OceanSide church of Christ

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WHY I ATTEND SUNDAY EVENING SERVICES

Victor M. Eskew

 

          The Sunday evening worship services of the church are not specifically commanded in the pages of God’s Word.  In other words, there are not any passages of Scripture that say:  “Thou shalt attend the Sunday evening worship services.”  If this is the case, why should a person attend on Sunday evening?  We want to answer this question in this article.  However, the reasons given are personal to this author.  I will be telling you why “I” attend the Sunday evening worship services.

          One reason I attend is because God is worthy of my worship.  God is powerful, holy, wise, good, and glorious.  He has given me life.  He has sustained me.  He has redeemed me from sin.  He has protected me.  He has given me a reason to live in this world.  He offers me hope beyond this world.  Truly, He is worthy of man’s praise and worship.  The psalmist said it well:  “The Lord is my strength and my shield:  my heart trusted in him, and I am helped:  therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him” (Ps. 28:7).  The prophet Isaiah had similar feelings to those of the sweet singer of Israel.  He wrote:  “O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth” (Isa. 25:1).

          Another reason I worship God on Sunday evening is because there is absolutely nothing better that I could be doing with my time.  Life is extremely short.  The time that I have needs to be well spent.  When I choose to do one thing with my time, I exclude many other things.  My choices, therefore, must involve high priority items.  Taking time to kneel in the presence of God is an item of utmost priority.  Moses understood the value of time.  His prayer was:  “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Ps. 90:12).  Personally, I do not have a clue what individuals do who choose not to attend on Sunday evening.  If we compiled a list of these things, would anything on it be more important than prostrating one’s self before God and paying homage to His great name?  I do not think so!  Therefore, I come to the Sunday evening service every week.

          A third reason I attend the Sunday evening service is to learn more of God’s Word.  Many times preachers gear their sermons on Sunday evenings to members of the church.  Many times they preach series on such things as “The Fruit of the Spirit,” or, “The Armor of God.”  They might also preach a series of lessons from a book of the Bible.  These lessons afford a Christian the opportunity to learn about things he may have never studied.  Do those who stay at home on Sunday evenings study these things?  I know my weak tendencies.  If I ever get home and get comfortable, it is difficult to study.  Ninety-nine percent of those who refuse to attend the P.M. service do not spend that time in a study of God’s Word.  The Bible says that a righteous man’s delight is in the law of the Lord and that he delights in it day and night (Ps. 1:1-2).  Too, God’s children are supposed to be diligent students of the Word so they can stand approved before God (II Tim. 2:15).  Sunday evenings provide a wonderful opportunity to be a true disciple (learner) of Jesus Christ and His precious Word.

          A fourth reason I attend the Sunday evening service is so that I can be a proper example to others.  Paul exhorted Timothy with these words:  “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (I Tim. 4:12).  My life is to be lived in such a way that I can tell others to follow me.  I should be able to say to them:  “Do as I do.”  Whether we realize it or not, others are watching to see how we live as Christians.  Some that are watching are little children.  Some are new converts.  Others are individuals struggling with their faith.  All of these people need to see positive examples in other Christians.  These should be examples in charity:  I love God enough to worship Him more than once a week; examples in spirit:  I don’t dread worship, I long for it; and examples in faith:  a faith that expresses itself in action, especially in the worship of God.  The opposite of a good example is life that is a stumbling block to others.  Never do I want to be guilty of hindering others in their Christian walk.

          There are many other reasons I could give that express why I attend the Sunday evening worship services.  These four are sufficient to bring me into God’s presence and into the fellowship of the saints each Sunday night.  As we close, let me give one final reason why I attend the P.M. service.  Personally, I do not want to stand before God on the Day of Judgment trying to explain to Him why I chose to do something other than worship Him.