The Sabbath Day

Peter, James and John were known as Christ’s disciples because they followed Christ. Eventually, the disciples came to be known as Christians.

The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
Acts 11:26

Being Christian means to follow Christ, realizing that all Christ’s actions were for our benefit, not His.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.”
John 14:6

By following Christ’s way, we come to know the truth and receive eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. That is why Christ said:

I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done for you.
John 13:15 (NLT)

Every step Christ took was to guide us to salvation. Therefore, as Christians, we should do our best to follow Christ in every act of faith. This includes worship. Through Christ’s example, we can know the true way to worship God and receive His blessings.

Christ and the Sabbath

Jesus traveled to Nazareth, where he had grown up. On the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue, as he always did, and stood up to read.
Luke 4:16 (NCV)

On the Sabbath day, Jesus went into the synagogue, a place of worship or church, to set the example for future Christians to do the same. And Christ even made it clear that His believers should do so until the last day.

Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.
Matthew 24:20

Jesus mentioned the Sabbath when He was speaking to His disciples about the end times. This means God’s people should still be keeping the Sabbath even in the last days.

Following this example and command, the disciples and the apostles also kept the Sabbath, even after Jesus ascended to heaven.

The Disciples and the Sabbath Day

The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.
Luke 23:55-56

Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome were considered disciples and Christians too. Following the teachings of Christ, they prioritized keeping the Sabbath over Jesus’ own burial rites. This demonstrates how important it is to keep the Sabbath—something they learned from Christ Himself.

As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people
Acts 17:2 (NLT)

Every Sabbath day he talked with the Jews and Greeks in the synagogue, trying to persuade them to believe in Jesus.
Acts 18:4 (NCV)

Paul did not become a Christian until about thirty years after Christ was crucified. Yet, every Sabbath day, Apostle Paul worshiped God just as Christ did.

The Sabbath Day is Saturday

Keeping the Sabbath day is a command that started in the Old Testament.

“Remember to keep the Sabbath holy. Work and get everything done during six days each week, but the seventh day is a day of rest to honor the LORD your God.”
Exodus 20:8-10 (NCV)

And Sabbath day is the seventh day of the week, Saturday. Not only can we see this through dictionaries and calendars, but even the Bible describes it as such.

Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended…
Mark 16:9 (NLT)

Therefore, just as Christ, the disciples and apostles kept the Sabbath day on Saturday, Christians today should do the same. Jesus kept the Sabbath day to display the will of God.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 7:21

Without Christ’s example, we would not know how to enter heaven. His life on this earth was an example of how we, as Christians, should live so we can receive salvation.

With this in mind, the World Mission Society Church of God keeps the Sabbath day every Saturday, just as Christ and the apostles of the Early Church did. Visit your local Church of God to learn more about the blessings behind the observance of the Sabbath day and keep the Sabbath day.