THE FISHERMEN'S NET NEWSLETTER
 January 2000 |
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[ Read this Fisherman's Net newsletter in French, German, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish. ]
Published by New Covenant Ministries
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January 2000 |
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[ Read this Fisherman's Net newsletter in French, German, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish. ]
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| Have a Great Day! | ||
I look unto the hills from whenst cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord who made the heavens and the earth. -Psalm 121:1-2. | ||
This electronic postcard copyrighted © 1999 by CTS Web Designs. | ||
TRUE TO THE SABBATH;
TRUE TO OUR GOD
by Larry Graffius
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| | | TRUE TO THE SABBATH; TRUE TO OUR GOD | | |
| | | Contemporary Sabbath Keeping | | |
| | | A Biblical Approach by Larry Graffius | | |
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Preface: With Apologies to Ambrose
1. A Holy Day
2. Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy
3. Sabbath Keeping: A Measure of our Spiritual Maturity
4. Mannah: Educating a New Generation in Sabbath Keeping
5. The Day of Rest
6. The Day of Rest
7. The Day of Rest
8. The Day of Worship
9. Living By Conviction, Not By Convenience
10. Thou Shalt Not: Why Must We Be so Negative?
11. Consistency
12. A Sanctuary In Time
13. The Blessings of Keeping the Sabbath
14. The Habit That Will Change Your Life
15. The Sabbath: A Spiritual Discipline
16. Witnessing to the Sabbath Truth
PREFACE
With Apologies to Ambrose
As a young priest in Milan, Italy, Augustine had a problem. It seemed that
he was going to spend the weekend in Rome. His problem was that in Rome it
was customary to celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday, while in Milan the Sabbath
was celebrated on the seventh day of the week (Saturday). Augustine was not
certain as to which was the appropriate day. So he went to his bishop,
Ambrose, for advice. And Ambrose gave him the now infamous recommendation,
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do."
Sorry Ambrose, you blew that call.
"Go against the flow!"
Not only in our Sabbath keeping, but in nearly every aspect of our Christian
lives we are called not to be conformed to the customs and patterns of this
world, but to "be transformed" (Romans 12:2), to be "steadfast and immovable"
(1 Corinthians 15:58), to keep our lives pure and untainted by the wrong
influences of this world's fleeting trends. A Christian is a peculiar person,
noticeably unique and distinct in character because he seeks to obey God
rather than follow fads and fit in with the crowd. He is an individual.
This is particularly true as it applies to our Sabbath keeping. We are a
people who seek to obey the Word of God, not the tradition of man. We place
the commandment above our own convenience. And in so doing, it places us in
disagreement with the majority of our peers, not the least of whom are
faithful believers in Christ.
Yet we believe that true Sabbath keeping is not simply a matter of
preference, neither is it a yielding to legalism, but is a principle to which
God has called us and therefore is not to be set aside or rescheduled to suit
our personal needs. The will of God, as expressed in the Word of God is not
subject to revision, even by the people of God.
And so we find ourselves at odds with our neighbors, both Christian and
'non'. We are seen as different (if we have polite neighbors) or strange (if
they are not so sensitive!). But again, isn't that one of the hallmarks of a
true believer? He is the one who is willing to leave home, leave family,
leave treasures and security, indeed he is the one who leaves everything
behind in order to follow the Savior. He considers all these things worth
less — worthless! — "compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ
Jesus" (Philippians 3:8). Everything, even the dearest relationships, he
willingly sacrifices to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This the cost of
discipleship (see Matthew 10:37-39).
And we consider keeping the Sabbath holy an integral part of that
discipleship. True Sabbath keeping is radical obedience. It will make
demands of us to "go against the flow." That is what we will explore in this
book. The how's and why's of Sabbath keeping, especially attempting to bring
the discussion down to a practical level of application.
Not a defense of seventh day
What you won't see much of in this study is a defense or explanation of why
we are to keep the Sabbath and why it ought to be kept on the seventh day of
the week (Saturday). There are several excellent and persuasive treatments of
those questions available. I refer you the bibliography for further
exploration. We will not seek to prove that point, but use it as our starting
point: That God has created and sanctified the seventh day as the Sabbath
and wants all of his people to observe it is a given; it is understood from
the beginning as what God intends for us to do. God's will is that we keep
the Sabbath holy*.
What does it mean to keep the Sabbath holy?
Our goal will be to see what we can learn and better understand about what it
means to keep the Sabbath holy. What does it mean to cease from our labor?
How do we specifically and practically apply the biblical admonitions
regarding our business dealings on the Sabbath? How can we best fulfill what
God intends for us in worship and celebration on Sabbath? With the closest
possible guidance from the Scriptures, can we arrive at some 20th century
applications in Sabbath keeping?
We will also discuss some exciting and enriching new concepts that true
Sabbath keeping offers to the believer. We will hear testimonies and study
specific cases, we will be challenged and blessed in our study of 20th century
Sabbath keeping.
Let us pursue from as biblical and as practical a standpoint as we can, "What
does it mean to be a Sabbath keeper?"
For the Seeker
If you are not a Sabbath keeper, or are fairly new in your Sabbath
convictions, this book will provide you with some very practical guidance in
the daily (or weekly, as it were) application of this biblical truth. You
will learn from the Scriptures just what God intends for us to do and not to
do on the Sabbath. We will discuss some specific ways that this applies to
your life, regarding your work, your leisure time, your worship, and your
spiritual life. Our focus will be practical answers to "real-life" questions,
based on Scriptural principles and examples.
For the Seasoned
If you already keep the Sabbath, this book will help you to examine,
evaluate, and to reassess your present practices and customs. It will help to
answer some of the questions that you face in choosing appropriate activities
on the Sabbath day, but better yet, it can help you to think about and pray
about what Sabbath keeping really means in your life as a Christian. You will
discover more than a list of do's and don'ts (although we do venture into
these dangerous waters!), you will find insight and direction based on the
principles of Scripture that can deepen your understanding of how to keep the
Sabbath holy.
For the Student
As I prepared this manuscript, I enlisted the help of two study groups to
review and critique the contents. To facilitate that process, I prepared
review questions for each chapter. These questions are included as an aid for
groups or individuals in discussing the topics covered.
Growing Means Changing!
But I would warn you to proceed cautiously and thoughtfully! Serious
challenges await you. Any time we approach God's Word with an open mind, it
inevitably leads to changes in our thinking and in our behavior. Without a
doubt, you will uncover some practices and habits in your Sabbath keeping that
will need to be revised. You will discover some things that may make you
uncomfortable and could require you to make some hard choices. And even for
mature Christians, this is one of the most difficult things for us to
accomplish. As the saying goes, the only person who likes a change is a baby
with a wet diaper!
But God does not intend for us to simply continue on, doing things the way we
have always done them. Personal growth means change. When God grants us a
new insight, we are then responsible to do something with it. We are to use
that new understanding of truth to grow in maturity. So I challenge you as
you read these chapters to do more than just contemplate, but to commit
yourself to better Sabbath keeping. To seek God's direction in your spiritual
growth, specifically responding to His call to you: How can you grow stronger
in your Sabbath keeping? How can you improve your consistency? How can you
more conscientiously fulfill God's will in keeping the Sabbath holy?
Finally, I challenge you to radical obedience in your Sabbath keeping. You
have heard it said, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do," but I challenge you
to "Go against the flow!" Do not be conformed to this world, but be true to
your God and therefore true to the Sabbath!
Questions For Review
1. As Sabbath keepers, we "go against the flow." What does this mean to you?
How does this way of thinking affect your day to day life?
2. What do your Christian friends think of your Sabbath keeping? How does it
affect your other relationships? Do you sometimes experience tensions with
others Christians who are not Sabbath keepers because of your Sabbath
observance? Can you think of some examples?
3. The true Christian, "is the one who is willing to leave home, leave
family, leave treasures and security, indeed he is the one who leaves
everything behind in order to follow the Savior . . . Everything, even the
dearest relationships he willingly sacrifices to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
This is the cost of discipleship."
Comment on this quotation (from p. 1 of the preface).
Read Matthew 10:37-39 for further insight.
How does this challenge relate to Sabbath keeping?
4. Growing means changing. As you look at the table of contents, can you
think of areas in your own Sabbath keeping practices which may be subject to
change? Regarding the keeping of the Sabbath, are there things which you now
engage in, just because other around you do them ("When in Rome . . .")?
Your comments, suggestions, etc. are welcome: Pastor Larry
Editor's Note: 
My wife verbally translated what I spoke into Greek, and they then
translated everything into Polish. When they asked questions, and we
discussed things, we spoke through the 3 languages
in order to continue. It was difficult at times, but we managed, and
everyone was happy.
For 3 times a week, 3 hours each evening, we held the classes in our
living
room. It was one of the greatest blessings of my life, and about wore my
wife out with all the translating she had to do.
The Lord understood that my wife needed help, so several weeks after we
began He sent the girlfriend of one of the students who wasn't baptized
to see what we were doing. She wasn't baptized either, but she was a
little curious as her boyfriend always seemed to be busy in the evenings,
and I think she wanted to know what he was doing. When she was introduced
I found out that she spoke English and Polish very well. Her work was that
of a translator. I asked her if she would like to translate what was being taught each
evening and she said she would. She even translated all of the written
materials into Polish so the students would have the materials to review
and use in the future. After the 6 month course was completed
she had been so impressed with what she learned and actually had taught,
in Polish that she gave her heart to God, and accepted Christ as her Savior. Not
long after that she was baptized. Her boyfriend was baptized also. She
and her boyfriend were later married and now have a little girl.
All of the students entered missionary service. Most have returned
to Poland to work in their homeland and serve the Lord after their regular
work is finished each day. There was also another wonderful experience when I was asked to teach an
Emergency Medical Training course in Hungary for a month. I wrote coursebooks for
about 40 students, who came from many different countries, and took two
very large, and heavy, suitcases filled with emergency supplies (CPR baby manikins too) along, to give
them a "hands on," "real-to-life," kind of training in emergency
services. They learned how to serve the needs of the body, as well as
those of the soul in their work. I had an opportunity also to share with
them the CARE program in the evenings for which they were also very
grateful. The students gave unsolicited, personal, testimonies to the
blessings that they were receiving. The CARE program that is on my Visda Point website was originally
designed to be an in-class, interactive, program. It had to be revised to be utilized on the internet.
When first starting to create webpages I didn't know anything about
designing them.
I had an interest though, and purchased as many books about webpage
creation as would be helpful, and just started in. Since that time much
has been, and continues to be, learned. Geocities gives 14 days once
someone signs up with them to put a homepage on their server. I thought
that there would be more time to learn this business; but after working
almost day and night (literally) until there was something to upload
within the allotted time period the goal was reached. After that, pages
were slowly added to the site as time allowed.
It would be wonderful to increase the number of visitors to the site.
Some advertising has been put on internet search engines. Hopefully this
will help. I also would like to make Visda Point into an internet
distance learning Center one day. To set it up with standardized course
materials, registered students, and to offer a diploma upon completion of
the program. I don't have a degree or teaching credential, yet do have
experience, and a gift for teaching, and try to educate people on how to
study and think for themselves... not just to listen and accept blindly
what someone tells them... to show them that they need to make their own
personal experience with the Lord each day, and serve Him with their
whole heart as He leads.
I managed to establish a Missionary Training Program in Greece.
The students were Polish. Some of the students were unbaptized souls, and
others were already church members. They were really interested in the course. I
was concerned at first because they didn't speak English and I didn't speak Polish; but
they did speak Greek; so I wrote the Course materials in English totaling over 300 pages, and
taught them in English.
When does the new millenium begin? 2000? 2001? Actually it is neither because neither the date 0 A.D. or 1 A.D. nor for that matter the date 100 A.D. ever existed because those early years were not counted that way. When the new millenium should begin is actually a moot point. The A.D. designation behind the year stands for Anno Domini which translated from the Latin means "The year of our Lord" and is supposed to be based on the birth of Jesus but His birthday wasn't celebrated in the first century. Herod had heard that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem but after he killed all the young children it was probably forgotten. The calculation of Jesus' birth is now believed to be off by about four years making his birth 4 B.C. (B.C. meaning "Before Christ"). If the first century actually began in 4 B. C. then the first century actually would have ended 96 A. D. and the end of the twentieth century was 1996!
Now here is an even more mind boggling concept. When Bishop Ussher set the date for creation, he put in the margin of his Bible 4004 B.C. That is consistent with the above calculations. If the world was thought to only be around for 6,000 years and the Age known as the Millenium is to be the 7th millenium, then the Millenium is about to dawn! There is one little flaw in all of this -besides the big flaw of trying to set dates. The church age didn't begin with the birth of Christ, it began with the death of Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. If the Crucifixion was when Jesus was 33 years old, that would have been in the year 29 A.D. If the Church Age is to last for 2000 years, it would end in the year 2029 A.D. Will 2029 be the year of Christ's Second Coming? Well I am not going to try to set any dates! Maranatha! Cleopas
reprinted from the January 1997 issue
Glory his fleecy robe adorns,
Marked with the bloody death he bore;
Seven are his eyes, and seven his horns,
To speak his wisdom and his power.
Lo! he receives a sealed book
From him that sits upon the throne;
Jesus, my Lord, prevails to look
On dark decrees and things unknown.
All the assembling saints around
Fall worshipping before the Lamb,
And in new songs of gospel sound
Address their honors to his name.
The joy, the shout, the harmony,
Flies o'er the everlasting hills
"Worthy art thou alone," they cry,
To read the book, to loose the seals."
Our voices join the heav'nly strain,
And with transporting pleasure sing,
"Worthy the Lamb that once was slain,
To be our Teacher and our King!"
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_ \_ \_ FISH THE INTERNET- READ THE FISHERMEN'S NET NEWSLETTER \_ \_ \_ \_ .e0e. .e0e. This electronic newsletter produced by Fisherman's Net \_ \_ 0HHHH~HHHH0 Publications: a division of New Covenant Ministries. \_ \_ `HHoo ooHH' \_ \_ `HH HH' "The time is coming, says the Lord: when \_ \_ `V' I will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 \_ \_ \_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
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