1/5/2014 Sunday Gathering 1 A Congregation-Wide Discussion - PDF document

1/5/2014 “Sunday Gathering” 1 A Congregation-Wide Discussion 12/28/2013 FAQ 2 • Why do you worship on Sunday? or • Aren’t you breaking Sabbath by worshiping on Sunday? Today’s meeting is NOT about ... 3 • ... whether the proper day for Sabbath observance was ever changed from Saturday to Sunday. – We will be glad to share with anyone why we believe the 7 th day remains the Scriptural day for Sabbath observance. But that is not what today’s discussion is about. Process 4 1. Examine Sabbath commands 2. Consult respected ministers or ministries 3. Examine New Testament practice 4. Discuss with congregation 5. Document results for use by the congregation and guests Ministries that were Queried 5 • Shoreshim Ministries (Bill Cloud) • The Wild Branch Ministry (Brad Scott) • Lion & Lamb Ministries (Monte Judah) • Passion for Truth Ministries (Jim Staley) • Wisdom in Torah (Rico Cortes) • 119 Ministries • [Hebraic Heritage Ministries (Eddie Chumney) – waiting for response] Step 1 – Examine Sabbath Commands 6 Leviticus 23:3 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. Leviticus 23:3 7 • Sabbath – seventh day – solemn rest; no work to be done – holy convocation ( miqra kodesh = set-apart assembly) • If a congregation is keeping these things, are they keeping Sabbath? Leviticus 23:3 8 • Does Lev 23:3 contain any command to “worship” on Sabbath? • Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. What is “worship”? 9 • Hebrew: shakhah – bow down • Greek: proskuneo – prostrate oneself 1

1/5/2014 – The Hebrew word shakhah is mentioned only once in Leviticus, in Lev 26:1, and it refers to “bowing down” ( shakhah ) to foreign gods. – Lev/Num/Deu: 3x (1x for worship of YHVH) Holy Convocations 10 So what did the people of YHVH do when they gathered in holy convocation on the weekly Sabbath? – The Torah (Gen-Deut) is surprisingly quiet on this subject. – It does not explicitly connect assembly worship to Sabbath observance. What is “worship”? 11 • Gen 18:2 – first use of shakhah • So [Abraham] lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground What is “worship”? 12 • Gen 24:26 – Abraham’s servant, upon finding a wife for Isaac ... • Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the Lord. What is “worship”? 13 • Gen 24:52 – Abraham’s servant, upon finding a wife for Isaac ... • And it came to pass, when Abraham's servant heard their words, that he worshiped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth. What is “worship”? 14 • The Tanakh has several examples of humans bowing down ( shakhah ) before other humans. • Gen 23:7, 12 Abraham bowed to people of Heth. (Sarah’s tomb) • Gen 33:3 Jacob bowed before Esau seven times What is “worship”? 15 The Hebrew word shakhah refers to a sign of respect; a way to show humility in the presence of another and/or to recognize the rank or position of another. What is “worship”? 16 • Worship is not the same thing as a song service. – “Worship is over and now it’s time for the sermon.” (incorrect) • Worship doesn’t occur simply by attending a gathering. What is “worship”? 17 • Worship can occur in private or with other believers. • Whether we worship alone or with other believers, we should worship the Lord constantly . – That is, we should show respect and submit to His will constantly. What is “worship”? 18 • Each day is full of opportunities to demonstrate worship. • In each moment of decision, we show our Father (whether in the heart or in our actions) whether we are truly worshiping Him. Splitting hairs? 19 To say or imply that “Sunday worship is wrong” misrepresents both Sabbath and worship. • It can lead to the wrong conclusion that worship occurs only during assemblies. 2

1/5/2014 • It implies that Sabbath is the only permissible day for worship, when in fact, worship is always permissible! sun god? 20 If a congregation meets on the first day of the week, are they worshiping the sun god? After all, they are meeting on the day that is named after the sun. Does paganism rule? 21 If we let pagans steal days from us, here is what we would lose: – Sunday Sun’s day (sun) – Monday Moon’s day (moon) – Tuesday Tiu’s day (Germanic god of war) – Wednesday Woden’s day (chief Teutonic god) – Thursday Thor’s day (Norse thunder god) – Friday Fria’s day (goddess of love, fertility) – Saturday Saturn’s day (saturn) Step # 2 – Consult Ministries 22 • We asked six ministries the following question: – Do you teach and/or believe that church worship on Sunday is forbidden by Torah even if the same group holds a regular Saturday/Sabbath sacred assembly? Response: Bill Cloud 23 I don't think having a worship service on Sunday or Wednesday or Saturday for that matter has anything whatsoever to do with the Sabbath unless the Sunday service was intended and promoted to replace the weekly Sabbath. Shabbat observance has nada to do with what day people congregate for corporate worship. (via text: 12/27/13) • Notice that he distinguishes between Shabbat and worship. Response: Brad Scott 24 • Date: July 13, 2011 10:42:02 AM CDT • To: Oscar Scott • Subject: Re: Quick Question Shalom Oscar, No I do not. As far as I can see personal or collective worship is not forbidden for any day. Brad Response: Monte Judah 25 From: Lion and Lamb Ministries Date: December 24, 2013 11:30:30 AM CST To: Oscar Scott Subject: Re: Quick Question for Monte No, you can do good any day of the week, just don't profane the Sabbath day. Shalom, Jane for Monte Judah Lion and Lamb Ministries Response: Jim Staley (telephone) 26 Jim believes that prohibiting Sunday gathering is in error and said that he and his ministry would never teach against Sunday worship so long as that service is not being used as a substitute for observance of the Lord's weekly Sabbath Feast each Saturday. Response: Rico Cortes 27 3

1/5/2014 I do not have a problem with services on any day of the week. But the only issue I have is when they say that Sunday is the day of rest. As long [as] people keep Shabbat and meet some other day for study is good with me. But, in no way Sunday as a holy day over the sanctity of Shabbat. (text: 12/27/13) Response: 119 Ministries 28 On Dec 17, 2013, at 10:53 AM, 119 Ministries wrote: As long as it is not "replacing" the Sabbath…the only commandment we have for the Sabbath, is to rest, and not cause your servants and animals to work. The act of praise and song is to, and can occur, on any day independent of any noted Torah instruction. 615.823.2119 119 MINISTRIES | P.O. BOX 376 | TROY, IL 62294 Conclusion from Outside Query 29 These six ministries have concluded that Sunday gatherings do not violate Scripture as long as they do not replace Sabbath. One of them went so far as to say that it is an error to prohibit gatherings on any other day of the week. Differences Between FBC’s Sabbath Observance and Other Gatherings 30 • The 7 th day Sabbath is to be a “set-apart” (holy) day. • Is it possible that if one does Sabbath-like things on a day other than Sabbath that they are not sufficiently setting the Sabbath apart from those other days? Differences Between FBC’s Sabbath Observance and Other Gatherings 31 • Sabbath – Day of solemn rest; no work to be done • Many, perhaps most, of us do not make purchases on Sabbath • Many, perhaps most, of us do not perform income-generating work on that day, nor perform labor around the house or lawn/garden – Holy (set apart) Convocation Differences Between FBC’s Sabbath Observance and Other Gatherings 32 • Other gatherings (Sunday, Wednesday ...) – We do things on these days that we avoid on Sabbath but which are otherwise permissible. – On these days, we take time out from normal work and other activities to gather together. – When the gathering is over, we are free to resume normal activities. Differences Between FBC’s Sabbath Observance and Other Gatherings 33 Conclusion: The differences between FBC’s Sabbath observance and other gatherings are such that Sabbath is truly a set-apart day for us. There is no other day in the week like Sabbath for us. If someone were to follow us around, they would see very obvious differences between Sabbath and the other 6 days of the week. Step # 3 – Consult New Testament Practice 34 Acts 5:42 35 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. 4