To 160th Ave Church of Christ

“Christian Vacation”

The Reality of “Christian Vacation”

• Vacation From Worship– Allen Creek Community Church (Marysville, WA)– a one-

month “PAUSE.”– “We suspend our regular weekend services from August

through Labor Day to give our volunteers a well-deserved rest & PAUSE”

– This kind of thinking may not hit far from home• Vacation from Service– Bible Reading– Prayer

• Vacation from Morality

Excuses to Justify

• “I ‘deserve’ a break”– Problem of the heart: self-righteousness, pride selfishness, a

weak faith.– Luke 18:10-14– What we really deserve (Rom. 6:23; Hebrews 9:22).

• “It’s a burden to be at every worship service.”– Problem of the heart: an unwillingness to show sacrificial

love. – Matt. 11:29; 1 John 5:3

• “It’s not a big deal, it’s just one time”– Problem of the heart: minimalism– Matt. 6:33; 22:37

What if Jesus thought this way?

• “I deserve a break”• “It’s too much of a burden”• “It’s just one time…”• God/Christ never takes a vacation (Heb. 13:5)

The Christian Vacation:

• Worshipping together is our vacation!!!– We need a break from the world. (1 Cor. 5:10; Rom.

12:2)– We need time for spiritual family – We need time to relax from the pressures and

temptations and trials that are brought on by the world.

• Part of the Reason for the Sabbath– A time to refrain from work– A time to worship God (The book of Acts)

Worship on the Sabbath:

• Acts 13:14; But going on from Perga, they arrived at Pisidian Antioch, and on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.

• Acts 13:27; 27 For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him.

• Acts 13:42; As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath.

• Acts 13:44; The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord

Worship on the Sabbath:• Acts 15:21; For Moses from ancient generations has in every city

those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

• Acts 16:13; and on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.

• Acts 17:2; And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

• Acts 18:4; And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

• Psalm 92- “a song for the sabbath”

What to do When Christians do take Vacations

• Many do excuse themselves from worship when they do take actual vacations.– Perhaps the same excuses and problems of the heart

occur here.• Vacationing/traveling provides an excellent

opportunity to worship with other Christians in different parts of the world– This can be a tremendous encouragement to you– This can be a tremendous encouragement to

them