Articles
Work as an Excuse to Neglect Worship?
Work as an Excuse to Neglect Worship?
By Paul R. Blake
I recently received the following question from a fellow evangelist: “I thought of this when our brother was praying this morning. He went on the usual platitudes about keeping us safe from government and saying that when we face persecution from the world, we should have courage and faith. Even if it means the government tries to keep us from assembly (like they did with COVID). Then I thought about the people who work week after week on Sunday, missing worship and the Lord’s Supper, and we don’t say anything or worry about them because “they are at work.” Somewhere, we have missed the point. I thought I would run this by you before I get hung. What are your thoughts on this?”
Answer: First -- I agree! It is hypocritically ironic, isn't it? It is not really about Peter resisting the government's command not to preach Jesus (Acts 4:18) (or not to assemble because of COVID); it is about “me doing what I want to do.” Sadly, I have come to the conclusion that for many (not all, but certainly many) who objected to the government mandate against assembling was less about “we ought to obey God rather than men,” and more about “nobody is gonna tell me what to do, let alone a government that I believe is out to get me.” Yet when the boss tells them to work on Sunday, they capitulate because they want to maintain their current standard of living and are unwilling to risk it by confronting the boss. You see, they are not consistent when they apply the “God rather than men” argument to the government, but not to their employers, who are also men. This is a form of hypocrisy. In point of fact, if a Christian is the kind of employee he ought to be, an employer will bend over backwards to accommodate him. This is especially true in the current work environment.
Second, missing worship for work has become a fundamental reality among brethren over the years since shift work developed in the late 1,800s. Christians once believed that only serious illness was understood as a hindrance to assembling. Now brethren believe that work is a form of what is incorrectly called “Providential hindrance” to assembling for worship. It is incorrectly called this as if God was responsible for hindering them from worshiping by commanding them to support their families. Over the last century, churches began to believe and teach that the husband/father supporting the family was a command on par with worshiping God. It is not and never has been. There is a hierarchy of commands in the scripture, and Christians create a false dilemma when they use one command to void another.
Third, this matter has devolved over the years. It started with men being excused from worship for work. Then when women entered the work place, the same logic was applied to her absence, even though hers was often a second income. Later, teens were excused by this reasoning when they got jobs to help pay for future college, etc. Then it was applied to kids in school sports, because after all, they were working to get a sports scholarship to college, which in turn would lead to a job that would then excuse them from worship.
Fourth, it is a reality that will not change in our lifetime. It is so embedded in the paradigm of contemporary Christian beliefs that is seems that no amount of preaching will change it in the near future. History records an example: the introduction of the instrument in the 1,800s to the Campbell/Stone movement became so much a part of their identity that a great many of them chose to separate and become a denomination rather than respond to sound teaching and set aside the instrument. And so it will be with the work instead of worship crowd; brethren will react divisively to preaching that draws a line, and many may prefer to flock together and form a sect rather than repent.
So what are elders and evangelists to do? Perhaps applying the parable of the tares should guide our approach. Preach sound doctrine on this issue with courage and vehemence. Emphasize to the congregation that while many disciples think this is acceptable, it is not Biblically authorized. After this, allow the tares to grow among the wheat and let the Lord and His angels sort out those who are weak in understanding and practice from those who are materialistic and Esau-profane in the Judgment. The risk we would encounter by exercising local church discipline in this matter would divide the congregation, and those who are young in the faith or vulnerable might be lost. (Matt. 13:24-30)
My solution: Preach on it, clearly emphasizing the above and make it plain that this is a matter of trust. Do you trust the Lord enough to take care of you when you insist to your employer that you will worship instead of work when the saints come together? I consider the greatest majority of them to be weak brethren rather than erring brethren, and yes, there is a difference. Erring brethren know better and defiantly choose error. Weak brethren have not yet learned better or are struggling with coming to terms with their weakness. I use the Sardis approach on the erring and the Laodicea approach with the weak. (Rev. 3:1-6, 14-22)
Now, regarding your question about posting your message about this: do it. The result will be one of the following: you will either be dismissed as a cranky, out of touch old man, or you will be ignored without a thought, or a small percentage will have a momentary pang of conscience, or there will be a few conscientious brethren who agree with you, lament this matter with you, and pray that their weak brethren will have time to repent and grow before they face the Lord in Judgment.
I am not sure how much help this is to you; this problem is been an ongoing frustration to me since I began preaching in 1976. Let me know if it gets you hung.
A Moments Wisdom
--The more you miss church, the less you miss church.
--When in a dark place, we often think we have been buried. Perhaps we have been planted instead.
--It is difficult to get into shape spiritually when we only exercise our faith on Sundays.
--People were created to be loved, and things were created to be used. The reason why the world is in chaos is because things are being loved, and people are being used.
--What we weave in life is what we will wear in eternity.
--If the Bible calls it sin, our opinion is irrelevant.
--The Bible is meant to be bread for daily use, not cake for special occasions.
--Some people don’t want to be fixed, because being broken gets them a lot of attention.
--“You’ve got the Book and you can take that Book and conquer the world, but you can’t do it with it under your arm. You’ve got to have it in your heart.” (Marshall Keeble)
--Instead of contemporary or traditional worship, why not try scriptural?
--You are free to choose, but you are not free from the consequences of your choice.
--Choices made in anger cannot be undone.
--When asked what is more important: prayer or Bible reading, ask in return, What is more important breathing in or breathing out.
--Judging a worship service based on how it made you feel is one key sign that it wasn’t God you went there to worship.
Upcoming Sermons
3/2/25 AM - 2024 Report on the Work at Trilacoochee; PM - Worship in Song: Congregational Choice
3/9/25 AM - “I’ll Stop Procrastinating… Tomorrow”; PM - Fighting Fear and Failure Full Force
3/16/25 AM - Four Men in a Tree; PM - “Like a Stubborn Calf”
3/23/25 AM - Why Did a Loving God Make Me This Way?; PM - Daniel’s Prayer
3/30/25 AM - Guest Speaker: Elijah Dean; PM - Guest Speaker: Doug Sanders - The “Holy” Qur’an
