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Post by zholden on Jul 9, 2006 20:57:58 GMT -5
I work in a Christian store that is open on Sundays. I wish we could be closed on Sundays but I guess that's the way life is sometimes. Anyway, I get a lot of "Why are yall open on Sundays?" I can't say what I would LIKE to say, which is, "We're open today because you stop here after church and shop. That makes us dependent on your money, which you won't spend your money HERE during the WEEK." Please remember that by shopping on a Sunday you are supporting a work-on-Sunday system. Used to, round these parts, you couldn't be open on Sundays but since more and more people have fallen to the world, small to medium businesses have to be open on Sunday just to make the rent. Now, I'm not saying that if my company ABSOLUTELY wanted to be closed on Sundays we couldn't do it but it would probably endanger our company pretty seriously. So, please shop during the week. Concentrate your money to Monday through Saturday. Spread the word. We do not like working on the Sabbath. Even though we consider our work more of a ministry than work, it would be nice to be able to worship on the appointed day as well. Thanks for listening and your consideration.
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Post by George on Jul 9, 2006 21:49:52 GMT -5
Christian? My Bible says they ought not do that. If the store was to follow the teachings of the Bible they would close on Sunday. If they were closed on Sunday people would be forced to come in on days they were open.
You are exactly correct in one aspect though and that is when a person comes in and shops on Sunday they have no business questioning why the place is open on Sunday. It is open so they can reap the benefits of making money on The Lord's Day.
You said it right. It is all about money. They stay open so that others who do not believe their Bibles will come in and spend that money. just because they sell a Bible or two does not make them a Christian Store.
In Christ, George
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Post by zholden on Jul 9, 2006 22:35:07 GMT -5
I hate to be rude, but we do not sell just a "Bible or two."
Me and the girls at our store often go way out of our way to minister to customers, often being counselors, friends, and prayer partners with our customer base. We have a unique oppurtunity to reach the lost who may meander into our store, to lift up, edify, and brighten those who are saved with even something so simple as a smile, and a "Hey, how's it going today?" We try to be genuine, kind and compassionate because too many people do not get that in other stores, or even at work or home.
We strive, on all levels of the corporation, to serve others and to make sure you get what you want and be encouraged in your Christian walk. There are few companies where the CEO will call each store and TALK to the employees and pray with them and for them. One "big-wig" was fired in part because he didn't send flowers to an employee who's mother had died.
We're trying to get the clout to be able to come up to the malls where we rent and say, "Hey. We'll open up shop here but we have to be closed on Sundays." It's not as easy as you would think. Who knows, when we get to that point maybe we'll start a "revolution," if you will. ;D
Yes, we are open on Sundays and we don't like it at all but you can't say we're not a Christian store without walking in and actually meeting the people.
Please, do not take this offensively. I took no offense to your post and completely understand your point of view.
In Jesus, Zoe
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Post by Brother Randy on Jul 9, 2006 23:03:23 GMT -5
Zoe,
In our city we have a Christian Book store that is in a mall. The mall tells the store owners when they will be open and not. So they don't really have much of a choice other then moving to a different place which is not always easy.
WE try as much a possible to not buy any more than is really necessary on the Lords day. Back in the days of blue laws it was much easier to not have to do this , work on Sundays.
Another area on this line that really bothers me is when you have so call Christians that own stores that sell booze , smokes and very questionable magazines.
Bro Randy
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Post by zholden on Jul 10, 2006 10:43:42 GMT -5
Another area on this line that really bothers me is when you have so call Christians that own stores that sell booze , smokes and very questionable magazines. Bro Randy LOL, there's a guy here that owns an booze store here in town that closes on Sunday and he comes in and asks us why we're open. Nice guy though. Funny. We use the "We're open because the mall is open" which is true. We make the best of it, though. My manager and ast. manager remember Blue Laws. I don't. Too young I guess. In some places you can't buy beer on Sundays but not here. We're a wet county so we have like six or seven alcohol shops.. in a town of less than 30,000!
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Post by Donna on Jul 10, 2006 11:49:02 GMT -5
There is a "national" chain of stores called Franklin Covey. They specialize in time management. They are closed on Sundays. When I attended a seminar sponsored by my employer, it was explained that they had to pay an extra premium to the mall landlords to not be open on Sunday. It is do-able, but it would probably be more difficult for a locally owned and run store.
I think many Christians are guilty of doing business on Sundays. Think how many fellowship after services by going out to eat at a local restaurant. Other than weekend evening with the daters, Sunday is probably their busiest day.
We (who have lived in the world) are so used to something always being available, that we stop planning ahead. Wouldn't a time of fellowship at someone's home be so much nicer AND relaxing. You always have to deal with the unsaved language, clothing and music at the restaurant!
Just my two cents
Donna
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Post by Brother Ben on Jul 10, 2006 12:50:59 GMT -5
I can see working on the Lord's Day if some unforseen problem has arisen and must be attended to, but for the believer to choose to work on the Lord's Day is to compromise the testimony of the sacredness of worshipping the Lord and giving that day to Him.
Let the world work on Sunday, (and the worldly Christians,) but those who want to lift up the name of the Lord and dedicate a day to Him should hallow that day. We have produced a 21st century undistinctive Christianity.
Psa 115:1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, [and] for thy truth's sake. Psa 115:2 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where [is] now their God?
Joe 2:17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where [is] their God?
There needs to be a revival of old fashioned conviction!
2Ch 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of [them] whose heart [is] perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. I beleive the Lord would do wonderous things on behalf of those who would take a stand for His names sake.
Bro. Ben
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Post by shoshana on Jul 10, 2006 16:49:38 GMT -5
) but those who want to lift up the name of the Lord and dedicate a day to Him should hallow that day. We set the Sabbath apart and try to make it special and dedicated to the Lord. We do not buy or sell on that day. I do not cook or clean.......but for the last year my DH has worked at a prison. The prison is of course operating 24/7 and Dh has to work on some Sabbaths something we do not like......what does one do about prisons, hospitals and the like? I do not wish to use the "what about" excuse that so many use when arguing against any conviction and yet we find ourselves in one of those situations. When my DH made the decision to take this job he had been out of work for more than a year and things were desperate! I do not envy the decision he had to make.
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Post by Sister Penny on Jul 10, 2006 16:51:58 GMT -5
Zoe, This sure has been a good topic to share about. I know there is a chain of "Christian" bookstores here, Family Christian that are open on Sundays as well.
We try and avoid any shopping on Sunday for the reason of it is the Lord's Day and it should be a day spent at home with your family and enjoying the time...as situations sure do change quickly!
I do work, part-time for a local company and they are closed Sunday's..we could be open, and reap some more profits from sales but the business was started that Sunday was the Lord's Day, and never will they be open on Sunday.. they have been in business now for over 52 years.
I am quite blessed to work with Christians, not just in name, they live their faith in so many ways.
God bless you as you do minister to the ones who need it on Sunday...sometimes you are the only example of Christ that some folks see.
On another note..there are many jobs that require Sunday work...especially in the health, police and fire areas...
God bless, Sister Penny
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Post by freebygodsgift on Jul 10, 2006 17:35:32 GMT -5
This has been a very interesting topic. My husband is a paramedic on a medical helicopter and at times he does have to do his 24/hr shift on the Lord's Day. It would be my preference that he didn't, but his line of work is in the area of Mercy (this is what we've been told.) It wasn't until the last couple of years that I ever thought anything about buying or selling on the Lord's Day. The church I was saved at never spoke on the issue and we did all kinds of things that in actuality took us away from focusing on the Lord. Then, when I was married and we found a church here in this area, it was the same thing. Even my fundamental baptist church doesn't hold to abstaining from doing things on the Lord's Day, but I now know people who do which encourages me to abstain from these things. To be honest, I have not arrived, but am trying to remember that it's my own bad planning that typically puts me in the position to have to "run to the store." May I ask someone's thought on what about your church doing most of it's outreach on the Lord's Day. Our church has their "soul winning" time at 3:50 every Lord's Day followed by the Soul Winners dinner before the evening service, and at least once a month does a local nursing home ministry (which is basically providing a church service for them.) My husband is not interested in doing the soul winning because he just is so exhausted to do his regular 24/hr shift on Monday's. Anyone have a thought? Frances
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Post by George on Jul 10, 2006 20:57:28 GMT -5
Sister Frances, I sincerely believe there are such things as "essential" services we cannot get along with that require folks to work on Sunday. Recall our Lord's teaching about this fact.
(Matthew 12:10) And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. (Matthew 12:11) And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? (Matthew 12:12) How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
It was essential to the life of the sheep that it be lifted out of the pit on the sabath. We are the sheep. esus also taught that it is permissable to heal on the sabbath. Jesus and His disciples gathered food on the sabbath. I am not saying we are as good as our Lord. What I am saying is that He taught it is permissible to do essential things on the sabbath.
My goodness, where would we be if our police, fire, paramedic, hospital and other personnel such as that took every Sunday off? If anyone else here is like me I often end up getting sick to the point I need medical attention on Sunday. If the ER was not open what would happen to me? Of course the obvious answer is that I would go to heaven but that is not what I am asking. Is it not permissable for people in those kind of positions to work on Sunday? Jesus also taught that it is permissable to heal on Sunday.
The answers to questions such as this are always found in the Bible.
In Christ, George
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Post by benshelpmeet on Jul 11, 2006 13:13:56 GMT -5
I thought this was a very interesting topic also!
One balancing thought I had was, if you have a choice to honor the Lord on the Lords day, you should. You do not have to go to the store on the Lords day, a little effort on our behalf, keeps us from having to shop on the Lords day, but if we are in a pinch, every blue moon, it's not a sin to take care of a true need. With all the many job opportunity's out there, we can choose not to work on Sundays, make it known to your boss from the get go that you will not be able to work on the Lords day, that it is against your beliefs. For those who live in states with poor job opportunity's, or health service, it may be considered getting your ox out of the ditch.
Here is a thought...if you do not set aside a day to honor the Lord and worship Him in a special set aside way, then what day of the week will you do that? We know we are to worship and honor the Lord daily, but the Lord deserves a special day set aside for Him and His people to focus together on the Lord and the things of God. I would pray hard for a different job or an understanding boss, so that I could worship and honor the Lord with Gods people on the Lords day.
My thoughts on this interesting topic, ~ sister Darlene ~
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Hope
New Member
Psalm 18:2 - "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God..."
Posts: 12
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Post by Hope on Jul 20, 2006 20:53:52 GMT -5
The Scripture passages that Brother George mentioned seem so right in that it shows us that Jesus conducted some of His "work" on the Sabbath (ie day of rest, Lord's Day, Worship Day, etc.). More often than not, Sunday is the day of the week that most preachers work the hardest and longest. There is something to consider though - Jesus was not buying, selling, conducting money-making transactions, and certainly not seeking to comfort and entertain His flesh. If we were honest with ourselves and with God, eating out, going to the mall, and other like things are entertainment to some degree.
It seems necessary to separate necessities from non-necessities and to be real honest about it with ourselves and with God. I do not have any particular Scriptures to call up here - just some of that good ol' common sense.
Everyone reading this is probably glad God created electricity and allowed man to discover and use it (often for His glory). When we get up on Sunday we turn the lights on, take a hot shower, toast our bread for breakfast, and enter our church buildings where the lights are on and the air cond./furnace are running. We need to thank God that someone is down at the power plant making sure we stay comfortable. We could say, "Let all the lost people have those jobs and we will go to church." Okay, but we keep the lost working on Sunday when we turn the church lights on. The same principles are true for the police, health care providers, firemen, etc. It just seems like some people need to be available (on call) for the good of humanity - you know - serving others and meeting their physical needs. Even Jesus had physical needs. Surely God does not scorn those who reach out any day of the week in times of emergency or in missions of mercy. If I cut myself badly this Sunday while cutting up an apple for one of my children, it is nice to know that I don't have to stay home and bleed to death.
Now having said all that and thinking reasonably and Biblically, entertainment and our comfort zones are really not good or justifiable reasons to work on Sunday. Sometimes we fail to really believe how big God is in that he could provide another job and another source of income when we commit to getting right with God about the Sunday issue. The pros and the cons about both sides of the coin seem obvious.
I once heard a preacher say, " If all the Christians would not go out to eat on Sunday, the world would take notice and some of the restaurants might even have to close due to a lack of sales." That was very profound. Sad to say, though, that he then said, "But I'm still going to eat out on Sunday sometimes." Oh brother!
Well, just consider the facts.
P.S. Isn't Jesus more exciting than anything? I have never gotten over Him and what he has done for me! Just thought I would put this in!
God's mighty blessings on each of you!!!
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Post by Brother Ben on Jul 20, 2006 21:56:11 GMT -5
The following article was written by a church of Christ minister. I appreciated his attitude.
...............begin article.................
Working on Sunday? By Randy Blackaby
State and federal employment and civil rights laws may help.
Years ago most businesses were closed on Sundays. That included restaurants and gas stations and department stores. In fact, most states had laws requiring businesses and sporting events to be closed (blue laws).
It was recognized that Sunday was a day to go to worship, and a large percentage of people did so. But today, Sunday is one of the biggest revenue days for many retailers and other businesses seek to increase revenues by keeping their shops running seven days a week. And many professed Christians see little need to attend worship services. Some denominations arrange Saturday evening services to free their members to work or play on the Lord's Day.
For Christians who take the demands of Hebrews 10:25 seriously (not to forsake the assembling of yourselves together), the cultural changes in attitude toward Sunday work can create great problems.
Is there a solution to this dilemma?
A solution is potentially found in both federal and Ohio civil rights laws. "Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals because of their religion in hiring, firing and other terms and conditions of employment. The Act also requires employers to reasonably accommodate the religious practices of an employee or prospective employee, unless to do so would create an undue hardship upon the employer. Flexible scheduling, voluntary substitutions or swaps, job reassignments and lateral transfers are examples of accommodating an employee's religious beliefs" (The Us. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission).
The federal EEOC specifically states in its literature that "reasonable religious accommodations that employers may be required to provide workers include leave for religious observances..."
Christians should know, however, that these regulations do not necessarily mean that just because you ask for Sundays off, your employer must grant that request.
If an ordinary request has not provided you freedom to worship, according to the directions of scriptures, you will have to file a formal, written request to your employer asking for accommodations and citing the federal or state civil rights codes.
The employer has the right to discuss with you your religious convictions to determine whether this is just your "preference" or whether this is, indeed, a religious "conviction."
"Reasonable accommodation" of your needs won't always demand doing things exactly as you might ideally want it done. Employers, generally, should be willing to see if other employees are willing to swap working assignments with you. They are allowed to offer you a lateral job transfer that gives you a shift that accommodates your worship needs. (Such job transfers may not be to your liking, but do constitute an acceptable means of accommodation, according to interpretive information found on EEOC websites.)
The regulations do provide exceptions, if the employer can show that providing you time off for worship would place an "undue hardship" on the employer. Examples of undue hardships include increased administrative costs, higher cost for an employee to take your hours or if giving you the accommodation conflicts with union seniority rules.
What is generally true, however, is that an employer must make some good faith effort to accommodate your religious convictions.
You, however, must be prepared to make some sacrifices as well, to meet your needs to worship the Lord.
It might be worth interjecting here that Christians interviewing for jobs would be well-advised to tell potential employers in advance of the need for at least several hours off on Sunday to worship. Make clear that you might be willing to work in the afternoon, if provision can be made for worship hours. Wise employers will see the value of having godly, worshipful people working for them.
It seems neither fair nor honest to withhold this information during an interview-just to get the job and then suddenly surprise an employer with a demand for time off.
On the other hand, Christians should be aware that federal and state law supports them when the choice appears to be (1) forsake the Lord's worship; or (2) lose my job.
Too many Christians these days just accept that they have no alternatives to working Sundays and thus missing worship service. This article is intended to show that such isn't true.
It is not the intent of this article to conclude that every Sunday conflict can be resolved through the civil rights laws. There are times when Christians must simply make hard choices to remain faithful to the Lord.
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[Comments by another church of Christ minister] Let me say I appreciate my brother for dealing with a very good subject that needs to be addressed. While I agree with his comments I hope he won’t mind some additional thoughts. Not because they are needed but some “food for thought” for our readers.
Some hard questions must be asked when I’m constantly missing services due to my work schedule—especially when both services are missed.
Why do I work on Sunday? Have I tried to rearrange my schedule to have Sunday off? 1. Do I work because I get a higher wage on Sunday? 2. Do I work for “extra money” or is to support my needs? 3. Do I work longer hours by choice or because it means more money? 4. What kind of example do I set for my family? 5. Do I have a “plan” so I can eventually have Sunday off? 6. Am I working “two jobs” out of necessity or want?
Please understand it is not my intention to say it is a “sin” to work on Sunday but it certainly can become one. How? When one places his job, needs (maybe wants), ahead of one’s commitment to the Lord. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” {Matthew 6:33} God has promised to take care of us if we put our trust in Him without any reservations.
Another thing to consider is am I working because I don’t want to work other days that will be more difficult than Sunday would be? When I worked part-time, I volunteered to work on Friday and Saturday nights so I could have Sunday off. Yes, those were nights with much more business (I made the same hourly wage). My willingness to work those days made it easier to get Sunday off. From my experience, when one is up front with their employer, things can be worked out. Yet, when a job has one missing both services on a continual basis, a change in jobs may be needed. How can I grow spiritually if I’m missing on the Lord’s Day? How can I observe the Lord Supper? Give of my means?Dear reader, let us be sure that we have done everything humanly possible to be able to attend all of the assemblies. Yes, things may have to be different for a short period of time but have a plan how to make at least one service with the saints. Do you believe God would expect anything less from one of His children? (KMG)
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Post by hollydawnr on Jul 20, 2006 23:23:15 GMT -5
When my husband was in the Air Force, working Sundays was not always an option. Exercises and weekend duties were not optional but mandatory.
Now, my husband is seeking employment (a very stressful thing for both of us, I can assure you). He had a very promising interview yesterday for a car dealership, a job that he would accept if offered it. The bad thing was that Sunday work was REQUIRED--no exceptions. Saturdays and Sundays are their busiest days. The other jobs he has applied for have mostly had the same requirements. He has had one interview that would not require him to work Sundays, and we should know for sure if he got that job tomorrow. I'm praying that he gets it, because I want to be able to attend worship TOGETHER.
It is truly a sad commentary on the state of affairs when a man feels as though he must choose between providing food, shelter, and clothing for his family, or providing spiritual leadership.
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