Do you have the SUNDAY SPIRIT?
Is
your spiritual growth being held back because you unknowingly still
have a Sunday attitude? Few members have clearly seen the
self-centeredness that Sunday-keeping has caused in their lives -- and
how to successfully combat this most basic human
trait.
SUNDAY observance is of Satan the Devil. It is a COUNTERFEIT REST
DAY. It is a SUBSTITUTE for God's holy time. And, as in the
case for everything Satan inspires, it is designed to tear down and
nullify the GOOD effect of true Sabbath-keeping. Let's compare
the two. God's Holy Spirit is a spirit of love -- love which flows
OUTWARD in kindness and consideration to neighbor in worshipful respect
and obedience toward God.
Why Self-Indulgence?
The spirit of Sunday is a spirit of SELF-INDULGENCE. This is a
spirit of LOVE OF SELF which flows inwardly in SELF-CONSIDERATION and
self-enjoyment. Just examine for a moment the typical behavior of
a person on Sunday.
He isn't required to do
anything but to seek his own pleasure. He usually sleeps late, he reads
the "funnies" in bed; if he wants to feel sentimentally good or if he
enjoys displaying social status and self-righteousness before others,
he goes to church. It is a day for large meals followed by lazy
afternoons, joy-riding, leisurely strolling in the park, or a myriad of
other "enjoyable" things.
The order of the day is to do just what one is in the "mood" to do.
The normal human mind thinks this is the way of happiness when,
actually, it causes unhappiness and discontent. Self-indulgence does
not bring happiness, as Solomon well said in Ecclesiastics 1:8. "...
the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with
hearing." As soon as we have seen a beautiful landscape, for
example, we are ready to see something else. When we have heard a
beautiful sound or flattering phrases we would like to hear more.
The desire to taste good food does not end -- the stomach wants to be
filled to capacity again and again. We can never get our fill of
"feeling good." When excitement wears off, we are often left
empty unless more excitement promises to follow.
The desires of the flesh are insatiable.
After a long day of Sunday self-indulgence, this world dreads "Old Blue
Monday." Why? Because, on Monday we are FORCED to return to
work for others. In the minds of many this is proof that pursuing
one's own pleasure is the way of happiness.
The Contrast
God's Holy Sabbath is different. It is a day to rest from
labor. It is NOT a day of selfish pursuits. It is a day for
doing good (Matt. 3:4-5). This certainly includes doing good
through prayer, Bible study with your family, etc.
Since only God is good, the way we do good is to copy God and to obey
the Laws of God, which show the way of goodness.
The Sabbath is a day to AVOID SEEKING AFTER YOUR OWN PLEASURE; a day to
get your mind OFF YOURSELF (Isa. 58:13-14). It is also a day to
learn of God (Luke 4:16 and Mark 1:21). In fact, you are
COMMANDED to attend Sabbath services whenever it is possible (Lev.
23:3). The words "holy convocation" mean a COMMANDED gathering of
those called out by God for a holy purpose. It means that you
congregate with GOD'S PEOPLE. You will have no trouble telling
God's people by their fruits. Those who are God's people obey His
commandments (I John 3:3). This does not mean that they just obey
MOST of them, but that they obey EVERY ONE of them (James 2:10).
Furthermore, God forbids members of the true Church of God to just
decide to meet together on their own for "spiritual fellowship."
Past experience has taught that this does not work for good. It
leads to selfishness. God did not leave this problem for
individuals to work out according to their own understanding. He
ORDAINED evangelists, ministers and elders to teach the people in the
way that He, God, directs.
To go contrary to
these directions is disobedience to God and cannot end in
goodness. Therefore the true members of the Church of God hold
meetings only when one of God's ordained ministers is present to guide
the proceedings.
When we properly keep the
Sabbath, we actually have opportunity to REST from pursuing our own
wills and laboring for our substance. It is a time to draw nearer
to our Creator. We are given opportunity to learn benevolence
toward God and neighbor, from which true happiness comes.
If we can remember the vital lessons which we learn every Sabbath and
apply them every day of the week, our lives and the lives of those
around us become meaningful and happy. We will have discovered
the ONLY happy, joyful, wholesome WAY OF LIFE. The way of thinking and
doing for others!
Those who have believed and
trusted Him to the extent that they have obeyed Him fully, from the
heart, have come to see that this is true. Yes, they who have
proved God in this way have never been disappointed.
Pitfalls
Yet, there have been SOME who THOUGHT they have obeyed God and proven
His way to be unpleasant. From the very start their hearts were
not in their obedience. They could not wait for God's Sabbath to
be ended, for example, so that they might go back to the pursuit of
their fleshly desires.
Some well-meaning brethren
make the mistake of continuing in the "Sunday Spirit" by reserving
Sunday for themselves -- as a sort of "rest day" wherein they are free
to pursue THEIR OWN wills and satisfy THEIR OWN fleshly desires.
They STILL KEEP SUNDAY just as they did before conversion.
The true Christian is the one who has changed from following after the
ways of this world swayed by Satan, and who has COMPLETELY CHANGED so
that he now follows every word of God, in complete subjection and
humility to the RULER over his life --Jesus Christ.
He will no longer be trying to take a holiday during which he serves
the fleshly desires in the same selfish manner that this world keeps
Sunday. Ephesians 4:17-19 commands: "Henceforth walk not as other
Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their minds, having the understanding
darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance
that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being
past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work
all uncleanness with greediness."
GOD KNOWS AND
TEACHES THE WAY OF HAPPINESS. The instructions on "How to Live"
are recorded in every page of your Bible.
If you are diligent to study them and obey HIM, you can enjoy this happiness for all eternity.
Don't let your human nature, led by the "Sunday Spirit," rob you of it and lead you to SELF-CENTEREDNESS again.
by Jack R. Elliott Good News December 1961
