The carnal mind is enmity to God and we as Christians must be tuned into God’s wavelength in order not to be led astray.
Rene Messier (Canada)
During the Millennium
Conditions as they will be in the millennium with Satan having been put away and the whole world will eventually worship the one and true God
Before the Millennium
How Do You Respond to a Person who Believes that Sunday Should Be Kept?
First and foremost, you have to establish whether a person is willing to follow the dictates of the Bible and the example of Christ and the New Testament Church or the traditions of men, which are based on paganism and human tradition and not on the Bible.
The following approach could be pursued in a series of questions, as outlined below:
1) How does a person prove, show, manifest and demonstrate that he or she is willing to embrace God’s love?
1 John 5:2-3 says: “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”
The Bible is clear that one demonstrates love for God—that one is willing to embrace the love OF God–by keeping His commandments. There is nothing ambiguous about this statement. The conclusion is: If someone does not keep the commandments in spite of what he or she may say, then the person does not truly love God.
2) How many of the commandments should one keep?
The obvious answer is, all of them. So now, why does someone keep Sunday rather than the commanded Sabbath of the Bible?
The Sabbath is part of creation, in that it was instituted when God created man and when He rested on that day. It is the longest commandment in words of all the ten, and it starts with the admonition to REMEMBER the Sabbath and KEEP it holy, not to substitute it for another day, be it Sunday, Friday or any day, and not to forget that it is a commandment.
When God wants to emphasize something, it is repeated in the Bible. The Ten Commandments are listed twice, both in Exodus and Deuteronomy, showing the importance and durability of them. Christ said the Sabbath was made for man. He never made that statement about Sunday. Mark 2:27 states: “And He said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.’”
Christ emphasized that He is Lord of the Sabbath. Mark 2:28 continues: “‘Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.'”
He is Lord of it because as the God of the Old Testament, He established it and dictated the manner in which it should be kept, which oftentimes was opposed to all the rules which were subsequently added by the Pharisees, Sadducees and the scribes. Many of these rules, as well as additional ones, are also endorsed by modern Judaism, making the Sabbath a burden and a yoke, rather than a joyful occasion.
No claim can be made that Jesus is the Lord of Sunday. It is evident that Christ kept the Sabbath according to His custom. A custom is something one does on a regular and consistent basis. It is not a sporadic event. Luke 4:16 states: “So 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 to read.”
We also know that Paul–the apostle to the Gentiles–kept the Sabbath and taught the Gentiles to do likewise. We read in Act 13:14: “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 17:2 adds: “Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures.”
We also read that he told the Corinthians (converted Gentiles) in 1 Corinthians 11:1: “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” As Christ kept the Sabbath according to His custom, so did Paul.
3) Since the Bible expressly tells us to keep the Sabbath which Christ and the apostle Paul kept, where did the Sunday tradition come from?
Historically, it was the Catholic Church which changed the day in the 4rd century from Sabbath to Sunday.
In the book, “90 Common Questions about Catholic Faith” by John O’Brian, it states on page 63:
“… the Bible does not contain all the teachings of the Christian religion (our comment: a false statement) nor does it formulate all the duties of its members (our comment: another false assertion). Take for instance the matter of Sunday observance, attendance of divine service, and abstention from unnecessary servile work on that day. This is a matter upon which our Protestant neighbours have for many years laid great emphasis; yet nowhere in the Bible is the Sunday designated (our comment: “Sunday” is not even mentioned) as the Lord’s day; the day mentioned is the Sabbath, the last day of the week. The early Church, conscious of her authority to teach in the name of Christ, deliberately changed the day to Sunday: she did this to honour the day on which Christ rose from the dead, (our comment: which He did not) and to signify that we are no longer under the Old Law of the Jews but under the new Law of Christ” (our comment: another wrong concept, as worded).
Sunday was the Gentile day of worshipping pagan gods—sun gods. The Catholic Church adopted Sunday worship to induce pagans entering their fold. They were also motivated by strong anti-Semitic feelings which explain their hostility towards the “Jewish” Sabbath.
However, no man and no human organization or institution has the authority to change God’s Law, which would be paramount to claiming that one had the authority to say adultery and murder are no longer a sin, which would be absurd. No one has the authority to change the Ten Commandments, which were written by God in stone to demonstrate their permanency. One may decide not to obey the commandments, but one cannot change or alter them.
4) One has to make a choice. Does someone want to follow the traditions of men and of the Catholic Church or the clear injunctions of the Bible?
The traditions of men, which are contrary to God’s commands, are inspired by the god of this world, Satan, who deceives the whole world. Revelation 12:9 states: “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 adds: “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”
The commandment to keep the Sabbath comes from God. The tradition to keep Sunday comes from the god of this world who worked through the Catholic Church to “change” the Sabbath to Sunday, which it had no divine authority to do.
To summarize, the only way laid out in the Bible to demonstrate our love for God and God’s love in us is to keep all of His Ten Commandments, not only a few of them.
Listed in the Ten Commandments is the command to keep the Sabbath, not Sunday nor any other day. The Sabbath was instituted at the creation of man, and it is the longest commandment in words. The Ten Commandments are listed twice to emphasize their importance, and they were written in stone to show their permanency and durability.
No man, church or group of men have the authority to change God’s commandments. To make such a claim is absurd and would mean that one could change or annul any one of the commandments. Most Christians would reject the idea that they could now commit adultery or murder an innocent person (even though they might justify killing in war or aborting babies). However, the vast majority of Christians believes and accepts the wrong idea that one could justifiably annul the Sabbath and replace it with Sunday.
It boils down to this: Will you keep the commanded day which God has instituted, blessed and sanctified, and which the Bible commands us to remember and to keep holy, or will you observe the day dedicated to the worship of pagan sun gods and adopted and instituted by the Catholic Church under the influence of the god of this world, which it had no authority to do? In other words, which will you follow–God’s commandments or human traditions?
Lead Writer: Rene Messier (Canada)
Gods Now
Have you ever wondered just how God now looks upon our current status? We know we received at baptism a small down-payment, as it were, of God’s Holy Spirit, and we have a responsibility to grow in grace and knowledge and to remain faithful to our calling until Christ returns or we die, ensuring our future in the Kingdom of God as the Father’s sons and daughters.
In God’s mind we are already in His Kingdom. Only we can prevent ourselves from entering the Kingdom. Christ said He would never forsake us; that is, He would always be there for us through thick and thin. We are called upon to do what is necessary to “make it” into God’s Kingdom and His Family. When the Kingdom is established on earth, we bear full responsibility if we are not in it.
Those of us who are fathers knew that when our spouse was pregnant, a child would be born into this world unless there was a miscarriage. Barring this, there was no question in our minds that our baby would be born.
A baby is protected in the womb. It is also nourished with a rich supply of blood which carries the oxygen required for cell growth and nourishment through the umbilical cord until the baby is full-term and born. At that time the cord is cut and the baby is on its own, being separate from the mother, even though it still requires care and nourishment.
The Church is similar to a mother’s womb in that the members are protected, nourished and cared for. The Church’s responsibilities were laid out for us by Christ, when He admonished Peter in the book of John to “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17). This is a way for the Church to demonstrate love for God and neighbor.
We also read in John 21:15: “So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Feed My lambs.’” This would include younger and newer Church members of the flock.
Peter was also told to tend the sheep, which involves caring for and protecting the sheep: “He said to him again a second time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Tend My sheep’” (John 21:16).
The ministerial responsibility towards God’s sheep and His lambs–the members of God’s Church–is plainly laid out for us in 2 Timothy 4:1-2:
“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”
This admonition was to Timothy, an Evangelist in God’s Church, and it must also be applied to the entire Church ministry today. Notice, Timothy was to “convince” by using the Scriptures to prove a biblical point. He was to “rebuke” when necessary—not that the sheep should be browbeaten, but on occasion, they would need correction just as a loving father would correct his children. He was to “exhort”; that is, encourage the members to stand firm and not compromise.
How was he to do this? With “all longsuffering”; that is, with Godly patience and love, and with continued “teaching” without wavering.
This is admonition to the ministry to help Church members in their growth and edification. Those who think they no longer need a true minister to teach them because they are spiritually mature and can just stay home and listen to a mixed bag of messages are making a grave mistake, which could lead to their disqualification from entering the Kingdom of God.
How long do you think a baby would survive if it would decide after four months in the womb that it does not need the mother anymore? And if it were to leave the womb and cut off the umbilical cord–the source of its food and nourishment? It would not survive for long. There is a lesson here for any of those independent Christians who have rejected true Church authority and feel they are perfectly fine in their “self-sufficiency” and that they no longer need God’s true and dedicated ministry.
The fact is: God works through His ministers to feed and take care of the Church members. Rejection of this fact is rejection of God’s government here on earth. If one cannot be subject to the Church now, how can God use one in His Kingdom?
As I mentioned earlier, in God’s mind we are already in the Kingdom, and failure to be there in the future would be totally our fault–not God’s. Let’s appreciate what God has established in regards to the Church which is to care for and feed the members, to ensure that they will be ready to meet Christ when He returns. We must individually fight against becoming a spiritual miscarriage, which could occur when we reject Church government which was established by Christ in the Church for the benefit of the flock.
The Turning Point
Compromise
Recently there have been several references to compromise in the messages we have been receiving, and today I’d like to look at why it is so important not to compromise on God’s Word. Once we compromise, we open the floodgates to changes, which can lead to the destruction of the entire Church and also the individual.
Through the leadership of Evangelist Norbert Link, we are determined not to compromise with God’s Word, regardless of the consequences, even if this means low growth, threats or other “setbacks.” One of the key reasons is a matter of trust, as stated by Christ in Luke 16:10: “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.”
If we as a Church can be faithful in that which is little in comparison–the unfettered preaching of the gospel to the world without compromise or apology–then we can be entrusted with the much bigger task of ruling the world under and with Christ, as revealed in Revelation 5:10: “ And [You] have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”
Rulers and priests (teachers) under Christ will not be intimidated or shy, and they will not compromise in getting the truth out to the world.
This is somewhat of a proving ground for us now. Can we do it as we are commanded, do it faithfully and allow God to open the doors for us, and not to get hung up on looking for huge numbers in the Church nor for a host of other distractions? Bear in mind what God was able to do with Gideon’s small group, after He had reduced the number from 30,000 to 300, to prove the point that God can do wonders with a small dedicated uncompromising faithful group who are seeking to do His will regardless of the consequences, until the end of their lives or the return of Christ? If they do, then they will inherit salvation and receive the crown of life.
Matthew 10:22 says: “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”
2 Timothy 4:8 adds: “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
Paul never let the trials he had to go through blur the reward that was before him. His trials are outlined in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28:
“Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.”
Paul never allowed the trials to hinder his God-given task. I wonder if we would remain that faithful if we were to face even a fraction of what he had to go through. Paul was aware of the promise from Christ not to ever be forsaken, which must have given him the strength and courage to endure his trials.
Hebrews 13:5 tells all of us: “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU.’”
We can draw strength from this promise from Christ, giving us the determination to move forward with the task at hand in an uncompromising way, which will guarantee us a position in the Kingdom of God.
Self Examination
We have just concluded the Days of Unleavened Bread, which is a time of self-examination and re-evaluation of our relationship with God and Christ. The purpose has been to compare ourselves with ourselves in order to determine what kind of person we were a year ago and today; and to make any necessary corrections.
Keeping sin out of our lives is not just a weekly occasion, which can be neglected during the rest of the year. No person would vacuum a room every day for a week and then let it sit for a year, expecting it to remain clean. It is the same with our lives. We have to look at ourselves and make an effort on a continual basis to remove sin and to keep it out. A slight physical course deviation can cause us to miss the mark completely; similarly, a small spiritual deviation can cause us to end in a devastating disaster.
It is easy to get distracted so that we may miss a physical goal or mark. In the same manner, a little sin, which is compared with leaven, can cause us to totally miss the spiritual mark, if not dealt with. That is why we must continually evaluate the course of our lives, looking to God for direction and correction when required.
Christ makes the statement that we are not to look back and yearn for our old ways once we put our hand to the plow. Luke 9:62 tells us: “But Jesus said to him, ‘No one having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.’”
Once we make the commitment to follow and obey God, He takes it seriously, and it is not a light thing to turn back from that commitment since it could lead to the loss of our eternal salvation. That is why it is important to stay focused and on course and to use daily the tool of self-examination which enables us to see the need to remove sin, so that we can attain the promise of eternal life in God’s Kingdom. When we fall short by sinning, we must quickly repent and move forward towards the Kingdom of God, knowing that it is God’s good pleasure to give us His Kingdom.
The Fall of Satan
The main cause of Satan’s fall was pride and we should ensure we don’t fall into that trap. The seven things God hates are a reflection of the mind of Satan and something for us to avoid.
The Love for the Truth
The lack of love for the truth was the reason for the downfall of our former association. There should be a sincere desire in us not to compromise and have a godly heart wanting to obey Him.