Dear Christian Exile Readers,
I’ve had a question come from a much loved sister in a wonderful congregation. I thought my answer to her might be helpful for us too. Christians all over the world are desirous to know how we might be more faithful in the Lord’s service.

Our Sister’s Question – “May I please ask if attending Wednesday night study would be a criteria of a person’s faithfulness? We have a big argument in the church here.”

My response:
Hi sister! It’s good to hear from you! I really appreciate your question. It might be helpful to know that this question is relevant in America too. Here in Tennessee, our church attendance on Sunday evening and Wednesday night is significantly lower than our attendance on Sunday mornings.

The fact of the matter is this: For each individual who attends on Sunday morning but doesn’t return on Sunday or Wednesday night, I won’t know their reasoning without asking them. I likely won’t be able to ask in a humble but sincere way without first being enough of a brother or sister to them to let them know how much they are missed.

As for the question of whether or not I can place a criteria for faithfulness for one of my brethren, I’m not sure that I can and this is why: I don’t know their heart.

I’m sure many have their reasons for absenting themselves from our evening church gatherings. For some, I imagine they have to work to provide for their families, but perhaps it would be possible for them to ask for those evenings off. For the older generation in the church, they may be uncomfortable driving at night, but perhaps they could ask for a brother or sister in Christ to give them a ride. Whatever their excuse may be, I truly cannot examine their heart or the legitimacy of their reasoning. All I can do is to serve them, love them, and do my part in providing a family-like atmosphere that any absent family member would be sad to miss.

If a brother or sister thinks of worship services, Bible study opportunities, and occasions of fellowship as an obligation or a chore, this is a symptom of a deeper heart problem. When my heart is fully aligned with the heart of Christ, where else would I want to be than with His people? What other activity could possibly bring me more joy and meaning in my life than to better understand His Word or to praise Him for what He has done?

I would encourage the brother or sister in question with the following passages from the book of Psalms and then ask how we, as faithful individuals, might positively impact our gatherings.

Psalm 133:1 states “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”

Are our gatherings an opportunity for goodness and pleasantness? Do we enjoy fellowship and see the love of Christ in the Christian family? If not, we need to seriously consider what aspects of our gatherings could use improvement. We are to “stir one another up to love and good works” at the occasion of our meetings (Hebrews 10:24-25). We may need to determine whether something like bitterness, slander, or complacency in our gatherings is preventing love and good works from being stirred up and may be keeping brethren away.

The Psalmist tells us of his joy to learn God’s Word. In Psalm 119: 14-16 we read:

In the way of your testimonies, I delight as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.
I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.

The faithful brother or sister feels this way about God’s Word and every opportunity to study it.

Are the Bible study opportunities we present to the congregation deep and meaningful? Does the congregation feel fed from the word of God? If not, they may look for meaning elsewhere. I pray our meeting times are catered to the needs of those still needing ‘the pure milk of the word’ (1 Peter 2:2), but also to the spiritual dietary requirements of more mature brethren who are ready for ‘the meat’ (1 Corinthians 3:2).

I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness,
and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.

Psalm 7:17

Are our gatherings frequently reminding our brethren of how praiseworthy our Lord is and how much he has benefited us (Psalm 103)? While we may often focus on our responsibilities to keeping His commands, are we frequently focusing on His great love for us, His rescuing us from our sins, and His wonderful plan of salvation? When we are frequently reminded of how great our Savior’s love is for us, we will remember that “his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

The heart of a faithful individual grieves when they miss an opportunity to spend time with their Christian family. They take advantage of every possible chance to worship the Lord or learn something new from His Word. There’s nowhere they’d rather be during the times in which the local congregation has chosen to meet.

While we aren’t able to look into the hearts of those absent on Sunday or Wednesday nights, we are able to look into God’s Word and understand our faithful response to these brethren is to love and encourage them while we seek to make our times of gathering more rich in praise, sweet fellowship, and dedicated Bible study.

John