Post by Watchman on Jul 15, 2006 13:05:30 GMT -5
The inspired Apostle Paul told the Ephesian elders,
For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. Acts 20:27–28
If one could have looked in on the "church of God which is at Corinth"—as Paul addressed the church—what way of life would one have observed among these Gentile Christians? What laws of God and biblical teachings would stand out as being different from mainstream "Christianity" as it is practiced today?
First, even to be present with the early Christians when they met, one would have to grasp the vital importance of obeying all ten of the Ten Commandments—including the fourth commandment. The fourth commandment states,
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of Yahweh thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates: Exodus 20:8–10
This commandment, above all others, reminds the believer that the true God is the Creator. God made the seventh day "holy"—not Sunday, which is the first day of the week. He did this right at the time of creation—long before there were any Jews. For the Sabbath was not made for the Jews! Jesus Christ Himself said,
"The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath " Mark 2:27
It was made when human beings were made, then later was made part of the codified spiritual law—the Ten Commandments—which God Himself thundered down from Mount Saini, and then wrote on two tablets of stone. (Exodus 20:1, Exodus 34:28)
Worshiping regularly on the seventh day—the day that begins at what we today call Friday at sunset, and continues until sunset on Saturday—the early Christians were always mindful that the true God was the Creator of heaven and earth, who gave the Ten Commandments that reveal the basis of the right way of life! The early Christians also observed the seven annual Holy Days—seven annual festivals directly commanded in the Bible. For Christ and the apostles taught Christians to live by
"every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. " (Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4)
The only written word of God then available was what we call the Old Testament. From the Old Testament book of Zechariah, the early Christians would have read and understood that when the Messiah returns to earth as King of kings, He will direct all nations—Jews and Gentiles alike—to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, one of the seven annual festivals that God commandedHis people to observe.
And it shall come to pass, [that] every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, Yahweh of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. Zechariah 14:16
The prophet goes on to tell us that God will shut off the rain from any nation refusing to keep the Feast of Tabernacles! This, my friends, is going to occur during the soon-coming rule of Jesus Christ!
Does it sound as though the genuine Christ of your Bible means business when He commands obedience to God’s Laws? Yes, it does!
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Hebrews 13:8
Meeting with the original Christians at Corinth, one would see that they were not observing Easter. Rather, they kept the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, two of God’s commanded annual observances (1 Corinthians 5:6–8). After reminding them that Jesus Christ was sacrificed as our Passover, Paul instructed the Christians at Corinth,
Therefore let us keep the feast (v. 8).
Since Paul’s whole context here involves the Passover and Unleavened Bread, it is obvious that he was exhorting these Gentile Christians to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread—the Feast observed in connection with, and occurring just after, the Passover!
If we met regularly with the early Church of God at Corinth, we would hear one of the elders reading Paul’s first letter to them, in which he wrote,
But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost. 1 Corinthians 16:8)
Pentecost? Perhaps you thought that Pentecost was a onetime event when the Church began, when Peter preached to a massive crowd and 3,000 people were converted (Acts 2).
No. Pentecost is also one of the seven annual festivals that the early Christians observed. These festivals point out and help us commemorate the great Plan that God is working out here on earth. Without observing these true biblical Holy Days—which Christ and the early Church observed—most of today’s churchgoers are in total ignorance of the Plan which God is working out among humanity today.
For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. Acts 20:27–28
If one could have looked in on the "church of God which is at Corinth"—as Paul addressed the church—what way of life would one have observed among these Gentile Christians? What laws of God and biblical teachings would stand out as being different from mainstream "Christianity" as it is practiced today?
First, even to be present with the early Christians when they met, one would have to grasp the vital importance of obeying all ten of the Ten Commandments—including the fourth commandment. The fourth commandment states,
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of Yahweh thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates: Exodus 20:8–10
This commandment, above all others, reminds the believer that the true God is the Creator. God made the seventh day "holy"—not Sunday, which is the first day of the week. He did this right at the time of creation—long before there were any Jews. For the Sabbath was not made for the Jews! Jesus Christ Himself said,
"The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath " Mark 2:27
It was made when human beings were made, then later was made part of the codified spiritual law—the Ten Commandments—which God Himself thundered down from Mount Saini, and then wrote on two tablets of stone. (Exodus 20:1, Exodus 34:28)
Worshiping regularly on the seventh day—the day that begins at what we today call Friday at sunset, and continues until sunset on Saturday—the early Christians were always mindful that the true God was the Creator of heaven and earth, who gave the Ten Commandments that reveal the basis of the right way of life! The early Christians also observed the seven annual Holy Days—seven annual festivals directly commanded in the Bible. For Christ and the apostles taught Christians to live by
"every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. " (Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4)
The only written word of God then available was what we call the Old Testament. From the Old Testament book of Zechariah, the early Christians would have read and understood that when the Messiah returns to earth as King of kings, He will direct all nations—Jews and Gentiles alike—to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, one of the seven annual festivals that God commandedHis people to observe.
And it shall come to pass, [that] every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, Yahweh of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. Zechariah 14:16
The prophet goes on to tell us that God will shut off the rain from any nation refusing to keep the Feast of Tabernacles! This, my friends, is going to occur during the soon-coming rule of Jesus Christ!
Does it sound as though the genuine Christ of your Bible means business when He commands obedience to God’s Laws? Yes, it does!
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Hebrews 13:8
Meeting with the original Christians at Corinth, one would see that they were not observing Easter. Rather, they kept the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, two of God’s commanded annual observances (1 Corinthians 5:6–8). After reminding them that Jesus Christ was sacrificed as our Passover, Paul instructed the Christians at Corinth,
Therefore let us keep the feast (v. 8).
Since Paul’s whole context here involves the Passover and Unleavened Bread, it is obvious that he was exhorting these Gentile Christians to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread—the Feast observed in connection with, and occurring just after, the Passover!
If we met regularly with the early Church of God at Corinth, we would hear one of the elders reading Paul’s first letter to them, in which he wrote,
But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost. 1 Corinthians 16:8)
Pentecost? Perhaps you thought that Pentecost was a onetime event when the Church began, when Peter preached to a massive crowd and 3,000 people were converted (Acts 2).
No. Pentecost is also one of the seven annual festivals that the early Christians observed. These festivals point out and help us commemorate the great Plan that God is working out here on earth. Without observing these true biblical Holy Days—which Christ and the early Church observed—most of today’s churchgoers are in total ignorance of the Plan which God is working out among humanity today.