Sullivan church of Christ – Sullivan, MO
Date: July 27, 2008
THE “ONE-HOUR” CHRISTIAN
Ben Justice
It is a sad state of affairs that all the spiritual nourishment some professing Christians receive is “one-
hour” on Sunday morning. If this is all that one receives in a given week, then they are spiritually and
pathetically weak and are in desperate need for self-examination to see whether or not they are in the
faith (2 Cor. 13:5). This way of life for some in the church of the Laodiceans made the Lord sick to his
stomach (Rev. 3:15-16). Likewise, the Lord has to be repulsed by the spiritual sickness of some today.
Why is it that some can’t bring themselves to be back with the people of God and worshipping the God
of heaven on Sunday night and Wednesday night? Why is it that some can’t seem to find the time to
be workers in the vineyard of the Lord? There is an indifferent mindset that is plaguing the church
today, perhaps as never before. Some in the church today are far more interested in the things of the
world than they are the things of God. Materialism has a strangle hold on many so-called Christians.
They are not willing at all to sacrifice just a wee bit to assemble before the God of heaven and pay him
the homage that he deserves. True Christianity is about sacrifice. It means sacrificing even those
things that are near and dear to our hearts if they in any way interfere with our worship and service to
God. Jesus made this abundantly clear: “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother,
and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27).
Throughout my Christian life, I have heard of many Christians who truly forsook the things of this
world to gain Christ. I have heard of Christians driving two or more hours to assemble with a faithful
and sound congregation, and yet we have trouble getting some to drive five or ten minutes. I have
heard of those who actually left one city and moved to another city because there was not a faithful and
sound congregation to worship with. It has been joyful sound to hear those who have said they would
like to move closer to Sullivan so they can be more involved with the church. This is the attitude we
all need to have rather than just being “one-hour” Christians on Sunday morning. Things of this world,
even things we consider to be very important, are often used as excuses for not doing what the Lord
demands. Will these excuses be accepted by King Jesus on that great day? This is the question that
we need to honestly ask and answer. We often put Jesus second or some other place rather than first
place (Matt. 6:33). We often allow family interference to get in the way of assembling when we should.
We often allow vacations and trips to prevent us from worshipping God. May I ask, “When you go out of
town on Wednesday and Sunday, do you locate a place to worship with the saints?” It is true that
finding a faithful and sound congregation is extremely difficult these days. But, this is not an excuse
for not worshipping. You and your family can offer worship to God. I would venture to say that some
need to repent and ask God’s forgiveness for their spiritual neglect in assembling with the saints.
Enough of the excuses. The Lord doesn’t need those who are not faithful to him. Are you faithful to
God? Suppose your car cranked every other time. You certainly would not consider your car faithful.
Suppose your spouse was faithful some of the time or even most of the time. You would certainly not
consider them faithful at all. Suppose you were faithful to show up for work some of the time. There
is not a person who doesn’t know what would happen to such an individual. Suppose your heart beat
some of the time. There is not a person who wouldn't immediately take care of any flaw in their
physical body. Many don’t realize it or don’t care, but many in the body of Christ have a spiritual flaw
and that is missing worship assemblies for some of the most pathetic and frivolous reasons. The Lord
has to be truly angered when we commit spiritual adultery with the world. But, this is exactly what we
do when we on purpose miss any one of the services. No one can truly be faithful and truly love the
Lord when attending some of the services.
The Bible clearly teaches that to forsake the assemblies is sin (Heb. 10:25). There is no need to sugar-
coat it. Even though it is a sin to deliberately and purposefully forsake any one of the assemblies that
have been called for the church to gather together, we ought not even question about whether or not
we are going to be present for any one of the services. Jesus said it like this: “If ye love me, keep my
commandments” (John 14:15). The bottom line is this: Those who are not faithful to attend all the
services of the church (if able) don’t love the Lord. Lip service doesn’t matter. It’s hard for some to
admit, but forsaking the assemblies is being unfaithful.
So, what shall the church do about the unfaithful? Addressing this matter has been the downfall of
many congregations claiming to be sound in the faith. Many are going to have to answer to God for not
having a plan of action to deal with delinquency in the church. The leadership of the local church must
deal with and address this problem. This often means sitting down with those and talking with them
about the problem. It involves preaching & teaching on the subject from the pulpit, classroom, and
printed page. The faithful need to exhort those who are not attending faithfully (Heb. 10:25). The
church isn’t pure as Jesus intended when sin is allowed to run free. We must not be selective in
choosing what sins we are going to address and deal with. Sin is sin, and all sin must be dealt with no
matter whose feelings get hurt and no matter who may get mad and leave. Corrective church discipline
needs to be administered to those who refuse to do what the Lord commands in assembling with the
saints at the appointed times. I want to know how the “one-hour” Christian will answer on the Day of
Judgment? I realize this has been a hard-hitting article, but one that is needed. May we all do some
self-examination and consider our standing before Almighty God before it is eternally too late.
JEREMIAH’S PROPHECY OF THE NEW COVENANT (Part 1)
Ben Justice
In Jeremiah 31:31-34, the prophet of God penned these words,
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the
house of Judah. (32) Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by
the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband
unto them, saith the Lord. (33) But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After
those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be
their God, and they shall be my people. (34) And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every
man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of
them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
The expression “the days come” (v. 31) is a reference to the Messianic or church age. Note that this is
what the Lord says. It was a prophecy given by God to Jeremiah.
Jeremiah prophesied of “a new covenant” that the Lord “will make” (v. 31). God would make it “with the
house of Israel, and with the house of Judah” (v. 31). Thus, we see the recipients of this new
covenant. The house of Israel and the house of Judah mentioned together represent the uniting of
these two kingdoms. Since a new covenant was never given to the nation of Israel (i.e., physical
Israel), this would be in reference to “Spiritual Israel” (i.e. the church).
This covenant would “not be according to the covenant” that God “made with their fathers in the day”
that he “took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt” (v. 32). This covenant is an
obvious allusion to the Mosaical covenant that God gave shortly after their deliverance from Egypt.
God pointed out that they broke that covenant, even though God “was an husband unto them” (v. 32).
In v. 33, Jeremiah turns his attention back to the new covenant that God would establish. God,
through Jeremiah, stated, “This shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel.” It is
interesting that Jeremiah speaks of just “the house of Israel” in this passage, whereas in v. 31, he
spoke both of “the house of Israel” and “the house of Judah.” Thus, Israel and Judah become just
Israel, which indicates a reuniting and again is a reference to Spiritual Israel (cf. Gal. 6:16).
The features of this new covenant are fascinating and marvelous. Next week, we will look at these.