But Only With the Living, Active One True Church

We have seen that assembling together in spirit and in truth to learn is part of God’s requirement, but what else does God require one to do in order to properly observe His day?

The subject of the Sabbath is inseparable from that of the identity and location of the true Church, introduced earlier. Of course, many groups claim to be God’s true Church. Some of these observe the Sabbath to one degree or another, or in one form or another. Yet, in every case, all “Sabbath-keeping churches”—there are no exceptions—teach a great many false doctrines.

When individuals first learn about the Sabbath, they often believe that they can assemble with any Sabbath-keeping organization or group. But just because a church meets on the true Sabbath does not mean it is the TRUE Church of God.

Jesus said that He would build “His Church” (Matt. 16:18). He called it “a building” that is “fitly framed together” (Eph. 2:21), and built with Himself as the foundation. Jesus Christ is literally “building a building” consisting of brethren whom He calls “lively [living] stones” (1 Pet. 2:5). Psalm 127:1 declares, “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it.”

Christ is continuing to build His Church today, and you have come in contact with it!

Lives are changing every day due to the Work of God, the Work that Christ is doing through His human instruments in HIS Church.

God commands you to assemble with the Body of Christ—a single, unified organization of Spirit-begotten sons of God! There is only ONE such group. Just any organization will not suffice—no matter what men may say! To those who are unsure about which “Church of God” to attend, do not misunderstand! You cannot please God and assemble with those who compromise God’s truth. That does not please God! Read 2 John 7-10, Titus 3:9-11 and Romans 16:17.

You are urged to carefully study my thorough and fascinating book Where Is the True Church? – and Its Incredible History!

The Sabbath—a Delight

Another passage in Isaiah provides some guidelines as to how to keep the Sabbath: “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shall honour Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words: Then shall you delight yourself in the LORD; and I will cause you to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father: for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it” (Isa 58:13-14).

The term “turn away your foot from the Sabbath” means that you should not walk over the Sabbath, or forget that it is holy time set aside by the Creator. “Not doing your pleasure” refers to misusing the Sabbath for hobbies, sports activities, or other personal pursuits.

There are certain activities that are beneficial in helping the observant appreciate the Sabbath and God’s creation. These could include taking a short, refreshing walk or perhaps playing uplifting or relaxing music on the piano. Since it is a time of rest, you should avoid certain activities, such as running or exercising.

Remember, the Sabbath is a feast day, so a special Sabbath meal would be appropriate. When we understand and keep the Sabbath as God intended, it will indeed be a delight. (For more information about the Sabbath, and to see how counterfeit Christianity changed the seventh-day Sabbath to the first day of the week, read our comprehensive book Saturday or Sunday – Which Is the Sabbath? There is no more clear and thorough book you could read on the subject.)

The promise attached to the Sabbath command is significant. To “ride upon the high places of the earth” means to be elevated and promoted by blessings that only God can provide. This could include better health, a more rewarding job, wisdom and understanding, or other blessings. God is not bribing anyone into keeping the Sabbath. The real rewards He wants us to seek are the spiritual ones.

What If…?

What if the whole world obeyed the Fourth Commandment? What if every nation suspended all activities for 24 hours each week? All people would grow personally close to God as a result of obeying Him. If the entire world kept the Sabbath and Holy Days, everyone would know who the true God is because the Sabbath identifies Him and His people.

Keeping the Sabbath would most likely lead to keeping the other laws of God. Using the Sabbath for the purposes He intended would focus people’s minds on His way. This would leave this world’s false religions in shambles, because God’s laws would then replace their own laws, twisted reasoning's and false interpretations. This is why Satan has gone to such great lengths to blind the world from the benefits of keeping the Fourth Commandment.

Words Most Plain!

These commandments are not difficult to understand. The God of the Bible speaks plainly—He says what He means and means what He says! (Note that God repeats for emphasis in Deuteronomy 5:1-33 the same Ten Commandments verbatim.)

We might pause at this point again and ask: Do these first four commands, when understood collectively, sound like the laws of a God who takes lightly those who worship any other but Himself? Do they seem like mere wishful instruction on the part of this God—things that He only hopes His followers will remember to do? Do they sound like the words of a God who is willing to let people worship idols, false gods or even any other wrong form of supposedly who and what He is, as long as the proponent proclaims such to be the true God? Do they reflect a God who does not care which day you select to worship Him as long as you pick one?

It has been said that the first four commandments describe how to love God and the last six reveal how to love one’s fellow man. Put another way, the first four commandments explain how to establish a relationship with the true God and the last six how to build relationships with human beings. A relationship with the God of the Bible begins with a recognition, understanding and acceptance of the first four commandments. All other approaches will preclude contact with the true God!