Dr Paul Allen

 Malachi 1:6–14 “When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil?” (Mal. 1:8). Some of the most heated debates in church history have been associated with worship, and this should not surprise us. People tend to argue passionately about the things that are most important to them, and worship is perhaps the most important labour of the church. Men and women engage in debates about worship because, consciously or not, they recognize the importance of worship issues. We do not have to look into the debates concerning worship very long before we see people draw lines regarding the church’s liturgy. Some Christians argue for highly structured services, where everything is laid out in print precisely for the worshipers to follow.  Others think worship services should have more of an informal structure. Often this argument takes the form of whether it is better to have liturgical or nonliturgical worship, “...

A modern Western worship team leading a contemporary worship session. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) God chose to rest. He worked six days, creating the heavens and the earth and everything that would fill them. And then he, the God who never grows weary, chose to rest. He took sabbath . Why would he do this? Why would the all-powerful God rest? He rested to established a pattern, to establish a flow. There would be times for labor and times for rest. Six days you could earn a living and carry out your day-to-day responsibilities, and on the seventh you were to rest. Six years you could harvest your crops, but on the seventh the fields were to lie fallow. There would be ebb and flow, there would be work and rest. God did not intend all work and no rest; he did not intend all rest and no work. He intended both to flow in a pattern, a dance. Looking at it now, I see three great lessons we learn from a day set apart. Sabbath teaches dependence . Sabbath teaches us to depend upon God...