From the Editor
The Gift of Sabbath
About the Author
By Andrea Johnson
Can you imagine God walking with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden after the completion of the Creation? Do you wonder if He spent some time proudly showing off His creation? I imagine Him saying, “Adam, look at this . . . and this! Look at the way these creatures interact! Eve, did you see that waterfall? Come on, I have so much more to show you. Let’s enjoy it together.”
In similar fashion, I believe God wants to share His world with us as well. Observing the Sabbath is one way we can do that.
When I was a child most Christians I knew tried to follow the Ten Commandments, even the fourth one: “Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy” (Deuteronomy 5:12, NASB). Most did not work on Sundays unless absolutely necessary. Setting Sundays aside was a huge act of faith for people in the farming community, but as I grew older, I noticed more farmers working seven days a week especially during planting or harvesting. Now people are so busy on Sundays that families are left scrambling, trying to fit in even one church service among all their children’s activities, work schedules, and other errands.
Why do Christ’s followers seem to at least attempt to obey the other nine commandments, but this one, not so much? Did Jesus do away with it? Do we no longer need a day of “rest”?
Mike Juntunen’s well-researched article “Remember the Sabbath” [Read Article] helps bring clarity to the issue of Sabbath. I love his first point, that the Sabbath is a matter of lordship. For me honoring the Sabbath is similar to the concept of tithing. My Creator, my Provider knows what I need. Just as tithing demonstrates my trust in the Lord to meet my needs, honoring the Sabbath demonstrates my faith in God to accomplish the tasks He wants me to accomplish even without my working 24/7. Just as the Lord has shown Himself time and again to provide financially for me when it did not seem possible, He helps me accomplish the tasks He has asked me to do. I cannot count the number of times He has provided me unexpected help or creative ideas seemingly out of nowhere.
A friend once told me, “God will always provide what we need; if He doesn’t provide it, then we don’t need it!” Could it be that as we focus on Jesus as did Mary (Luke 10:38-42), we would realize that some of the things we think we “need” to do would be better left undone?
Graciously, the Lord allows us to try to accomplish our own “to-do lists” in our own strength, but how much better would it be if we allowed His Holy Spirit to work in and through us to complete the tasks He calls us to do? When we rely on the Holy Spirit, we leave room for the miraculous.
By Jesus’ day, religious leaders had taken much of the joy out of the amazing gift of the Sabbath by creating an elaborate system of rules that bordered on the ridiculous and were nearly impossible to follow. He needed to remind them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27, NASB). In the same way, we can become legalistic about the Sabbath. But just because this gift and other gifts from God have been misused does not mean we should cast them aside. Sabbath is a gift we desperately need.
What if we reserved a day to focus on how amazing God is? Corporate church services allow some time for that. But what if in addition we carved out some time by ourselves or with our families to wander out into a park or onto a lake or trail and relish His creation? Try gazing up at the very tops of the trees, study the minute details of a delicate flower or creeping insect, breathe in the unique scent of the ocean on a crisp, breezy day. Notice the giggles of a baby passing by in a stroller or an elderly woman shuffling along, determined to resist the urge to confine herself to her recliner.
Meditate on the Psalms. It’s hard not to contemplate God’s majesty when reading descriptions such as this: “When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers – the moon and the stars you set in place – what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?” (Psalm 8: 3-4, NLT). Recall the evidence of God’s hand moving throughout all of history ever since creation – in majestic, miraculous ways and in the tiniest and most personal of details.
Get some much-needed rest. And as you drift off to sleep, instead of counting your stress factors, consider God’s amazing attributes, His faithfulness, and His grace. Let your heart fill with praise.
Obviously our world is different than Adam’s utopia; we face serious concerns. But observing the Sabbath is one way we can bring His Kingdom to earth. And when we focus on who God is, it helps us keep everything in perspective. It gives us peace. It yields rest. And it brings Him glory.
About the Author
Andrea Johnson, a credentialed Open Bible minister, is the managing editor of the Message of the Open Bible. A graduate of Open Bible College with a major in theology/missions, she has edited and co-edited several books, including Servants of the Spirit: Portraits of Pentecostal Pioneers, We Believe: Core Truths for Christian Living, and We Believe for Kids! Her goal is to reveal Christ to those who are searching for Him. In her spare time you will most likely find Andrea enjoying time with family and friends or hiking. She and her husband, Dennis, are blessed with four children, three of whom are married, and eight grandchildren.
When I was in first grade, I attended William Carey Academy, a small private school in Pasadena, California, that primarily served the children of missionaries who were on home assignment. The school was on the campus of the U.S. Center for World Mission, a collaborative mission base, which meant that I got to learn alongside students and be taught by teachers who had traveled the world. One specific perk of this season was learning Spanish. My teacher was a missionary to Guatemala who had a passion for the language and the Guatemalan people.
While most of my Spanish has left me, my love for Hispanic nations, culture, and people has not. One of the most fun parts of my job as Message editor has been working with teammates like Mindy Khanthavixay (Mexican-American), Areli Estrada (originally from Mexico), and Ximena Urra (originally from Chile) all of whom are fluent in Spanish. Without these women, it would have not been possible to launch our fully translated Spanish issues of Message of the Open Bible. As our current issue of the magazine is being released in tandem with Hispanic Heritage month (September 15 – October 15), we would be remiss not to honor our many Hispanic coworkers, pastors, and ministry partners within Open Bible. We would not be who we are without you!
Open Bible is currently active in eighteen Spanish-speaking countries and has 556 churches within these countries. Our Hispanic Ministries within the states is also flourishing with twenty-eight churches across the nation, many of which are leading the charge in church multiplication. I am so excited for you to read the story of Melissa Alvarez, who is a second-generation Mexican American and a second-generation church planter. You will also love reading the testimony of Mary Lou Wolfe, who grew up in a Hispanic Open Bible church (Templo Santo in Antioch, California) and whose parents come from Nicaragua and El Salvador. Mary Lou’s miraculous kidney transplant has made it possible for her to continue a vibrant ministry where she currently serves at Life Church in Concord, California.
In addition to these articles by Hispanic authors, don’t miss out on our other great articles, including a thoughtful reflection on modern discipleship by Gary Khan and
an important global missions update from Vince McCarty. And if you didn’t catch our special edition President’s Perspective article, you’ll want to read “The Power of We” by President Michael Nortune.
I am proud to be part of a movement that has honored and advocated for ministries in many languages, cultures, and nations. Let’s continue to celebrate every part of our Open Bible family as we fulfill the Great Commission together.
Hannah Bemis currently serves as the editor and director of Message of the Open Bible. She always wanted to do too many things when she grew up, and God has been kind enough to let her do most of them in different seasons. After seasons of mothering, teaching, writing, and staff pastoring, Hannah’s most recent adventure is planting College Street Church in Newberg, Oregon, with her husband, Jordan. After Jesus and all her favorite people, she spends the remainder of her passion on pizza and dark chocolate in equal measure.
My life was forever changed a few years ago when I read a book called The Insanity of God. Written by Nik Ripken, a missionary who has given his life to take Jesus to some of the darkest, most dangerous corners of the world, this book calls Western Christians out of the casual faith many of us enjoy. Ripken asks irritating, important questions like:
I found myself convicted by how little of my life I had given up for Jesus and how resistant I was to become uncomfortable for Him.
“Does God really ask us to sacrifice everything?”
“Is God at work in the hard places, and does He expect us to join Him in those hard places?”
“Isn’t it possible to love God and to pretty much keep living the life I already have?”
Ripken freely admits that he doesn’t have answers to all these questions, but he challenges his readers to remember that following Jesus means saying “yes” even when it hurts.
“We have the high privilege of answering Jesus’ call to go,” Ripken says. “But let us be clear about this: we go on His terms, not ours.”
Reading this book felt like being shaken awake after a long sleep. I found myself convicted by how little of my life I had given up for Jesus and how resistant I was to become uncomfortable for Him. (How ironic that is, when He became incredibly uncomfortable for me.) I began offering up a new kind of desperate prayer, begging God to make my life matter. To make me willing to go anywhere, do anything.
Lord, let my life be a sacrifice.
That’s a dangerous prayer. It’s a prayer that has led to my saying “yes” to assignments and callings that scare me: serving as a staff pastor at my previous church, becoming the new editor of Message of the Open Bible, and most recently, uprooting my family from our home of twelve years and moving to another state to plant a church.
The comforting thing is, I’m not alone in trying to live this kind of radically obedient life. I stumblingly follow in the footsteps of the Hebrews 11 heroes of faith, who “obeyed and went” even when they didn’t know where they were going (vs 8, NIV). Heroes who “conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised” but also “faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment” (vs 33-36). I walk alongside others in the Church and within Open Bible who are saying “yes” to difficult and daunting things. You’ll read about many of them in this issue, and I hope you will be challenged and encouraged by their stories.
To walk in obedience is to walk hand in hand with Jesus.
In truth, none of us is alone when we say “yes” to a God-given assignment. Let’s not forget that directly after the biggest, scariest assignment was given to Jesus’ disciples, the one that would take them to the ends of the earth and would include hardship and suffering for many of them, they were also given this promise:
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20).
To walk in obedience is to walk hand in hand with Jesus. That’s a reward worth even our most frightening “yes.”
About the Author
Hannah Bemis
Hannah Bemis currently serves as the Editor and Director of Message of the Open Bible. She’s always wanted to do too many things when she grows up and God has been kind enough to let her do most of them in different seasons. After seasons of mothering, teaching, writing, and staff pastoring, Hannah’s most recent adventure is planting College Street Church in Newberg, Oregon, with her husband, Jordan. After Jesus and all her favorite people, she spends the remainder of her passion on pizza and dark chocolate, in equal measure.
