandments... I love Him. I simply love Him.
Thank you, friend. :)
HalleluYAH!!!! PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME!!!!
I lost allot of friends because I started to keep Sabbath, and started to call Him by HIS "actual Name".
The funny thing is~ now some of them are calling me asking questions! How cool is that?
I can see by the many responses that your LIFE has touch many people!!! Just keep seeking and being a light, your doing GREAT!!!!
Shabbat Shalom from a very excited sister in Messiah!!!
Moira
I came here through the Shabbat Shalom Link Up and just wanted to say "good for you"! Shabbat keeping is a lot like homeschooling. When you homeschool and keep Shabbat and others around you do not, they feel threatened by that choice. They can also feel that you are looking down on them for their choice, even when you are not.
Chazak, Chazak! (Hebrew for Be strong, Be strong!)
Thank you for your response Christina. (((hugs)))
I will say, I do NOT get it...Not the choice to follow the law of the Sabbath, but the fact that some of your commenters are sharing that they lost friendships when they chose to go that way. I can not fathom that myself. It is not like you are denying Christ....though that is what some are treated like. So sad. I pray you do not experience that for sharing this new revelation in your faith. We all come to the truth of the Word in different timing. He gives us what we are ready for.
I look forward to hearing more from you.....in His timing.
Christina,
What an inspiring and uplifting post, my friend! I sort of guessed that you were honoring the Seventh Day Sabbath even though you had never shared that... This is a topic which has been on my heart on and off the past month or so as well. I have heard that many people honor the seventh day as the Sabbath as opposed to the first day, and I have started digging deeper into the scriptures to see what His Word says about this. I am still in prayer over this and look forward to seeing how He leads me. Regardless of how people feel about this subject, I believe the most important thing is to just obey His leading...
Thank you for opening my eyes further with His Truth! You are such a blessing to me, dear friend! Thank you for constantly being such an encouragement and challenging me (whether you're aware of it or not!)to grow deeper in my love for Him! :-) {Hugs!!}
I think this is a wonderful testimony to your growing relationship with the LORD.. Phooey on those that cant see that we each are different and the Lord will show us HIS ways on HIS timing with each and everyone of us.
Moira ~ It is a shame that friends begin to fade. I have only begun sharing and anticipate more opposition when more is shared. What a blessing that your friends are now asking you questions. What a blessing to a tool that He uses to bring people nearer to Him. :) Thank you for your encouragement (and your excitement!). It is a blessing.
Abrianna ~ Thank you for sharing that. Yes, it is a lot alike. I have seen (and can understand to some extent) how some are threatened. I was one of those, without even realizing it. I am thankful He has opened my eyes and continue to be thankful for all He continues to open my eyes to. Thank you for your encouragement and admonition. He is my Strength! :)
Bren ~ Yes, it is hard to understand, in some ways. But I can see how there is fear of bondage and the fear of things that are not understood. I understand that I must be patience and compassionate, because I didn't always understand either and there are many other things that I still do not understand. Yes, we do all come to an understanding of Truth at different times. May we love one another regardless. ;) Thank you for your encouragement, as well. {{hugs}}
Lindsey ~ Thank you for your kind words. I rejoice, as I mentioned above, and am humbled that He uses the common and insignificant as tools in His wonderful will. Praying He opens your eyes to His truth as you seek Him. {{hugs}}
Jeannie ~ Thank you, dear, for you very sweet encouragement.
sigh... ALL of you ladies are such a blessing! I thank YHVH for you and how He has used each of you. {{hugs}}
~ Christina
I came across your blog through an Above Rubies post you wrote.. you commented to my posting about being disappointed with Christian friends. While I do not observe a
7th day Sabbath, your references and points are all well written and I will have to study more on this topic. I want to follow Him in all I do and if He leads me to follow a 7th day Sabbath, I will obey. I do not understand why others would attack your beliefs, other professing Christians. The Messiah was full of love and He would not support all this division. We all need to support eachother on whatever phase of our journey we are on. Thank you for being so open and honest. I look forward to reading much more of your blog. Blessings!
Happy Sabbath :)
I had noticed your changes, and wanted to ask, but didn't quite know how. I didn't want to sound critical when I was simply curious! Your post explained a lot. Thank you.
Have a wonderful day, my friend!
AMEN! :)
Hi Christina,
This was a very well written blog post and explains very well that the Sabbath is the same now as it was then, and as it will be in the future.
Here is a rather long answer (but certainly not all-encompassing) for those who were asking why people attack followers of Messiah who choose to walk out of step with the rest of the 'Christian World'....it is a knee jerk reaction which comes from being taught all one's believing life that that was then, this is now, and things are different now.
People who are taught this way can become VERY comfortable in their walk, and anything that makes them have to re-evaluate their lifestyle choices also makes them become UNcomfortable in the extreme.
I had questions along these lines since I was in Jr. High when at the behest of the youth staff, I read my Bible through....and when I looked around I found that what it said and what was taught at church were different. Asking did not go over well AT ALL. It took from there all the way through high school, college and 10 years of married life and homeschooling my oldest and looking at 2 more children coming up that I knew I would be answering for the things I taught them before I got the courage to go asking questions again. That was in 2003....
Also be aware that when one begins to ask questions....more questions will follow upon the answers of the original questions.
Blessings on you and yours,
Diane (Applegate) Haley
This is the blog post that changed the course of my life! I thank YHVH that He used you Christina to speak to me! I have been so blessed by you and so blessed to follow His commands. They are not burdensome, but a delight. I don't know how I missed this beautiful path for so long but I am very blessed to be walking in it now. You will always have a special place in my heart sister! It was you whom YHVH used to lead me to His ways! Thank you!
Christina,
Your blog continues so bless me and so many others! Praise Yah for your courage and strength in His word!
"Only be strong and very bold in taking care to follow all the Torah which Moshe my servant ordered you to follow; do not turn from it either to the right or to the left; then you will succeed wherever you go. Yes, keep this book of the Torah on your lips, and meditate on it day and night, so that you will take care to act according to everything written in it. Then your undertakings will prosper, and you will succeed." Joshua 1:7-8
Blessings in Yeshua HaMashiach!
Joycelyn
Hello,
I reached your blog through a friend's comment on FB.
I applaud your courage. When I became observant, I was *all-in* and decided to tell the world. I had no idea the world wouldn't see what I had been shown in the Torah.
It was surprisingly shocking to me! As a result, my extended family rejects what I do. But, thanks be to Adonai, my husband and four children and I have been observant together for 14 years.
I wanted to comment on one post I read. The Hebrew word for "Keep" or "Remember" in some translations, is actually "Guard". It puts a whole new meaning on what to do for the Shabbat. We are to "guard" it. Guard it from what, you may ask? For me it's guarding it from the world!
In the beginning, it was hard to stop and rest for a whole day! Now, at the end of a long Preparation Day, I am so grateful for the gift Adonai gave us! The gift to rest with Him for a whole day!
I pray you find a fellowship with which to holy convocate. We have home-fellowshiped and been a part of a fellowship. We definitely prefer gathering with like-minded brethren and spend a whole day learning about the Torah and learning more about each other.
May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob continue to give you courage as He reveals you His Word to you.
Shalom,
Teresa
Thank you for an encouraging post. We are similar, hinting with family and friends hoping not to offend or discourage independent research...
Fellowship seems to be a problem on the "narrow road". From reading just Scripture only, I see that new believers (gentiles) did not stay in their Greek or Roman temples still sacrificing to those gods and fellowshipping with their past 'pagan' associates, they went to the (Jewish?) synagogues because "Moses" i.e. Torah was read every Shabbat there. I am having a hard time finding just those who follow the Master and His Word and Way according to the Father.
Ruth - Your God will be my God, your people my people.
Beautiful post! :) I love that we are justified by faith and not of works...and you are certainly not boasting of what you do -it is obvious that it is motivated out of your love and desire to please the ONE true LORD God Almighty.
I also love that we can agree to disagree as Believers in a risen Lord and Savior...and still, there is grace to cover the misunderstandings that will come and even the disagreements in love.
I know this must have been hard to post. Blessings- Heather
You guys are awesome. I am so happpppppppyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy that you all are now my 7th Day Shabbat Keeper friends. :D MAKES ME SOOOOOOOO HAPPY to know you are. I love you all so much. You guys are such a huge-o mongo blessing to our family, especially since you all began to follow the Shabbat on the perfect day. :)
I am glad you've come out of the 'dark' so to speak and have told everyone about your 'newfound' passion for our Elohim. Like I said, you guys are awesome.
I love it when I read your blog or your facebook, because it's all like reading your heart. :) I love what you post. It is encouraging, loving, understanding, inspiring, uplifting, and so much more! :)
I love all of you and the passion you have to go against the flow and go upstream and go against the flow of the social status and goooooo for YHVH. :)
[[[[[[[[[hugs]]]]]]]]]]] to all of you, and blessings on this shabbat!
shalom,
su poquito hermana en Mesias!!
Love love loved this post :-)
Thank you for sharing so graciously! May Yehovah continue to teach your spirit and show you the way you should go (psalm 143)
Love Lusi x
Wonderful!!! I am a 7th day Sabbath Keeper also!! God Bless you!!
Christina, this post has blessed me deeply. You have been a much-needed teacher for me as I've been learning to walk this path as well as learning how to share it with others. It expresses so graciously and perfectly what His Sabbath is all about and why it is forever. HalleluYah that He mercifully opened our eyes to the truth. I'm still humbled by the revelation. Thank you for your courage and obedience. May you be blessed beyond comprehension for doing so.
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