Gods Sabbath

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E NTERING INTO G OD ’ S S ABBATH R EST

was no mistaking the plain teaching of the apostle which they correctly recognized as being an attack on the traditional Jew ish rites. It was a human solution to a problem in the church and it simply failed to work.

The Consequences of Right-doing

The church leaders were wholly concerned with consequences. In doing so they took upon themselves a responsibility which be longs to God alone. The only question which should have concerned them was whether or not they were doing the will of God themselves. In stead of trying to control the results accruing from Paul’s faith ful performance of God’s general and specific orders, they should have given him every encouragement to continue his work with fearlessness and fortitude. It was their responsibility to support him with their prayers and means, while courageously sharing with him whatever persecutions and trials came from his work. When the members of God’s church finally recognize and ac cept this principle in full, the work will speedily move on to com pletion. All too often, the believers have enthusiastically accept

ed their work from their heavenly Fa ther until they see a vast storm being generated by their activities. Appre hensive, they per mit their attention to be transferred from God’s orders and focused in stead on the dan gers threatening them. They then become preoccu pied not with their responsibility to do

To whom would they turn?

To God the great prob lemsolver

Jewish leaders

To themselves as erring humans

These consequences constituted a problem for the Jewish leaders