Sunday Night Service

"I regret when I hear of some of you that cannot have a lecture and a prayer meeting. Two services a week are too many for you—not for your minister always, but for your tried constitutions. You know, the bricklayers, and carpenters, and working people that come to the Tabernacle can very well manage two services. Indeed, I think they would like a service every night in the week. They most of them have to earn their livings, but you, ladies and gentlemen, that live a little way out of town, are too tired with your day's work, which, I hear, consists of going at ten in the morning and coming home at five. It is so very wearisome that you cannot be expected to have a lecture and a prayer meeting. I am sorry for your sickness, and I trust that you may speedily recover, for there can be no real blessing, depend upon it, where the prayer-meeting is put into a secondary position." ---Charles Spurgeon, The Church's Work

 

I can't speak for him or anyone else. I see Servent's post, a question that was ask to me in the middle east in the late 60's, is it as important to the churches in the west to have as many services as they can and to learn and have fellowship together as it is here, where we can be killed or have our family split up or put in prison for coming to be taught or to teach?

I know it is different world so to say. But the church always seems more alive when the saints are apt to suffer or be killed for having a service.

I know from the past, that in hard time churches seem to grow in attendance and in good times attendance seem to go down.

Each church does as it's member think is best and they should not and do not answer to another church. We as Christian meet with the group where we wish, we can learn be used to serve others and so, the one that we believe we will grow the most in is where we should go.

 

Thanks for sharing Spurgeon's remarks with us.

 

:thumbs:

"At another time, while laboring at Waterbeach, I had preached on the Sunday morning, and gone home to dinner, as was my wont, with one of the congregation. Unfortunately, there were three services, and the afternoon sermon came so close upon the back of the morning, that it was difficult to prepare the soul, especially as the dinner is a necessary but serious inconvenience where a clear brain is required. Alas ! for these afternoon services in our English villages, they are usually a doleful waste of effort. Roast beef and pudding lie heavy on the hearers' souls, and the preacher himself is deadened in his mental processes while digestion claims the mastery of the hour." ---Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students

 

"why is it that so many prayer-meetings are so very thin? I know some places in London where they talk about giving up the prayer-meeting, where instead of two services during the week they have compassion on their poor overworked minister, and only wish him to hold forth for a few minutes at a sort of mongrel service, half prayer-meeting and half lecture. Poor dear things, they cannot manage to get out to worship more than once in the week, they are so much occupied." ---Charles Spurgeon, The Special Prayer-Meeting

 

True, but ask that same person - If suddenly you were under no threat of life for family or self but could worship God openly unafraid, would you attend more often if the church came together more often?

Their answer - yes!

 

I know the few, we have had come through churches I've been a part of, the answer would be yes. I've seen doctors, professors, store clerks and labors come in and for the most part they were there every time the doors were open for service or for work on the building or yard work. I've had to say woe is me for my lack of service or attends.

 

All I can say is, Amen. For the most part the americanized churches have lost their first love. The speak with their lips praises to Him but with their lives and time declare him little more than an aquaintance or an annoyance, depending on what they want to do.

 

Dr. Bob,
Has the church always done it that way or was that a change? If it was a change, was there a difficult time transitioning? I know a number of churches who do that.

 

Does your church have a Sunday night service? No


Why or why not? Not sure why not. Pastoral preference I suppose.


Do you currently have evening services No and plan to cancel them? N/A

Do you currently only have morning services Yes (three morning services) and plan to start evening services? Not that I'm aware of.

What do you think of churches that do not have evening services? If that's their preference, then who am I to judge.