The Grace and Power of Jesus Demonstrated in the Greatest Event in History — the Resurrection, Part 6
(Just Jesus Evangelistic Campaign, Day 339)
John 20:19-23: "Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained."
Daniel Hyde said, "When Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week, things changed. Because of that pivotal event, the church determined that for Christians under the new covenant, the day of worship and celebration of the Lord's grace in Jesus Christ was to be the first day of the week, Sunday."
The early church was made up exclusively of Jewish believers. As such, they initially kept Jewish traditions such as going to the Temple to pray, observing the Passover, and observing the Sabbath Day. But the early Christians quickly added a new tradition to their observances -- that of meeting on the day after the Sabbath -- Sunday, the first day of the week -- the day Jesus rose from the dead. Some Christians have thought that the Christian gathering on Sunday replaces the Jewish Sabbath observance. Others, such as our Seventh Day Adventist brethren, believe that Christians ought to still observe the Jewish Sabbath on Saturday both as a day of rest and a day of worship.
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