Gods Sabbath

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E NTERING INTO G OD ’ S S ABBATH R EST

land. Go up and take possession of it as the L ORD , the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.’” Deuteronomy 1:19–21.

General and Specific Orders

At this point it would be helpful to distinguish between two different categories of directives coming from God; namely, His general orders and His specific orders. This differentiation is a vital key to understanding and following God’s ways. His gener al orders are to be found throughout the Bible. We call them “general” orders because they do not contain specific directions to any given individual. A good example of a general order is the great missionary commission given by Christ to His people just before His ascen sion. This command is of equal authority to every child of God in every age till the end of time. Christ said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19, 20. This command is general in nature because it leaves unans wered the specific details of where, when, and in what capacity each of us is to carry out our part of the great commission. Once we have accepted God’s general order, we then need specific in structions directing us to our specific place. Will we serve in In dia, the United States, Africa, Australia, or some other part of the world? Will we labor as preachers, teachers, medical mis sionaries, helpers, or administrators? Will we go there now or next year, and how long will we stay? Obviously, someone must make these decisions and issue the appropriate commands if the church is to function harmonious ly and effectively. General orders are inadequate on their own without God’s specific directives to support them. Another example would be the question about the appropriate day of physical rest for God’s children. The special importance of this day was initially announced in the second chapter of the Bi ble: “And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because