Jeanne M. wrote some very profound things in the previous posting, here is one:
Just as I eat more than one meal a week - or a day - so I need more "meat" from the scriptures than is given in one - or two - hours on Sunday. But then I want to be with the brothers and sisters every opportunity that is presented to me. Study alone is good, but study with others helps me learn from their thoughts, just as reading blogs from those I admire and know have well-thought out ideas to present does, too.
Thank you Jeanne for that wonderful insight. What you said rings very true. Would any of us - I mean any - dare suggest that the spiritual food we receive from 2 hours a week is enough to sustain us? Yet, so many people try to survive on that or less. Granted, someone one will say that they don't need to come to church to get spiritual food, they can read their Bible at home. This is very true, you can read your Bible at home. I'll go a step further and say we should absolutely read our Bibles at home, frequently. I'm not sure how we can truly survive without this study time. But let's take this food analogy a little further.
How would our meals fare if our moms choose to not be involved in them. Speaking for my house, we would be hungry a lot because I'm not the best cook. Moms involve themselves in our meal time gatherings because if they aren't involved, we probably wouldn't eat. Now I can imagine the objection; the preacher is there to feed the people who come on Wednesday night, so why do they need me? Even as a very small child I remember sitting around our table at home. When my Dad asked me to pass the salt, I passed the salt. He could have gotten it himself, but I'm part of the family and it was my part to do for him. I may not be the preacher or the song leader, but I can still pray. I can still share in someones sorrow. I can still pass the salt. We are family and we gather together as all families should. When one of us weeps, we all feel sorrow. When one of us celebrates, we all feel joy.
There is internal Christianity and there is external Christianity. Internal is a spirit thing that is between me and God. It is very personal and very powerful. It is the place where my spirit and His Spirit communicate and where the Holy Spirit takes my heart and gives it to the Father. External Christianity is when I take that relationship that I have with God and the Spirit through Jesus and share it with people around me. I'm not just talking about preaching, but rather living. Doing what I can to take care of the needs of others. Being a shoulder to the crying, a light through the darkness or an echo in times of joy. External Christianity is born from Internal Christianity. It gives back though because External Christianity when given from the heart is a gift not only to the person you help, but also to God. In our efforts, we come near to God, and when we do that He comes near to us.
We may feel we don't need Wednesday night worship (or Sunday night), but maybe Sunday and Wednesday night worship needs us. How much greater impact would the service have for everyone involved if everyone was involved.
I told you I would share something that Patrick Mead said in his blog at www.patrickmead.net/tentpegs so here it is:
I confess: even though I understand that these times together aren’t a requirement, I find myself becoming legalistic when I think about them very long. They ARE good and, if done right, are highly beneficial… but God didn’t order us to attend them and elders overreach when they make a law God’s wisdom didn’t require Him to make. At the same time we must humbly realize that "daily and from house-to-house" was the pattern of the early church. We’ve cut that down to a couple of hours on Sunday and an hour or so on Wednesday and STILL we chafe under that "burdensome" duty! What a bunch of wienies we are!
What a bunch of wienies we are! (I think I'll end with that)!
Tom
Just as I eat more than one meal a week - or a day - so I need more "meat" from the scriptures than is given in one - or two - hours on Sunday. But then I want to be with the brothers and sisters every opportunity that is presented to me. Study alone is good, but study with others helps me learn from their thoughts, just as reading blogs from those I admire and know have well-thought out ideas to present does, too.
Thank you Jeanne for that wonderful insight. What you said rings very true. Would any of us - I mean any - dare suggest that the spiritual food we receive from 2 hours a week is enough to sustain us? Yet, so many people try to survive on that or less. Granted, someone one will say that they don't need to come to church to get spiritual food, they can read their Bible at home. This is very true, you can read your Bible at home. I'll go a step further and say we should absolutely read our Bibles at home, frequently. I'm not sure how we can truly survive without this study time. But let's take this food analogy a little further.
How would our meals fare if our moms choose to not be involved in them. Speaking for my house, we would be hungry a lot because I'm not the best cook. Moms involve themselves in our meal time gatherings because if they aren't involved, we probably wouldn't eat. Now I can imagine the objection; the preacher is there to feed the people who come on Wednesday night, so why do they need me? Even as a very small child I remember sitting around our table at home. When my Dad asked me to pass the salt, I passed the salt. He could have gotten it himself, but I'm part of the family and it was my part to do for him. I may not be the preacher or the song leader, but I can still pray. I can still share in someones sorrow. I can still pass the salt. We are family and we gather together as all families should. When one of us weeps, we all feel sorrow. When one of us celebrates, we all feel joy.
There is internal Christianity and there is external Christianity. Internal is a spirit thing that is between me and God. It is very personal and very powerful. It is the place where my spirit and His Spirit communicate and where the Holy Spirit takes my heart and gives it to the Father. External Christianity is when I take that relationship that I have with God and the Spirit through Jesus and share it with people around me. I'm not just talking about preaching, but rather living. Doing what I can to take care of the needs of others. Being a shoulder to the crying, a light through the darkness or an echo in times of joy. External Christianity is born from Internal Christianity. It gives back though because External Christianity when given from the heart is a gift not only to the person you help, but also to God. In our efforts, we come near to God, and when we do that He comes near to us.
We may feel we don't need Wednesday night worship (or Sunday night), but maybe Sunday and Wednesday night worship needs us. How much greater impact would the service have for everyone involved if everyone was involved.
I told you I would share something that Patrick Mead said in his blog at www.patrickmead.net/tentpegs so here it is:
I confess: even though I understand that these times together aren’t a requirement, I find myself becoming legalistic when I think about them very long. They ARE good and, if done right, are highly beneficial… but God didn’t order us to attend them and elders overreach when they make a law God’s wisdom didn’t require Him to make. At the same time we must humbly realize that "daily and from house-to-house" was the pattern of the early church. We’ve cut that down to a couple of hours on Sunday and an hour or so on Wednesday and STILL we chafe under that "burdensome" duty! What a bunch of wienies we are!
What a bunch of wienies we are! (I think I'll end with that)!
Tom
2 comments:
I have a group of friends that has discussed this topic a lot recently. We have been thinking about how often the earliest Christians got together (as P.M. pointed out): DAILY!! And, like he said, we're "burdened" by the elders' suggestion that we get together a couple times a week!! Personally, I LOVE getting together with my brothers & sisters. I don't know, maybe I wouldn't be as excited about a different congregation, maybe some people don't relate to others in their congregation and so they struggle with the idea of getting together for fellowship. Me, however, I love it, and would spend all my time with them if I could. It saddens me to look around on Sundays and see faces I don't know very well because they aren't interested in joining the congregation for more activities throughout the week. I'm astonished that some are satisfied with coming into services a few minutes late and then leaving right after communion is served!! What did they get out of that? What did they GIVE??
I love to picture the early Christians' meetings. How on fire they must have been. How free they must have felt. It was all new to them, and while Paul & others gave them some instructions, I think it also was very personalized and meaningful. And family-oriented. I love to imagine that.
Anyway, something I've been thinking a lot about lately, but I'll try not to leave the length of a whole blog post here. (o;
Lisa,
I love everything you said. I too enjoy imagining what it must have been like in those early days. What daily, and from house to house meant for those Christians must have been wonderful. How cool it must have been to be so hungry for truth that they sat in an upper room all night listening to Paul speak. I wish we could find that fervor.
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you never feel like you have to limit the length of your posting here. I welcome your thoughts and ideas regardless of their length.
Tom
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