Dr Paul Allen

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...

Aparelho de ar condicionado (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Jewish law forbids work on the Sabbath, but the question that has always plagued law-keepers is this: what actually constitutes work? Many modern interpretations of the law state that using an electrical button on the Sabbath constitutes work. Pressing a button closes an electrical switch and the closing of the switch is interpreted as "building" a circuit. Any kind of building on the Sabbath is strictly forbidden by the law. For that reason, many of the apartment buildings in this area use a feature in their elevators known as " Shabbat [Sabbath] service." Sabbath service removes the need to press buttons. When the service is engaged, the elevator will either stop at every floor on both the way up and the way down, or it will rise to the top and then stop at every floor on the way down. In either case, the sanctity of the Sabbath is maintained. (Wikipedia's article on  Shabbat service  is fascinati...

Dispute of Jesus and the Pharisees over tribute money (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Mark 3:1–6 . Although Jesus made many claims about his authority , how did he demonstrate to others that he believed he was God ? One episode that demonstrated his authority is recorded in Mark 3 . According to the Law of Moses , no work could be done on the Sabbath (see Exodus 20:8–11 ).  Jewish tradition dictated that aid could be given to the sick only if the person’s life was in danger, which clearly wasn’t the case here. The Pharisees who witnessed the healing of this man’s shriveled hand on the Sabbath became furious.  Not only were they angry that Jesus violated rabbinic tradition, but they also perceived that he claimed both the authority to interpret the Law of Moses and the ability to fulfill it (see Matthew 5:17 ).  The religious leaders, who felt threatened by Jesus, reacted by conspiring to kill him. Though tragic, their attitude and actions proved that Jesus...