TW: Lost the game, won the battle

Today’s TW News & Prophecy from the Living Church of God has the following:

Lost the game but won the battle.

The basketball team of Beren Academy (an Orthodox Jewish High School), almost missed a semi-final tournament game because team members refused to play at the scheduled time–on the Sabbath. The Academy asked for rescheduling, but the request was denied by the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools. Yet the players were not willing to compromise, and they stayed faithful to the Sabbath. Beren senior, Isaac Mirwis, said, “it’s tradition, it’s principle, and we stick true to our principles and that’s what makes an identity. God doesn’t take a week off from us, so we can’t take a week off from God” (Associated Press, February, 28, 2012).

Two days later, a Texas judge ordered the game rescheduled to avoid the Sabbath conflict. Beren Academy won the game (Foxnews.com, March 1, 2012). They went on to play in the championship game, which they lost 46-42.

The team set a fine example of standing strong in the day of adversity (Proverbs 24:10) and not compromising God’s Sabbath. God promised to be our Helper in time of need (Hebrews 13:5-6). God does not change (Malachi 3:6), and He still defends those who obey His commandments (Joshua 1:7-9).

We are admonished to pray for those in authority so we may live a quiet and peaceful life (1 Timothy 2:1-2). In this case, a “ruler over them” (a judge), enabled the Beren team to keep the Sabbath and still play ball! God keeps His promises!

For more information on the Sabbath Day, request our free booklet, Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath?

Of course, it is not just Jews that keep the Sabbath. Jesus, the Apostle Paul, and all the early Christians did.

There have been Chinese and other Sabbath-keepers who have endured various tests and trials, but who remained faithful to the word of God.

The Sabbath, according to the Bible is the seventh-day of the week (Saturday), and remains to for real Christians:

Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.'” And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.” And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.” It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience…There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience (Hebrews 4:3-6,9-11, NIV).

This clearly shows that the command to keep the seventh day Sabbath is in the New Testament. It also shows that only those who will not observe it because of their disobedience argue otherwise. And that is why Paul observed it. Even Origen understood some of what the New Testament recorded above as he wrote:

But what is the feast of the Sabbath except that which the apostle speaks, “There remaineth therefore a Sabbatism,” that is, the observance of the Sabbath, by the people of God…let us see how the Sabbath ought to be observed by a Christian. On the Sabbath-day all worldly labors ought to be abstained from…give yourselves up to spiritual exercises, repairing to church, attending to sacred reading and instruction…this is the observance of the Christian Sabbath (Translated from Origen’s Opera 2, Paris, 1733, Andrews J.N. in History of the Sabbath, 3rd editon, 1887. Reprint Teach Services, Brushton (NY), 1998, pp. 324-325).

While some have chosen to reason around what scripture teaches, some others have remained faithful to the word of God.

Some articles of possible interest may include:

The Sabbath in the Early Church and Abroad Was the seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath observed by the apostolic and post-apostolic Church?
The Dramatic Story of Chinese Sabbathkeepers This reformatted Good News article from 1955 discusses Sabbath-keeping in China in the 1800s.
The Apostle Paul He was an apostle, early Christian leader, and wrote more books of the New Testament than anyone else. Do you know much about him?
What Did Jesus Teach About the Ten Commandments? This article quotes what Jesus actually said about them (His words are in red).
Were the Ten Commandments Nailed to the Cross? Some have said so. This article provides some biblical quotes to answer this important question.
What Did Paul Actually Teach About the Ten Commandments? Many say Paul taught against the ten commandments. Is this true? This article quotes Paul with his words in green.
Are the Ten Commandment Still in Effect? This article quotes the ten commandments and combines some of the previous articles into one article about the ten commandments. The commandments are shown at Mount Sinai, before Mount Sinai, in the teachings of Jesus, after the crucifixion, and in the teachings of Paul. It addresses the most common “traditions of men” regarding them as well.
Were the Pharisees Condemned for Keeping the Law or Reasoning Around it? Many believe that the Pharisees were condemned for keeping the law, but what does your Bible say? If they were not condemned for that, what were they condemned for?
The Ten Commandments Reflect Love, Breaking them is Evil Some feel that the ten commandments are a burden. Is that what Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, and John taught?
Was the Commandment to Love the Only Command? Some have stated that John’s writings teach this, but is that what the Bible really says?
The Ten Commandments and the Early Church Did Jesus and the Early Church keep the ten commandments? What order were they in? Here are quotes from the Bible and early writings.