SUPPORT GSPS |
The Gold, Silver, Precious Stones team appreciates your contributions in support of this work. Please send your correspondence to:
Gold, Silver, Precious Stones
P.O. Box 240
Harvest, AL 35749
|
|
|
|
Church Attendance
AUTHOR: | Oliphant, James H. |
|
PRIMITIVE MONITOR—OCTOBER 1906
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is;" Hebrews 10:25.
Some members never miss their meetings only when providentially hindered, and when their seats are empty we are sure there is something the matter. It is right to make it a fixed habit to attend our meetings; it is a command and besides it is a pleasure to know that we have tried to do our duty. We ought to set great store by the plain teaching of the Scriptures. In joining the church and being baptized we, in a sense, pledged our honor to do so. I have felt sad to see what poor reasons some offer for missing their meetings; —someone has come on a visit, or some other poor excuse for absence. Perhaps they think they have been mistreated by someone, and this is improved into an excuse for missing meeting. It discourages a minister to see members miss their meetings; take little or no interest in their meetings. I have had opportunity to know something of the discouragements of a minister, and this is one of them. When the week goes by the minister feels anxious to see the members and be with them again, but when he gets to the church he sees empty seats, —he finds members have staid at home, or gone to town, or may be to a political meeting; I have known this. Under such circumstances a minister feels that his labor is in vain; he feels like resigning his care of the church, and yet he hesitates lest he do wrong. Sometimes he sees no chance for the church to get a supply, if he resigns, besides those who do their duty and fill their seats, deserve good treatment at his hands, and for their sake he still tries to keep up the meetings.
It does seem that a hope of heaven and eternal happiness ought to be so precious as to make one ever ready to do his whole duty. If one would remember the mercy of God in the forgiveness of sins, and the death of our Savior for us, this ought to be a powerful persuasion to duty. “We ought His cross with pleasure bear and place our whole affection there.” We will need the Savior greatly when we come to death. “When all created streams are dry” we will need his presence and approval. A sense of his love then will be worth more to us than the world, and these considerations ought to make us careful about our duty. We ought not to treat the church with contempt. The Lord established it for our good; let us treat it with that respect that is due it. If we do we will not forsake it—we will not discourage our pastor by neglecting our meetings. Reader, do you attend your meetings; and give the pastor the encouragement he should have; or do you by your cold neglect, increase his burden? You ought to maintain a good conscience in these things; you owe it to the church to share in its burdens; you owe it to your pastor to share in his burdens. I am sure a church can lay an unbearable burden on a pastor by cold neglect, leaving an unequal and unreasonable share of the burdens of the church for him to carry, and wear out his patience. The golden rule covers this matter fully. Members should “exhort one another to love and good works,” point out to each other what is right, and encourage each other to do right. Let us all, “While we have opportunity do good.” Let us remember the “night cometh when no man can work,” and soon the night will come with us when we must leave all below and try the silent way. Let us be persuaded to obedience. Let us yield to right reason—to the plain teachings of duty. I have seen neglect grow among church members to such an extent that but few ever thought, or seemed to think, of any duty to the pastor who looks after the interests of the church and bears burdens of every kind for the church. When members promptly fill their seats, when they show appreciation of the church and pastor by coming to church in good time, living in peace among themselves, sharing in the singing and the church’s affairs generally, O, what a burden this lifts from the pastor.
Let us think seriously of these things. |
|
