eating out on Sundays

Karen,

I agree with you completely. I think part of the reason for the dismissal is because so many new people come in guns a blazin. That being said I think corndoggy has some good points that were dismissed extremely quickly.

 

Stick around awhile and you'll see exactly what we are talking about. :smilewinkgrin: BTW, welcome to the BB!

 

What makes you so sure they would be in Church on Sunday as opposed to staying out later on Saturday? Sleeping in or just lounge around? If they wanted to be in Church, they would.

 

I used to be a cook at a restaurant and Sunday was the only day we were not allowed to request off... why? It was our busiest day...All the Christians at noon.

I worked the first shift... from 7 am to 3 pm.
Then went to church that night...

I viewed my job as a ministry to other Christians... and I still didnt miss church on Sunday...

It is legalistic to require someone to be there every service...\

BTW, what makes the AM service more important than the PM service?

 

OK -- you want to change people's behavior. There are people who would like to be in church on Sunday and can't be. There are others as LeBuick pointed out, who would just sleep in. This is a fact of life. You may not be able to change their behaviors because they donwanna change.

There are also those who work on Sunday morning who will go to the evening service or seek out a church with an alternative service time or be faithful to the midweek service. This is a fact of life too.

 

I have been guilty of going to the Chick-Fil-A drive through and realizing it's Sunday and they are closed. NO NUGGETS FOR YOU!

 

As a pastor I am a little prejudiced here... I would like to see everyone in church every time the doors are open... but that is just not going to happen....

One thing that I have to remind myself is we are serving Christ, not the church. I wonder if we have made the church into an idol. Is it a sin to miss Sunday morning services, if you are there other times?

That is the beauty of grace. Sure we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, but is missing Sunday morning, while attending Sunday night consider "forsaking"? I don't think so.

What about those that are faithful to the church in every other way, but have to work on Sunday?

Is it a sin to eat out on Sunday? Not unless you are making one day more special than the rest.

Someone said, "I would just quit, if I had to work on Sunday", or "just switch jobs" Where is it in the world that the economy is so good that you can just up and switch jobs anytime you want... while upholding God's commands to support a family?

In a perfect world, everyone would work Mon-Fri. 8 hours a day, Saturday would be a day of rest, and Sunday would be a day to worship.

But also in this perfect world, no one would ever need a hospital. No one would get sick, there would be no poverty, children would not go to bed hungry, Abortions would never occur, and everyone would wait until they are married before having sex.

Oh, and baptists wouldn't fight. :laugh: :thumbs: :wavey: raying:

But we are not there yet, we are just passing through an imperfect world.

 

I still sure wouldn't want to bet the farm on this one! Nyuck! Nyuck! Nyuck!

Oh yeah! I'm really going to enjoy lunch today! And tomorrow! And Monday! and Tue...!

Ed

 

Not criticizing what you posted, just trying to discuss here.
Is it a sin in your view to miss Sunday morning just because you don't feel like it and you go other times? If you like fill-in-the-blank preacher on Sunday morning tv but you go other times to your church, for example?
How many times should you go to not be sinning?
In my church, for example, each service has a different focus and emphasis. Workers are needed, more than the pastor and pianist.

I am unclear about the division between serving Christ and the church. I think I know what you mean and mostly agree. But Christ uses means to bring about His will, and a very primary one is the gathered church.

Are you saying that it IS a sin to eat out on Sunday if you consider it "special" but not if you consider Sunday "ordinary"?

 

If a person misses church just because he/she doesnt want to go, their problem is much deeper than attendance. The root of their problem is anchored in some other sin, and there are all kinds of sins to pin this on... it would depend on the person.

For a person to support a tv ministry instead of a local church is not biblical, and therefore would be a sin.

You asked, "how many times should you go to not be sinning?" That's what I was kinda asking too... some churches have only 1 service a week, some have a service or ministry every night... It would all depend on the particular church. Making a rule that unless you attend 3 out of 4 services a month, would be legalistic....

Now if you are a leader of the church, and have a ministry that is dependant upon you being there, you have a responsibility to be there...
Imagine a pastor saying, "well, I was there last week, I don't need to go this week"

Again, this all depends on the church and individual... we cannot sit here on BB and make up rules that would apply to churches worldwide. There are just too many variables for it to work.

I agree with the point that Christ uses HIS church to bring about His will, but when a church starts ignoring Christ, and is just trying to promote itself, then the church becomes an idol...

Is it possible for someone to be addicted to church?

I'm not saying it is a sin to eat out on Sunday.
Here this says it a whole lot better than I could:

Romans 14:5-6
(5) One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day [alike]. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
(6) He that regardeth the day, regardeth [it] unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard [it]. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

 

Is it a sin? I say no.

Forsake not isn't a commandment, it was given to us by Paul that we may live a stronger and closer walk with the Lord. We don't attend service as part of our service, we attend Church to worship/praise God and to reinforce our understandings by strengthning our knowledge and understanding of his word.

I think Tiny hit on something when he suggested we may be making the Church building and attandance an idol. It is starting to align itself with the Jews enforcement of this same commendment. The Jews reminded Jesus about Labor on the Lord's day and Jesus kept reminding them, in my opinion, if it's necessary then it's right.

How do you tell a man whose been lame 38 years he can't carry his bed? How do you tell a starving man he can't pick corn because of what day it is? Then jesus proceeded to point out, if your animal fell in a hole on the sabbath, wouldn't you get them out or would you make them wait? Who is it that mentioned earlier about being a farmer, do you not feed your animals because it's Sunday.

So yes corndogggy, I believe your view is more toward worshipping the Sabbath or the Church as oppeosed to a God who is worthy 24x7, 365 days a year. Missing 11AM service is no different than missing 7PM service. The doors were open and you wearen't there...