Warm hellos once again friends, brethren, fellow laborers, spiritual family, and scattered children of God from here on the Gulf Coast of lower Alabama.  My wife and I pray and hope this finds you doing well, and that again your week has been blessed.

We were blessed to be protected from last week’s Hurricane Isaias with just a lot of yard debris clean up, but no structural damage to our home and offices or any trees uprooted here in Spanish Fort, AL.

A few years ago on the Friday evening during the Feast of Tabernacles in Orange Beach, Alabama in the Family Bible Study we discussed “God’s Purpose for the Sabbath”. The discussion after and through the rest of that Feast was most encouraging.

When we examine the Scriptures, there are clear and frequent instructions for the people of God to observe the seventh day Sabbath and to cease from doing one’s normal labor on that day. (See Exodus 16:22-28; Exodus 20:8-11; Exodus 31:13-17; Isaiah 56:1-8; Isaiah 58:13-15 for just a few references.)

Let’s take a look at the account in Exodus 16 where God revealed the weekly Sabbath through the giving of the manna.

Then he said to them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.'” (Exodus 16:23) “Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there will be none.” (v.23) “See! For the LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” (v.29)

Was God saying, “We should stay in your home and rest on the Sabbath day and we are to not leave our dwelling place?” Is the Sabbath intended only as a day to cease from work and labor and simply rest and get extra sleep?

Let’s notice the wording of the fourth commandment.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Vs 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work . . . (Exodus 20:8-10)

Notice the following instructions that describe keeping the Sabbath as a covenant celebration. Certainly ceasing from work is strongly emphasized and mandated.

“Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. ‘You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. ‘Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. (Exodus 31:13-15)

Further instruction reveals that the weekly Sabbath and the annual holy days are also described as times of the assembly of God’s people when they are to leave their dwellings and assemble before God.

“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts. ‘Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. . . (Leviticus 23:2-3)

The Hebrew word translated “convocations” is ‘miqra‘ and the Online Bible Hebrew Lexicon defines the meaning as: “convocation, convoking, reading, a calling together, sacred assembly.” These convocations on the Sabbath are a time for God’s people to come before Him and worship Him in Spirit through word, song, and prayer and hear the Scriptures read to them. And, as I have so often mentioned, the first Feast (or appointed time) on the list is the seventh day Sabbath.

Notice the words of the following Sabbath Psalm.

<A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath day.> It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night, On an instrument of ten strings, On the lute, And on the harp, With harmonious sound. (Psalm 92:1-3)

Other Psalms refer to coming before God with expressing thanksgiving and gladness and with singing! (Psalm 95:2; Psalm 100:2) One of the logical times to come before God would be on the Sabbath convocation. But, where do we convoke or convocate?

There are several prophecies that link observing the Sabbath with the worship of God. We understand them to convey both the present and future intent for celebrating the Sabbath. Notice the specific mention of “to worship before me” on the Sabbath.

“And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the LORD. (Isaiah 66:23)

Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the entrance to this gateway before the LORD on the Sabbaths and the New Moons. (Ezekiel 46:3) (We’ll examine the subject of the New Moon assemblies another time).

So, a good question to ask would be, what is the New Testament record regarding assembling to worship God on the Sabbath day?

There are numerous references to what Jesus practiced and what the Jewish community practiced regarding Sabbath observance. Jesus assembled with others at the synagogue and participated in reading and expounding the Scriptures on the Sabbath. Here’s a well-known and significant one.

Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. (Luke 4:14-16)

Obviously Jesus was assembling with others at the synagogue at a Sabbath service. There are many other similar statements. (Mark 1:14, 16, 20-22; Mark 6:1-2; Luke 4:31; Luke 6:5-6; Luke 13:10)

Let’s take a moment and examine the practice of the apostle Paul (and others in his company).

Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures. (Acts 17:2)

The same practice is recorded in Acts 13:14-15, 42 and Acts 18:4. It is clear that observing the Sabbath included assembling together to hear the Scripture read and expounded. But, again where did they assemble?

In the world you and I live in today, 2026, a lot has changed. Assembling together for some remains very strict and precise. “You must be in attendance with others of like mind at a church gathering here or there”. Some even go so far in teaching that those that worship in homes, or not with a congregational group in a building are somehow disobeying God.

I remember pastoring many scattered brethren both in the U.S. and internationally where many members were not able to meet with others, (with exception of at times once a year at the Feast of Tabernacles where we were able to help them financially to travel great distances to do so). I have to chuckle a bit as I was sometimes chastised by my colleagues for not demanding that all these brethren should have no excuse for not meeting with others with a congregation. These ministers I worked with were simply either clueless, or definitely out of touch with reality.

With the onset of the “Covid-19” or “Coronavirus” in 2019, our world dramatically changed as well.

Many were unable to meet with others in a physical setting. As time has marched on many still today do not have the financial means to travel great distances on the Sabbath or Holy Days. Many physically have health challenges as well and cannot do so. Unless you have been in either situation, it is hard to empathize and realistically understand the needs of God’s children.

I remember when I pastored the entire state of South Carolina. Our only church congregation at that time was in Columbia, SC. You can use Google Maps and see that South Carolina is a good size state. South Carolina measures about 219 to 225 miles from north to south and about 273 to 285 miles from east to west. Some were unable to travel on any given Sabbath for multiple reasons. Some were unable to travel for the Annual Holy Days including the Feast of Tabernacles.

Then there is another reason. There is, with the advancement of technology, solid Biblical messages from various sources now available online where those who wish to can be fed. I personally regularly communicate with scattered members of the Body of Christ who gather with small groups and listen online each Feast of the Lord, which includes the weekly Sabbath. I have made it very clear – where brethren assemble, whether on line or in person, is their personal choice. Those that choose to worship and fellowship online is a personal decision, and does not make them somehow “bad brethren” because they are not in physical attendance with any specific group.

The million dollar question is “Is it a sin to not physically attend with a specific group on the Sabbath?”  Some still hang on to old paradigms and tradition and strongly claim it is. Some groups still both teach this, and/or it is implied or conveyed to those who attend with them.

God’s word says we are to fellowship. And to be taught, and discuss His Word.
It does not mean, (though often used) “forsake not the assembling of yourselves together” that one must be with this or that group in person.

To most, this discussion is not a new one. But, in a world ever so rapidly ignoring God and His instruction, there’s plenty to read and digest in God’s Holy Word about His Sabbath…and where to assemble…we’ll look at more in the weeks ahead.

We are to worship our Father and His Son in truth. We are to follow and obey the instruction in the Word of God. We are not to adhere to man-made traditions using certain scriptures to teach what is contrary to God’s truth…

Regardless of the intentions for teaching certain things, those intentions can lead to misunderstanding of God’s Word.

Arms up friends! Our sincere prayers and thoughts are with you daily. Thanks in advance for your heartfelt prayers for us.