God's Sabbath

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E NTERING INTO G OD ’ S S ABBATH R EST

what he thought the accepted procedure should be, determined to enforce it, instead of looking to God as the perfect Problem Solver. Thus the meeting opened with men striving against men for the supremacy. Every indication pointed to the devel opment of a Babylonian system. It was the sad but continuing picture of people endeavoring to establish themselves in God’s place within the church, while assuming that they were bless ed by God for doing it. The Scriptural evidence telling us that this was indeed the case is the fact that when they came together, there was “much disputing.” Acts 15:7 (KJV). Disputation only occurs when individuals are attempting to establish their contrary points of view. It will never be found among those who come together to lay their problems before God prayerfully and trustingly awaiting His judgment. Under such circumstances, rest and peace are evident instead of the loud, intense, and often angry voices of those contending for their particular convictions against people with equally strong counter-views. It was fortunate for the early church that God had at least one faithful servant present through whom He could appeal. Otherwise the meetings would have broken up in disunity. If that had happened, the actual splintering of the church might have been avoided by the members accepting the majority de cision, but there would have been serious division of feeling and deepening unrest. Worst of all, the disposition for people to exalt themselves in the church would have been immeasurably strengthened. It was a critical moment in history. The only hope for events to take a turn in the right direction was for someone under God’s direct leadership to stand up and point them to the correct principles to be followed. Peter proved to be that man. “After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: ‘Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the mes sage of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you