• Bake or boil food (Exodus 16:23)
• Gather manna (Exodus 16:26)
• Go anywhere (Exodus 16:29)
• Work on the sabbath day (Exodus 20:10; 23:12; 31:14; 34:21; Leviticus 23:3)
• Defile, i.e., pollute or profane the sabbath day (Exodus 31:14)
• Fail to put to death those who do any work on the sabbath (Exodus 35:2; Numbers 15:32-36)
• Light a fire (Exodus 35:3)
• Gather sticks, i.e. wood (fire wood) (Numbers 15:32–36)
• Buy or sell food (Nehemiah 13:15-18)
• Carry anything (Jeremiah 17:21,22)
• Fail to proclaim holy convocations (sacred assemblies).

        Note the use of the phrase “in all your dwellings:”


Leviticus 23:3:         3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.         Leviticus 23:14:         14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.         Leviticus 23:21:         21 And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.         Leviticus 23:31:         31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

• Fail to have the priests make sacrifices and a burnt offering (Numbers 28:9-10)

        There is danger to the true saint of God in observing sabbaths because they are then placing themselves under the totality of the Mosaic Law and negating the death of Jesus Christ as paying the penalty for their sins. In reality, it’s simply another very thinly disguised “works” mentality, declaring that the death of Jesus was insufficient to cleanse us all from sin, and that we must continue to “do” something that God will accept as “monthly payments” (in this instance “weekly payments”) for the down payment Jesus paid on our behalf.
        However, the Bible makes it perfectly clear that no one is justified by the Mosaic Law. Not during the times of the Old Testament and not during the time of the New Testament.
        God is looking for disciples of His Son, Jesus Christ—those who learn of Him, follow Him, support Him and imitate Him. If we will but re-orient our theological studies to a primary focus on the New Testament as the basis of our faith, and concentrate on Jesus and quit trying to live in the Old Testament, we will be able to focus in on what God has chosen to reveal of Himself to us.
        God wants true disciples of Jesus to populate His heaven. Neglecting His Son puts you in great danger of missing His heavenly census count in eternity.

        The true ekklesia of God is a family, a family within a community, a community which is a subset of a society, and acts like a family towards other members of the family. The elders/overseers/shepherds/pastors/bishops (all one and the same) are simply older members of the spiritual family whose track record indicates that they are trustworthy and usually, but not always, give good solid practical and spiritual advice to the younger members, especially those younger deacons [read: “workers,” i.e., those who have youth on their side for the energy to do the things needed to maintain a family] in order to help guide their lives on the right spiritual track. That’s why there is always a plurality of elders—there is safety in a number of counsellors.
        Jesus is our only Shepherd. Period. The “elder/shepherd/pastor/overseer/bishop” that we have recognized as such are really only under-shepherds. They are recognized by the majority in the group, by the corporate giftings of the individual members. They are not self-appointed. That’s where their “authority” comes from. What they have to say is “authority” only so long as those in the group accept their collective mature outlook and wisdom.
        If they fail to display maturity and wisdom in some matter, then the group will simply not acknowledge what they have to say about it. If you have a problem with that then study the life of Paul the apostle. His authority as an apostle was accepted as such only by those who accepted him as truly being sent by God. There were quite a few in the New Testament that did not accept his alleged “apostolic authority,” because they didn’t accept him as being sent by God to them. They had that freedom to reject him because in their twisted theological devices they thought that Paul did not state biblical values! We have that same freedom but we exercise that freedom to accept or reject the wisdom and advice of elders if they don’t adhere to and reflect biblical values!

        Paul encourages the saints in those local assemblies:

1 Corinthians 14:26-33:         How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

        In the phrase “when ye come together,” the word “when” is hotan in the Greek. Strong’s Definition is: “whenever (implying hypothesis or more or less uncertainty); also caus. (conjunctionally) inasmuch as.” It’s variously translated in the KJV: “as long (soon) as, that, + till, when (-soever), while.”
        Thayer’s Definition of hotan: “when, whenever, as long as, as soon as.”
        The phrase “ye come together” is one word in the Greek, sunerchomai. Strong’s defines it as: “to convene, depart in company with, associate with, or (specifically) cohabit (conjugally).” It’s variously translated in the KJV as: “accompany, assemble (with), come (together), come (company, go) with, resort.” Thayer’s Definition is:
        1) to come together
                a) to assemble
                b) used of conjugal cohabitation
        2) to go (depart) or to come with one, to accompany one
        Paul is saying to the Corinthians that on those occasions whenever you happen to meet together, then “every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.”
        There is no planned meeting at a certain time, on a certain day, for a certain reason. He is saying that whenever you happen to meet together, that the charisma descension gifts of the Holy Spirit will become operative in the lives of those believers who are in attendance.
        That could easily be those two or three who happen to meet at a restaurant, or at a mall, or drop by to say hello, or any number of places.
        When Paul stated this he was describing the result, i.e., the effect of the cause, the cause being the Holy Spirit. We humans, in our attempts to control God, instead want to make what Paul said the cause in order to produce some type of feel good, chill bump, warm fuzzies experience.
        Note what the writer of Hebrews says:

Hebrews 10:24-25:         24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:         25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

        “Consider one another” ... consider what? “to provoke unto love and to good works:” Why do we assemble together? “... exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
        Do you see the focus upon “one another?” And as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 14:26, “Let all things be done unto edifying.” We edify “one another” according to scriptural values, not the traditions of men!
        When those who love God decide to assemble themselves together for the purpose of ministering to each other, then God will move among them. Our response to the moving of the Holy Spirit will automatically trigger praise and worship of our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Please note what I’m saying and not saying.
        I am saying that we are assembled together with the motive of focusing on one another and offering to those among us true fellowship (Greek, koinonia), which encompasses three aspects: sharing, socializing and supporting. This includes those times of chance meeting, as discussed, and also those times when we assemble together on purpose to minister to “one another.”
        I am not saying that we are assembled together in order to have some type of programmed “worship service” where we have some of the people play musical instruments, while another “leads” us in singing songs, using either printed sheets of words, or a screen using an overhead projector.
        No, when we assemble and focus on true biblical fellowship with one another, then worship of our Lord and Saviour, Master, Creator and Redeemer will come spontaneously as the Holy Spirit leads us. Just as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:26. Glory!

        4. Teachings that God will curse you, the devil will kill you, steal from you and destroy you, that you are being disobedient to God and you are in rebellion against God if you don’t tithe, have a “covering,” assemble at a building at pre-set times, and obey everything alleged “leaders” think, say and do.
        I’ve discussed in several articles the unscriptural practices and methods used to manipulate, intimidate and control untold millions of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. I discuss this fully in the article “Tithe, Covering, Assembling, Obey Them That Have The Rule Over You.”

            (a) You are taught that you must pay a tithe to your local church.
                   If you don’t tithe, you are told, God will curse you.
            (b) You are taught that you need the spiritual covering of the organization you are a member of or wherever you attend on a regular basis.
                   If you leave their church/group/meetings and cease to attend regularly then in some mysterious way God will obliquely punish you for voluntarily rejecting their spiritual covering and the devil and his crowd are then free to wreak havoc in your life
            (c) You are taught that you must assemble together—when and where they say to assemble—as a scriptural commandment.
                   If you don’t attend their organization’s meetings every time their door is open then you are in disobedience to God’s commandments.
            (d) You are told that you are required to obey those that have the rule over you.
                   If you don’t agree with and obey their every word then you are in rebellion against God’s appointed and anointed authority.

        What’s the bottom line here? God will curse you, the devil will kill you, steal from you and destroy you, you are being disobedient to God and you are in rebellion against God.
        All negatives from powerful spiritual sources: God Himself three times and the devil once. If you don’t tithe, if you don’t have their “covering,” if you don’t attend their church and if you don’t believe everything they tell you and don’t obey everything they tell you to think, say and do, then you will suffer severe loss in every area of your life. According to their fear methodology, that is.
        For those who truly love God and have a healthy fear of displeasing Him, this can result in emotional states akin to terror and panic. It strongly motivates a person to do the things they are told, using fear and terror as a motivator.
        And this abuse continues century after century because those who name the name of Christ don’t read and attempt to understand the Bible and apply that biblical truth to their lives. Instead you let another human being become a mediator between God and you, a man or woman, thus granting them the status of godhood in your own personal life. However, scripture says:

1 Timothy 2:5-6:         5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;         6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.