Bible Question:
Our pastor is ignoring what we believe. Help! I believe that the seventh day is on Sunday. I was raised holiness and we were taught to never buy on Sunday or eat out because you made someone stay out of God's house in order to cook for you. We always had our dinner cooked on Saturday. After Sunday morning we rested and then went back to church in the evening. God rained down manna for six days for the people in the wilderness and on the sixth they had gathered enough to eat for the seventh. There is a lot in the Bible about keeping the seventh holy. Now we have a younger pastor who wants to change this law so his friends can take a big part in the church. Help!
Bible Answer:
You have a difficult situation. You seem to imply that your new pastor disagrees with what the church was taught in the past. If that is true, the fundamental problem is that the church leaders did not adequately screen or question the prospective pastor before hiring him. This is a common problem among churches. Consequently, you might consider reading the document “Thoughts On Selecting a Pastor.” But at this point he has been hired, and he disagrees with you and others about one’s conduct on Sundays.
At this point we would encourage you to approach the pastor along with some other members of your church and discuss your disagreement. Arrange a meeting and pray before all of you meet with him. It is important to be kind and forgiving. That would please our Lord.
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (NASB) Ephesians 4:32
Ask God to help everyone to be kind, understanding, and gentle in heart. Let him know that he is violating one of the doctrines that the church has been taught and the people believe.
It is important to remember that Jesus told His disciples and the Pharisees that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. That is we should not be bound by detailed rules and regulations. We would encourage you to read the study “Lord of the Sabbath.” The Sabbath laws and rules disappeared when Sunday became the Lord’s Day. But God does want us to take a break from work and worship Him. The most important need that they have is to know God and believe in Jesus.
Conclusion:
May the Lord bless you.