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As members of the Canton Seventh-day Adventist Church we believe that we are called to serve Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior by living a life modeled after His compassionate character and by moving precious souls whose lives were paid for by the shedding of His blood at Calvary closer to the Kingdom of God.
Our Intent and Purpose: The observance of the Seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday) as instructed by the Holy Hebrew Scriptures in Exodus 20:8-11 is not as works to earn our salvation but for the following reasons: as a public statement that we worship the True Creator God on the day He rested from the work of creation and that He Himself sanctified or set apart as a holy day of rest centuries before the Ten Commandment were given to the Israelites on Mount Sinai. When accused of breaking the Sabbath commandment Jesus stated: "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." (Mark 2: 27) There is no other reference in Scripture which indicates that any other day but the Seventh-day Sabbath is the Lord's Day. As a public statement that we worship the True Redeemer God who saved us to the uttermost by giving His One and Only Son in ransom for our souls destined to eternal death because of our transgression of His immutable and eternal Law through the disobedience of our first parents (Adam and Eve) in the Garden of Eden. Just as God rested on the seventh-day when all his creative work was finished. (Gen. 2: 1, 2) Even so, Jesus, after exclaiming: "It is finished," rested in the tomb on the seventh-day and his disciples rested, also, according to the commandment. His work of redemption was complete as his work of creation. The first of three angels carrying the eternal gospel in Revelation 14 cries out: "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water." As a public statement that we will remain true to His Ten Moral Commandments and uphold each and every single one of them because if we break one of them we are guilty of all (James 2:10). This implies, then, that our voluntary act of worship is also a question of morality. And to disobey God by not keeping the Sabbath day holy as He requires is an act of immorality toward God. The Scriptures are plain and clear: "You shall have no other gods before me." This first commandment is closely linked to Sabbath observance in that it identifies the Creator and Redeemer God as the only one worthy of our moral act of worship. And finally, because there is no account in the Scriptures in which God blesses any other day and sets it apart as a day of rest such as the Seventh-day Sabbath. In addition, there is no direct command, such as found in Exodus 20: 8-11, to keep any other day holy and to rest from all labor and that acknowledges God as Creator. Moreover, Jesus declared Himself as Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6: 9) declaring, then, that the Lord's Day is the Seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday). At the core of the gospel invitation is the concept of rest from our labors and that of trying to work our own salvation (Matthew 11: 28-30). "Therefore, since the promise of entering into His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it... For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience." (Hebrews. 4:1, 8-11) A meaningful personal devotional life among ourselves and to encourage others to do the same. A desire to learn more of the practical aspects of Christian Living, such as the Samaritan example. A spirit of service by looking to meet the needs of our local community, namely Canton and the surrounding areas. A sincere interest to reach out to the youth of our community and influencing them to live a responsible, accountable and useful life within our present society and for the coming New World Order as promised by our Lord Jesus Christ in the gospel of John 14:1-4 and as described in the book of Revelation chapters 21 and 22. A healthy lifestyle as much as possible because our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19, 2 Corinthians 6:16).If God chooses to take residence inside mortal and sinful human beings then we have the resposibility to be accountable to Him for the health of our bodies. Again, not to gain His favor or the salvation of our souls. That was fully accomplished at the cross. But to maintain that which He, in His infinite mercy, died for in order to restore in us the image of God. This implies, then, that there is a crucial connection between our physical health and our spiritual condition. A clean community free of debris and pollution. Our God teaches us to conserve, preserve and reuse our natural resources. It is the duty of the Christian to care for God's creation. At creation we were given "dominion" over everything that God made. This means that we were entrusted with the wise management of the resourses He placed on earth for our benefit. Summary: The Canton Seventh-day Adventist Church is fully committed to bring about much good and to foster outstanding citizenship in the Canton community and to lead as many as would be willing to obey God in every aspect of life until His visual return as literally described in the book of Acts 1:9-11 and emphasized in Revelation 1:7 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, an event which the entire world will witness as never before, to take us all to live with Him. **Adapted from the Water Town Sda Church** |
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