Yesterday I attended the South Central Regional Conference of the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship International (FBFI). The Stony Point Baptist Church of Kansas City, Kansas hosted it; and Pastor Tom Hamilton and the people are to be commended for an outstanding job of ministering to the many brethren and their families who attended. My wife and eldest son enjoyed the excellent fellowship and food provided there. There were some excellent biblical messages shared by Dr. Hantz Bernard, the executive director of Bibles International, and Dr. John Vaughn, the President of the FBFI. In the afternoon question and answer session, an interesting question was raised regarding how to respond to the person who questions why he should attend Sunday night and Wednesday night, as well as special services. My notes on the responses follow below:
Please respond to those who may question the value of attendance at Sun PM, Wed. night, etc. as necessary.
HB: While no chapter and verse specifies these services, the whole revelation of Scripture taken together provides us with implications and inferences equip us with what we need to do. Further, the church is vested with authority to determine things that are good and profitable for its people. People who demand chapter and verse in cases like this are often already disposed not to obey–hence their questions. Today we have almost a reversal of what Luther advocated [i.e., in the Protestant Reformation]: prior to that they barely understood or practiced the priesthood of the believer. Now people strongly question the authority of the church, nearly excluding it against the priesthood of the believer.
JV: Church attendance does not produce spirituality: spirituality produces church attendance. People who neglect the spiritual activities of the church often demand further attention at the expense of others; e.g., they will want to inconvience the pastor to meet at times other than church services, when they don’t even attend the services. I once gave counsel to such a man who was requesting personal meetings, “Sure–I will be willing to meet with you three times a week: Sunday morning at 11; Sunday night at 7…”. The man smiled and understood that I wanted him to be faithful to the ministry of the church, and then if he needed further help I would be glad to provide it. People cannot be spiritual leaders who are inconsistent at church.
Socrates taught, “Know thyself;” and argued that the unexamined life is not worth living. But as noble as it sounds, it is elusive counsel. To truly know ourselves through the mirror of Scripture (Jas. 1:25) reveals that even a believer’s heart is Jacob-like (Jer. 17:9, Hebrew): meaning twisted, deceptive, plotting, and scheming; but alternately through the renewed man in Christ, desiring the Lord and holiness. The Bema will probably reveal that no motive of man has ever been 100% pure. So apart from Scripture, the assessor is flawed, as will be the assessment.
