–By Roy Mason
Let it be understood, that when we speak disparagingly of lack of promptness in the Lord’s work, we make no reference to those who are sick–those who are Providentially hindered–or those who by virtue of their employment are unavoidably detained. We refer to people who unnecessarily drag in late to everything, and who lack pep and energy and enthusiasm when it comes to the things of God and religion. One should be on time–even at his own funeral.
Habitual, Lazy-lateness Does the Following:
1. It puts the Lord’s business in a position inferior to the world’s business. Trains leave on time, stores open on time, schools open on time, factories open on time, and employees are expected to be on time, but poor old church members come poking in about as fast as cold molasses comes out of a jug on a zero degree day in January. Unsaved people look on and they see that professing Christians are not really in earnest. No wonder they are contemptuous. What does the Bible say? 1 Samuel 21:8 furnishes good motto: “…for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.”
2. It knocks all the spirit out of a religious service. To come to church and find about a dozen people sitting around listlessly, is to start the service off in a draggy fashion, and often the service never recovers from the poor start it gets. One reason churches are so devoid of young people as a rule, is the uninteresting, poky, draggy way services are conducted. The Lord’s worship and work ought to have just as much life in it as anything else–and more!
3. It disturbs the service for large numbers to walk in late. Clomp, clomp, clomp. When half the crowd is late, half don’t know what has been going on, and they miss out on things, and folk get their minds off of what they have been doing as they stare at new arrivals.
4. It indicates a poor state spiritually. Interested, enthusiastic Christians don’t make it a practice to be late most of the time. When people begin to decline spiritually, they get late and begin to sit further back in the church as a rule. Next step is not to come at all.
Excuses:
Baptists do not compare favorably with the Catholics in the matter of devotion to church services. Catholics get up early and go to mass, while Baptists can’t get up on time to go to Sunday school three hours later. Too little is asked of Baptists and too excusing an attitude is shown. We just don’t take the Lord’s business very seriously, that’s all.
Let Us Think of What the Bible Has to Say:
1. The prophet who arose early (2 Kings 6:15)
2. The Saviour who got up early to pray. (Mark 1:35)
3. Awake early to praise. (Psalm 57:8)
4. The women who were early at the tomb. (Luke 24:22)
These arose early because they were interested. Lack of interest is what causes church members to drag out of bed too late for church.
We are counseled to do whatever we do “heartily, as to the Lord.” Colossians 3:23 This is one of the greatest failures that can be charged to Christians–the failure to work and serve with interest, enthusiasm, and spirit. People often show such in other things, but when it comes to the Lord’s affairs, they immediately slow down.
Likewise, we are charged to be diligent, 2 Peter 3:14; Hebrews 11:6; Hebrews 12:15. Often a man who is an excellent business man, when he becomes clerk of a church will neglect to mail out church letters for weeks at a time. Many a Sunday school teacher goes before classes without even studying the lesson. And so it goes. No diligence–no concern. Christianity is the most important thing in the world–else it means nothing.
SHARING
