Interesting Questions-07
"Twice a week"
Letter to the Editor:
GOD'S MESSAGE, June 2006, p.4
ONCE A WEEK, our religious congregation holds a
fellowship which I believe is the counterpart of your worship
service. I learned from my officemate who is a member of your Church
that you attend such gathering twice a week. Why does your Church
hold two worship services weekly? Is it not going beyond what is
taught in the Bible?
Vicky R. Bermudez
Waipahu, Hawaii, U.S.A.
Editor's reply:
The first century Christians gather for worship on
the first day of the week (Acts 20:7), or on Sundays, but there were
also times when they held their worship services in the Temple
"every day" (Acts 2:46) or on all the days of the week.
Conducting worship services on a day besides Sunday is not
something new, nor is it unbiblical, because such practice was
likewise observed during the administration of the Apostles.
As the ones appointed by our Lord Jesus Christ to
administer the Church after His ascension to heaven, the Apostles
had the divine authority to decide on matters pertaining to the
faith. It is important to subject one's self to the authority of
those whom Christ entrusted to administer the Church, for the
decision they make in behalf of the Church are affirmed by God in
heaven. Thus declared Christ to the administrator of His Church:
"Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth
will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will loosed
in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth
about anything you ask, it will be given to you by my Father in
heaven." (Matt. 18: 18-19, New Revised Standard Version)
Taking into consideration not only the spiritual
needs of the brethren but, most of all, God's will that every member
of the Church be brought to the condition worthy of receiving
salvation on Christ's second advent, the Church administration today
has deemed it necessary for all the congregations of the Church of
Christ (Iglesia ni Cristo) to hold worship services twice a
week---on the midweek and on the weekends. For their part, the
faithful members of the Church of Christ heed the administration
exhortation not to neglect such congregational worship services
firmly believing that doing so edifies their faith (Heb. 10:25; I
Cor. 14:26). □
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