Of course, one of our neighboring community churches has introduced The Rock Creek Thirty for folks who want to wrap it up in a half-hour … “Designed with YOU in mind” … “YOUR time is valuable” (my emphasis).

*SIGH.*

So much for sacrificial living as our spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:1-2).

“We will have become the Pharisees that we abhor, worrying about the outside of the cup.”

With all due respect to all, I believe that this is what the theology in the churches of Christ has already led us to become. That is why to this day that churches are splitting and arguing over every little issue. In my mind we are the equivalent of the modern day Pharisees. If you read the book “12 steps for a recovering Pharisee” you will see the irony of it all. The Pharisees of Jesus day thought they were doing what God wanted them to do; “Enforcing the religious law”. And not only enforcing the religious law but enforcing it at all costs even when it was obviously against the character of God. Take for instance the people who did this recently during a church split in a church of Christ. They had to call the cops out to break it up.
http://www.newschannel9.com/news/church_973455___article.html/service_outside.html
Each side thinks they were doing what God wanted them to do. Paul or Saul at that time was killing people in the name of religious law and doctrinal purity until Jesus revealed himself to him. So reality #1 is very few Pharisees modern or ancient will ever come the realization that they are Pharisees. A Pharisee is one who enforces what they believe to be religious law even if it contradicts the obvious character of God. A Pharisee is one who is publicly pious and privately chaste but Jesus reserved his most scathing rebuke for them. Jesus constantly called them hypocrites. Why? They were not hypocrites in our modern vernacular; they did not say one thing but do another. To our Lord the worst form of hypocrisy was to follow the letter of the law, but not the Spirit. The phrase “worship hour” is ironic n it’s self to this conversation because it suggests a religious law that we have adopted and attempted to enforce instead of looking at the Spirit and making sure that our assemblies are entertaining, uplifting, encouraging, spurring one another on the good works, you know all that stuff it says after Hebrews 11:25. If we spent half as much time on these things rather than the time frame the physical and time format and so on then people might want to go longer or stay until midnight.
The book I suggested “12 Steps for a recovering Pharisee” at the link below is essential reading for anyone who was brought up in a traditional church of Christ doctrine and church culture.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?r=1&ISBN=9780764222023&ourl=12%2DSteps%2Dfor%2Dthe%2DRecovering%2DPharisee%2FJohn%2DFischer

Maybe we need to have a little more first century church in our own reality… you know, some preaching to midnight, meeting in homes, selling all that we have and having all things in common. I am afraid that we fall way too close to the side of the rich young man (who went away sorrowful because he had much) and not enough to the side of the widow who gave all that she had while putting her trust in the Lord.

God help us if we turn ‘church’ into a small part of our lives instead of realizing that it is our lives… we are ‘called out’, not for an hour or two on a day or two, but we are called out to give our souls, lives, and hearts to our creator. When ministry becomes a job, then it is time to get out. When church becomes a scheduled hour, we have lost it’s desired and intended effect. We will have become the Pharisees that we abhor, worrying about the outside of the cup.

Jimbo

I love what you said… “Worship is to wonderful to tie to time. I realize that we are not going to be there all day. But if we wanted to wouldn’t that be alright? if someone had to leave that’s ok.”

Preaching this ‘wonder’ of worship is one way to change some of the time locked culture. Another way, if for those of us who call ourselves leaders to never be seen or heard complaining because worship ran over time a few minutes.

——–

I wonder where the hearts are of those who are the loudest complaintiffs when it comes to the worship time. I am not condeming anyone for ever raising a concern or suggesting a change, but in my experience those who complained loudly without any patience seemed to think the assembly was about them in the first place (which is problematic).

Grace and peace,

Rex

My thoughts are that I don’t believe there is a set method for the corporate gathering of believers for all of God’s people across all cultures and times. I agree with Joe above that we have to stop thinking of worship as an hour. Worship is something that we are to do at all times. We are also to gather together, but where does it specifically say how long that gathering should be or what the order of service is? I personally love going to the first service at my church. It’s generally not as crowded, and the events are confined into the schedule. This arrangement benefits both me and the church, as it’s known that I attend first service I can be scheduled to serve in the varying capacities or Power Point, Sound Tech, Head Table, prayer, etc.

Just as we all have different spiritual gifts, we also have different preferences for how our corporate gathering should be. Some people would prefer to sing and pray for an hour and have a short, devotional style sermon. I’d rather have two songs, a quick prayer, and a longer, in-depth sermon that will teach me something.

I don’t see a problem with a local church body setting aside only an hour for a scheduled church gathering. I think the problem lies in members of the body seeing the Sunday morning corporate gathering as the only time for them to worship or consider Jesus Christ.

Just asking.