which one is more important, ministry work or your rest? In a way it doesn’t matter which one you do if you really trust God (if you rest, you trust that God will work in ppl heart regardless your preparation (or lack of it) of the bible study, if you work, you trust that God will provide some rest for you) < does that make sense?

about ppl criticising you, there gonna be some who will always do it, regardless of what you do, ‘coz you just can’t satisfy everyone

if someone wants to keep the sabbath, you can’t force them to do otherwise

It is a bit more than whether a person trusts God when he/she decides to keep (or not to keep) his/her Sabbath rest. See my pros/cons list – it does have a wider effect on whether a certain task is done, and how other Christians in the same fellowship relate to you. Your argument makes sense, but I hope it is that simple :)

And of the criticism, what about if your action seems to be in contradiction with the teachings on Sunday, even though you know that it is still theologically sound? I have to say that Joshua’s preaching on Sabbath is a bit simplified. He is looking though the role of a full-time worker, or a full-time minister, or a full-time student. What about full-time worker doing part-time ministry? What about a part-time worker doing ministry at near-full-time capacity? What about people who work, serve in the church, and have family to take care of as well? Which part of “life” is work and which part is not? Do I still “keep the Sabbath” legalistically if I stress myself out on Saturday with non-income-generating work? Then, why do we focus on keeping the Sabbath as a virtue of a godly Christian?

Nah. I am not criticising anyone but somehow life just gets a bit more complicated. Moreover, it is past 11pm and I am about to sign off for the day…

have you talked to Joshua about it? give him some feedback so next time when he preaches on Sabbath, he can make it applicable to other people as well

It seems to me that thers’s too much confusion about the do’s and don’ts of keeping the Sabbath – like the Pharisees with keeping the letter of the law!

The Sabbath was designed by God for our pleasure and well being. It is a day when one can put aside all the cares and perplexities of life and focus on walking with and communing with God. The Sabbath is a sign between me and my God that I am on the path of sanctification where he has full permission to work in my life and renew my mind according to his principles. It is a day when rather than a physical rest, I am able to truly rest from my own works –> my self-survival strategies and I can remain connected to Him and learn to trust Him –> rest in His love –> be fully dependent on Him. For me it is a day without distraction, when I can practise that “abiding” in Him of John 15. It,s a time when I can study His Word; meet with others to worship Him; share His love with others who do not know him; a time when I can more readily hear his voce without the clutter of everyday things in my mind.

For some reason that I do not fully understand, God asks me to keep the Sabbath on the seventh day, Saturday, which I am delighted to do.

May the Lord, our Creator and Re-creator, be with you always,

Louise

Yes. I try not to be a Pharisee in the way I keep my Sabbath, and I don’t want to see it as a ‘rule’ that we ought to take Saturday off. However…

1. Sometimes it is not what other people thinks. The fact that they “CAN” keep the Sabbath does not imply everyone else can, as each person is unique and each one has his/her problem. In my case, some of my church friends have questioned me that why I do not rest on the Sabbath. It can be a pressure sometimes.

2. Should you keep the Sabbath when you still have loads of work to do? Not talking about my Monday to Friday work here, but mostly chruch stuff. Otherwise am I not like the Pharisees criticised by Jesus in Mark 7, who obey the rule to avoid the real responsibility?

And surely I would like to have some rest.

Your problem is a tough one, and one that many Christians have to deal with (myself included). I hope that my response is in some way helpful…

1. I don’t think that the Sabbath (as a strict 24 hour period) is a biblical rule that has to be obeyed by all Christians. But that’s a matter of exegesis (ask me more on this if you like)

2. Still, I think that all Christians should at least have some time off to do what relaxes them. For some this might be a 24 hour period, it might be more, it might be less. Remember that we’re not all that same, and we need to cater for that.

3. A big part of growing up (I don’t know you so I don’t know your age) is understanding your limitations. This means knowing how much Christian stuff you can and can not do. Hard decisions have to be made.

4. Your relationship with God is important. Sometimes it feels like you’re too busy doing Christian stuff that you’re loosing touch with God. That’s a problem! Not least because one who isn’t growing in their relationship with God will find it difficult to help others.

5. This is where trust comes in. You simply won’t be able to do everything that you want to. You need to know your limitations, and work within those. Everything else you will need to leave in God’s hands.

Does this help? Let me know. I’m constantly dealing with this myself…