The Sabbath Sentinel - The Bible Sabbath Association

24 Pages·2003·1.63 MB·English

March–April 2003 www.biblesabbath.org TTTTThhhhheeeee SSSSSaaaaabbbbbbbbbbaaaaattttthhhhh SSSSSeeeeennnnntttttiiiiinnnnneeeeelllll 1
The Sabbath Sentinel
March–April 2003 Volume 55, No. 2 Issue 500
The Sabbath Sentinel is published bimonthly by The Bible
FEATURES Sabbath Association, 3316 Alberta Drive, Gillette, WY 82718.
Copyright © 2002, by The Bible Sabbath Association. Printed
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by Kenneth Westby without written permission is prohibited. Nonprofit bulk rate
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Editor: Kenneth Ryland, [email protected]
by Brian Knowles
Associate Editors: June Narber & Shirley Nickels
77777 TTTTTwwwwwooooo TTTTTooooouuuuuggggghhhhh TTTTTeeeeexxxxxtttttsssss fffffooooorrrrr TTTTThhhhhooooossssseeeee WWWWWhhhhhooooo BSA’s Board of Directors for 1999-2003:
KKKKKeeeeeeeeeeppppp ttttthhhhheeeee SSSSSaaaaabbbbbbbbbbaaaaattttthhhhh President: Dr. Sidney L. Davis, [email protected]
Personal mailing address of the president:
by Calvin Burrell
P. O. Box 1213
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by Lenny Cacchio Vice Presidents: Ken Westby, Tom Justus, Calvin Burrell
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by Kenneth Westby
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by David Kupelian Office Manager–Gillette Office: Shirley Nickels
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The Bible Sabbath Association is dedicated to promote the
diameters with associated 90-degree rotations, and contains seventh day Sabbath. As a nonsectarian association for Sab-
fewer than 3,000 atoms. bath-observing Christians, BSA accepts members who acknowl-
edge Jesus Christ (Yahshua the Messiah) as their Savior, be-
© Institute for Molecular Manufacturing. Used with permission.
lieve the Bible to be the Word of the Eternal, and uphold the
(http://www.imm.org/) seventh day Sabbath. BSA takes no official position on other
theological issues, and publishes The Sabbath Sentinel as a fo-
rum to promote understanding and to share items of interest to
Sabbath observing groups and individuals.
For a FREE subscription in the U.S. and Canada: Opinions expressed in The Sabbath Sentinel are those of the
writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Edito-
Call [phone], email us at rial Staff or of The Bible Sabbath Association.
[email protected] or visit our BSA Worldwide Web Site: http://www.biblesabbath.org
website at http://www.biblesabbath.org. Correspondence and manuscript submissions: Address all
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International addresses:
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2 TTTTThhhhheeeee SSSSSaaaaabbbbbbbbbbaaaaattttthhhhh SSSSSeeeeennnnntttttiiiiinnnnneeeeelllll www.biblesabbath.org March–April 2003
Editorial
“Go, set a watchman”
The world around us certainly is not Sabbath oriented. tains all time, all matter, and all order, we need to come
In fact, it is hardly Sunday oriented anymore. Yet, each apart from the frenetic swirl of worldly activity at the
day I see new good in keeping the Sabbath. And, if I same time and manner that He set as His own cus-
see it, others see it also. That’s why TTTTThhhhheeeee SSSSSaaaaabbbbbbbbbbaaaaattttthhhhh SSSSSeeeeennnnn----- tom.
tttttiiiiinnnnneeeeelllll has lasted through 500 issues.
CCCCChhhhhaaaaannnnngggggiiiiinnnnnggggg ttttthhhhheeeee sssssuuuuubbbbbjjjjjeeeeecccccttttt (((((bbbbbuuuuuttttt nnnnnooooottttt rrrrreeeeeaaaaallllllllllyyyyy)))))::::: One of the
I was reading through issue No. 1 of TTTTThhhhheeeee SSSSSaaaaabbbbbbbbbbaaaaattttthhhhh SSSSSeeeeennnnn----- things that has baffled me lately is the insistence of
tttttiiiiinnnnneeeeelllll (1950), and was struck by the sense of urgency some influential members of certain Sabbath-keeping
concerning the needs of the time. In the first article of groups to abandon the Sabbath and transform their
that first issue, BSA president, Albert G. Gearhart, be- groups into the image of their new-found spiritual truth.
gins with the words: “‘Go, set a watchman [sentinel]; I have no objections to their joining a Baptist, Nazarene,
let him declare what he seeth,’ (Isaiah 21:6).” So it was or some other protestant church. If they have no con-
that TTTTThhhhheeeee SSSSSaaaaabbbbbbbbbbaaaaattttthhhhh SSSSSeeeeennnnntttttiiiiinnnnneeeeelllll was born. viction about the Sabbath, let them go. In fact, if you
are one of them, please leave and find peace some-
After some 53 years, I believe the need for us to be a
place else! We will be sorry to see you go, but we will
watchman, a sentinel, is more urgent than ever. In
2003 it seems that there is almost a yearning among not hate you for leaving. There are many evangelical
the nations to propel the whole world headlong to- Protestants that I highly respect, and if you wish to take
ward oblivion. Hostilities arise on all sides, and the your place among them, then by all means, don’t let
power to do evil and create destruction is 1000 fold any of us hold you back.
greater than it was when this magazine first saw the
One thing I will ask of you, though. Please leave the
light of day.
rest of us in peace. Do not believe that your
In 1950 people may have complained about the in- “conversion” somehow gives you the blessing of God
creasing velocity of daily life, but what is that in com- to subvert the congregation you are now attending so
parison with life in 2003? Everything around us flies by that you can transform it into the likeness of your new
at a speed incomprehensible 53 years ago. That is why belief. There are Sunday-keeping congregations
the Sabbath is so important. In spite of our pace through aplenty that will welcome you with open arms. Go to
time and space, a portion of the time available to us is them, and be content there. If the people of your
not ours to do with as we wish. More than ever we congregation were your brothers in Christ before you
need to bring ourselves to a screeching halt one day came to this new understanding, they still are your
each week, lest we lose sight of the fact that there is a brothers in Christ. If Christ, the Head of the Church,
finish line to the olympic marathon each of us is living, wants them to understand His Word the same way you
and after that, as the Scripture says, comes the judg- have come to believe, then please allow Him to work
ment. on their minds and change them. It is not your job to
subvert and tear apart your congregation. Leave in
The Sabbath is the answer to so many of life’s ques-
peace. God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.
tions, yet we are often loath to lay hold of its anchor.
If your presence and actions are causing turmoil in
We would dearly like to use up our six days and God’s
God’s own family, then you are not acting out of the
special gift of rest as well. There are reason and or-
Spirit of Christ. Above all, do not cause any of God’s
der in the universe, and the Sabbath is a very poi-
little ones to stumble by bringing contention, confusion,
gnant, weekly reminder that our Heavenly Father has,
and division into your congregations. Just walk out the
from the stuff of which He made His Creation, main-
door quietly, and don’t look back.
tained control of the structure of both time and mat-
ter. If we wish to live at peace with the One who main- —Kenneth Ryland
March–April 2003 www.biblesabbath.org TTTTThhhhheeeee SSSSSaaaaabbbbbbbbbbaaaaattttthhhhh SSSSSeeeeennnnntttttiiiiinnnnneeeeelllll 3
President’s Message
Making Yourself Sick
by Kenneth Westby
Ever since Norman Cousins wrote his book, Pop culture, news, and “the around” can give us a
Anatomy of an Illness, some 35 years ago there has distorted picture of reality. This skewed picture then
been a general awareness that laughter and a happy becomes our worldview, our understanding of what the
spirit are good for your health. Readers Digest’s popu- world is all about and how we fit into it. This skewed
lar feature, “Laughter is Your Best Medicine,” has been view is typically negative, the result of bogus or incom-
around as long as I can remember. The feature’s title is plete information dumped upon our unguarded minds.
a take off of the biblical proverb, “A cheerful heart is We trust others to give us a true picture of “the way it
good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” is,” without considering their prejudices or motivation.
But, how common is a cheerful heart? It’s probably We assume too much. Mainstream news sources and
safe to say, most of us don’t laugh enough. I guess street opinion are frequently far off the mark of objec-
there’s just too much heavy stuff out there. Occasions tive truth; it is bad information in that it’s so incomplete
for genuine laughter are rare. When we’re of a glum, and unbalanced that it distorts reality. Call it “junk in-
negative, overly serious spirit, humor doesn’t easily arise formation,” or if you like, the evening news.
in our hearts. It may pop up here or there but evapo- We may not even be aware that our “reality” is a
rates quickly. And, watching inane sitcoms won’t fill our construct of our worldview. We choose those things of
need for mirth. Lacking any real humor, they even do life and the world around us from which to form our
the laughing for us with their laugh tracks. worldview. A negative person has picked and chosen
Most of us would like to be happier than we are. So many negative things about his life and situation (failed
why aren’t we? What robs us of the positive joy of life? marriage[s], business, health, finances, betrayals, lone-
Why are our steps so heavy? Why is the sweetness of liness, etc.) from which to build his attitude. He likely
laughter so rare? We can find answers. will also do the same with the world around him, focus-
ing on the “bad” things in society, politics, and world
Changing Your Worldview
affairs.
The way we look at life determines our experience.
It’s all too easy to find yourself hanging out with the
It really does. And, such a simple insight presents us
gloom-and-doom crowd. These are probably fine, re-
with a golden opportunity to make big changes in our
sponsible people who hold good moral values. But they
lives. “The only limits are the ones we create,” so says
are negative because they are constantly chewing on
Barry Neil Kaufman in his helpful little book, Happiness
bad news—the latest drought, conspiracy, kidnapping,
is a Choice.
or other events signaling “signs of the end.” They see
We are the architects of our own attitudes and ex-
politicians as crooked liars, businessmen as cheats,
periences. God may be in charge of “everything,” but
youth corrupted, human nature rotten, and society in
we are in charge of the gate to our own minds. We de-
the toilet. They’ve let themselves become cynical, and
cide what goes in, what stays, and what comes out in
you’ll join them if you buy into their tortured worldview.
word and action. Because this exchange is continuous,
Bad News Bearers
we don’t give it much thought. In saying we decide what
goes into our mind, I am not implying that we carefully Of course, there are elements of truth to their
screen all data before letting it into the gate. Were it so! worldview, but it omits too many facts to be an accu-
Unfortunately, many of us have simply decided to rate picture of reality. To illustrate, consider the daily
leave the gate wide open to whatever information may non-stop flow of local, national, and world news. This
be flying around from TV, radio, newspapers, novels, fare shouldn’t be called “news;” it should be called “bad
movies, chatter, and et cetera. This natural though hap- news” … “The Evening Bad News with Dan Rather.”
hazard method of handling information leaves us open Newscasters replay over and over a fatal plane crash
to being unduly influenced by “the around,” by the loud- captured on video tape, or more recently, the explo-
est voices, trends, fads, spin, propaganda, current jab-
ber, and more ominously, by evil itself. Continued on Page 18
4 TTTTThhhhheeeee SSSSSaaaaabbbbbbbbbbaaaaattttthhhhh SSSSSeeeeennnnntttttiiiiinnnnneeeeelllll www.biblesabbath.org March–April 2003
Call
Call It a Delight
Time for a reality check? What is the quality of
our Sabbath Witness?
By Charles Bradford
Those Christians who observe a Saturday Sabbath be seen. They gave the Sabbath a “bad name”
need to demonstrate the joy and blessings of Sab- among the nations.
bath observance. We have something to celebrate.
We need to ask ourselves the question, how do we
This joyous celebration is an essential element of the
come across to the world around us? Do they see us
real meaning of the Sabbath. “On the sixth day He
as unsociable, critical, and legalistic—angry
(God) fashions two beings in His own image and
people? Are we argumentative, “in your face?”
makes their first full day a day of delight and special
Yahweh calls for witnesses, not lawyers? I ask myself
communion with Himself“ (Sabbath Roots: The
the question, “What is the quality of my witness?”
African Connection , p. 57). The Sabbath is about
relationships. At the approach of the Sabbath, our countenances
should become radiant in anticipation of our rendez-
The prophet Isaiah talks about the delight that
vous with Yahweh. Just think of it—twenty four hours
accompanies true Sabbath keeping:
of uninterrupted fellowship with our Creator! The way
“If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from to enjoy the Sabbath to the full is to allow nothing
doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the worldly to encroach on its sacred hours—to de-
sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, crease its delight.
honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine
The world needs to see all of this worked out, demon-
own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor
speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight strated, in the crucible of human experience. The
thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride spirit of the Sabbath should be contagious. “Try it;
upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee you’ll like it!” The psalmist challenges us to “taste and
with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that
of the LORD hath spoken it” (Isa 58:13, 14 KJV). trusteth in him” (Psa 34:8 KJV).
When the papal church determined to change the Sabbath keepers by definition should be kind and
day of rest from Saturday to Sunday it did everything compassionate. Does this mean that we become
possible to take away the joy inherent in this day of wishy washy, weak and flabby in our faithfulness to
celebration. They even commanded the people to Sabbath observance? Of course not. We will not
fast in order to make the Sabbath a day of gloom, compromise. But we will reach out to people as
devoid of all happiness and spiritual joy. On the Jesus did, with love and respect, and yes humility.
other hand Sunday was made a day of rejoicing. “He humbled himself, and became obedient unto
They were successful to a degree. Never mind that death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8). We
there was no Scriptural authority for the change. The are a part of the great web of humanity, brothers to
emotional appeal pleased the multitudes. sinners as well as saints.
Scripture calls for Sabbath reform, a reassessment The early Christians were strong in the faith. They
of the function of this special day and what kind of were willing to lay down their lives for truth and yet
worship is appropriate. It is time to bring back the the record says they had “favor with all the people
joy, to “Call the Sabbath a delight.” “Delight thyself (Acts: 2:49).” Let this be our goal, “That I might by all
in the Lord.” In other words, this is where the pro- means save some” (1 Cor. 9:22 KJV).
cess of renewal and reform begins, simply by
calling the Sabbath a delight. Sabbath reform is Charles E. Bradford, DD, past president of the North
not imposing a day of rest on people in legalistic American Division of Seventh-day Adventist Church.
fashion. There is nothing legalistic about the His most recent book, Sabbath Roots: The
Sabbath. Jesus criticized the religious leaders of African Connection , offers a look at the origins of
His day for burying the Sabbath under their own Christian sabbatarianism in Africa, available from
rules and regulations so that its beauty could not the BSA.
March–April 2003 www.biblesabbath.org TTTTThhhhheeeee SSSSSaaaaabbbbbbbbbbaaaaattttthhhhh SSSSSeeeeennnnntttttiiiiinnnnneeeeelllll 5
Spiritual Outages
by
Eugene Lincoln
LAST night, about 1 a.m., the phone rang urgently. spread the light of the gospel message for this age.
We have no extension in our bedroom, so I got up and When someone lets his light fail, shouldn’t the rest come
hurried to my study to answer it. As I got up, I flipped a to his aid and encourage him?
switch, expecting the lights to come on. Sabbath keepers in the world are few and we can-
Nothing happened. not afford any “outages” within our system. We recently
Thinking that I had not pushed the thing hard visited a Christian who is keeping the Sabbath as best
enough, I gave it another try. A flash of light flooded the she can under difficult circumstances—a situation that
room, but only for an instant. It was an angry stroke of would perhaps floor US. Some might judge her because
lightning shining in from the outside. she is not keeping it “well enough,”—but we marveled
Hurrying to my study and stubbing a bare toe on that she has the courage even to try. We hope our visit
the way, I finally reached the phone. was some encouragement.
After the important call was over, I groped for a flash- If you know others who are discouraged and need
light, then examined the circuit breaker box. Everything help, don’t criticize them. Help them as best you can.
there was all right. A clap of thunder followed another You will share some of the blessing for the light that
lightning flash. they will continue to give because of your encourage-
ment.
Later a man from the electric company climbed the
——————————————
pole behind our house and repaired a transformer which
had been damaged by the lightning; then things were The above article appeared in the August 1973 issue of
back to normal. We had light, we knew we would be TTTTThhhhheeeee SSSSSaaaaabbbbbbbbbbaaaaattttthhhhh SSSSSeeeeennnnntttttiiiiinnnnneeeeelllll.
able to have a hot breakfast and listen to the stereo Euguene Lincoln was TTTTTSSSSSSSSSS editor from 1960 to 1985.
later in the morning. The refrigerator resumed its hum- Brother Lincoln lives in Hagerstown, Maryland, and is
ming tune, and the crisis was over. active in his local SDA church. He also continues to
Electric companies call these interruptions in ser- preach the gospel through his writing.
vice outages. Calvin Burrell, vice president of BSA, wrote this tribute to
When they occur, something is done—and on the Eugene Lincoln in 1985 upon Lincoln’s retirement as TTTTTSSSSSSSSSS
double. editor:
Strallge it is that whell “outages” occur among “What we are saying about Eugene Lincoln on these
Christian witnesses, often no one is concerned. A neigh- pages would probably be the last thing he would want
borhood is left in darkness, and no One loses a us to say, either on SENTINEL pages or anywhere else.
moment’s sleep over it. Few are troubled enougl1 to But that fact is just further confirmation of the exemplary
get into action to find the cause and put loose Christian character which has been developed in him
collllections together again. by God's grace.
What causes these outages? Often an unexpected We read in Titus 2:2 that older men are to be temperate,
stroke during a storm in someone’s life. His spiritual worthy of respect, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love,
transformer is burned out, and the connection withl the and in endurance. These are the qualities which abound
power station is broken. The light that he had been pro- in Brother Lincoln.
viding in his neighhorhood goes out. Many SSSSSEEEEENNNNNTTTTTIIIIINNNNNEEEEELLLLL readers have had the opportunity to
Why don’t other Christians, more than they do, rush know Brother Lincoln only by his words and picture. To
to his aid? Usually he can be returned to useful ser- you, he has kept this magazine alive and well—often on
vice—if helped soon enough. But often—to put it the strength of his personal efforts and literary contribu-
bluntly—no one cares! tions. In an association where diverse views prevail on
The Bible Sabbath Association, vour local church, many peripheral issues, his balanced and tolerant spirit
and you as an individual—all are working together to has been good medicine for us all.
6 TTTTThhhhheeeee SSSSSaaaaabbbbbbbbbbaaaaattttthhhhh SSSSSeeeeennnnntttttiiiiinnnnneeeeelllll www.biblesabbath.org March–April 2003
The Balance of
Spirit and Truth
by Dr. Daniel Botkin
One thing that we should try to maintain in our wor- corresponding part on the opposite side. The body is
ship is an equal balance of spirit and truth. Yeshua said designed in such a way that we need two hands to work
that “the true worshippers shall worship the Father in effectively and two legs to keep us balanced when we
spirit and in truth.” Then He went on to add that the walk. Perhaps this is one of God’s ways of reminding
Father seeketh such to worship Him” (Jn. 4:23). The us that if we want to work effectively for the Lord and
fact that the Father seeks such people implies that such walk a balanced walk in the spiritual realm, we need
people are rare and hard to find. Otherwise why would both elements of true worship, spirit and truth. It is true
the Father be seeking such people? If we want to be that a one-armed man can do some work, and a one-
the kind of worshippers that the Father is looking for, legged man can hop on one foot, but such handicaps
we need to pay attention to both spirit and truth in our limit what a man can do. In the same way, disciples
worship. who neglect either spirit or truth are handicapping them-
The importance of both spirit and truth can also be selves and limiting what they can do for the Lord.
seen in Yeshua’s statement to the Sadducees: “Ye do Years ago I read an article in Reader’s Digest about
err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God,” beautiful faces. A study was conducted to try to deter-
(Mt. 22:29). The Scriptures corresponds to truth “Thy mine what it is that makes people regard certain faces
word is truth,” (Jn. 17:17). “The power of God” corre- as beautiful and other faces as plain or unattractive.
sponds to spirit (Ye shall receive power, after that the After showing photographs of faces to hundreds of sub-
Holy Spirit is come upon you,” Ac. 1:8). jects and asking them to rank the faces according to
beauty, the researchers made an interesting discovery.
The truth of the Scriptures must not be neglected
One thing that causes people to regard a face as either
in our worship. We should develop the life-long habit of
beautiful or unattractive is the relative symmetry of the
reading, studying, and meditating on the Scriptures. At
facial features. Those faces with the most perfect sym-
the same time, we must remember that the Lord left us
metry were generally regarded as the most beautiful. I
with much more than a Book. He also left us with “the
believe that this is a reflection of the fact that the most
promise of the Father” (Ac. 1:4f), i.e., the power of God
beautiful saints are those with the most perfect sym-
that we receive when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. It
metry of spirit and truth.
is the Holy Spirit that makes the Bible a Book of living
The human brain is also symmetrical, and its two
words and not just a dead letter. The Holy Spirit makes
sides reflect spirit and truth in a most remarkable way.
the truth of the Word come alive, and puts excitement
The left side of the brain is used for reasoning, logic,
and zeal into our lives.
science, and linguistics. This would correspond to the
Many worshippers are spiritually imbalanced be-
Word, the “truth” element of worship. The right side of
cause they neglect one or the other of these two nec-
the brain is used for music, the arts, imagination, and
essary aspects of true worship. Either they neglect the
intuition. This would correspond to the “spirit” element
Holy Spirit and experience the Word in a cold, sterile,
of worship.
academic fashion, or they neglect truth and do not know
Even though each side of the brain has its specific
the Scriptures well enough to “test the spirits,” thus
function, the two sides (sometimes called the two
opening themselves up to counterfeit spiritual experi-
brains”) work together in harmony as one. The left brain
ences. If we want a balanced walk, we need to give
(the linguistic side) controls the right side of the body,
equal weight to the truth of the Scriptures and to the and the right brain (the intuitive side) controls the left
moving of the Spirit in our worship. side of the body. This is a picture of how the Scriptures
The need for a balance of spirit and truth is also (the linguistic) should oversee and test any supernatu-
reflected in God’s design of the human body. The body ral manifestations, and how the Holy Spirit (the intui-
is symmetrical, so that all the external body parts are in tive) should impart revelation so we can rightly under-
pairs. Each part of the body is a mirror image of its stand the Scriptures.
March–April 2003 www.biblesabbath.org TTTTThhhhheeeee SSSSSaaaaabbbbbbbbbbaaaaattttthhhhh SSSSSeeeeennnnntttttiiiiinnnnneeeeelllll 7
The two sides of the brain are able to work together the power of the Spirit cannot convince them that they
because they are connected by a mass of nerve tissue are wrong. They can personally witness a genuine
called the corpus callosum. This is a wonderful picture miracle wrought by the power of the Holy Spirit, and
of how spirit and truth — the power of the Holy Spirit their only response is to say, But the Bible teaches that
and the Word of God — work together to produce har- the day of miracles passed away with the Apostles.
mony and balance in our lives and in our worship. Miracles aren’t for today.” On the other extreme are
If the corpus callosum is cut and the two brain some charismatic Christians. If they think the Spirit has
halves severed from one another, a person’s mind be- revealed something to them, but their revelation” con-
comes imbalanced and he is unable to function nor- tradicts the Scriptures, they say, “I don’t care what the
mally. In the same way, if we do not let spirit and truth Bible says! I know what the Holy Spirit showed me!”
work together to bring harmony to our lives, we will be Let’s make sure we don’t let the Devil cut our spiri-
spiritually imbalanced. tual corpus callosum and make us lose our balance.
Another interesting fact: If the corpus callosum is Let’s allow the Spirit to flow freely and let’s allow the
cut, the two sides of the brain can no longer help one truth of the Scriptures to be the touchstone that deter-
another. If a person with a severed corpus callosum mines the validity of our spiritual experience. ❑
covers his left eye (which is controlled by the right brain) —————————————
and is introduced to a new acquaintance, then covers This article is reprinted from the Gates of Eden newslet-
his right eye (which is controlled by the left brain) and ter, Sept.-Oct. 2002. Dr. Daniel Botkin is a member of the
looks at the new acquaintance, he will not recognize board of directors of the BSA and the publisher of Gates
her. This is a marvelous illustration of some believers of Eden. Dr. Botkin is also the leader of the Gates of Eden
who seem to have cut their spiritual corpus callosum. If Messianic Congregation of Peoria, Illinois. See the Gates
they don’t believe in the moving of the Holy Spirit, all of Eden Web site at http://www.gatesofeden.org/.
8 TTTTThhhhheeeee SSSSSaaaaabbbbbbbbbbaaaaattttthhhhh SSSSSeeeeennnnntttttiiiiinnnnneeeeelllll www.biblesabbath.org March–April 2003
Different Strokes
for Different Folks
by June Narber
In spite of the clearly stated objectives of the Bible of God or any of the other Sabbath “organizational”
Sabbath Association (BSA) and TTTTThhhhheeeee SSSSSaaaaabbbbbbbbbbaaaaattttthhhhh SSSSSeeeeennnnntttttiiiiinnnnneeeeelllll churches. I may or may not believe some of their major
(TTTTTSSSSSSSSSS) to work to promote the Sabbath of Scripture, cer- doctrines. However, that dddddoooooeeeeesssss nnnnnooooottttt mmmmmeeeeeaaaaannnnn I will person-
tain individuals try to come up with biblical ways to criti- ally attack any of the individuals belonging to such
cize our efforts and turn people away from being part groups, even though I might take a public stand against
of this organization and its magazine. Some go so far a doctrine I believe to be in scriptural error or more
as to demonize those of us who willingly participate in strongly linked to popular pagan “Rome” doctrines as
BSA and TTTTTSSSSSSSSSS. These are the attitudes and ideas I will seen in religious life in today’s secular society. I realize
refute from the Bible in the following paragraphs. that we at BSA share something greater in common than
all our differences—our belief that Saturday is God’s
Some Just to Argue Pet Doctrines
Sabbath. IIIIIttttt iiiiisssss pppppooooossssssssssiiiiibbbbbllllleeeee to be part of a multi-Sabbath
In the churches of God today, many people simply observant group and maintain one’s own beliefs and
like to argue doctrines. Such individuals like to talk for identity. I think it spiritually empowers me even more to
hours about pet doctrines and why, if an individual does be able to share my distinct ideas with those who may
not accept “their” personal perspectives, such a person not agree with them and, in turn, not feel threatened by
iiiiisssss nnnnnooooottttt part of the true church of God. Okay, we all may the different ideas that exist there within the structure. If I
be guilty of having pet doctrines, including those we sin- ever found the differences within the BSA to be far from
cerely believe are taught in the Bible and necessary for the Word of God, I would walk away and never look back.
salvation, but are our attitudes right in how we handle God’s Ten Commandments and obedience to them as
and promote our beliefs? A spirit of hate and hostility is teachings are “alive and well” within BSA and TTTTTSSSSSSSSSS!
from the devil, in spite of what the doctrine is. The new
The Biblical Role of BSA: Standing behind
covenant takes commandment keeping to a much higher
level: into the heart and mind of the believer. That should the Truth of the Seventh-day Sabbath
influence our overall behavior and approach to all mat- The Bible Sabbath Association is about the teach-
ters of life, including discussion of doctrinal differences. ing and promotion of the fundamentally bbbbbaaaaasssssiiiiiccccc teach-
“Finally, [be ye] all of one mind, having compassion ings of the Bible: obedience to the laws and teachings
one of another, love as brethren, [be] pitiful, [be] of Jesus Christ (Yahshua), which, we believe, include
courteous,” (1 Peter 3:8). keeping of the Sabbath.
TTTTThhhhheeeee bbbbbiiiiiggggg pppppiiiiiccccctttttuuuuurrrrreeeee: Because BSA and TTTTTSSSSSSSSSS are com- “O that there were such an heart in them, that they
prised of various Sabbath organizations, different be- would fear me, and keep all my commandments al-
liefs are bound to be present on other non-Sabbath is- ways, that it might be well with them, and with their
sues, both by board member representation and by children for ever!” (Deut. 5:29).
articles that appear in TTTTTSSSSSSSSSS. Were this not so, BSA would “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in
not be an open, uncensored* forum for all Sabbath my love; even as I have kept my Father’s command-
keepers (*as long as the opinions stated do not go ments, and abide in his love” (John 15:10).
against the Sabbath and Ten Commandments).
Cooperation among Sabbath Keepers: Does That
How Can We Disagree without Hating Each Other? Mean Believing the Same?
A spiritually mature Christian (follower of Yahshua) Does cooperation among Sabbath keepers mean
understands that the spiritual path is a process. We don’t we have to all believe the same things? No, it does not.
become perfect overnight. Iron sharpens iron. Sometimes It means we are civil to each other. We can strongly
we have to stand up against beliefs or simply stand up disagree without ostracizing those who do not believe
for our “own” beliefs against those who believe we are as we do on issues outside of Sabbath observance. Is
dead wrong. We can do so in a godly spirit of coopera- this principle somehow unbiblical? No, you will find the
tion and peace. We don’t have to hate to disagree. Per- opposite in the Bible. God expects us to love each other
sonally, I am no longer a member of any corporate church and to cooperate even in the face of our differences.
March–April 2003 www.biblesabbath.org TTTTThhhhheeeee SSSSSaaaaabbbbbbbbbbaaaaattttthhhhh SSSSSeeeeennnnntttttiiiiinnnnneeeeelllll 9
“And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote Hardly a nation exists today that does not contain the
a new commandment unto thee, but that which we bloodline, at least in part, of the one of the twelve tribes
had from the beginning, that we love one another” (2 of Israel.
John 1:5). “And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make
God frowns upon those who want to argue doc- thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be num-
trine. I think there is more to fear from those who seek bered for multitude” (Genesis 32:12).
to gain converts to their tunnel vision of doctrine than “And Isaiah crieth concerning Israel, If the number
from those who seek to grasp the “big picture,” which of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is
is, cooperation is godly; division and alienation over the remnant that shall be saved” (Romans 9:27).
doctrine are satanic.
He Commands the Sabbath to Be Observed by All
“That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to
People.
and fro, and carried about with every wind of doc-
trine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day [is]
whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Ephesians 4:14). the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do
no work [therein]: it [is] the sabbath of the eternal in
For example, it is quite possible that some mem-
all your dwellings” (Leviticus 23:3).
bers of our board of directors and members of the BSA
at large might keep the Sabbath just as a tradition. While “But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD
I strongly disagree with this personally (that the Sab- thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor
bath is only to be kept as a tradition), I do not reject thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy
these individuals because they still are living by one of maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is]
the basic beliefs of our faith: obeying God by keeping within thy gates” (Exodus 20:10).
the Sabbath, whether they fully vocalize this or not! “Six days may work be done; but in the seventh [is]
the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever
“And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote
doeth [any] work in the sabbath day, he shall surely
a new commandment unto thee, but that which we
be put to death” (Exodus 31:15).
had from the beginning, that we love one another” (2
John 1:5). “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sab-
bath, to observe the sabbath throughout their gen-
It Hinges upon Obedience to the Sabbath
erations, [for] a perpetual covenant” (Exodus 31:16).
Satan is a divider. He would like nothing more than
“Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD
for all of us to hate each other, especially other Sabbath thy God hath commanded thee” (Deuteronomy 5:12).
keepers. I believe the observance of the Sabbath is a
The Sabbath is the “test” commandment because
test commandment for whether we are willing to obey
weekly an individual’s obedience to God is tested by
God’s Truth in general. If a person turns his back on the
his or her observance of God’s Sabbath day. Disobedi-
Sabbath (or any of the other commandment of God for
ence to the other commandments is harder to detect
that matter) such a person is really seaking to have his
unless someone is “caught in the act.” The Sabbath is
own way rather than following God, no matter where God
a cycled, weekly, test commandment by which God can
leads him. Basically, such a person wants to worship
clearly see our willingness to sacrifice our personal time
God on his own terms. This kind of thinking is common
and obey his law to kkkkkeeeeeeeeeeppppp ttttthhhhhiiiiisssss dddddaaaaayyyyy hhhhhooooolllllyyyyy and sacred in
in our secular “Christian” society. People have made up
order to hhhhhooooonnnnnooooorrrrr HHHHHiiiiimmmmm.
their own customs and days of worship. God feels differ-
The Sabbath Is One of the Markers of God’s People.
ently about this. He commands the Sabbath to be ob-
served by all people, including modern day followers of “It [is] a sign between me and the children of Israel for
the Messiah called “Spiritual Israel”—the bride of the ever: for [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth,
Lamb. In spite of whether a person is a blood descen- and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
dant of Israel, once he or she becomes a believer in Jesus Today, the Bible tells us that the House of God is spiri-
Christ, that person becomes a part of the household of tual Israel. Israel is a prophetic word in Scripture…we
faith and a member of spiritual Israel. The dualism in the are ISRAEL. We are the children of the promise the
Bible is not there by accident. Physical or spiritual Israel, covenant people of God.” Exodus 31:17.
all are commanded to obey God’s word. “Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying,
“And there came one of the seven angels who had the Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it [is] a sign
seven bowls, who were laden with the seven last between me and you throughout your generations; that
plagues; and he spake with me, saying, Come hither, I [ye] may know that I [am] the LORD that doth sanc-
will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb” tify you” (Exodus 31:13).
(Revelation 21:9). “Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign
The bloodline of ancient Israel is now scattered between me and them, that they might know that I
among most nations, whether people realize it or not. [am] the LORD that sanctify them” (Ezekiel 20:12).
10 TTTTThhhhheeeee SSSSSaaaaabbbbbbbbbbaaaaattttthhhhh SSSSSeeeeennnnntttttiiiiinnnnneeeeelllll www.biblesabbath.org March–April 2003