What things are OK on the Sabbath?

try not to be like the Jews in the time of Jesus, they got so legalistic that they killed the messiah.

Spend time with the Lord and give glory to Him on the Sabbath.

Friday is the preparation day when my wife prepares the Sabbath meal so all we do is heat it up if that is required or we fast on the Sabbath. The stomach needs rest also.

I use my computer on the Sabbath as a witnessing tool to post the truth about the word of GOD to those that are in darkness.

SpiritSong said:

You can read my intro post in the introductions thread for more about me.

My pastor at our SDA church said that going home after the Sabbath service and watching football was not observing the Sabbath. I happen to agree with that, but what OTHER things are NOT OK on the Sabbath and what are? Like, for instance, it is OK to prepare a meal for oneself on the Sabbath? I know not to go to my job and work that day, so that is not the question here. Is it OK to take a neighbor's dog out for a walk on that day when she is out of town visiting relatives? I kind of think staying off my computer might be a good idea on the Sabbath, but I listen to relaxing music most days and I do that with my computer, so...? I know reading scripture is a good idea, as is prayer for the Sabbath. So that is not the question here either.

What kinds of things do you do on the Sabbath after the Sabbath service or on the Friday evening before it?

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Its a good question as it destroyed any semblance of observance in Sunday keeping churches. I always use a simple measuring stick, are you doing it out of love for God "with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" and for your fellowman, then God is pleased.

SpiritSong said:

My pastor at our SDA church said that going home after the Sabbath service and watching football was not observing the Sabbath.

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Well this is an easy one....since there is usually no football played on friday or Saturday and in the days of DVR in is easy to be holy in this manner when recording your shows to watch, without commercials the next day, is an option.

SpiritSong said:

Is it OK to take a neighbor's dog out for a walk on that day when she is out of town visiting relatives?

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It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath

SpiritSong said:

What kinds of things do you do on the Sabbath after the Sabbath service or on the Friday evening before it?

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One must be persuaded in their own heart....... When following these commands in the flesh, the answer will vary from person to person......and such is ok and expected...until the spirit is revealed.

I think when we look at Sabbath observance as I can do this, and I can't do that, we are looking at it from the wrong perspective. The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Meaning, to me, that it was designed to be the day we get to spend with God without other distractions. In other words, Sabbath is a day completely devoted to improving our relationship with Him.

The Pharisees looked at Sabbath as a set of rules, and if they didn't break the rules they were "keeping" the Sabbath, yet they killed the Lord of the Sabbath. If we look at Sabbath the same way they did we are going to fall into making the same errors they did.

If we have problems with one of our human relationships the answer is to spend time with that person in a one on one manner. And in our conversation speak to the things we are concerned about and express our gratitude for the good things that come from that person. It is to be the same way with our relationship with God. As the old hymn says, What a friend we have in Jesus. To me, Sabbath is the day to devote completely to improving our friendship with Him. And we can't do that with a rule oriented approach for that is the impersonal approach.

Original Happy Camper said:

try not to be like the Jews in the time of Jesus, they got so legalistic that they killed the messiah.

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Respectfully, be careful with statements like this. The Jews that opposed Christ were the elite and their power was in jeopardy. Remember, days before he was killed, Jews lined the streets crying "Hosanna!" More Jews believed he was Messiah than most Christians realize. And those that really stood against him were the ones who were in line to lose authority if this guy was really the coming king!

Ken Rank said:

Respectfully, be careful with statements like this. The Jews that opposed Christ were the elite and their power was in jeopardy. Remember, days before he was killed, Jews lined the streets crying "Hosanna!" More Jews believed he was Messiah than most Christians realize. And those that really stood against him were the once who were in line to lose authority over others if this guy was really the coming king!

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I feel certain that the Jews who packed Pilate's courtyard that day were officials of the temple and Herod's court. My reasoning is this:

First, scripture tells us explicitly that the trial and sentencing was done quickly and secretly for the specific reason of not rousing the rabble--they did not want the ordinary working Jews to know what was happening.

Second, why would the average Jew spend any of his working hours watching yet another of his nation being sentenced to crucifixion by the hated Roman occupiers?

Third, the average working Jew was preparing for Passover. He had to get a proper lamb and make other arrangements. He also had to make sure to keep himself ceremonially clean, which would not happen if he entered the pagan's courtyard. Once confined into the hated occupier's own yard, anything could happen--mostly bad. A Zealot could throw a stone and there the working Jew would be--trapped.

Fourth, we know that there were hundreds of officials between the Herodian court and the temple staff. More than enough to pack Pilate's courtyard and certain to behave precisely as instructed.

I just don't see it likely that ordinary Jewish folk were in Pilate's courtyard that day.

SpiritSong said:

You can read my intro post in the introductions thread for more about me.

My pastor at our SDA church said that going home after the Sabbath service and watching football was not observing the Sabbath. I happen to agree with that, but what OTHER things are NOT OK on the Sabbath and what are? Like, for instance, it is OK to prepare a meal for oneself on the Sabbath? I know not to go to my job and work that day, so that is not the question here. Is it OK to take a neighbor's dog out for a walk on that day when she is out of town visiting relatives? I kind of think staying off my computer might be a good idea on the Sabbath, but I listen to relaxing music most days and I do that with my computer, so...? I know reading scripture is a good idea, as is prayer for the Sabbath. So that is not the question here either.

What kinds of things do you do on the Sabbath after the Sabbath service or on the Friday evening before it?

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The Sabbath is about spending quality time with the Lord. He wants you to focus on Him and to do good on the Sabbath. Jesus taught on the Sabbath, Jesus healed on the Sabbath. As well the Sabbath is to be a physical and mental rest.

Attending to animals needs? Of course ... they depend on us. They need to be fed, they may need to be walked etc ... but usually it does not take the entire Sabbath to do that.

John 14

He said to them, "If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?

It's not being legalistic ... it is a delight and one is to look forward to it.

The Sabbath is the day the Lord created and set aside to spend quality time with Him.

Isaiah 58:13-14

"If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the LORD honorable,
And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD;
And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
The mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Food ... nowadays it don't take much time to prepare something to eat. If you're going to have guests over to share a meal and to enjoy the Sabbath with ... that requires more time so prepare that the day before.

Spending time with the Lord on the Sabbath focusing on Him as much as possible and delighting in Him .... that's what it is about.

God Bless.

SpiritSong said:

You can read my intro post in the introductions thread for more about me.

My pastor at our SDA church said that going home after the Sabbath service and watching football was not observing the Sabbath. I happen to agree with that, but what OTHER things are NOT OK on the Sabbath and what are? Like, for instance, it is OK to prepare a meal for oneself on the Sabbath? I know not to go to my job and work that day, so that is not the question here. Is it OK to take a neighbor's dog out for a walk on that day when she is out of town visiting relatives? I kind of think staying off my computer might be a good idea on the Sabbath, but I listen to relaxing music most days and I do that with my computer, so...? I know reading scripture is a good idea, as is prayer for the Sabbath. So that is not the question here either.

What kinds of things do you do on the Sabbath after the Sabbath service or on the Friday evening before it?

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May I ask why you are seeking to keep the Old Covenant Law of Moses? Jesus Christ has already fulfilled the Old Covenant command of keeping the Sabbath, since He finished His work of taking sin on the cross, and was dead in the grave the entire Sabbath. But Jesus Christ raised from the Dead on Sunday morning. If you are trusting in Jesus Christ as your fulfillment of the Law and payment for sin, you are freed from the Law and it's obligations. If you want to take a day of rest for your body, so be it, but Jesus says the Sabbath is made to serve man.... man is not made to serve the Sabbath. Mark 2:23-28 and Luke 6:1-5

This is the New Covenant in Jesus Christs' blood.

SpiritSong said:

You can read my intro post in the introductions thread for more about me.

My pastor at our SDA church said that going home after the Sabbath service and watching football was not observing the Sabbath. I happen to agree with that, but what OTHER things are NOT OK on the Sabbath and what are? Like, for instance, it is OK to prepare a meal for oneself on the Sabbath? I know not to go to my job and work that day, so that is not the question here. Is it OK to take a neighbor's dog out for a walk on that day when she is out of town visiting relatives? I kind of think staying off my computer might be a good idea on the Sabbath, but I listen to relaxing music most days and I do that with my computer, so...? I know reading scripture is a good idea, as is prayer for the Sabbath. So that is not the question here either.

What kinds of things do you do on the Sabbath after the Sabbath service or on the Friday evening before it?

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Anything you do thru Faith in Jesus Christ is OK on the Sabbath. Anything you do outside of Faith in Jesus Christ is sin. (Romans 14:23), and that applies for every day of week.

Ken Rank said:

Respectfully, be careful with statements like this. The Jews that opposed Christ were the elite and their power was in jeopardy. Remember, days before he was killed, Jews lined the streets crying "Hosanna!" More Jews believed he was Messiah than most Christians realize. And those that really stood against him were the ones who were in line to lose authority if this guy was really the coming king!

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Ken
I am well aware of that fact. However as today most folks follow their leaders.

Original Happy Camper said:

Ken
I am well aware of that fact. However as today most folks follow their leaders.

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Yes... and I am not trying to be offensive. What I am simply saying is you are intended to be a reflection of Christ. And, when we find somebody who is seeking, we are to teach. When we single out any group, for whatever reason (especially publicly) then when an adherent from that group begins to seek they won't come to you because you are the guy that already offended them. I have seen it happen hundreds of times, maybe more.

You're a good person, I know that as I have read a bunch of your posts. And I am not trying to single you out... your post just caught my eye and for whatever reason, comments like that catch my eye. Nothing good can come from it, especially when as many as 20,000 of the 80,000 Jews in and around Jerusalem in that day believed he was Messiah. Especially when the streets were lined with Jews who cried out "Hosanna" thinking he was the coming king. It took a small amount of those in elite positions to stack the courtyard with enough people to get him killed. From this we know it was a SMALL AMOUNT that brought him to his death... most were for him or ambivalent. A statement like, "try not to be like the Jews in the time of Jesus, they got so legalistic that they killed the messiah" indicts all Jews... when again, it was only a small amount.

SpiritSong said:

Please, let's get back to the original question in the thread here. I am the original poster and I do feel I have a right to ask that of you both!

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My apologies. By definition, holy means set apart, different, uncommon. The Sabbath is to be a holy day, different from the other 6, set apart, treated as uncommon. So we TRY to not do anything we would do on other days. However... we are in the nations, under secular rule and our culture could care less about our religious conviction. It would be easier living in Jerusalem where, at 3:00PM ish on a Friday, they shut down the city until Saturday night after Shabbat has ended. But, we don't live there and things don't shut down. We are forced to do the best we can under the conditions we are in.

SpiritSong said:

You can read my intro post in the introductions thread for more about me.

My pastor at our SDA church said that going home after the Sabbath service and watching football was not observing the Sabbath. I happen to agree with that, but what OTHER things are NOT OK on the Sabbath and what are? Like, for instance, it is OK to prepare a meal for oneself on the Sabbath? I know not to go to my job and work that day, so that is not the question here. Is it OK to take a neighbor's dog out for a walk on that day when she is out of town visiting relatives? I kind of think staying off my computer might be a good idea on the Sabbath, but I listen to relaxing music most days and I do that with my computer, so...? I know reading scripture is a good idea, as is prayer for the Sabbath. So that is not the question here either.

What kinds of things do you do on the Sabbath after the Sabbath service or on the Friday evening before it?

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How I explain it, is if it is done from loving God and to share His love with our fellow man, that is a good thing, and God is pleased with that.

RaymondG said:

Well this is an easy one....since there is usually no football played on friday or Saturday

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HS football is on Friday evening and almost all college football is on Saturday. Only NFL is on Sunday.

Dave-W said:

HS football is on Friday evening and almost all college football is on Saturday. Only NFL is on Sunday.

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I thought good Christians didn't like the NFL anymore because--you know--kneeling.

SpiritSong said:

You can read my intro post in the introductions thread for more about me.

My pastor at our SDA church said that going home after the Sabbath service and watching football was not observing the Sabbath. I happen to agree with that, but what OTHER things are NOT OK on the Sabbath and what are? Like, for instance, it is OK to prepare a meal for oneself on the Sabbath? I know not to go to my job and work that day, so that is not the question here. Is it OK to take a neighbor's dog out for a walk on that day when she is out of town visiting relatives? I kind of think staying off my computer might be a good idea on the Sabbath, but I listen to relaxing music most days and I do that with my computer, so...? I know reading scripture is a good idea, as is prayer for the Sabbath. So that is not the question here either.

What kinds of things do you do on the Sabbath after the Sabbath service or on the Friday evening before it?

Click to expand...

What IS ok - is worship - Lev 23:2-3
What IS ok - is rest from all labor Ex 20:8-11 (which includes not seeking out others to pay them to do work for you)
What IS ok - is refraining from secular activity Is 58:13-14.

So then if you have some activity that promotes worship, evangelism, meditation, viewing nature as a way to be reminded of creation and the parables of Christ, rest... then by all means.

Taking care of someone's pet who is out of town is classed as a necessary act of kindness/mercy and we should not cause others to suffer that we might have helped no matter what day of the week it is.

My question for you is - do you regard the Sabbath as a day of worship - because the Bible says that after the cross for all eternity in the New Earth "from Sabbath to Sabbath shall all mankind come to worship before Me" Is 66:23