|
|
Why Sunday Night And
Wednesday Night Services Are Important (Kent Heaton) The people of God are commanded to worship the Lord in spirit and truth.
There are certain commands God has given to man that cannot be changed without
the transgressing of God’s law. We are commanded to follow the pattern of
obedience to become a Christian and unless this pattern is followed, salvation
is denied. As a body of people making up a local congregation, we have a pattern
of organization that cannot be changed at the whims of man. The only
organization prescribed by the Lord in scripture is a plurality of men serving
as elders who shepherd, feed and tend the flock of God in a given location;
autonomous in the action of authority and oversight. The pattern of the work of
the church is clearly defined in scripture as evangelism, benevolence and
discipline (positive and negative). The message of the church is singular in its
mission of teaching and preaching only the gospel of Jesus Christ untainted by
the doctrines of men. The worship of the
church must also follow the pattern established in the New Testament. Some
commands are specific in their nature regarding time and place while others are
not so restrictive. The early church was made up of those whom the Lord added
daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:47). The pattern of the NT church is
realized first in Acts 2:42 when the early church “continued steadfastly in
the apostle’s doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in
prayers.” The early church
struggled in their infancy and yet abounded in spirit and number. The scriptures
show a pattern of the early church as they gathered for public worship and
fulfilled the commands of the Lord. The apostle Paul remained in The Hebrew Christians
were in grave danger and the writer of Hebrews exhorted them to remain faithful
to the faith for which they had suffered much. Part of that exhortation was not
to forsake the assembling of the church on the first day of the week. This text
is found in Hebrews 10:24,25 where they are exhorted to not forsake the
assembly. This assembly is measured by the next six verses that show the
consequence of failing to assemble on the first day of the week (Hebrews
10:26-31). This passage is the mirror of 1 Corinthians 11 for condemnation
awaits all those who would deny the remembrance of the sacrifice of Jesus
Christ. The command to keep the Sabbath was one of
the Ten Commandments as found in Exodus 20:8. The keeping of the Sabbath was a
weekly occurrence that demanded strict adherence. In Numbers 16 a man was found
picking up sticks on the Sabbath and stoned to death for his disobedience to the
Law of Moses. This illustrates the teaching of Hebrews 10 and 1 Corinthians 11
that failure to remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ will bring dire
consequences upon those who do not assemble on the first day of the week. This
command is specific and cannot be changed or modified by man. The means of
carrying out that command is generic and is left to the desire of man to carry
that out. The assembly is not restricted in time of
day nor frequency. Whether disciples meet in the morning, afternoon or evening
is not specified but only the day is commanded. The frequency of meeting is
relative to the social opportunities available and the desires of the people. In
many places in our world today it is difficult for saints to meet once a day but
every effort is made to do so. In our country, with the ease of transportation,
comfort, availability and opportunity; we are blessed to have numerous times we
can meet and exhort one another. There are numerous commands of exhortation
that we are enjoined to be a part of as an assembly of people (Ephesians
5:17-21; Colossians 3:15-17; 1 Corinthians 14:3-5; 15,16; 1 Corinthians 16:1,2).
With all these opportunities we find that God has designed the church to be a
whole of one that enjoys unity and growth (Ephesians 4:11-16). The key to this
unity is found in what every part does its share. People of God are not seeking
to do as little as they can but asking God, “What more can I do?” The Lord expects His children to do more
than the minimal. With so many opportunities to do more for the Lord why are so
many doing so little? The attendance on Sunday night and Wednesday night drops
dramatically because of many who fail to see the worth and value of the work of
the church. We must be careful in establishing doctrines and traditions of men
that have served to further the work of the church to teach, admonish and exhort
the brethren and impose a system of righteousness based upon attendance. Jesus
rebuked the religious leaders of His day for focusing on the wrong things in
exclusion of the true nature of worship. "Woe to you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have
neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and
faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting
the others” (Matthew 23:23). He further warned of the dangers of
tradition in Matthew 15:1-9. The doctrines of men are not wrong as long as they
are not imposed as requirements for salvation or faithfulness. Often, while they
serve as helps to the growth of the people of God, through time traditions take
on a life of their own as a law of faithfulness where God has not prescribed. When asked if a person is a faithful
Christian the answer most often given is based upon whether or not they are in
attendance when the doors of the church are open. God never intended for
attendance to be a measure of faithfulness but the attendance of the heart to
the will of love of God. There is a lesson of fruit bearing that shows a manner
of faithfulness when the individual is involved in the work of the church and
what is being sought through the leadership of the elders to be accomplished. In our culture, we have extended the
services of the Lord to include a period of Bible study on Sunday morning and to
continue the lessons on Wednesday night. This has evolved over the past 100
years into a Bible class system. This is a very helpful tool the church uses to
instruct the people of God. To avail one self of these opportunities is
invaluable to the spiritual growth of the family. However, these are programs
that help to build up the faith of those who attend and the elders encourage
everyone to be a part of this program. In the last 100 years, the church has also
taken on an additional opportunity to meet as the assembly on Sunday evening.
This came in large part to the shift in the work force of How are we to view the Sunday morning
Bible class, the additional service on Sunday and the Wednesday night Bible
study? This answer must be given in accordance with the work of the church that
seeks to build up the church through the work of evangelism and exhortation. The
church is involved in many programs that seek to help the members grow in the
grace and knowledge of Christ. Why should these programs be important to me as a
member of the Westside Church of Christ? The assemblies of the saints: whether
Bible class, group meetings, gospel meetings, home studies, lectures, etc., show
important characteristics of my faith. I show that God is first in my life
(Matthew 6:33); Christ is first in my life (Luke 9:26); The Holy Spirit is first
in my life (Romans 8:16,17). I show the world that God is first in my life
(Matthew 5:13-16). I show my family that God is first in my life (Ephesians
6:1-4). I show my heart that God is first in my life (Matthew 6:19-34). I tell
the church that God is first in my life (Ephesians 4:16). What is the measure of a man? Ephesians
4:13 says, “Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature
which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). When you stay home
on Sunday night and Wednesday night and have little to do with the work of the
church (when you are able to do so); what is the measure of your stature that
belongs to the fullness of Christ? Will you one day wish you had one more
opportunity to do more for the work of the Lord? Can you do so little and find
satisfaction? We must all have the mind of Isaiah who
when called with these words from the Lord "Whom shall I send, and who will
go for Us?" said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8). Why is
Sunday night and Wednesday night important? (Editor’s Note: Brother Heaton makes
a lot of good points. We should always be
zealous in our service to God. Unfortunately some view Sunday Night and
Wednesday night services as unimportant. Spiritually minded people will want to
be with God’s people. D.T.) |