SabbathSabbathTHE

SENTINELSENTINEL

January-February 1999

The Bible Sabbath AssociationBSA

www.biblesabbath.org

PROMOTING THE SEVENTH-DAY SABBATH AND COOPERATION AMONG SABBATH-KEEPERS

aBody

ofBelievers

Where is the Body of Believers? • A Leader You Can Trust • Who, Then, Is OurBrother? • Just What Is the Fourth Commandment? • Sabbath Organization Profile:

Tom Justus, Church of God, Sabbath Day • Yellow Pencils "R" Us!

2 THE SABBATH SENTINEL JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999

FEATURES

4 Where is the Body of Believers?There are believers around the world and wemust learn to cooperate to fulfill the work.

6 A Leader You Can TrustChristians are polluted by the world's deviantbehavior to not expect church leaders toalways tell the truth.

7 How to Love One Another in OurAssemblies

8 Who, Then, Is Our Brother?A person who obeys God's entire word andyearns for the kingdom of God is a brother.

10 Just What Is the FourthCommandment?

18 Yellow Pencils “R” Us!Don't judge people for their individual unique-ness, but rather help them develop their god-given gifts and spiritual character.

DEPARTMENTS

3 Editorial15 Sabbath Organization Profile - Tom

Justus (Church of God, Sabbath Day)

14 Calendar of Events

20 BSA President’s Letter: TSS is Now aFree Publication

21 Teenage Perspectives: Faith in God

22 Letters to the Editor

23 Classified Ads

January-February 1999 Volume 51, No. 1, Issue No. 475

The Sabbath Sentinel is published bi-monthly by The BibleSabbath Association, 3316 Alberta Drive, Gillette, WY 82718.Copyright © 1999 The Bible Sabbath Association. Printed inthe U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any formwithout written permission is prohibited. Periodicals post-age paid at Fairview, OK 73737 and at additional mailingoffices.

_______________________________

Editor: Lars G. Harrison insearch@mindspring.comArt director: Mike Galimore wyldfyre@bluemarble.net

BSA’s Board of Directors for 1996-1999

President: Richard Nickels giveshare@vcn.comVice Presidents: Richard Wiedenheft, John Conrod,Norman EdwardsSecretary & Treasurer: Bryan Burrell burrell@fairview-ok.netRecording Secretary: Archie CraigDirectors At Large: Dr. Allen Babcock, Calvin Burrell, JuneNarber Harrison, Eugene Lincoln, Brad Pate, Lee RoyStucker

_______________________________

Subscriptions: Call (888) 687-5191 (alternate number(307) 686-5191) or write to: The Bible Sabbath Associa-tion, 3316 Alberta Drive, Gillette, WY 82718, or contact us atthe office nearest you (see international addresses below).The Sabbath Sentinel is sent free of charge to all whorequest it. Your subscription is provided by the voluntarycontributions of the membership of The Bible SabbathAssociation.

Donations are gratefully accepted and are tax-deductible inthe United States. Those who choose to voluntarily supportthis international work to promote the Sabbath and proclaimthe gospel of the kingdom of God are welcomed as contribu-tors.

Annual Membership Contributions: Regular Membership$25; Family Membership $30. All memberships include anannual subscription to The Sabbath Sentinel. Make allchecks, drafts and money orders payable to The BibleSabbath Association (VISA and Mastercard accepted).

The Bible Sabbath Association is dedicated to promote theseventh-day Sabbath. As a non-sectarian association forSabbath observing Christians, BSA accepts members whoacknowledge Jesus Christ as their Savior, believe the Bibleto be the Word of God, and uphold the seventh-day Sabbath.BSA takes no official position on other theological issues,and publishes The Sabbath Sentinel as a forum to promoteunderstanding and share items of interest to Sabbath ob-serving groups and individuals.

Opinions expressed in The Sabbath Sentinel are those ofthe writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of theEditorial Staff or of The Bible Sabbath Association.

BSA Worldwide Web Site: http://www.biblesabbath.org

Correspondence and Manuscript submissions: Addressall inquires to: Lars G. Harrison, The Sabbath Sentinel,6325-9 Falls of Neuse Road, Suite 193, Raleigh, NC 27615USA; Phone: (919) 839-6930 E-mail:insearch@mindspring.com

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International addresses:

Australia: Bible Sabbath Associates, 23 Linden Street,Sutherland, NSW 2232 Phone: (02) 9521-6742Web site address: http://users.netinfo.com.au/~quokka/fos/

Address changes: POSTMASTER—send change of ad-dress to The Sabbath Sentinel , 3316 Alberta Drive,Gillette, WY 82718 USA.

For a FREE SUBSCRIPTION in the U.S. and Canada,call (888) 687-5191 or visit our web site at http://www.biblesabbath.org

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999 THE SABBATH SENTINEL 3

A Body of Believers

Welcome to the first issue of The SabbathSentinel for 1999. In 1998, we fulfilledour goals of improving the contents andlayout/design of the magazine. This yearwe intend to continue our commitment

of producing a quality magazine as a forum for Sabbath-keepers that: promotes an understanding of the Sabbath andcooperation among Sabbath-keepers, and where items ofinterest to Sabbath-observing groups and individuals can beshared. To further our goal of making the magazine widelydistributed among Sabbath-keepers, we are making a fewchanges to the Sentinel. For the first time since itsinception in 1945, the magazine is now free of charge. Youcan read the rationale behind this in the President’sMessage.

The magazine is back to its 24-page format, but withblack and white covers to save cost. For a free yearlysubscription to the magazine for yourself and your friends,contact BSA at the address on page 2. We would like tohear from you regarding these new changes. Considersupporting our agenda by contributing to the Sentinel,whether through advertisement, financial contributions (alldonations are tax-deductible), article or news contributions.

I certainly appreciate articles that I received, andcontinue to receive. Without these, I probably would nothave been able to produce this magazine. Providing all theediting and layout/design of the magazine stretches myvolunteer time. My wife, June, has provided great supportand contribution last year. I thank you all for your support.

Who is a Believer of the Messiah, Jesus Christ?

Can you spot a believer from a crowd of people in amall or at a public event? Have we walked past or workedwith a Sabbath-keeping believer unaware? How do werecognize a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, and whatare the requirements for being a believer? The theme andfocus of this issue is “A Body of Believers.”

Many individuals have tarnished the fine reputation ofmany Sabbath-keepers by touting their “we are the only truebelievers and our church is the very church Jesus founded.”It is time to heed the lessons of our Messiah and put theminto action, rather than spending time arguing about whichgroup is the true body of believers. As I recall, the Messiahscolded the disciples for asking which of them would havethe highest position in the kingdom of God. Christ

informed them that to be in kingdom, they had to have achild-like spiritual attitude (Mark 9:34-37). God the Fatherhas given us (and all mankind —cf. 2 Peter 3:9) the greatestconfidence we could ever have by calling us His sons anddaughters. It is this hope that we should spread throughoutthe world, as witnesses of His grace.

Has God declared that in nature He has a greatest,single-most esteemed flora or fauna? Of course not,becuase He has created diversity and variety that composethe beauty of life. This is especially so with people. Formore about a believer's diversity, read June NarberHarrison’s thought-provoking article “Yellow Pencils ‘R’Us.”

Paul said that the body of believers is comprised ofmany parts equally esteemed. However, it seems that manyrefuse to heed this and the supporting scriptures in favor oftheir own doctrine of supremacy. If leaders are so eager tobe loved and recognized, perhaps they should considerusing their talents and abilities in the world of profession,where fame and fortune is received for expressing selfishintentions. Christianity was never intended to be aprofitable business and a way for some immatureindividuals to receive their praise (cf. Acts 5:28-31).

God’s business is about praising and pleasing Him andhelping others learn to love Him, themselves and theirneighbors. Calvin Lashway talks about “How to Love OneAnother in Our Assemblies.”

Are you a leader whom believers can trust? Manyreligious and political leaders have all but forgotten abouttrust and doing the right thing. The rule of law is no longeresteemed. But perhaps we should ask ourselves, are wereceiving what we ask for or that which is in our hearts? Domost people influenced by Satan want an unrighteouslawless world? Since God gave Israel what they wanted,perhaps He is giving people unrighteous leaders becausethey want these types of leaders. Richard Nickels discussesthis in his article “A Leader You Can Trust.”

How do we recognize a brother in the faith? Whatcharacteristics does a brother possess? To find out more,read Royce Mitchell’s article “Who, Then, Is Our Brother?”

In this issue, Mandie Nickels writes about her faith inGod. We want to present more articles from Sabbath-keeping youth, and interest-stories about family, careers

EDITORIALeditorial

Continued on page 17

Where Is theBody of Believers?

The Body of Believers is spread throughout the globe, and we can know who is a believerand learn to cooperate with all of them for the fulfillment of God's work.

BY LARS G. HARRISON

4 THE SABBATH SENTINEL JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999

A believer wh oclaims to be a

Christia n(follower o f

Christ), i stherefor e

obligated t oconduct his lif e

according t oChrist’ s

example o fSabbath -

keeping, an dthe observanc e

of al lcommandment s

and godl yprinciples.

heard about believers in foreign lands, due topersecution suffered for revealing theirbeliefs and lack of communications. Manybelievers are not privileged with religiousfreedom. Certain believers may not be vocalabout their beliefs. This means that therecould be Sabbath-keepers in your town or in asmall village outside Chita, Russia.

How Can We Know Who is a Believer?

Religious belief is the conviction of abody of fundamental principles. A believer isa person who explicitly follows everythingestablished by the founder of that religion.This means, of course, that believers of JesusChrist should live and conduct their lives likethe Messiah did. A believer who claims to bea Christian (follower of Christ), is thereforeobligated to conduct his life according toChrist’s example of Sabbath-keeping, and theobservance of all commandments and godlyprinciples. The intent must be to solidify astrong, loving relationship with God theFather.

Core Beliefs Shared By Christ’sBelievers

Jesus said that we would know a truebeliever “by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16).John admonished the believers to “try thespirits, whether they are of God [or of Satan]”(I John 4:1). In this context, here is a shortlist of some of the core beliefs shared byMessiah’s believers.Ø Recognizing that Jesus Christ, Yahshua

the Messiah (or whichever foreign nameused) is the only Savior of mankind, ableto forgive our sins (acts contrary to thecommandments and the relationship toGod) (Acts 4:11).

When traveling or whenwalking in a crowded mall,I often wonder if I passedanother Sabbath-keeper. I

don’t know any other Sabbath-keepers at thecompany where I work. Rarely do I hear ofpeople keeping the Sabbath. In our area thereare only a few hundred people, out of amillion plus, observing the Sabbath. I knowmany Sabbath-keepers in differentorganizations; but sadly, contact with them islimited due to their animosity triggered bythe difference in church (non-Sabbath)doctrines.

It would be a pleasure to converse andmeet with more Sabbath-keepers, since thebeauty of life is clearly enhanced by thefriends you have. Faith, hope and friendshipcan help you endure almost everything lifedishes out.

By editing this magazine I have learned ofSabbath-keeping groups that I didn’t knowexisted. Even Elijah, the prophet, was puzzledwhen the Eternal revealed to him that therewere 7,000 saints in Israel (1 Kings 19:18).Amazingly then, where are the believers ofthe Messiah, and how can we know who is abeliever?

Where Are the Believers?

After the destruction of the tower ofBabel, the earth’s population was spreadtoward the four corners of the globe (Genesis11:1-9). Messiah commissioned the disciplesto preach and proclaim the gospel of thekingdom of God and what God required ofpeople (Matthew 28:19-20). We canconclude that there are believers all over theworld. There are many reasons we haven’t

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999 THE SABBATH SENTINEL 5

Ø Following through the repentanceprocess (Acts 2:36-40) granted toa believer by God (Romans 2:4)to be baptized for the forgivenessof sins and to receive the HolySpirit, which God the Father onlygives to those of this body (Acts5:29-32). If you can declare thatsomeone has God’s Spirit andbeing led by it, that person is atrue believer and part of theekklesia (body of believers).

Ø Willing to follow the Messiah’sway of life (Luke 9:24, 62,Galatians 2:16-21) and Hisexample, and be willing to beconformed to the likeness of Him(Philippians 2:1-17).

Ø Keeping the Sabbath from Fridaysunset to Saturday sunset (Exodus20:8-11)

Ø Making the Ten Commandmentstheir guiding principles for theirmental and physical activities(Deuteronomy ch. 5, 6:4-9,10:12-13).

Ø Striving to live by every word ofthe Eternal (Deuteronomy 8:3,Matthew 4:4), that is furtherabbreviated by our Savior’sstatement to love God and loveyour neighbor as yourself(Matthew 22:26-40).

Ø Learning to love another believerregardless of the differences inopinions, perceptions and beliefs(John 15:34)

Ø Exhibiting the characteristics of abeliever in Messiah and a child ofGod (i.e. Matthew 5-7). Willingto be led by the Holy Spirit shownthrough a believers exhibition ofthe fruits of the Spirit (Galatians5:18-25).

Ø Looking forward to the praise ofGod, rather than the praise of men(John 12:43). Displaying anattitude that no man is better thananother in Jesus Christ (Galatians3:26-29), but may possessdifferent gifts and talents.

Ø Praying and waiting for the returnof the Savior to rule all nations,and preparing now in this physicallife to serve with Him (Luke 9:10,21:36; 2 Thessalonians 4:16-18;

Revelation 5:10).

Ekklesia

The word for church comes fromthe Greek word ekklesia. It simplymeans “a gathering of citizens calledout from their homes into some publicplace, an assembly, for the purpose ofworship as an united body.” Theekklesia (called out ones) iscomprised of individuals who havebeen baptized and have received, andare led by the Holy Spirit.

A Spiritual Organism

Believers and followers of theMessiah are not of a particularphysical Sabbath-group affiliation. Aparticular Sabbath-keeping church,assembly or fellowship cannot solelybe the only living “Church of God,” nomatter how much leaders of theseorganizations claim in publications orfrom the pulpit to members that “weare the one true church of God, directdescendant from the church Christstarted.”

The “Church of God” or ekklesiais a spiritual organization, of which,the membership is defined by God theFather (John 6:44). God the Fatherdrives individuals out of the world’sbeliefs and places them in Hisekklesia. God the Father knows whoare His (Philippians 4:3).

You can believe in Christ and ingeneral live a somewhat righteous life.However, righteousness in its core,means to have a right relationshipbased on faith, obedience and lovetoward God the Father and JesusChrist (Yahshua the Messiah). Aperson who doesn’t keep the Sabbathand observe a spiritual life like ourMessiah did, cannot be a true believer.

Churches in Revelation

At the time when John wrote theRevelation from Jesus Christ, therewere many churches throughout AsiaMinor, Arabia, Europe, East Asia, andother parts of the Roman Empire. Theseven churches in Revelation wereonly types of attitudes andcharacteristics of many of thesechurches. Some erroneously claimthat they are the true church based on

their attitude. Well, let God judge! TheSabbath is a sign of God’s truebelievers (Exodus 31:13, 17).

What is the Body Supposed toDo?

Each believer is foremostresponsible to strive to become likeChrist and God the Father (1 Peter2:21, Philippians 2:2-16, Galatians2:20). This relationship is moreimportant than anything else in humanlife.

The believer should learn to loveself; and love everyone around them,since every human being is created inthe image of God. Once that isfulfilled the believer is spirituallyaccountable to uphold the commissionof preaching the truth by his faithfulexample (Isaiah 61:1-3).

We must all use our spiritualtalents and gifts, coupled with thefruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians5:22-26) in full cooperation to unifythe body, perform services/ministriesand other spiritual activities Godintends (1 Corinthians 12:1-31). TheHoly Spirit and Christ indwelling inthem link all believers to each other.

Yet, believers often refuse torealize that the more they help thebody, the more they help themselves.When our human body parts worktogether, we accomplish what weplanned. We walk, talk, and performincredible human feats with each bodypart working in unison and fullcooperation. This is done without aparticular body part trying to get theglory. What a lesson this shows us inhow we could cooperate amongSabbath groups to promote the Sabbathand accomplish what the Father wantsus to fulfill.

Will Christ find faith on earth anda unified body of believers when Hereturns (Luke 18:8)? It is really up tous to make this happen. TSS

Lars G. Harrison , the editor ofthe Sabbath Sentinel, can bereached atinsearch@mindspring.com or at6325-9 Falls of Neuse Rd., Suite193, Raleigh, NC 27615 USA.

A Leader You Can TrustBY RICHARD NICKELS

6 THE SABBATH SENTINEL JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999

In 1974, President Richard Nixonwas under fire for his role in theWatergate incident. Bill Clinton,running for Congress, said, “If a

President of the United States everlied to the American people, he shouldresign.” Nixon was caught in a web oflies, and was forced to resign. Twenty-four years later, when Clinton himselflied to the American people about theMonica Lewinsky affair, he refused toresign, and even joked about hisdefiant “apology.” He and many othersagreed that his sexual improprietieswere strictly a matter of his personal,private life.

Today in the Church of God, weare so polluted from the world’sdeviant behavior, which we do notexpect our Church leaders to alwaystell the Truth, nor set examples for usto follow. We believers are somewhatlike the gullible American people, wholike the job Clinton is doing (becausethe economy is good), but don’t wanttheir children to follow his lewdexample. Even worse—and this istragic —most Sabbath-keepers do notknow, or care to know, the public sinsof their own Church leaders.

My desk calendar has a very timelyadmonition for August 26, “Don’twork for a company led by someoneof questionable character.” This alsoapplies to the Church. Twice now, inmy working career, I have been told todo something illegal. In both cases, Irisked my job by standing firm andemphatically saying “No!” And in eachcase, our own company lawyerssupported me, and management had torescind the order. Most people want todo the right thing. The trouble is, veryfew are willing to stick their neck outand “just say no” to lies and temptationtoward wrongdoing.

Today in the Churches of God, wehave leaders guilty of setting falseprophetic dates, engaging in illicit

sexual acts which made the “Geraldo”television show, being arrested morethan once for drunk driving, and beingconvicted of libel (costing the Churchmany hundreds of thousands of dollarsin settlement and legal costs). Yet,these men still have a large following.In fact, they are doing quite well.Sometimes, their supporters know ofthe public sins of their leaders andnevertheless excuse or minimize thisblameworthy conduct. Other laypeople do not know of these publicsins and ignorantly continue to supportleaders unqualified by I Timothy 3 tobe in any office of leadership at all.Someone has said that we get theleaders we deserve. That must be so inthe Church of God, today!

In I Thessalonians 5:12-13, Paulmight have said, “Don’t investigateyour leaders. Gloss over the sins ofyour leaders and don’t hold themaccountable for setting a goodexample, for their public and privatesins are between them and God. Theonly responsibility you have is to payand pray.” Is this a proper rendition ofScripture? This sounds like the “Bible”of all too many Sabbath-keepers today.This passage really says, “And webeseech you, brethren, to know themwhich labour among you, and areover you in the Lord, and admonishyou: And to esteem them very highlyin love for their work’s sake. And beat peace among yourselves.”

A few years back, a notedSabbatarian leader claimed to be aWorld War II hero. This was supposedto demonstrate his good character andqualifications to succeed a previouslong-lived leader who had died andturned over the reigns to him. Since Ilived in the St. Louis, Missouri, area atthe time, it was a simple matter tocheck at the National MilitaryRecords center in St. Louis, to see ifhis claim was true. Under the Freedom

of Information Act, citizens have openaccess to military records. Idiscovered that this “great” leader waslying. He did not serve in the Navy inthe heroic capacity he claimed. Whenthis information was published, not asingle minister or member, to myknowledge, confronted this “PastorGeneral” with the fact that he was aliar. After all, they thought, it was“God’s Church,” and, “God willcorrect our leaders if they are wrong.”Let’s not be dumb sheep!

On the positive side, you cannotreally “know” the good qualities ofyour Church leader by only seeing himin the rather artificial environment ofSabbath services. What does hisunbelieving neighbor say about him?What does his secular employer sayabout him? The only way we canfollow this command to positively“know them, which labour amongyou,” is for the Church leader to bepart of the community, to work andserve others besides the congregation.Legend has it that Jesus and His humanfather Joseph made wonderful woodenploughs, which continued to be usedfor many years after the crucifixion.You can be sure that the “Joseph andSons” carpentry business had areputation for quality and honesty!

The reason why the Church todayhas such a lack of leaders who can betrusted, can partly be traced to acentral governmental structure, whichhas made many of them hirelings,rather than servants. Members shouldnot support liars or hirelings. Therehas never been a time when honestleaders have been more needed. Theway to misery is to ignore God’scommand to “know them which labouramong you.” Only by following God’sWay, can we have leaders we can trust.If God continues to give gifts to men,and He does, (Ephesians 4:8), thenHe will give us leaders we can trust.

A Leader You Can Trust

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999 THE SABBATH SENTINEL 7

These leaders will continue tochallenge their followers, as Paul did,to “check me out!” See I Corinthians9:27 and II Corinthians 13:1-7.

Brethren who are trustworthy willalso have trustworthy leaders. As ageneral rule, brethren in mostSabbatarian groups today are morespiritual, more dedicated, morehonest, than their leaders, at least onthe surface. However, such an

I n the New Testament there are atleast thirteen references to thefact that Christians should love

one another (John 13:34-35;15:12,17; Romans 13:8; 1Thessalonians 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22; 1John 3:11,23; 1 John 4:7, 11, 12; 2John 1:5). In what is probably themost famous of these references,Jesus says:

“A new commandment I give toyou, that you love one another, evenas I have loved you, that you also loveone another. By this all men willknow that you are My disciples, if youhave love for one another” (John13:34-35). (All scriptures quotedare from the New AmericanStandard Bible, unless otherwisestated.)

The Sign that Identifies Jesus’Disciples

This love for one another actuallybecomes a sign that identifies Jesus’disciples. If someone were to visitour assembly on the Sabbath, wouldthey see our love for one another?Would they see a gathering of thedisciples of Christ? How are we tolove one another when we assemblywith other Christians? Paul answersthis in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.

“Love is patient, love is kind, andis not jealous; love does not brag andis not arrogant…” in verse 4 shows us

the following:§ We need to be patient with the

shortcomings and irritatingpersonalities of fellow Christians.

§ A gathering of brethren provides uswith an opportunity to be kind.

§ We must not be jealous of anotherperson's responsibilities or gifts.

§ Every disciple should ceasebragging to others about hisresponsibilities or gifts.

§ Not to be arrogant about our ownspiritual gifts or knowledge.

“[Love] does not act unbecomingly[“rude,” New King James Version]; itdoes not seek its own, is not provoked,does not take into account a wrongsuffered…” in verse 5 instructs us to:§ Be polite to each other and don’t act

rudely during a fellowship meeting.

§ Seek to give to others, not seekingfor others to give to us.

§ Be patient with each other and don’tget easily provoked or upset oversomething said or done. We mustavoid keeping track of the wrongsdone to us by brethren, living theprinciple of forgiveness explainedin Matthew 18:21-35.

“[Love] does not rejoice inunrighteousness, but rejoices with thetruth…” in verse 6 shows us to:§ Not to be happy or joyful about the

evils befalling others, even when

imbalance cannot be forevermaintained. Let me be perfectly clear:President Clinton should resignbecause he has lied to the Americanpeople. He has sullied the office ofthe Presidency of the United States.Likewise, several Sabbatarian leaderstoday should also resign their officesof leadership, because they fail tomatch the qualifications ofI Timothy 3 and have lied to the

people of God. A free society, and agodly society, needs leaders they cantrust. In reality, like it says on ourmoney, it is ONLY “in God [that] we[can] trust.” TSS

Reprinted by permission fromGiving & Sharing, Number 49,November, 1998.

Richard Nickels is the President ofBSA, and can be reached atgiveshare@vcn.com

they bring it on themselves.

§ Express joy over what is true. Wecan do this in prayer, songs and inconversation with others.

“[Love] bears all things, believesall things, hopes all things, endures allthings,” in verse 7 tells us to:§ Put up with each other, and be

patient with the shortcomings andfaults of our brethren. Don’t besuspicious, doubtful, andmistrustful of the motives andactions of others in the fellowship.

§ Take a positive approach to whatothers are doing and saying—always hoping for the best.Sometimes we just have to put upwith someone who is veryirritating.

“Love never fails; but if there aregifts of prophecy, they will be doneaway; if there are tongues, they willcease; if there is knowledge, it will bedone away.” This final verse 8, saysthat:§ We should never abandon or give

up on a fellow member of ourassembly. Even if that person hasto be disciplined, and asked to stayaway from our gatherings.

By applying the principles of 1Corinthians 13 in our assemblies,every person who visit with us willknow that we are Jesus’ disciples,because they will see the love wehave for one another. TSS

Calvin Lashway lives in LasCruces, New Mexico, where hemeets with an independent homefellowship group. He can bereached at rlashway@nmsu.edu.

How to Love One Anotherin Our Assemblies

BY CALVIN LASHWAY

8 THE SABBATH SENTINEL JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999

Nearly 2000 years ago,during a conversationwith Peter, Jesus Christshocked him by makingthe following

statement. It is found in Matt 16:18,“And I tell you that you are Peter, andon this rock I will build my church,and the gates of Hades will notovercome it” (NIV).

Christ Built His Church FromMany Different People

This verse has been misunderstood inthe past by some who would give menthe power to modify, or deletealtogether, the laws of God. But suchwas not the case in the statement ofChrist. It was intended to show thatChrist was going to build His Church,and it was to be built on Himself, noton Peter. He was preparing to buildHis Church, one church. Not manychurches preaching many differentgospels, and not many churchespreaching similar doctrines, but oneChurch, consumed with the passionfor completing the Work of theFather, even as Christ Himself was(Luke 2:49). He was building HisChurch, based on His Word, the Wordgiven to Him by the Father. In doingso, He would be bringing many sons toglory (Hebrews 2:10). These sons, alladopted sons of the glorious Father,then, would be brothers. In this article,we will show who these brothers are,not using our own ideas, but as definedby God’s Word.

Need to Be Called to Be a son ofGod

In order to be a son of God, onemust first be called according to His

will. That calling was predestinedbefore the world began. Ephesians1:3-5 confirms that statement.“Blessed {be} the God and Father ofour Lord Jesus Christ, who hasblessed us with every spiritualblessing in the heavenly {places} inChrist, just as He chose us in Himbefore the foundation of the world,that we should be holy and blamelessbefore Him. He predestined us toadoption as sons through Jesus Christto Himself, according to the kindintention of His will,” (NAS).

Those who are called by God to theadoption as sons were predestined tobe so before the foundation of theworld. Christ hinted at such being thecase also. John 17:12, “While I waswith them, I was keeping them in Thyname which Thou hast given Me; and Iguarded them, and not one of themperished but the son of perdition, thatthe Scripture might be fulfilled”(NAS). This statement of Christintimates that Judas was destined forthe slot of betrayer of Christ from thevery beginning. The point is that thosewho are called to understand the truthof the Word of God, in this day andtime, are a chosen few, chosen fromthe foundation of the world, called fora specific purpose!

Don't Reject This Calling

Could one reject such a calling?We have a number of examples fromscripture to consider. In the exampleof Jonah, he could not run far or fastenough to escape the calling God hadfor him. Moses argued with God,giving Him every reason he couldconjure up, to convince God toreconsider. Saul hid himself, but it did

no good. Those whom God choosesfor His glorious plan must conform toHis will.

God the Father Calls AnIndividual—You CannotVolunteer

God has predestined others forother tasks over the centuries. But ourfocus is on the calling to the adoption,to be a brother of Christ and Son ofGod. So, the first point has to be thatone can not volunteer to be called.Those called have no choice in theircalling, being predestined. ChristHimself showed that the predestinedcalling of those God would use was aclosed cycle. Notice in John 6:44,“No one can come to Me [Christ],unless the Father who sent Me drawshim; and I will raise him up on the lastday” (NAS). But also notice John 14:6where it says, “Jesus said to him, “I amthe way, and the truth, and the life; noone comes to the Father, but throughMe.” (NAS). The calling is a closedloop! One can only come to Christ ifthe Father draws him, but one can notcome to the Father except throughChrist! There is a glorious reason forthe mystery of why God is callingbrethren in this manner, but that is notthe point of this article.

Choosing to Obey or Disobey

Those called have the same choicethat the Hebrews had, obey and receiveblessings, or disobey and receivecursings (Duet. 11:26-28). Ifobedient, those called would receivethe Holy Spirit, as it says in Acts 5:32.That Spirit would be imparted throughthe ceremony prescribed by Christ,and restated by Peter. Acts 2:38

Who, Then, Is Our Brother?

BY ROYCE MITCHELL, JR.

Who, Then, Is Our Brother?

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999 THE SABBATH SENTINEL 9

states, “And Peter {said} to them,“Repent, and let each of you bebaptized in the name of Jesus Christfor the forgiveness of your sins; andyou shall receive the gift of the HolySpirit.” (NAS).

Repentance Involves a Change inDirection

We know that repentance involvesa change of direction, a change ofmind. The word “repent” in this verseis translated from the Greek wordmetanoeo (met-an-o-eh’-o); #3340 inStrong’s Concordance and it means “tothink differently or afterwards, i.e.reconsider (morally, feelcompunction).” So, a change of mind,obedience instead of disobedience,with baptism (water immersion),another symbol of obedience, and asymbol of burying the old, carnal manin a watery grave, are required toreceive the Holy Spirit.

The Purpose of the Holy Spirit

What purpose does the Holy Spirithave in making us brothers? Theanswer is found in Romans 8:9.“However, you are not in the flesh butin the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit ofGod dwells in you. But if anyone doesnot have the Spirit of Christ, he doesnot belong to Him” (NAS). Notice, ifone does not have the Spirit, he doesnot belong to Christ; he is not aChristian! If one does not belong toChrist, he can not be called a brotherin the definition of scripture.

How to Determine Who Is aBrother of Brother of Christ

What other criteria should we useto determine who our brother is?Christ Himself told us in John 13:34-35, “”A new commandment I give toyou, that you love one another, even asI have loved you, that you also loveone another. By this all men will knowthat you are My disciples, if you havelove for one another” (NAS). Abrother will be exhibiting love for theother brethren. How is thataccomplished? That would require afar larger article to answer. One canread 1 Corinthians 13 to gain insight.The Proverbs and Psalms are also full

of insight. However, Christ summed itup succinctly when He said, “Greaterlove has no one than this, that one laydown his life for his friends.” John15:13 (NAS). In a time when the loveof many waxes cold, this is no smallorder!

How is this trait exhibited inbrethren? Obviously, at this point intime, not many are being required togive up their lives. Yet there arebrethren who are giving up largeportions of their lives daily, in prayerfor the brethren, in serving those whoneed help, in learning so that they areable to teach, in humbling themselvesso that the Word of God, and the Wayof God can be advanced. They labordaily without the desire foracknowledgment of men for theirdeeds, preferring instead to wait onthe reward that comes with Christ.

Is there any other criterion, whichGod uses to point out these brethren?How about the type of people theywere prior to His calling them. Thatcan be found in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29,where is says, “For consider yourcalling, brethren, that there were notmany wise according to the flesh, notmany mighty, not many noble; but Godhas chosen the foolish things of theworld to shame the wise, and God haschosen the weak things of the world toshame the things which are strong, andthe base things of the world and thedespised, God has chosen, the thingsthat are not, that He might nullify thethings that are, that no man shouldboast before God.” (NAS). They werenot the powerful, but they are destinedto become so! They were not thestrong, but they are given strengththrough Christ! They were, and evennow sometimes are, considered to befools. But they are wise in the ways ofGod Almighty, having been conformedto the genius of the Mind that holdsthe universe in place by His Word.

Fellowshiping in Cooperation andLove

These brethren can be foundgathered together, as is their custom.They do not forsake assemblingtogether, “Let us hold fast theconfession of our hope without

wavering, for He who promised isfaithful; and let us consider how tostimulate one another to love and gooddeeds, not forsaking our ownassembling together, as is the habit ofsome, but encouraging {one another}and all the more, as you see the daydrawing near.” Hebrews 10:23-25,(NAS). They are encouraging oneanother, and to do that, they know oneanother, and are concerned for thewelfare of their brethren.

Called to Be a Member of theFamily of God

To sum up, those who can be calleda part of the Family of God, can befound by looking for a fewunambiguous traits. First, God hascalled them to Christ, and Christ hasdirected them to His Father. They haverepented of their sins and have beenbaptized. They have received the HolySpirit, the down payment of thepromises of the Father. These brethrendid not volunteer. God the Fathercalled them, but they have willinglyand eagerly accepted that calling!

They are obedient to every wordthat proceeds out of the mouth ofGod. One who is a brother loves. Theylove the brethren so much that theygive their very lives for them. Thesebrethren ache for the times when theycan be gathered together with otherbrethren in fellowship. They ache forthe establishment of the Kingdom ofGod so that all mankind can receivethe blessings that they have beenprivileged to have been given. Theseare given to prayer, to service, tostudying the Word. The Father’sbusiness is the driving force in theirlives. Find these people, and then youhave found the brethren. You will havefound the future family of God inembryo, and you will have beenblessed with the wondrous calling, theone predestined to you before theworld began. TSS

Royce Mitchell, Jr. is a member ofthe United Church of God, anInternational Association, in theHouston South Congregation, andwelcomes your comments via e-mail at rmitchel@flash.net.

Just What IS the FourthCommandment?

BY JACK M. LANE

10 THE SABBATH SENTINEL JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999

There are a number of Sabbathkeeping churches andcongregations around the world.At times the only discernibledifference between people who

go to church on Sunday and those who go tochurch on Saturday is the Sabbath doctrine.

The Sabbath observers’ point to the fourthcommandment, showing that it says theseventh-day is the Sabbath of Yahweh. TheSunday observers follow the teaching that thechurch (specifically, the Roman CatholicChurch) had the authority to change theSabbath from the seventh day of the week tothe first day of the week, even enforcing thechange by the edge of the sword. Many“Sunday keepers” and “Sabbath keepers” alikehave inaccurately learned the fourthcommandment. It seems most church-goingpeople are confident that the commandmentsays, “Keep the Sabbath.” As just mentioned,we speak about “keeping the Sabbath” asopposed to “keeping Sunday.”

What does it mean to “keep” one day orthe other? Does it mean to “keep” the day in acertain way? Does it mean to observe the day,or hold onto the day? How does one “keep theSabbath”? Whether we favor Saturday orSunday as our Sabbath day, perhaps it’s timeto examine this oft-used phrase, “keeping theSabbath,” more closely, so we can gain abetter understanding of what it is God wantsus to do with one specific day out of seven.

The Fourth Commandment

Let’s begin by examining thecommandment, as given in the King JamesVersion of the Bible. It begins, “Remember

the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus20:8). Notice first of all that thecommandment is not “Keep the Sabbath,” butrather, “Remember the Sabbath.” Theopposite would be to forget the Sabbath; wedon’t want to forget it, we want to rememberit. Why do we remember it? In order “to keepit holy.”

This commandment is comprised of eightwords in English, but only four words inHebrew. “Remember,” “Sabbath,” and “day”are each represented by a Hebrew word, butthe final phrase, “to keep it holy” is from theone word qadash (pronounced kaw-dash’,Strong’s #6942), which means to set apart assacred, to observe as holy. Perhaps a bettertranslation would be, “Remember theSabbath-day to sanctify it” (Young’s LiteralTranslation), or “Remember to observe theSabbath as a holy day” (The Living Bible).

If this is the case, then it may not beaccurate to think of the fourth commandmentas telling us to “keep the Sabbath.” We havehistorically said that one of our distinguishingfeatures is that we “keep” the Sabbath andholy days, while other groups “keep” Sunday,Christmas and Easter. Perhaps it’s time torealize that this may not be appropriatebiblical phraseology, after all.

What about Deuteronomy chapter 5, theother location where the Ten Commandmentsare listed? There, the Israelites were told to“Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as theLORD thy God hath commanded thee. ... Andremember that thou wast a servant in the landof Egypt, and that the LORD thy God broughtthee out thence through a mighty hand and bya stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy

What does i tmean to “keep ”

one day or th eother? Does i t

mean to “keep ”the day in a

certain way ?Does it mean t o

observe th eday, or hol d

onto the day ?How does on e

“keep th eSabbath” ?

sabbath bible study

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999 THE SABBATH SENTINEL 11

God commanded thee to keep thesabbath day” (Deuteronomy 5:12, 15).

In verse 12, “keep” is translatedfrom the Hebrew word shamar (shaw-mar’, Strong’s #8104), which means toguard, to observe and celebrate, toprotect and preserve—to “keep”something in the sense of havingcustody of it. In effect, God is tellingus, “Remember the Sabbath day toobserve it as holy, for I have chargedyou with the job of protecting it. It’s inyour custody.”

In verse 15, however, “keep” istranslated from another Hebrew word,‘asah (aw-saw’, Strong’s #6213),which means to do, to make, to act.This verse is reminding the Israelitesthat God had brought them out ofslavery by His mighty hand andoutstretched arm, and this is why theywere to do the Sabbath day.

Here we can see that, while the twoEnglish language verses say “keep theSabbath day,” we have missed someimportant understanding by notknowing what was really said. There ismore to Sabbath observance than manyof us had thought! God has placed HisSabbath day into our custody, and hascommanded us to remember it.

Other References

This same word “keep” is used inother contexts in scripture. As anexample, in Nehemiah chapter 13,Nehemiah is recounting how he stoodup to those who were buying andselling on the Sabbath day, and how hethreatened them with legal action ifthey did not stop doing business on theSabbath. He even had the city gatesclosed on the Sabbath to preventmerchants from coming in and settingup shop!

“And I commanded the Levites thatthey should cleanse themselves, andthat they should come and keep[shamar, #8104] the gates, to sanctify[qadash, #6942] the Sabbath day.Remember me, O my God, concerningthis also, and spare me according tothe greatness of thy mercy” (Nehemiah13:22).

Notice that the Levites weren’tcoming to “keep the Sabbath,” but to“keep the gates”! The NIV uses more

Modern English in this verse: “Then Icommanded the Levites to purifythemselves and go and guard the gatesin order to keep the Sabbath day holy.Remember me for this also, O myGod, and show mercy to me accordingto your great love.” From this we cansee that the fourth commandment tellsus to remember the Sabbath day, andguard it!

But what about other scriptures thattalk about keeping the Sabbath? Let’sexamine those passages and see if theEnglish is translating the Hebrewappropriately. “Ye shall keep the

unto the children of Israel, and sayunto them, When ye come into the landwhich I give you, then shall the landkeep a sabbath unto the LORD”(Leviticus 25:2). Can land—realestate—keep a sabbath? Here “keep” istranslated from a variation on the word“Sabbath” itself, the Hebrew wordshabath (Strong’s #7673), whichmeans to cease, to rest—in effect, theland shall rest a rest, or sabbath asabbath. From what we have seen,there is more to “keeping the Sabbath”than many of us had thought!

In both instances here, “keep” is translated fromshamar (#8104), to guard and protect. It is

becoming clear that God’s people are instructedto guard the Sabbath!

sabbath therefore; for it is holy untoyou: every one that defileth it shallsurely be put to death: for whosoeverdoeth any work therein, that soul shallbe cut off from among his people. ...Wherefore the children of Israel shallkeep the sabbath, to observe thesabbath throughout their generations,for a perpetual covenant” (Exodus31:14, 16).

In both instances here, “keep” istranslated from shamar (#8104), toguard and protect. It is becoming clearthat God’s people are instructed toguard the Sabbath!

On another occasion, Moses wastelling the people about the holy daysof the seventh month: “Also in thefifteenth day of the seventh month,when ye have gathered in the fruit ofthe land, ye shall keep a feast unto theLORD seven days: on the first dayshall be a sabbath, and on the eighthday shall be a sabbath” (Leviticus23:39).

In this case, the word “keep” istranslated from the Hebrew chagag(khaw-gag’, Strong’s #2287), whichmeans to hold a feast, to celebrate, tomake a pilgrimage, to dance and reel—even to stagger! In today’s vernacular,party! The holy days are special timesof joy and celebration.

Later on, God tells Moses, “Speak

Breaking the Sabbath

If our common expression,“keeping the Sabbath,” is not biblicallyaccurate, then what about anothermuch-used expression, “breaking theSabbath”?

When we first decided to observethe Sabbath, there were many questionswe needed to have answered, such as,“How do I keep the Sabbath?”, and“How do I avoid breaking theSabbath?.”

Many of us spent years learninghow to walk the fine line (or thenarrow path to the strait gate, Matthew7:14) of Sabbath observance. Weobserved strict lists of do’s and don’ts,fearing lest we offend God or man. Onthe whole, that wasn’t a bad idea, butdid we ever look to the Bible to see ifthere was a place that mentioned“breaking the Sabbath”?

In fact, there is only one place, andit is a false accusation against theMessiah: “Therefore the Jews soughtthe more to kill him, because he notonly had broken the sabbath, but saidalso that God was his Father, makinghimself equal with God” (John 5:18).

Had He done those things? Here’swhat happened: Yeshua had healed aman at the pool of Bethesda, and hadtold the man to take up his bed and

12 THE SABBATH SENTINEL JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999

walk (John 5:1-9). Of course, thiswasn’t a huge four-post bed with acanopy he was struggling with, butmore likely a small, lightweight mat ofsome kind. But the Jews, who werevery physical in their Sabbathobservance, saw the man carrying thisbed-roll, and reminded him that it wasthe Sabbath. The man told them that theOne who had healed him had told himto carry it. “Oh, really,” theyresponded. “And who was this man?”They wanted to find out who hadencouraged this fellow to carry his bedaround on the Sabbath day. When hefound out it was Yeshua, he told theJews, who then began to persecuteYeshua (verses 10-16). All the Jewscould see was a man carrying his mataround. They couldn’t see the biggerpicture, that a crippled man had beenhealed! Instead of rejoicing, theyaccused the Messiah of Sabbath-breaking!

Sabbath day holy.” One of those ruleswas to not lift a finger to do anyphysical exertion.

On that basis, the man carrying hismat around was definitely violating theSabbath day. However, he wasn’tviolating any biblical command, butone of the many rules and regulationswith which the teachers had saddled thepeople.

Sabbath Breaking Today

When we are afraid we might be“breaking” the Sabbath day, we shouldponder if we are violating the spirit ofthe Sabbath, or possibly just a man-made rule we picked up along the way.

The commandment isn’t “Don’tbreak the Sabbath,” it’s “Remember theSabbath”! If you bring the meaning ofthe Sabbath day to mind, you willbetter be able to guard it and keep it inits original intent, both physically andspiritually.

When we were babes in the faith,we had pastors and elders, teachers andpreachers, and we could go to themwith our questions about how toproperly observe the Sabbath. Now,many of us are on our own, meeting inlittle groups or spending Sabbathsalone, reading literature and listeningto tapes.

Today, there are thousands ofpeople who must rely on their Biblesand on God’s inspiration to help themknow how to observe the Sabbath daythe best way. The responsibility is oneach of us to guard the Sabbath in ourown lives, and in what we do.

The Sabbath is a Sign BetweenGod and Israel

God didn’t give the Sabbath tomankind as a harsh bond, but rather tobe the identifying sign betweenHimself and His people.

From the top of Mount Sinai, Godcommanded, “Speak also to thechildren of Israel, saying: ‘Surely MySabbaths you shall keep [shamar,guard], for it is a sign between Me andyou throughout your generations, thatyou may know that I am the LORD whosanctifies you. You shall keep [guard]the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy toyou. Everyone who profanes it shall

As a result, they were conditioned to think onlyin the physical realm of observing the Sabbath,by doing physical things and following physical

rules to “keep the Sabbath day holy.”

Sabbath had been entrusted, both byGod and by Nehemiah) were jealouslyguarding the Sabbath! Their way ofguarding it, though, was purelyphysical, and as a result they missedmany spiritual lessons along the way.

If we in the Body of Christ do havethe Holy Spirit, as these ancient Jewsdid not, we should meditate on thespiritual lessons of the Sabbath, so wedon’t fall into the same ditch oflooking only to physical fulfillment ofthe Sabbath. We of all people shouldhave a better grasp of God’s spiritualSabbath rest for His people.

In the eyes of the ancient Jews,Yeshua healed on the Sabbath day, thencommanded the healed man to pick uphis bed-roll and do what he could notdo before—walk! To top it off, Hethen claimed that God was His Father,and that both He and His Father workon the Sabbath day! As far as thepeople there could tell, Yeshua was,

Then, to make matters worse,Yeshua answered their accusationsabout working on the Sabbath with thisresponse: “’My Father is always at hiswork to this very day, and I, too, amworking.’ For this reason the Jewstried all the harder to kill him; not onlywas he breaking the Sabbath, but he waseven calling God his own Father,making himself equal with God”(verses 17-18, NIV).

What about these serious charges?Was He the Son of God? Well, yes, Hewas! But from their standpoint, He wasclaiming something that was utterlyimpossible.

Had He broken the Sabbath, orencouraged someone else to break theSabbath? To our manner of thinking,the healing of the crippled man wouldhave been so much greater in value thatit would make carrying his mat aroundsimply proof that the man had beenhealed! But the Jews (to whom the

indeed, a Sabbath breaker and ablasphemer! But we, in the retrospectof history, can see the bigger picture.Let’s apply that lesson in our lives.

As for “breaking” the Sabbath, thisword is from the Greek luo (Strong’s#3089), which means to loosen ordissolve, in the sense of loosening thebands that tie up something. The Jewswere accusing Yeshua of loosening theSabbath, or “breaking” the bonds thatheld people to the Sabbath!

Actually, He was doing things theywould never do, because their teachershad created these bonds of slavery tothe Sabbath for the very purpose ofprotecting them from violating theSabbath!

In effect, the Sabbath had become amaster to the people. As a result, theywere conditioned to think only in thephysical realm of observing theSabbath, by doing physical things andfollowing physical rules to “keep the

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999 THE SABBATH SENTINEL 13

surely be put to death; for whoeverdoes any work on it, that person shallbe cut off from among his people.Work shall be done for six days, butthe seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holyto the LORD. Whoever does any workon the Sabbath day, he shall surely beput to death. Therefore the children ofIsrael shall keep [guard] the Sabbath, toobserve the Sabbath throughout theirgenerations as a perpetual covenant. Itis a sign between Me and the childrenof Israel forever; for in six days theLORD made the heavens and the earth,and on the seventh day He rested andwas refreshed.’ And when He had madean end of speaking with him on MountSinai, He gave Moses two tablets ofthe Testimony, tablets of stone, writtenwith the finger of God” (Exodus31:13-18, NKJV)

In a later age, God told Ezekiel:“Also I gave them my Sabbaths as asign between us, so they would knowthat I the LORD made them holy”(Ezekiel 20:12, NIV).

A prevailing theme of NewTestament scripture is that when one iscalled into the Body of Christ, he orshe becomes a child of God and an heirof the promises to Abraham. We referto the New Covenant ekklesia as“spiritual Israel,” in contrast to “Israelin the flesh” (1 Corinthians 10:18).

“Remember that at that time youwere separate from Christ, excludedfrom citizenship in [national orphysical] Israel and foreigners to thecovenants of the promise, withouthope and without God in the world. Butnow in Christ Jesus you who oncewere far away have been brought near[into “spiritual Israel”] through theblood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:12-13).

“Consider Abraham: ‘He believedGod, and it was credited to him asrighteousness.’ Understand, then, thatthose who believe are children ofAbraham. The Scripture foresaw thatGod would justify the Gentiles byfaith, and announced the gospel inadvance to Abraham: ‘All nations willbe blessed through you.’ So those whohave faith are blessed along withAbraham, the man of faith. ... If youbelong to Christ, then you areAbraham’s seed, and heirs according to

the promise” (Galatians 3:6-9, 29).“Therefore, the promise comes by

faith, so that it may be by grace andmay be guaranteed to all Abraham’soffspring—not only to those who areof the law but also to those who are ofthe faith of Abraham. He is the fatherof us all. As it is written: ‘I have madeyou a father of many nations.’ He is ourfather in the sight of God, in whom hebelieved—the God who gives life tothe dead and calls things that are not asthough they were” (Romans 4:16-17).

The promise Paul is referring tocomes by faith. It is the promise ofspiritual blessings on those who comeinto “spiritual Israel”—the ekklesia ofGod.

Is It Our Sabbath?

Does it matter if we choose tocelebrate Saturday or Sunday—orTuesday, for that matter—as a Sabbath?Does it make any difference which daywe choose to be a day of rest? Godisn’t interested in our Sabbaths. Heproclaims His own Sabbath day, andcommands us to observe that one!

“There are six days when you maywork, but the seventh day is a Sabbathof rest, a day of sacred assembly. Youare not to do any work; wherever youlive, it is a Sabbath to the LORD”(Leviticus 23:3).

the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lordeven of the Sabbath’” (Matthew 2:27-28, NIV).

The Sabbath is special in that itlooks backward toward creation week:“By the seventh day God had finishedthe work he had been doing; so on theseventh day he rested from all hiswork. And God blessed the seventh dayand made it holy, because on it herested from all the work of creatingthat he had done” (Genesis 2:2-3).

But the Sabbath is also special inthat it looks forward to theMillennium. There are a number ofscriptures suggesting that God isworking out a 7,000-year plan on earthwith the human race, with the seventh1,000-year period to be a global “day”of rest—the Millennium! Notice howthe Book of Hebrews likens both theweekly Sabbath and the 1,000-yearreign of Messiah on earth as enteringinto His rest:

“Therefore, since the promise ofentering his rest still stands, let us becareful that none of you be found tohave fallen short of it. For we also havehad the gospel preached to us, just asthey [ancient Israel] did; but themessage they heard was of no value tothem, because those who heard did notcombine it with faith. Now we whohave believed enter that rest, just as

The Sabbath is special in that it looks backwardtoward creation week...Sabbath is also special in

that it looks forward to the Millennium.

“If you turn away your foot fromthe Sabbath, from doing your pleasureon My holy day, and call the Sabbath adelight, the holy day of the LORDhonorable, and shall honor Him, notdoing your own ways, nor finding yourown pleasure, nor speaking your ownwords, Then you shall delight yourselfin the LORD; and I will cause you toride on the high hills of the earth, andfeed you with the heritage of Jacobyour father. The mouth of the LORDhas spoken” (Isaiah 58:13-14, NKJV).“Then he [Messiah] said to them, ‘TheSabbath was made for man, not man for

God has said, ‘So I declared on oath inmy anger, “They shall never enter myrest.”’ And yet his work has beenfinished since the creation of theworld. For somewhere he has spokenabout the seventh day in these words:‘And on the seventh day God restedfrom all his work.’ And again in thepassage above he says, ‘They shallnever enter my rest.’ It still remainsthat some will enter that rest, and thosewho formerly had the gospel preachedto them [ancient Israel] did not go in,because of their disobedience.Therefore God again set a certain day,

14 THE SABBATH SENTINEL JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999

Calendar of Events

March 6-7, 1999Houston, TX — A Christian Renewal Conference willbe held at the Holiday Inn Select Hiway 6, North of I-10. For more information, contact George Crow at(281) 391-9225 or John Fullbright at (281) 431-2260or e-mail Bright@pdg.net

April 3-4, 1999Peachtree City, GA — A Christian RenewalConference will be held at the Wyndham PeachtreeConference Center. For more information pleasecontact Steve Sanders at (770) 844-8147.

May 21-23, 1999"Proclaiming The Sabbath More Fully" —SABBATH CONFERENCE PENTECOST 1999Hastings Lake (YMCA), Lake Villa, IL — This yearthe conference is held at the Hastings Lake YMCAcampground in Lake Villa located in northern Illinois,which is about 150 miles from Andrews, about 30miles north of Chicago and 30 miles south of Milwau-kee, just west of Waukegan. Featured speakers includeSidney Davis, Dr. John Garr of Restoration Founda-tion, Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi, Dr. P. A. Wellington of

Project Gamaliel and Pastor Richard Washington of the

Lake Region Conference. Dr. Jacques Doukhan of theInstitute for Jewish Studies at Andrews has also beencontacted. There are a number of lay scholars and re-searchers who will be at the conference as well. For in-

formation, call Sidney Davis at

sidneydavis@megsinet.net or Sldavis53@aol.com.

LAST SABBATH OF EACH MONTHDallas UCG Singles ActivityUCG Dallas, TX, has monthly singles activity open to

all denominations, on the last Sabbath of each month

featuring a meal and round table discussion, games,

cards, music, dance and other activities. For more in-

formation, contact David Sullins at (972) 484-5865 or

dsdittohd@hotmail.com or visit the Sabbatarian Singles

bulletin Board at http://www.InsideTheWeb.com/

messageboard/mbs.cgi/mb101438

If you have calendar of events of conferences, meet-

ings, speaking engagements, and other related

events of benefit to Sabbath-keepers around the

world, please send the information to: Lars G.

Harrison, The Sabbath Sentinel, 6325-9 Falls of

Neuse Road, Suite 193, Raleigh, NC 27615 USA,

calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke throughDavid, as was said before: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, donot harden your hearts.’ For if Joshua had given them rest[by leading Israel into the Holy Land], God would not havespoken later about another day. There remains, then, aSabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who entersGod’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God didfrom his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter thatrest, so that no one will fall by following their example ofdisobedience” (Hebrews 4:1-11).

The reference in Hebrews 4:9 to “a Sabbath-rest” istranslated from the Greek sabbatismos (Strong’s #4520). Itis a unique word, used only this once, and is a verb form ofthe noun “Sabbath.” It states, in effect, that there remains a“Sabbath-ing,” or a Sabbath observance, for God’s people.God created the Sabbath, as a day of rest, as a sign, and as away of acting out the prophecy of the Millennium. It’s morethan just resting one day out of seven!

Is Sabbath Observance All That's Required?

Is the Sabbath a sign to show the world that we are God’speople? We shouldn’t misunderstand this vital principle: Tobe children in whom God is well pleased, to find favor withGod, to truly be God’s people, requires more than simplyobserving the Sabbath! The Sabbath is not a sign betweenGod’s people and the rest of the world. It is a sign betweenGod and His people! “Sign” is translated from the Hebrewword ‘owth (Strong’s #226), which means a sign, a signal, ora distinguishing mark.

When God looks down on His Sabbath day, he can seewho is observing His Sabbath day and who is not. He canquickly discern among those who are observing the Sabbathday, and everyone else in the world! However, even thoughthe Sabbath is a sign between God and His people, it is notthe only requirement. We must be diligently striving to obeyall Ten Commandments! There are people who go to churchon Saturday, but spend the rest of the week doing wickedly.Our job is to make sure we are following God in every way!

Several times throughout the gospel accounts, Messiahshowed His disapproval of many of the Jewish practices ofthe time, including how they revered the Sabbath day beyondanything God expected or demanded.

We are to revere God, and especially on the Sabbath day.By keeping the principles in this article in mind, we shouldbe able to increase our joy on the Sabbath, and increase ourfellowship with our Father, while avoiding some of the trapsinto which earlier followers of God fell. As we trudge alongthe narrow path toward the strait gate, which way do we go?Follow the sign! TSS

Dr. Lane is publisher of “The WAY,” a quarterlynewsletter for the scattered church of God.Subscriptions may be requested at no charge bywriting to “The WAY” Publications, P.O. Box 1976,Placerville, CA 95667, or e-mail to theway@jps.net.

Sabbath-keeping community.

The Sabbath Sentinel: It

would interesting to hear about yourbackground history in the Church ofGod.

Tom Justus: I started attendingwith the Worldwide Church of God(WCG) in August 1955, in Pasadena,California. It was called the Radio

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999 THE SABBATH SENTINEL 15

Tom Justus (here with his wife,Thelma, whom he considers vital tohis ministry) is an independent min-ister for Church of God, SabbathDay. He volunteers his free time to abooklet ministry that consists of re-printing old booklets from HerbertArmstrong, the late founder ofWorldwide Church of God, whichare sent to free of charge to anyonerequesting them. Many independentSabbath-keepers use these bookletsfor local evangelism.

Tom Justus is anindependent ministerfor a church hefounded, calledChurch of God,

Sabbath Day.He has been actively involvement in

the ministry of two of the largercorporate organizations in the Sabbath-keeping Church of God family,Worldwide Church of God, andChurch of God, International.

His extensive background in theprinting business is at the heart-beat ofhis current ministry. Church of God,Sabbath Day, provides pamphlets of awide variety of basic doctrine that aresent free of charge to individuals, localchurches and small fellowship groupsthroughout the country.

This service teaches local groups,churches and individuals how they can

evangelize or “witness the truth” intheir communities. This direct localapproach has resulted in severalthousand people hearing the basictruths of God for the very first time. Inthis interview, Mr. Justus talks abouthis fascinating background and hispersonal views regarding importantcontemporary issues affecting the

Tom Justus(Church of God, Sabbath Day)Promoting Local Evangelism

BY JUNE NARBER HARRISON

sabbath organization profile

A Sabbath SentinelInterview with

Tom Justus Church of God, Sabbath Day

16 THE SABBATH SENTINEL JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999

Church of God at that time. We wereliving in Santa Barbara and I was themanager of Pacific Coast PublishingCompany, a large commercial printingcompany. On our first visit to Pasadenain August 1955, we spent all afternoonwith Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Armstrong.I was also a lay minister in the Churchof Christ. We started attending Sabbathservices in Pasadena, which was 125miles one way, and there were nofreeways at that time. We never misseda Sabbath service.

In 1957, WCG in Pasadena startedsending us letters from people in athree county area for us to visit. I sayus, because my wife, Thelma, hasalways been a part of my ministry. Weraised up a church in Santa Barbara in1959. I spoke there regularly, withPasadena sending ministers andstudents to help with some of thespeaking. In the early 1960’s, I wasordained to the ministry.

In 1963, I was asked to move toPasadena and build a printing plant forAmbassador College (AC). Aftersuccessfully building the facilities inPasadena, which was one of the largerprinting plants in the LA area, I went toEngland on numerous occasions tohelp build a plant there. I traveled tomany countries in Europe and to Japanto buy equipment for AC printingplants. While managing the Press, Icontinued in the ministry, givingsermons each Sabbath at differentchurches.

In 1978 I left WCG and establishedthe first church in Pasadena for GarnerTed Armstrong’s Church of GodInternational (CGI). We had a largecongregation, and I pastored thischurch for almost two years. In late1979 we decided to move toSpringdale, Arkansas, and start a familyprinting business. All of our familydecided to leave Pasadena. Our plant,Just-Us Printers, Inc., has been verysuccessful. We are in the top tensheet-fed printing plants in Arkansas.

After moving to Arkansas, Icontinued to work with CGI. I was onthe original Ministerial Council untilresigning in 1996. I raised up acongregation of about 75 members forthe CGI in Springdale, and worked with

different CGI groups all over thecountry. After resigning from CGI in1996, I became independent andformed a group called Church of God,Sabbath, a basic doctrine bookministry.

TSS: Your approach to preachingthe gospel teaches local Sabbathgroups how to preach the gospel intheir area through the distribution ofyour literature. Can you tell us howthis works?

TJ: Our booklet ministry consistsof reprinting old booklets fromHerbert Armstrong. We call thesebooklets basic doctrines. All of thesebooklets are designed to fit into a #10envelope, about 3 ¾ X 9 inches. Theyare made this way, so that local churchgroups can rubber stamp their ownchurch name and address on them Wehave sent out over 150,000 of thesesince we started.

We have a little booklet called“You Can Preach The Gospel” thatshows how anyone can use thesebooklets in a ministry. We also offerad sheets, an outline letter that can beused for follow-up and return cardslisting all available booklets with spacefor their church address to be rubberstamped on the front.

All this material is FREE in bulkquantities. No person involved in ourministry is salaried or drawing any kindof expense money. All money goes forproducing booklets and postage.

TSS: What inspired you to startthis unique ministry?

TJ: It seemed that the Sabbathgroups were all trying to proselyteeach other. This booklet ministry is away to reach new people. Many of theleaders of Sabbath groups would notlet members use their talents in localareas. They only wanted them to payand pray. I wanted to do something tohelp change this.

TSS: What products do you haveavailable?

TJ: We have fourteen differentbooklets and other helps I mentionedearlier. We also have audio andvideotapes we send out for free.

TSS: On a personal note, do youand Thelma have any children?

TJ: We have four children: two

sons and two daughters. We also nowhave eight grandchildren and one greatgrandson. Our oldest son is deceased.None of our children are active in thiswork.

TSS: You use Mr. H. Armstrong’solder writings, but do you write anybooklets yourself?

TJ: Some, but I mostly edit andreprint.

TSS: Is this ministry internationalin its focus?

TJ: Yes, we send booklets andtapes to fifteen foreign countries.

TSS: What kind of organizationalstructure or governmental structure doyou have set up for this work?

TJ: We are a small church of about30 adults. We have a board of directorsso that we can have a tax ID number,but the entire church makes thedecisions together. I am the Pastor, butI am not in “charge.” We all worktogether.

TSS: What doctrines do you teach?Do you have any comments regardingthe current controversial doctrines,such as which calendar should be usedto determine the holy days, or whichday Passover is on?

TJ: We teach the basic doctrine ofrepentance and baptism by immersion.We do teach the keeping of the HolyDays. I would rather not discuss datesand calendars because they aredivisive.

TSS: Do you teach any doctrinesthat could be said are unique to yourown group?

TJ: We have no unique doctrine. Itmay be unique in that we furnishliterature to any one that asks, and tryto get people to understand that we areall members of the Body of Christ.

TSS: What is your position on therole of women in the church?

TJ: We teach that women and menwere created equal, and in Christ thereis neither male nor female. Thereshould be no restrictions placed onwomen in leadership in our society.

TSS: As a minister, do you speakmuch?

TJ: I speak often. Locally I pastor30 adults in our church. I also traveland speak. I am available to speak atseminars.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999 THE SABBATH SENTINEL 17

TSS: What do you believe is themost effective way of preaching thegospel at this time?

TJ: The most effective way now isgetting people active on a local basis tospread the gospel. This is how the earlychurch did it and it spread around theworld with no television, radio orprinting presses.

TSS: Do you fellowship or workwith other Sabbath-keepingorganizations?

TJ: Yes, wherever it is possible. Ifeel that fellowshipping with otherSabbath groups is important.

TSS: You have your own printingbusiness. Do you ever print items forother churches?

TJ: I print for many churchorganizations. I would like to note thatwe send our own material free to anychurch that asks for it. Commercialprinting jobs for other people arepriced according to the job.

TSS: What is the highlight of yourcurrent ministry?

TJ: The highlight of my currentministry is seeing people using thetalents God has given them.

TSS: Have you ever witnessed anysupernatural events, such as healings?

TJ: In my thirty plus years in theministry, I have been a part ofmiraculous healings.

TSS: Can you tell us about one ofthese healings you have personallywitnessed?

TJ: In one healing, a man trimminga tree hit a 16,000-volt power line. Thecurrent entered his left hand, blowing ahole in it, going across his body andexiting through his right foot, blowinga hole in it. When I arrived at the scenethe paramedics were present with ascope on him. The scope showed noheartbeat. I laid my hands on him andsaid a short prayer. Immediately, the

scope lines showed a heartbeat. Hewas taken to the UCLA burn center andrecovered. He was able to continuedoing his job. When my wife and Ivisited him in the center, the doctortold us they had never seen anyonesurvive that much electricity goingthrough their body. I could spendhours talking about different healings,especially in the early years of theWorldwide Church of God.

TSS: Do you believe in spiritualgifts?

TJ: I do believe in spiritual gifts. Ihave not seen what I would classify asgifts of healings and prophecy in thechurch.

TSS: What is the biggest obstacleyou have had to face in your currentministry?

TJ: The biggest obstacle I haveencountered in this ministry is themindset that you have to have some bigheadquarters to preach the gospel andthat only “ordained” ministers canteach and speak.

TSS: How is your work differenttoday compared with the ministry youdid in the past for WCG and CGI?

TJ: In my ministry today, I do nothave to conform to a largecorporation. I am able to use my mindmore. I feel that I have grown morespiritually with a deeper understandingof the love of God in the last threeyears than in all the previous years inthe ministry of WCG and CGI.

TSS: What do you believe needs tobe done to more effectively preach thegospel in the international areas?

TJ: The same that needs to be donein the United States. Get people activein their own areas.

TSS: What are your present andfuture objectives for your work?

TJ: My present objective is tomake people more aware of the

Contact InformationTom Justus & Church of God, Sabbath Day

Address: P.O. Box 1645. Springdale, Arkansas 72765, USATelephone: (501) 751-9535E-mail: justus4779@aol.com

availability of these booklets and tohelp get more people involved inpreaching the gospel in their own areas.I hope to travel more to areas and helpsmall groups to become independent ofa hierarchy and to start using the talentsthat God has given them.

Mr. Justus is available by phone,email or letter to answer any questionsthe readers of TSS might have. He alsois available to help local areas tobecome established in active localevangelism. TSS

EditorialContinued from page 3

and pressing issues in our physicallives. If you know of any youth writerswho are interested in writing, let usknow.

We continue our regular feature ofSabbath-keeping organizations with aninterview with Tom Justus, founder ofChurch of God, Sabbath Day. As aformer printer, Tom has applied histalents and gifts in a unique ministry ofproviding free booklets to believerseverywhere to be used in proclaimingthe truth in local areas.

Sadly, some Sabbath-keepers attenda church, assembly or a group, and thenreturn home to spend the remainder ofthe weekend, without much reflectingupon the purpose of keeping theSabbath. Believers should guard theSabbath and sanctify its use byworshiping God and connecting othersto long-lasting relationships whetherthey are the one-on-one relationship tothe Messiah and the Father, or therelationship to the body of believers.Dr. Jack Lane in this bible study “JustWhat is the Fourth Commandment?”discusses how we should learn to guardthe Sabbath and keep it better.

I look forward to hearing from you,and have safe winter!

Lars G. Harriso nEditor, The Sabbath Sentine l

insearch@mindspring.co m

18 THE SABBATH SENTINEL JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999

Yellow Pencils �R� Us!BY JUNE NARBER HARRISON

As a body of believers, we in theSabbath community come in avariety of shapes, sizes, colors,and backgrounds. However, weoften end up expecting

everyone in our circle of faith to act alike,think alike, and most of all, to LOOK alike.

God Created variety in Our World

Our creator made an incredibly diverseworld. Tens of thousands of varieties ofmammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, birds,ocean creatures, and insects (not to mentionthe other subdivisions of creatures) roam theearth. With so much variety in nature, is it anywonder that God made diversity amonghumans, the only living creature made in theimage of God himself? Often in the church,we find ourselves judging someone if theylook different, act different, or come from abackground that we may not personallyunderstand.

AC Students Called “Yellow Pencils”

We used to joke at Ambassador Collegeand call ourselves “yellow pencils,” as we hadto dress conservatively, men had similar haircuts, no women wore makeup (in those days),and so forth. Was all of that really necessaryin order to be true followers of Jesus Christ? Idon’t think it was. Today, we live in a multi-cultural society. Perhaps in the not so distantfuture, God is going to start calling more andmore people into His truth. Among these, willbe people that we see few of in the “church”today.

Are We Judged On Dress and Looks,Rather Than On Character?

Consider for a moment, how the churchwould change if more young people, all of asudden, came into it? What would happen ifseveral high ranking “corporate types” walkedthrough our doors? What if a supermodelcame to church? What would happen if anyone

“different” from the working class cameinto our midst? Would they be treated well?Consider for a moment how people inYOUR area have been treated. If a personhas their hair a little too long, or a little tooshort, are they immediately singled out as agossip topic and labeled as not being“Christian”?

In my observations, the two most judgedareas in the Churches of God, includewomen (in all regards: clothing, makeup,their “appointed” role via career, family),and the possession of money and/or thecollege educated. For example, if a womanwears a little brighter makeup than you areused to, do you think “daughter of Jezebel?”In one church I am familiar with, theministers will not allow women to come toservices unless they have dresses or skirtson, no slacks are allowed.

Should We Base Character on OurOwn Dress Codes?

The reason is that slacks are considereda man’s clothing garment. Let’s evaluate thisexample. Clothing styles are a culturallydefined phenomenon. In ancient Israel,males wore robes. Technically speakingthen, skirts were originally a man’s“garment.” We cannot add additional laws toGod’s word, in order to legislate how aperson is to dress. If we do, we are no betterthat the Pharisees!

Modesty is always the main objective. Ifsomeone is dressing with half of their bodyexposed (the parts that generate sexualexcitement), some one of the same gendershould take this person aside in private andtalk to them.

Are Gems and Jewelry to be LeftBuried in the Earth, or Worn?

Another common subject is the use ofjewelry. Anyone can make the Bible say

With so muc hvariety i n

nature, is it an ywonder tha t

God mad ediversit y

amon ghumans, th e

only livin gcreature mad ein the image o f

God himself ?Often in th e

church, we fin dourselve s

judgin gsomeone i f

they loo kdifferent, ac tdifferent, o r

come from abackgroun d

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999 THE SABBATH SENTINEL 19

anything they want it to say, if theytake a couple of verses out of context.God created gorgeous gems and rocksin a variety of colors and textures.Gems are most beautiful when cut sothey can reflect the light. They showsome of God’s most incredible artisticwork in the Creation. If we are notsupposed to wear them, what are wesupposed to do with them? Would Godhave us leave them buried deep in theEarth?

If so, why did he create them to beso gorgeous when cut? If a supposedrule of God does not measure up tocommon sense, we need to make surethat we have the rule right.

I do not believe it is a sin to wearjewelry; only if such things become anicon to us; and that is by far in theminority of cases. There is littledifference in decorating our own“selves” verses decorating our homes.

For example, I could dress in pastelpink from head to toe (including pinkgem jewelry) or have every square inchof my house done in pink: what is thedifference? It is a matter of beauty andpersonal creativity, and of personalexpression of the individual. There isnothing sinful in any of this. Someexamples might show a person haslittle cultural taste or flair for color ora sense of matching, but it does notconstitute SIN, the breaking of one ofGod’s spiritual laws.

Must You be Poor to be Rich InCharacter With God

Consider the subject of money.Many people translate the scriptures toread, “Money is the root of all evil”. Ihear brethren saying that God onlycalls poor people now, the weak of theearth, because they are the only onesHe wants. Excuse me? Are thesepeople not adding additional words to ascripture to twist it to fit their personalrendition? Such an idea would make apoor person feel really good aboutthemselves, but God is not a respecterof persons.

There are examples in the Old andNew Covenants of very rich people andvery poor people, all of whomworshipped God in fear and trembling,

and who will be part of the firstresurrection.

Open Hostility Toward theEducated Brethren

Another area that always hasmystified me is the open hostility inthe church toward those who areeducated. It appears as though thisgeneration of God’s church as reversedthe discriminations found in society. Ifthis is truly the case, we are NOT usingGod’s Holy Spirit properly, or at all inthese cases. Just because some one hasa selfish view point they hold in orderto exalt themselves and personal “lifecircumstance”, does not make theirsituation the godly ideal. We shouldrespect and appreciate all individuals,regardless of education or background.The more experience and educationindividuals have, the better equippedthey will be to serve in the future.

Keeping Material Things andPersonal Opinions in Balance

Makeup, clothing, jewelry, money-all of these things must be individuallybalanced in the Christian’s daily walkwith God. The brotherhood ofbelievers is comprised of the rich andthe poor, male and female, the brilliantand the ignorant, and many shades ofcolor. We must not judge those thatare different from us in worldlypossessions, physical attire, orprofessionally. We should only beconcerned when the subject at hand is amatter of sin, the breaking of one ofGod’s Ten Commandments.

The last time I checked, there werestill only Ten Commandments. Sometimes I have wondered if there was notan Eleventh Commandment that said,“Thou women shall submit in allthings”, and a Twelfth Commandmentthat said, “Thou must be poor, blind,and ignorant in order to follow me”;but as we all know, this is not the case.

Learn to Love Each Other'sUniqueness and Individuality

Yellow pencils have their purpose.They are instruments to be writtenwith. However, God’s creation is anincredibly diverse and complex thing.We should not attempt to destroy the

individuality and the uniqueness ofeach other by trying to mold eachother into our “own image”. Instead,we should learn from each other,improving on our strengths, and castingour weaknesses aside.

Develop Yourself Into the BestYou Can Be!

We should be industrious,developing our talents in fear beforeGod. So what if a talent comeswrapped in a human package we mightnot expect? Most of all, we shouldappreciate the talent, intelligence, andgifts of others. Maybe we judge othersout of jealousy, especially if they havemore money than we do; or they areobviously more talented or evenphysically attractive. So what? Learn todevelop yourself into the best you canbe!

Becoming a Mature Christian Is aLifelong Process

I can assure you that right now, youare NOT the best that you can be.Becoming mature and perfected inspiritual character is a lifelongprocess! Perhaps we judge othersbased on physical things because onlyby chopping someone else down belowour level, can we keep our self esteemhigh. If any of this ring true in regardto your own behavior or attitudes, it istime to break the yellow pencilmentality and learn that individualityand diversity are among the greatestgifts we have received as a humanbeing made in the image of God.

Apply God's Way of Life

We must develop God’s characterand apply HIS way of life to our ownindividual and unique lives. This way,every sector of society can bepenetrated by the light of God’s way oflife. There is such great beauty in eachof us. Open up your eyes a little moreand see the beauty around you.(By the way, pencils now come in avariety of colors). TSS

June Narber Harrison , a Directorof the BSA, can be reached atejnarber@mindspring.com

TSS Is Now A Free Publication

20 THE SABBATH SENTINEL JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999

I am pleased to announce exciting developments! Formore than fifty years, The Bible Sabbath Associationhas published The Sabbath Sentinel. It has provided a

wealth of information of interest to Sabbath-keepers. Thismagazine has been an invaluable tool in promotingunderstanding and cooperation among Sabbatarians, andproclaiming the Sabbath Truth. With the Almighty’sguidance, we need to take some steps to carry this work intothe next millennium.

The Sabbath Sentinel Is Now a Free Publication

Beginning in 1999, we are converting the magazine froma subscription periodical to a FREE publication, andchanging from a slick color cover to black and white. Thereare several important reasons why this change is needed. Forone, our subscription base is too small to warrant the costsof color printing.

For another, we believe that a FREE magazine willenlarge our readership, and provide the means for The BibleSabbath Association to reach out to many more people. Iencourage you to send us the names of friends who may beinterested in receiving a free subscription to The SabbathSentinel.

Reading TSS On the Internet

And, making the magazine free will enable us to offerThe Sabbath Sentinel on the Internet. You may read thecurrent issue, and some past issues, on our new BSA website at www.biblesabbath.org. You will also be interested inreading additional material on our web site, including ourlatest order blank of BSA materials. If you prefer to readour magazine online instead of on paper, give us your e-mailaddress (send it to me at giveshare@vcn.com), and we willnotify you when the latest issue goes online. (You maydecide to have both the paper copy and e-mail notification.)

Looking for Article and News Contributions

The content of our magazine is more important than anyother aspect. Our fine editor, Lars Harrison, needsworthwhile articles, and could use editorial assistance. Weespecially need positive news of activities of Sabbath-keepers from many persuasions. Can you be an article andnews gatherer for our magazine?

BSA Needs a WebMaster

The Bible Sabbath Association also needs a qualified

“webmaster” (we prefer to call this position a “webservant”). This person will maintain and enhance our BSAweb site at www.biblesabbath.org. We need dedicatedindividuals to do word processing for the BSA, as we seekto retypeset and reprint Sabbath material. Are you willing tovolunteer your services to share the Sabbath Truth toothers? Please contact me toll free at 888-687-5191.

Membership Donation Needed

While some might think that converting The SabbathSentinel to a free magazine is a leap of faith, I believepeople will continue to support this unique organization.Each year, subscribers will receive a renewal notice. Oursuggested donation is $15 per year to cover the publishingcosts. Some may be able to pay for the free subscriptions ofothers. I encourage your support and feedback as we makethese important changes in direction of The SabbathSentinel. Let me know what you think.

The Turkey and the SabbathFor the past couple of years, my employer has given out

a Thanksgiving turkey as a bonus gift to every employee.The first year, we stood in line as the frozen birds werehanded out. I joked to another fellow worker whom I knowvery well, “You don’t need a turkey; you are a turkey!”

This year, however, I took a day off to catch up on someG&S and BSA work. The free turkeys were to be handed outat 4:00 p.m. that day. Any unclaimed turkeys at the end ofthe day would be donated to the local food bank. I didn’tneed the turkey, but since I was doing business in townanyway, I made it a point to stop by the office in time topick up my free turkey. The turkey was a gift, but I had to bethere on a specific day and time to receive the free gift.

Sabbath-keeping is a Required Appointment

Keeping the Sabbath is like this. How? Well, salvation(eternal life in God’s Kingdom) is a gift from God. NothingI can do will earn me God’s free gift of eternal life.However, for me, since God has revealed His Holy Sabbathto me, Sabbath-keeping is a required appointment for me. Itis not my concern how God will judge others concerning

Continued on page 21

bsa president's letter

Faith In God

BY MANDIE NICKELS

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999 THE SABBATH SENTINEL 21

keeping the Sabbath or not. Salvation is like the gift turkey Ireceived from my employer. If I did not show up around4:00 p.m. on the specified day, I would not receive a turkeygift. My appearing at the proper time did not earn me theturkey, but it was required.

Those Sabbath-keepers who falsely accuse me of“legalism” charging: “you are saying Sabbath-keeping earnsyou salvation,” seem to have difficulty understanding theEnglish language. I have tried to make it plain, but it appearssome will continue to live in the fog.

Eternal Life is a Gift

Another analogy also illustrates the point. I don’t havemany material goods, but I do have a will, which, in case thatI die, gives what little I have to my wife, and then to ourchildren. Now I am not going to take any of them out of mywill, unless they become abominable and totallyrecalcitrant, after all efforts to rehabilitate them have failed.Could you say that “being good” earns them myinheritance? No way! They are my family.

My inheritance is a gift that my children did not earn.However, wretched actions on their part could lead me to

write them out of my will. The Sabbath is like that. Keepingthe Sabbath does not earn the gift of inheriting eternal life.However, consistently thumbing your nose at the Sabbath,when you know better, could well cause you to lose the giftof eternal life. TSS

President's MessageContinued from page 20

“I am with you and will watch over you wherever you

go,” God promises us in Genesis 28:15. If I did not knowthat, I probably would not be able to go on in life. The worldthrows us so many hard balls, without any warnings, but itvery reassuring that God will always help us through it.

I am 14 years old and live in a world of hate andtemptation. Remarkably, I manage to walk away fromtemptation everyday because of the strength and love Ireceive from my heavenly Father. Everyday starts out withsome form of temptation. The second I walk through thedoors of my school, I walk into a society that is blind towardthe word of God. It is a society filled with hate, as well asdrugs, sex and many other harsh things. Having to say no tothese temptations is a very common thing to me. I have notbeen able to play any sports, because the games are mostlyon the Sabbath. But, I don’t look at it as a punishment,because while they are playing basketball, I am learning andstudying the true word of God.

“What does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear theLord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, toserve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all yoursoul” (Deuteronomy 10:12). This verse means a lot to mebecause while I’m saying no and obeying the Lord, I ammaking Him happy—doing just like what He wants me to do.I don’t want to live any life without Him. Life is hardenough, so I couldn’t imagine living this life without God’sprotection, guidance and love.

Growing up as a teenager in today’s society is a hard, butequally wonderful experience. But with the word of God, Ican walk on a clear path—with His hand in mine.

Faith is really the key to survival. Faith in yourself tosimply pursue your duty to the best of your ability, and atlast return home with honor. Faith in your fellow man, andfaith in your country and its national purpose and cause. Themost important faith you can possibly ever have is the faithin God. He is the foundation for everything in life. Ourlives, whether we are a teenager or an adult, are a constantjourney. We have to learn and grow at every juncture as wemake our way in life: sometimes tripping, but alwaysmoving, toward the ultimate purpose—to become like Godin character and pursuit of life. TSS

Mandie Nickels , is a 14-year old Sabbath-keeper inWyoming. You can write to her atmiss_blondie@angelfire.com.

We are looking for a variety of articles fromSabbath-keeping youth. If you are inter-ested in writing for The Sabbath Sentinel,let us. Contact us at the address on page 2.

teenageperspectives

BSA Scholarship Program

"Sabbath-keeping youth need help andencouragement," says Richard Nickels, President ofThe Bible Sabbath Association. "One way to do this isto encourage academic achievement. That is why theBSA is instituting what we hope to be an annualscholarship program exclusively for Sabbath-keepingyoung people. We will start the program small, andwith the Almighty's help, see where it leads. We hopemany adults will become financial supporters of thisexcellent program." You may download a BSAscholarship application from www.biblesabbath.org, orwrite: The Bible Sabbath Association, 3316 AlbertaDrive, Gillette, WY 82718, telephone (307) 686-5191.

Excellent Job

Greetings Brother Harrison,I appreciate the excellent job you are doing with the

Sabbath Sentinel. Enclosed are the Bible Study Guides wewant to share. Hope you can use them. Your Brother andSister in Christ,

Milton and Carole HustonKansas City, KS

The Sabbath Sentinel values our readers’views. Address correspondence to Lars G.Harrison, The Sabbath Sentinel , 6325-9 Falls ofNeuse Rd., Suite 193, Raleigh, NC 27615 USA;fax to (919) 878-3803; or e-mail toinsearch@mindspring.com orlharrison@altika.com. Letters should include

the author’s name, title, company or affiliation, address, andoptional e-mail address. The Sabbath Sentinel reserves theright to edit letters for clarity and space.

22 THE SABBATH SENTINEL JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999

New Board of Directors tobe Elected Summer 1999

The New Board of Directors will beelected for The Bible Sabbath Association.

Candidates must be available to serve andpromote the cause of The Bible SabbathAssociation, including promotion of BSAliterature, The Sabbath Sentinel, serve oncommittees, and be able to donate at least threeor so hours a week to work on BSA relatedprojects, when necessary. Board Directors willalso be asked to actively advertise theobjectives of BSA to help recruit new membersand supporters. We are in search of a Board ofDirectors who will be very active in leading BSAinto the new century. It is requested thatcandidates for President and Vice President arenot involved in a personal, full time ministry. Dueto time constraints, we do not believe theywould have the appropriate time to dedicate toBSA.

Candidates so far, come from a variety ofSabbath keeping backgrounds (includingindependent Sabbath keepers). They are allactive in promoting the Seventh Day Sabbath;and have a long history as both a Sabbathkeeper and promoter, are active in theircommunity, and have shown a sincere desire tohelp BSA reach its many goals. Interestedwomen are encouraged to apply.

If you think you would like to serve BSA inthis capacity, please contact June NarberHarrison (Election/Candidate RecruiterChairperson). Candidates will be asked tosubmit a one-page typed biography (describingtheir background, family life, and Sabbathkeeping history and other information theywould like to share with BSA Members). Thepurpose of this biography is to introducecandidates to the BSA membership at large. Allinterested parties will be sent an “invitationletter” that contains all relative information.

For more information, write June at 6325-9Falls of Neuse #193, Raleigh, NC 27615; or e-mail her at ejnarber@mindspring.com. Deadlinefor candidates March 31st (including currentBoard members who seek reelection) to havetheir biographies sent to June (current boardmembers also must send in new biographies bythe deadline).

The Bible SabbathAssociation Constitution andBylaws

Article 1. Election of Officers Section 2. TheBible Sabbath Association Constitution andBylaws shall be amended to read as follows:

The Officers of the Association shall be electedfor terms of FOUR YEARS, said elections to beconducted on a single ballot at the RegularBiennial Election.

For a copy of the Constitution and Bylaws,contact:

Bryan Burrell, Secretary & TreasurerHC 60 Box 8, Fairview, OK 73737burrell@fairview-ok.net

BSA WEB SITE — Contact RichardNickels at giveshare@vcn.com for in-formation regarding the new BSAweb site located athttp://www.biblesabbath.org

FRIENDS OF THE SABBATHSEMINAR tapes available through theBSA, Write to 3316 Alberta Drive,Gillette, WY 82718 or phone toll free1-888-687-5191 for a complete list.Available for $3.00 each with a mini-mum order of 6 tapes.

CUAL ES EL DIA DE REPOSODEL NUEVO TESTAMENTO? Sabeusted cual es el dia de reposo delNuevo Testamento? Aprenda lo quedeclara su propia Biblia sobre estetema de vital importancia. Escribanos ypida el folleto gratuito titulado, “Cuales el Dia de reposo del Nuevo Testa-mento?” Dirijase a The Bible SabbathAssociation, 3316 Alberta Drive,Gillette, WY 82718.

Correspondence Wanted—Amateurhas an atomist hypothesis (cylindricalatoms 1:137 width:length). Many in-teresting parallels to modern physicstheory. Proof. Overturns relativity.Tom Sawyer, 6 Spinney Lane, DurhamNH 03824

Bible Study Resources—Web siteprovides links to many study re-sources, as well as items of special in-terest to the greater Sabbatarian com-munity. http://members.aol.com/ITH521/bible_study.html

FREE REPORT — How To TeachYour Children Biblical Work Ethicsand the Principles That Guarantee Em-ployment Success: The Road Map, PO

Box 4154-SS, Kansas City, KS66104

The Character and Personality ofthe Antichrist , 28 pp., by WilyElder, is available free from AFSSCorporation, 12555 Biscayne Blvd,#720, North Miami, FL 33181.

FREE—How To Keep and TeachThe Ten Commandments of God.“Enlightenment”. Box 55, Elkton, FL32033-0055.

Advertise with TSS in theClassified Ads, take out 1/4 - 2 pagemagazine ads or on the BSA web site.

Bible SabbathResourcesAvailable from

The Bible SabbathAssociation

3316 Alberta DriveGillette, WY 82718

Information phone307-687-0484

Toll-free order phone888-687-5191

Please send 10% for postage& handling

ORDER SUGGESTEDCODE DONATION

P208 Has Time Been Lost Free18pp

B204 A History of the Sabbath $5& Sunday J. Kiesz 63pp

B207 History of the $7.50Waldenses J. A. Wylie

B214A Woman Rides the $10.00Beast Dave Hunt 552pp

V201 The Israel of the Alps $3085 min video - Waldenses

V202A 14-day video loan $5

BSAM Membership in BSA $25annual dues includeSentinel subscription

Support BSA and Become aMember Today!

Regular Membership $25; Family Membership $30Send to: BSA, 3316 Alberta Drive,

Gillette, WY 82718 USAToll Free: 1-888-687-5191

Classified ads are available at the rate of $1.00 per word (including each word and each group of numbers in the address—telephone numbers count as one word) for each issue in which the ad is published. Display ads are available at $150 per quarterpage for each issue the ad is published. Where possible your camera-ready copy will be utilized, or we will design your displayad for you. Send copy for all ads and payment to The Bible Sabbath Association, 3316 Alberta Drive, Gillette, WY 82718. Ad copywithout payment will not be accepted for publication. Deadline is two months prior to publication (i.e. if you want your ad to appearin the March/April issue we must receive it before January). BSA reserves the right to reject or edit any ad copy. Publication doesnot necessarily imply endorsement by The Bible Sabbath Association or The Sabbath Sentinel.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1999 THE SABBATH SENTINEL 23

FREE—1999 Calendar of theLord

According to the Gospel of Christfor the New Testament generations,all nations, to know and/or do; Luke4:18-19. His calendar is finished,

containing all heavenly events fromthe Old Testament (Seventh DaySabbath) to the New Testament,

beginning on March 19. Write to:

Church of God (New Testament),At Large

45-020B Malulani StreetKaneohe, HI 96744 USA

classified ads

Jesus says that he builds his bodyof believers upon a foundation ofrock, while others seek to build

upon a foundation of sand. The forcesof hell will not overpower his body ofbelievers. Jesus says, “Stop beingafraid! I am the First and the Last andthe Living One; and I died, and now yousee I am alive forever and I have thekeys of death and of the unseen.” Jesus,the author and finisher of faith, givesbelievers their faith from start to finish.

If God is for a body of believers, whocan be against them? We know that allthings work together for good forbelievers who love God. Be assured, Hewho carries out everything exactly asHis will plans it, appointed us long ago inChrist and chose us according to hispurpose.

Before God made the world, His loveled Him to choose us in Christ to beholy and blameless in His sight.Believers, imitate God as His dearchildren Live as children of light. Do nothave anything to do with the works ofdarkness. According to Peter, God callseach believer out of darkness into Hismarvelous light. “Once you were no

The Sabbath Sentinel(USPS 474-580) (ISSN 1082-0833)

A Bi-monthly Publication ofThe Bible Sabbath Association

HC 60 Box 8, Fairview, OK 73737

people, but now you are God’s people.”According to Paul, believers are the

body of Christ, and each believer is anindividual part of it. James says thatbelievers should not favor one personover another. How believers behave isan expression of a gentle spirit ofwisdom. God gives grace to the humble.Christian believers should be patientuntil the Lord comes.

Scriptural quotations from God’s Word to the

Nations.

—Mike Galimorewyldfyre@bluemarble.net

A Body of BelieversA Body of Believers

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