My new husband does not share my Messianic Faith; and he does not understand my Sabbath Day observation.
In fact, he thinks I adhere to seventh-day-adventist observances … even though I adamantly refute that cultish religion, and have repeatedly told him that I am not seventh-day-adventist in any way.
This misunderstanding has led to some weekend angst between us.
Holland has some religious things I'm uncomfortable with, too (like the bethel church mindset & music; which I believe is a religious cult); so, I prayerfully give him some slack on topics we agree to disagree on. I know that at some point Elohim will bring us to a middle ground we can both comfortably stand on ;-)
Yes, I observe the Sabbath Rest: I do this the best way I can - and sometimes my {rest} can get pretty harried when the world's chaos presses in on me. But the {rest} is always there - I never let that completely slide; no matter how the day unfolds: my thoughts are always focused on Yeshua and His place in my Life (if I cannot be reading His Word, I rely on the Ruach HaKo'desh - the Holy Spirit - to bring refreshing Scripture passages to the forefront of my thoughts). Music that uplifts, focuses on, and encourages reliance on Yeshua is always a part of my day (if not actually playing … it is running through my thoughts). If a chance encounter leads to sporadic fellowship - I'm feeling blessed and loved by Elohim. I eat on the Sabbath - if that includes grocery shopping and meal preparation, I know Yeshua understands and spreads His grace over the activity. I purposefully carve out time to spend with my husband - Holland is my gift from Elohim, I include thanksgiving for his presence in my life when I bless Elohim for all His gifts (which include the gift of salvation through His Son, Yeshua).
No matter what is going on Friday through Sunday, Yeshua is at the heart of it. Always.
I am not orthodox in any way/shape/or form, according to any religion: I adhere strictly to Scripture, which means I observe my Sabbath Rest by including and acknowledging the grace by which Yeshua, Himself, observed the Sabbath Rest.
I have some Jewish DNA (Ashkenazi on my father's side; Sephardi on my mother's side).
I am a Christian (follower, disciple, envoy of Yeshua (Jesus)).
I am a Messianic Believer = a Jewish Believer in Yeshua as the promised Messiah (Savior available to Jew and Gentile).
I am one in a sea of many that make up The Body of the church - I am The Church: I do not 'go to church'. Occasionally, when possible, I fellowship in a building filled with Believers (The Church), this is how I met Holland: but I do not believe sitting in a building makes me "saved". I believe that belief in Yeshua makes me saved, and that fellowshipping with, and sharing the Gospel with someone in the grocery store, in a Park, or walking a hiking trail can be just as effective (sometimes more so) than sitting in a building run by a religious corporation with a religious mindset. I believe Yeshua can minister through me and to me outside of a building titled, 'Church'.
I am The Church: I do not 'go to church'. Holland and I disagree on this, as well.
I, as a set-apart-person (saved and sealed by Elohim for Yeshua's purposes) keep the Sabbath Rest as a set-apart-time to focus on Yeshua. And … as Yeshua, Himself … I also tend to daily activities that need attending to: I do not withdraw from life unfolding around me, to sit on my laurels and stare into space. I engage in life unfolding around me, as He did (and does), while keeping the Day "holy" by submitting myself to His purposes at any given moment of the Day I have purposefully set aside to abide in Him.
I am not engaging in cultish behavior.
I am engaging in behavior Yeshua, Himself, exampled.
No matter what I am doing - I claim Friday sundown to Saturday sundown as "a time of rest"; meaning I shelf the worries and concerns of this world and focus solely on the goodness and faithfulness of Yeshua Ha'Mashiach (Jesus, The Messiah). And I include Sunday (The Lord's Day = Resurrection Day) in my Sabbath Rest, thereby extending my peaceful rest in the Godhead (Father-Son-Holy Spirit = the Trinity, Three in One). Obviously I am not observing any religion - or religious activity in MY Sabbath observances: by grace, and with the understanding of Scripture as I read it (verbatim), I honor Yeshua as He is meant to be honored, the best way I know, in how I understand His Word.
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(1) Yeshua (Creator) earmarked one day out of seven. He knew humans would need a reprieve from a busy week – a time to stop; a time to rest and reflect - a time to remember why we are living the lives we are living. It could even be understood that the need for the Sabbath Rest was designed and purposefully tucked into our DNA at the very beginning of mankind's birth.
(2) Prioritizing Sabbath Rest reminds us to rest in the presence of Yeshua, to offer up our shortcomings to Him, and to spend quality time in relationship with Him - and when possible, in fellowship with other Believers. Yeshua's Sabbath Rest requires that we set aside our works to set our hearts on Him. Sabbath redirects our gaze to the work done on the cross.
(3) Yeshua (Jesus) ministered, and healed, on the Sabbath Day … which brought harsh judgment from His critics, who challenged His authority over the Sabbath. When pious religious critics attacked Yeshua (Jesus) with scornful "you aren’t keeping the Sabbath right" accusations; based on their varied and complicated man-made regulations, they were ignorantly and arrogantly accusing the supreme designer and planner of Creation Week: the One Who had Himself blessed the seventh day and made it holy. Yeshua used the occasion to reiterate what had been true from the beginning: ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.’ Man-made complicated religious restrictions, had reversed the original Plan. He then announced that He was ‘Lord even of the Sabbath’ (Mark 2:28) … its very Creator, and thus its rightful Interpreter.
(4) It is a common view (and misconception) that because of His nonorthodox treatment of the Sabbath, Yeshua (Jesus) abolished the need to observe the seventh day altogether … but that is a serious misrepresentation of Yeshua's actions and words: His Lordship does not abolish the Sabbath; why would Yeshua (Jesus) disregard something over which He claims Himself as Ruler? Instead, He reinforces the vitality of Sabbath Rest as a necessity for sustaining life, on every level. We, who claim Yeshua (Jesus) as our ‘Lord’ should open up space – the seventh day, as He planned – in reverence, to physically, emotionally, and spiritually benefit from the Lord of the Sabbath: Who looks to do good, Whose intentions are to save lives and make life enjoyable, and Who by grace restores health.
(5) For Early Believers (those Jewish converts who personally knew Yeshua when He walked among them, and those Jew & Gentile converts who heard and believed the Apostles' ministries, concerning Yeshua), to live by grace meant to not live by The Mosaic Law. So evidence for how the Early Church held to Sabbath Rest is varied. It seems the Early Church celebrated Sabbath as a remembrance of creation; but Yeshua's (Jesus’) resurrection lent new meaning to their Sabbaths.
We see first-day worship (Saturday night or Sunday morning, in honor of the day of Jesus’ resurrection) was often observed in conjunction with rest on the seventh day (Saturday). By the second century, Sunday worship was a widespread Christian tradition. Thus, it became known as the “Lord’s Day” and later Sunday, and in many denominations, it supplanted the Sabbath altogether, totally misrepresenting the Lord they claim to honor.
(6) There are many religious organizations (catholic, seventh-day-adventists, bethel charismatic) that observe cultish man-made Sabbath regulations; but when we, as Messianic Believers in Yeshua Ha'Mashiah (Jesus the Messiah) observe His Sabbath Rest as He intended (exampled in the first four Gospel Books), we can't go wrong.
And, eventually my new husband will come to an understanding of why the Sabbath Rest is necessary to Believers in Yeshua (Jesus).
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