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Chief -> RE: Sabbath - One Stop Thread (7/14/2005 5:57:39 PM)
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Chief, it is evident that you esteem one day above another. I believe it my heart we have to. Not that it is a burden but as a delight to meet with believers spend a day devoid of the worries of work and career. A day that refreshes the mind with the word of God, worship, prayer and rest...notwitstanding the allowance for necessities and mercies. It is not a new commandment that is imposed nor an old commandment that must be maintained as a burden. Just like anything else in the decalogue, following the them is a delight in the heart of the children of God.
I can't wait for the Lord's day to fellowship with believers and to listen to His word. Why must that be a burden or a mere tradition of man. Hunger for the presence of God even corporately is a freedom we must not neglect. Otherwise we would have patterned our thinking with the world that there is nothing sacred about the Lord's day.
Oh, yes, I worship Him daily, too. At work as I discharge my duty it is unto His glory that I do. In the morning, noon time and evening I spend quite some time to read the word, meditate and pray. But it is not only about me as one believer but about us the church.
That is why we are calle the church. The assembly of God. The gathered once. Our reflection of that name is also projected in our assembly. We are the ekklesia of the Lord therefore we behave in such a way as well.
How important is it to set aside one day for the Lord? Important for our souls and for a testimony to the world that does it's own pleasure in everyday of the week. At least the world gathers for their pleasure in sports, in the pub and in their leisure and spend a weekend together or a day for their pleasure. And we call the sabbath of the Lord a burden? The burden is in the rituals and religious ceremonies but not the day itself.
It was made for our benefit just like any of the decalogue is. For our own benefit. For our rest. For our feeding. For our refreshing. For our growth. For our fellowship as a church with God. It is not a burden to set one day to God. Israel was called to delight in it. Because it is what it truly is a delight. Not a yoke.
Isa 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
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Christianity is not about a day, it is about being ready to meet our maker and spreading the Good News. Obviously it is also towards that same practicality that we must not neglect the assembly and keeping at least one day to the Lord. We justify that we worship God 24/7 well that is a commendable desire or goal but why must be one day of total dedication to God be more of a burden if we are now a 24/7 worshipper? That means we can do a one whole day for God. If we are so looking forward to an eternity of praises and worship, one day is not a burden. It would be towards the training of our souls to meeting that eternal task.
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Trying to keep a day seems so trivial to me. Love, forgiveness, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience are far more important than trying to keep a day. Well all these are in the Moral law and even practiced and encouraged in the sabbath. Not so trivial even to the Lord Jesus that He never condemned that day but expanded the application of these very thing everyday and especially on one dedicated day because it is dedicated also to the acts of goodness for God.
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You said that you believe that the Sabbath is part of the Moral laws because it is in the 10 commandments. Of course that is your right to believe that. There is nothing ritualistic about the 4th commandment similar to the "ritualistic" requirements of the 3rd commandments. It is not a ritual to stop for one day for God. The rituals are the ones that are done during that day for religious reasons. Resting is not a ritual. It is resting. Working is not a ritual. It is working. Both are embedded in the 4th commandment. Even you know that the body needs that rest and that we are to continually work because we are all created in the image of God. There is nothing ritualistic about our image.
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Not eating unclean meat was ritual law. And I contend against that too. I do not see anything that should require us to be ritualistic on the Lord's day.
I have not been ritualistic have I? Just the one day that I was commending to each one doesn't it?
The scriptures, prayer, preaching, rest, worship, meditations, fellowship, doing mercy, praisings, singing, delighting are not rituals but are to be natural to the believer, right? There are nothing ritualistic about them that I believe that the Lord's day although for Jesus was to be done in conscience and not in set rules or rituals. How you put those things together is up to you. I do not prescribe a set amount for each of them.
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