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VENTURE TOWARDS THE ELOHIM-ORDAINED WORSHIP DAY

The relationship towards us (my wife and I) by the "heads" and "co-workers" in our former church was then a pleasant and harmonious one. But this kind of connection sooner underwent changes little by little. It all started when we refrained from eating pork and the like after we were convicted to follow Yahuwah’s instruction regarding the clean things that are to be eaten as the scriptures say in Leviticus 11. "Umm, you are like the Muslim now," others exclaimed. Despite their various remarks on us, we did not let those affect our dealings with them for we were all serving under one ministry. We just let those comments entered one ear and passed through another. For times, we reasoned out to them but their heart remained closed on the truth.

The issue about clean and unclean food was just bearable unto them. It did not bother them much at all. As a Sunday-worshiping congregation, leaders and finance ministers usually take lunch in the church after the service is over. There were 2 or sometimes 3 kinds of viand being served and they planned ahead that one of those be the kind that I am allowed to eat.

The second thing we believed that had alarmed them most was when we begun practicing Sabbath every Saturday. The 4th commandment was the only one that we were not obeying among the ten. We were taught that Sunday was the day of worship and as long as we have one day within the week for the Lord that is already enough. But the truth is NO Sunday was ever mentioned in the unadulterated Bible. And if we claimed that Sunday is the Sabbath of the Lord, we, in reality, do not understand the essence of what the true Sabbath is. Usually Sunday church services, whether morning, afternoon or evening session, last only for a few hours. Before and after the services, where will you find most of the Christians? They’re in the theaters, supermarkets, shopping malls, sports and recreational facilities, and others in the parks or beaches. The true-Sabbath is to be a day of worship, a holy day for the Lord, a day of rest from all works, a day of keeping ourselves from doing anything that will please us. During Sabbath Day our focus should only be on Elohim alone. Celebrating Sabbath should be a delight to everyone and not a burden or a plain routine activity!

"For whoever keep the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." This verse (James 2:10) guided us to refocus our view regarding the commandments of Yahuwah. We have encountered this verse for many times but it really did not have any effect at all on us. It did not have a "rhema" on us but was just a plain "logos". For a long time, we have let ourselves to be dominated by the so-called "Greek thinking" – which concerns on the accumulation of knowledge; description of something; and which is more of the "noun" type in terms of grammar AND we did not let ourselves have the so-called "Hebrew thinking" – which focuses more on the functions and usage of something; which involves immediate response, action or implementation of known truth; and which is more of the "verb" type in terms of grammar. For example, in the question, "What is a pencil? – the Greek thinker would answered – "It is something round made of wood and a lead in the middle of it. Pointed on one side and with an eraser on the other end." However, a Hebrew thinker would answer it this way – "I use it for writing."

In most protestant churches, Friday evening and Saturday have commonly been chosen as preparation or practice days, prayer meeting days, prayer breakfast fellowship day, seminar days, training days, outdoor or picnic day, etc. Since, we patterned our Sabbath to the Jews, we requested our church’s leaders that we be excused from all church activities falling from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, which they did not deny to us. So for quite a time, we were Saturday Sabbath and Sunday worshipers. Our practicing of Sabbath has drawn the attention of other church members. They asked us so we told them and shared with them what we were practicing.

Until the time came that we (my wife and I) were summoned by the church’s pastors and elders and were questioned again about what they called "extreme practices". "What happened with you? You’ve changed your eating lifestyle and now you’re like the 7th Day Adventist group practicing Sabbath? What books or literature are you reading? We were like respondents being examined for a "crime" along a panel of judges. However, they did not expel us from the church nor gave us any disciplinary actions but rather told us not to share and teach anymore other members of the church regarding these "old practices". In order to observe Sabbath faithfully I have to cease from doing or being involved with anything that would hinder me from worshiping Elohim on His appointed day. And being driven by a belief that Saturday is the Sabbath Day, I resigned from my position in the church. It would be unfair to the administration of the church if I will not be around during or every Saturday Sabbaths. It would be an insubordination on my part as a worker in the church. My wife who was a volunteer school nurse and Science teacher then, resigned a few months later from the church-owned pre-elementary and elementary grade school.

Elohim for sure had arranged everything about our life. We were transferred to a nearby province and generously been asked by my brother in law to live with him. My family then came out from our former church because we were convicted by Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) to obey the 4th commandment of Yahuwah. In one of the worship services of the 7th Day Adventist Church here in Ipil we did ask forgiveness for calling them as cult based on what was told us by our senior pastors before. We did not transfer to any church but have continued on gathering within our new home. Some of our relatives joined us and later some friends. For more than 2 years we were Saturday Sabbatarians. One time, when I was searching on the internet the date for the celebration of Jewish Festivals, WLC unexpectedly just popped up on the screen. Yahuwah who have seen and tested that we really wanted to please Him by obeying His commandment, led me to WLC home page. I browsed on what was being displayed on the screen and was guided to start reading 3 Months in a Row. HalleluYah! We found the truth! Then I joined WLC Community on Dec. 14, 2009. From that date onward we were led to correctly celebrate and worship Yahuwah on the true-Seventh Day Sabbaths, New Moon Days and religious festivals.

On June of this year, we decided not to send our children (4th year high school student, elementary grades 5, 4 & 2) to public schools anymore. With the belief that secular teachings will only pollute their young mind and greatly contradict truth in the Bible. We formed a home school with classes that start from the 2nd day to the 5th day of the week, minimum of 5 hours a day. No classes during Preparation Day, Sabbaths, 1st day of the week, New Moon Days, and religious feasts. Subjects being taught are Biblical Truth, Hebrew Language, English, Mathematics and Practical Arts. Students are adult and youth alike, a total of 17 in all. Most of them have recently become member of WLC Community. Aside from our 4 children, some youth (from college, high school, elementary levels) willingly joined the classes, of course, with the consent of their parents.

We (husband and wife) teach them. But in the real sense, we consider that we are all students and continually learning in this school. Especially in the study of Hebrew (Ibrit) Language, with the exception of my wife who had experienced and studied "Ibrit" when she worked 17 years ago in Jerusalem, Israel for 7 years in Hadassah Hospital. We are very blessed because the learning/teaching materials she had used before were kept intact and preserved for a purpose. It did not come to our imagination that we will be studying and learning the holy language. The language used in writing the Torah, the language spoken by our forefathers, Yeshua HaMaschiach and His followers. Now, studying Scriptures has become very captivating and interesting as we compare and study the various English versions to the Original Hebrew version. Also, because of high technology, we were able to take some of our Hebrew teaching lessons from downloadable materials in the internet.

It’s our prayer that this testimony would open the mind of others, give encouragement and strengthen the servants of Adonai Eloheynu!

Written for the Yahuwah’s glory!  Shalom!

Eduardo Sismoan

Philippines.