Question: Honoring the Sabbath and Holy Days.

----- Original Message -----

From: Name And Address Withheld

To: reborn@oraclesofgod.org (Paul Stringini)

Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 9:43 AM

Subject: Re: your church

I am interested in knowing more about your church and have e-mailed your pastor. I am in XXXXXX so I can't attend services but would love to establish some friendships with people of a like mind. I was checking out Shepherd's Chapel when I came across your site. Does your church honor the Sabbath and God's Holy days? Please tell me more if you can. xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx Thanks for your time! My name is: xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx, e-mail:xxxxxxxxxxxxx, and phone number: xxx xxx xxxx.

----- Original Message -----

From: Paul Stringini

To:XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sent: Friday, January 30, 2009 3:31 PM

Subject: Re: your church

Sorry it has taken me a little time to get back to you.

Ro 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it.

I have had some experience with this issue, personally, I hold each day in honor to God. Unfortunately, I get judged for this frequently by people who feel that there are only certain days on which we may honor God. Let me relate an experience, a few years back I met a man who was a Seventh-day Baptist, he invited me to an Adventist church and I said that I was only interested if I could play my bible music for the people. We went and they decided that I should play while they ate their post-service feast. I started playing John chapter 15 and as I was playing the people chattered among themselves, I have the ability to sing and play and also listen and watch, so I listened, one man was talking about the new accessories he had purchased for his truck, the Pastor's table was noisiest. All talking about the world, and their covetousness, I looked around, there were only a very few who were listening to the words of Jesus. My biggest problem with people who think that they are pleasing God by going to Church on a particular day is that I have found that God is honored so little on the days they call holy. Sitting in a church for an hour or two does not constitute a hallowed day to God. If one is to "keep the day" the whole day must be dedicated, as it was in the Old Testament. That is why I prefer not to even claim to keep the Sabbath days, because whoever claims to keep those days is in debt to do the whole thing (Gal 5:3 is about circumcision, but the concept is the same). And if they claim that they do not have to do all that, and if they claim that they do not have to follow the whole spirit of the Sabbath, to honor a complete day to God, then I have to ask them, then why do you judge me if I have church two or three days a week, but none happens to land on the day you presume is correct. That kind of legalism is so contrary to what I have learned in Christ that I simply stand amazed at those who assure themselves that they are God's because of it.

I hope with you it is not so, If you spend Saturday dedicated to God, there is no one at our church who is going to tell you not to, I have church with my family at home on Saturday, but it only lasts an hour, I would never dare to call that keeping the Sabbath,

There is nothing wrong in giving an entire day to God, but we cannot look to that to fulfill what Christ has provided us, he has given us the true rest. If we have confidence in ourselves because we keep a law, then we are fallen from grace.

This is going to sound almost blasphemous, but, in Christ, the ten commandments have been abolished. That is what the apostle Paul taught. Not that it is now acceptable to do murder, a Christian will do no murder, he does not need a commandment to "not murder" the law was not written for the righteous:

1Ti1:9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

The new testament is the ministration of righteousness by the spirit the old testament was the ministration of condemnation by the letter, look:

2Cor3:3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone (the only laws ever written in stone were the ten commandments), but in fleshly tables of the heart.
4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: (this is a direct reference to Mt Sinai, Moses face glowed as he came down with the two tables of stone (2nd time))
8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. (that was a reference directly to the glory which was upon Moses as he came off the mountain with the two tables of stone, the glory of the laws which have been done away with in Christ, because Christ gives us something the law never could, actual righteousness)
12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
13 And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: (again, "that which is abolished" is the ten commandments, because that is what Moses was carrying when he came down off the Mount when his face was shining, the law written in stone, by the finger of God, abolished)
14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ.

Anyway, that is my opinion of the holy days and the sabbath, I'm sure my Pastor would concur. If you would like to talk with me further about this, I'd be happy to, if you would like me to call you, give me a time.