Articles
A Living Fossil?
There is a growing trend of thought in churches much like this one across the country that gospel meetings are not the way of the future. There are some who hold the opinion that is it time that gospel meetings go the way of the dodo, as they are little more than a relic from a former time. They will claim they are ineffective, expensive, and a hassle for the church. Without trying to sound too harsh, I would characterize that thinking as shortsighted at best.
The church was never instructed to do things based on an expected outcome, but were given liberty to accomplish Jesus’ will in ways that worked within the culture. Having said that, much of what the apostles did in the first century flew in the face of cultural trends that tended toward the fleshly. (Acts 19:23-27) How can we understand the effective use of gospel meetings (a modern liberty) in the context of modern communication of the gospel?
Gospel meetings allow increased exposure to the scriptures. It is never a bad thing to be able to spend more time in God’s word. (Deuteronomy 6:7-9; Acts 17:10-11) One of the foremost benefits of a gospel meeting is it provides a few additional hours of bible study in a week. This might interrupt our normal weekly schedules, but is adding more serious bible studies for a week really a bad thing? Additionally, it is usually a speaker who has a different perspective who is conducting the studying, and therefore allows us to broaden our understanding. (I Corinthians 3:5-9)
Gospel meetings provide additional opportunities for evangelism. Some people to whom we speak about the gospel in the week have a church with whom they regularly meet on Sundays, but four-to-five extra nights during the week can give them an opportunity to visit us. While it is true that the majority of people on earth will not embrace the truth (Matthew 7:13-14), it is God’s will that all would be saved (II Peter 3:8-9). Therefore, we should make it our duty to give people any possibly way to hear the gospel presented in a way that might never hear otherwise. (II Corinthians 5:11)
Gospel meetings offer a chance to develop relationships with preachers. Paul wrote many times about the affection that he had for the churches with whom he labored (II Corinthians 11:11; Philippians 1:3, 8), some of them even for a short time (I Thessalonians 2:8). Paul’s relationship with the leadership of Ephesus was deeper than many modern churches would deem appropriate. (Acts 20:36-38) When we have a gospel preacher among us for a week, this is a chance to develop a relationship that will serve to encourage both him and us for years to come.
As opposed to seeing a gospel meeting as something out of time, let us use it to regain something that might have been lost over time. Let us be excited to study. Let us experience the urgency of the gospel message. Let us show our love for a saint who has devoted himself to the word in another place.
