A Letter of Appeal for the Seventh Day Sabbath

Dear Christian Friend,

Grace to you and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ, HALLELUYAH!

I would like to praise and thank God for giving me the opportunity of sharing with you a Christian truth that has given me much joy and brought me closer to Him. In every place that the Lord has opened the door of utterance I have shared this truth with God’s people concerning the Seventh-Day Sabbath. Several of my brothers and sisters in Christ have asked me about it but I was unable to have any meaningful in-depth discussion with them because suitable materials were not available at that time. The Lord gave me a burden to prepare "Introduction to the Seventh-Day Sabbath" that is written from the position of grace, rest, blessings and sanctification. It is my hope and prayer that the reader will understand this subject much better.

Generally, the Seventh-Day Sabbath is misunderstood by most Christians. Some of their chief objections are:

1. It is given to the Jews and not to Gentile Christians.
2. It is part of the Law that has been "nailed to the cross" by Jesus Christ.
3. It is too burdensome for anyone to observe it.

These and many other objections can be answered by just turning to Genesis 2:1-3. The key to understanding and acceptance of the Seventh-Day Sabbath is that God created it on the Seventh Day, before there was any Jew or Gentile, before sin entered into man, before there was death and before there was any law. God’s purposes for the Sabbath are to give man rest, blessings and sanctification. How can these benefits be considered as burdensome? Our Lord Jesus Christ came to "redeem us from the curse of the law" but never to remove the blessings from it (Gal. 3:13-14).

 For years ministers have been teaching the prosperity message based on giving tithes and generous offerings. This is a good teaching provided that people are not wrongly motivated into giving mainly for the purpose of receiving financial rewards. Another recent teaching is God’s Covenant with Abraham "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you" This has often been interpreted as supporting Israel’s cause, which is only a partial truth. The Arabs also claim to be descendents of Abraham. Do we support their cause as well? Somehow, these two ways of receiving blessings have worked for some, but only to a limited extent. However, few Christians realize there is a third way of receiving God’s blessings; and it is by far the best way. It has been largely forgotten by most Christians therefore God wants to remind us of His blessings in the Fourth Commandment. It begins with "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. . . Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it." (Ex. 20:8-11) This is the only one in the Ten Commandment that mentions God’s blessings. Do you realize what it does for those who remember to honor the Seventh-Day Sabbath that God has blessed? They will definitely receive God’s blessings on that day. This blessings comes every week, fifty two times a year and one-seventh of the time in your life. You can have a house full of blessings in your lifetime .

Let me give you an illustration. If you want to build a house, but have only two dimensions for the builder - the length and breath, he can only build the floor. There needs to be a third dimension- the height of the walls, in order to complete the house. Many Christians have already received some measure of blessings by making contributions to missions and Israel. They also need the third dimension to complete God’s blessings. The Holy Bible is very clear about receiving blessings through observing the Seventh-Day Sabbath. You will now read some testimonies of Christians who honor God’s Sabbath.

  In May 1995 I was privileged to preach in several mid-western cities in the U.S.A.. I met two young Christians in St. Louis, Missouri. One brother gave an inspiring testimony. He had graduated in the university with a degree in Computer Science, but was unable to find a permanent job for two years. Then recently he became acquainted with a Christian girl through the Internet, and one of the things that they "chatted" in "cyberspace" was their faith. The sister shared with him the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the Seventh-Day Sabbath. At the end of April, 1995 the Church in Chicago held their Spiritual Convocation. They drove from Kansas to attend the meetings. The brother attended his first Sabbath service on Saturday; received the new birth of water and the Holy Spirit, and drove home on Sunday. On Monday morning he attended a job interview, and started work immediately.

  Another Christian sister had heard about the Seventh-Day Sabbath at a very young age, but never attended any Sabbath services until she met one of our brothers. After attending only two Sabbath services in our church in Houston she received the Holy Spirit while praying at home. After making the decision to observe the Sabbath, she has received blessing after blessing. Even before graduation she had received job offers with excellent salaries. She has a conviction that keeping the Sabbath holy is instrumental in her having a very successful career. God keeps His promises!

  In my missionary trips abroad, especially in the Third World countries, I have observed the tremendous improvements in the lives of Christians who have discovered the Sabbath truth. When I first met some families in India several years ago they were poverty stricken, but now, they are living comfortably. Their children have successful careers. God keeps His promise to bless those who keep the Sabbath holy. These testimonies of blessings are unending. It happens in the Philippines, in Nigeria, and in fact, all over the world where God’s people keep the Sabbath holy.

  ARK INTERNATIONAL is a God-supported ministry that helps other Christian ministries of similar faith all over the world. We also promote the T.R.U.E. in YAHSHUA Movement. Although the church does not pay me to preach, yet our Lord Jesus Christ has blessed this ministry and provided for all our needs. How are we able to do it? There is no secret. Keeping the Seventh-Day Sabbath holy is the third dimension that provides the key to God’s full blessings. If that is missing in your Christian life or ministry, the least you can do is to seek the Lord and consider this dimension.

  Let me make a suggestion to you. After reading this letter and the "Introduction to the Seventh-Day Sabbath" do pray to the Lord of the Sabbath and ask Him to guide you in this matter (Mk. 2:28). He has given us excellent examples on how to keep the Sabbath holy. Public worship on the Sabbath day was our Lord’s regular practice (Lk. 4:16,31). He had healed several sick people on the Sabbath (Mt. 12:9-13). The apostle Paul and his companions in the Lord’s work also worshipped regularly on the Sabbath day (Acts 17:2; 18:1-4; 13:42-44). There are at least two things that you can do on the Sabbath day. You can go to church and visit the sick in the hospitals.

  If you are unable to find a Spirit-filled church that worships on the Seventh-Day Sabbath, you can always worship in your own home. Talk with your family or get a few of your friends together and start a Seventh-Day Sabbath Fellowship. When our family was in Bakersfield, California in the seventies the Lord started one in our home, and soon He brought Christians from various denominations. We had Charismatics, Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists, Disciples of Christ and even Catholics and Messianic Jews. The Lord had blessed this fellowship with many Christians being filled with the Holy Spirit, and He worked with us, confirming the word that we preached with accompanying signs and wonders. If you are interested in the Seventh-Day Sabbath, please write and let us know. May God guide you to do His will, and may He bless you and your ministry always.

Your servant in the Lord Jesus Christ

Paul Wong, President

ARK International