Just today, I read in our local paper of an area church, (that word may well need to be in quotes [""]), which has chosen to cancel its Sunday services in the month of June, to spend the time instead doing nice deeds for people in the community. And, of course, as one would expect, this is being met with applause from the world.
But why should it not be laden with the approbation of the unbelieving world? After all, non-believers apply no value to Sunday church worship, and they probably view it mostly as a waste of time. "Why not spend your religious time doing something actually useful?", would be the musing of the non-Christian culture.
But here is the problem. When the faithful church honors her Lord by gathering on Sunday, in order to properly worship God--THIS very act is the *highest* service it (the church) can do for the world. Now, does the world realize, or appreciate this fact? No. But it is true, nonetheless.
That aforementioned gathering of religious people, (the name of whose organization I am not going to mention here) needs to learn a very basic, yet profound lesson: God demands (and deserves) the Sabbath worship of His church. If people want to do nice things for others, that is a good thing, (or, at least it can be a good thing, if done for the right reasons)--but it can never please God, when it robs Him of His rightful due.
The Forum for Ecclesiocentricity is designed to educate Christians and non-Christians alike to understand the Biblical teaching concerning the Church (the "Puritan" church in particular), with regard to its principal role on the earth. When this is achieved, it is hoped that the Church would then be in a better position to convey Christ's redemptive virtues to the civil government (state), and the family. (You may email me at: markjhenninger@gmail.com)
