by Guest Contributor Dwayne Johnson
Consider what happened on Sunday—the first day of the week:
•
Jesus rose from the dead Saturday night at the end of three days and
three nights in the tomb and revealed Himself early Sunday morning.
(Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-9; Luke 24:1-7;
John 20:1). The women worshiped the risen Christ, and His resurrection
became the foundation of Christian worship.
• Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene on Sunday.(John 20:11-18). She recognized her risen Lord and honored Him in worship.
• Jesus appeared to the other women on Sunday. (Matthew 28:9-10). They "came to Him, clasped His feet and worshiped Him."
•
Jesus appeared to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus on Sunday. (Luke
24:13-35). Their hearts burned within them as they recognized the risen
Christ and returned rejoicing.
•
Jesus appeared Sunday evening to the gathered disciples (John
20:19-23). The disciples were assembled together, the risen Christ stood
in their midst, and they rejoiced in His presence—a gathering centered
on the worship of the risen Lord.
•
Eight days later (again the first day of the week), Jesus appeared to
the disciples with Thomas present (John 20:26-29). Thomas responded by
worshiping Jesus, declaring, "My Lord and my God!"
Then consider Pentecost is always on a Sunday in May—fifty days after the Feast of Firstfruits (Leviticus 23:15-16):
• Peter preached the Gospel to the people who were gathered together on Pentecost Sunday. About 3,000 people were baptized.
• The Holy Spirit was poured out from heaven on the Day of Pentecost on Sunday
• The New Testament church was publicly established on Sunday.
•
The believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship,
the breaking of bread, and prayers—all centered on the worship of the
risen and exalted Christ.
And do not overlook this remarkable fact:
Jesus
rose on the Feast of Firstfruits, which also falls on Sunday. Paul
later declared, "Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the
firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians 15:20). Even
the feast itself pointed to Him.
So
no, Jesus did not spend forty days making a verbal announcement that
the Sabbath was abolished. Instead, God filled the first day of the week
with
the greatest redemptive events in history:
• The risen Jesus revealed on Sunday.
• Jesus received worship on Sunday.
• Jesus repeatedly appeared to His disciples on Sunday.
• Jesus accepted Thomas' Sunday worship as "My Lord and my God."
• The Holy Spirit was poured out on Sunday.
• Three thousand were baptized on Sunday.
• The New Testament church was born on Sunday.
These are not papal traditions. They are biblical events. No one claims
Jesus spent forty days saying, "The Sabbath has been changed to Sunday."
The real question is, Why did God choose the first day of the week to
reveal the risen Christ, receive worship, pour out the Holy Spirit, and
inaugurate the New Covenant church?
Every
day is the right day to worship the Savior. Keeping the weekly Sabbath
and the annual Sabbaths are reminders of God love, mercy, and
forgiveness. The day you meet will other Believers a matter of choice.
The Sabbath is a day of rest from working six days. It's a gift and a
blessing from our Heavenly Father.
Paul wrote in the Book of Romans:
Who
are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or
falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him
stand.
One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it.
He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does
not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.~ Romans
14:4-6
In other words, mind your own business. Stop judging and debating who's "right and who's wrong." Stop worshiping a "day" and worship the One who created the Days.
You are cordially invited to share your Christian experience with Renew Your Strength Bible Study Group
The purpose of this post is to get people to think about what they believe and why they believe it, not debate who's right or wrong.
To
learn the revealed truth of God we must know and understand the true
meaning of the words God inspired to be written. Use Strong's
Concordance to check the original word before it was translated. Do your own research, make up your own mind, rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you.
