Minimum Duty or Maximum Opportunity?

by Terry Wane Benton

The question comes up from time to time about whether to meet with the saints only one time on Sunday, or whether to meet every time we can, like for week-long meetings, Sunday nights, and Wednesday nights?

I look at the example of the early church meeting "daily in the temple and from house to house" (Acts 2). Were they shooting for minimum duty or maximum opportunity? I guess it is mostly a judgment call as to how often to meet. In early churches, you often had to hide from persecutors, and they still found ways to meet because they wanted to, not because it was a strict command.

The disciples did meet on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7) and stayed together into the late evening when they had an opportunity to be edified by the Lord's word through an apostle, but that was when there was a hunger for the word, not when all members were apathetic and wanting to just follow what was required minimum duty. It was the passion and hunger for the word and the opportunity to give encouragement to each other that determined what they wanted to do.

When you love the brethren and the Lord there is a passion to want to be with the brethren as much as possible, and when it is not in the heart there is the seeking of excuses not to be there. What would we have done about meeting with the brethren "daily in the temple and from house to house?" It would depend on ability, opportunity, inward passion, hunger, priorities, and love. With these, we would find a way to do all we could. Without these, we would find excuses not to even try.

It comes down to whether we are looking for minimum duty or maximum opportunity! With that truth in mind, read Revelation 3:15-19. You decide what is truly important in your life. Nobody else can decide that for you!