“A Day To Remember”

Friday, June 09, 2017

Is it mandatory for christians to attend church from sun up to sundown?  My preacher makes the claim that Paul preached until midnight, but this is no proof that if I were not at a Sunday evening service that I would be guilty of cheating God of His time.  And if Christ were to return, would I be in danger like all other sinners?  Please clarify.  Thanks.

Sincerely,
More Of A Morning Person

Dear More Of A Morning Person,

There is no strict guideline of how much time should be spent in worship on Sunday, but God does provide some principles that help us avoid forsaking the assembly (Heb 10:24-25).  The example that your preacher used of Paul preaching until midnight (Acts 20:7) doesn’t prove that we have to worship that long on Sunday; it simply proves the importance of worship and the zeal that first century christians had for God’s Word.  Acts 20:7 does show us that Sunday is the day that christians are supposed to take the Lord’s Supper, and 1 Cor 16:1-2 tells us that Sunday is the day that we are supposed to take up a collection for God’s work… but once again, the length of services is never detailed.  The closest we come to a direct teaching on how to treat Sunday is in the book of Revelation.  In Rev 1:10, John points out that Sunday is “the Lord’s day”.  That terminology tells us that Sunday is a day that should be arranged around worshipping God… as opposed to fitting worship services in when they are convenient.  Once again, this doesn’t give us specific time parameters, but it does help each of us to examine our own hearts and attitudes toward Sunday worship.  If the Lord is number one in our lives, then how we prioritize church services will be affected by that attitude.

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