The Sabbath: Part One

Exodus 20:8 - Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

  I think I can justly say that this, is one of the most ignored, misunderstood and blantanly opposed texts in the bible. It seems like out of the whole bible the majority of christians choose to somehow ignore or ''do away with'' this text. But why? tradition? ignorance? conformity?
Well let us first establish the date and orgin of the sabbath, which takes us back to the beginning- the start of it all- Genesis. Most of us know the story of Moses and the wayward children of Israel in the wilderness (well, we should do) and how God with his own finger wrote the Ten commandments on a tablet of stone for man thus He (God) gave it to the people via Moses on Mount Sinai. We can establish that (Read Exodus 19) then what happened? Moses read the ten commandments to the people. (and we should know them)

NB- (taken from the Kings James Version) Exodus 20:3

1st-  (v.3) Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2nd- (v.4) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: (v.5) Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; (v.6) And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
3rd- (v.7) Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
                                                     BUT
When we get to the fourth commandment, we skip over it? sad to say but many of us do.
4th- (v.8) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

• Clear precise and to the point, so why do we ignore it? verses 9 & 10 give us the the conditions under which we are to keep it holy.

(v.9) Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

• Isn't God good! he gives us six days out of a seven day week for ourselves! Talk about reasonable!

(v.10) But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD 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:

• God asks us to be faithful in all things and he can only give according to our measure of faith. God went into so much detail for us because he knew that we would forget... verse eleven further explains why we should keep the sabbath day.

(v.11) For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

• The word ''hallowed'' means to make holy or sacred, to sanctify or consecrate- to set apart.

So why don't we keep the sabbath day?

In Numbers 23:19 it says ''God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?''  It also says in 2nd Timothy 3:16 that ''All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.''

So 1. God does not lie. and 2. the scripture is inspired by God- that's authenticity!

Reunited, not divided.

Youth ministry. We all know about it, I mean, aren't we all about it? Well what if I told you, we've got it all wrong? What if we're not doing things Gods way? What if ''youth ministry'' is not biblically approved? I'm getting confusing now aren't I? What if I told you we we're never meant to be separated? What if I told you, that though our motives are usually genuine- ''trying to reach young people for Christ''- that we are going about it in the wrong way? OK, really confused? I was too...Until my eyes were opened, and I saw the light.
  Sometime in my thirteenth year, I wanted to become a youth pastor. I saw the need of my generation and I wanted to help- I still do. But after watching ''divided'' (links below) I was convinced that most methods used today for ''reaching young people'' are actually doing more harm than good. It was eye-opening, revelating and it gave me hope.
We as christians need to turn back to the solid bible truths and stop mixing the world with the church. (The below texts in ''BE A WITNESS'' reaffirm this.) We need to give our hearts, bodies, souls, beings, our everything over to God. We need to be truly surrendered to HIM and HIM alone. We need HIS power, HIS guidance, direction, protection. HIS saving grace, mercy and love. We need to come back to HIM! For we, all like sheep have gone astray every man to his own way and the LORD hath laid upon HIM (Jesus) the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)
 We can change, we can live again, we can recommit ourselves to God again, we have this hope, there's hope, hope for this generation, hope for tomorrow. All we have to do is surrender fully to God... Will YOU take the stand today?
http://dividedthemovie.com/#top

True Love = Gods Love

I seem to be dwelling often on the subject of love. Not worldly love, lust, infatuation or even passion. HIS LOVE. A love that is pure, just and true, holy and incorruptible. GODS LOVE. So great, so powerful, always ready to save a lost sinner....like me
  So, ''What is love?'' kind of a blatant question don't you think? the answer = God. Is. Love.
But most people today view love as a figure or an item (not Christ) so the word ''love'' becomes ''sooo cliche''. How many times have you seen people misuse the word love? abuse it? how many times have you had people say ''I love you.'' or  ''I'm in love with you.'' does it last? how many times have you had people claim to ''love'' you, get what they want and leave? sad isn't it? But it's true. The word love or ''luv'' is so misused, abused  and if I didn't know better broken. But let's move past all that and discover what real love is.
  Love. Love is: patient, kind, considerate, polite, unselfish, unproked, clean, truthful, forebearing, believing, hopeful, enduring and LOVE. NEVER. FAILS. (one could add long lasting and forever also). Have you experienced real love?  A love that's pure and true, holy, special, beautiful, that my friend is TRUE LOVE, GODS LOVE.

Never doubt Gods love for you... 1 John 4:10 says'' Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.''

Faith

''Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.'' Hebrews 11:1

Faith is something that you can't see but you still believe in it. So why do we want proof? why do we always want to see for ourselves before we believe? Look at the story of the doubting Thomas. Shortly after Jesus' resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples (minus Thomas) and the disciples on Thomas' return said that they had ''seen the Lord''. '' Execpt I shall see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.'' was Thomas' reply (John 20:25). Aren't some of us like that today? unbelieving? But notice what Jesus says to him ''Thomas, because thou hast seen me thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.'' John 20:29.

   It's a trust issue you see. We won't put our trust in the unseen or the unknown...and in a sense that's a good thing, for we need not believe everything we hear, BUT sometimes we just need to step out in faith, trust in the unknown; let go and let God.

  So as a christian, faith has to be our basis for living. Taking the shield of faith, where with ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked ( Ephesians 6:16). Faith is our shield; faith is our defence.
Christian = Christ + ian

''ian'' means = (I am nothing) and this means

Without Chirst. I AM NOTHING!

    Still looking for proof? The creation proves the Creator, the heavens prove His glory, the Son proves the Father and the cross proves HIS LOVE!

Look for the proof....

BE A WITNESS!

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.  James 1:27

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2

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Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6

Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD. Isaiah 52:11

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,  2^nd Corinthians 6:17

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. Revelation 18:4

He that hath an ear, let him hear… that’s all that needs to be said.