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My friend Henry Brown challenged me on Saturday’s blog entry where I appeared to attribute no value to the Sunday morning service. In case you didn’t see our exchange, Henry wrote:

I’ll challenge you on that point, my friend. Education and training are one of the purposes of the church, but so too is worship and discipline. You know the verse from the Topical Memory System – Do not neglect gathering together, and all the more as the day draws near. Wish I could find it.

I responded:

Good word, Henry, and yours is the second challenge! June’s was the first. I didn’t mean to imply that there was no value to the Sunday morning service. I mentioned inspiration and motivation. There is also education (if people are listening to the sermon) and value in being together. (Hebrews 10.24, 25 is the Topical Memory System verse you’re looking for.) Rick Warren has worship as one of five purposes, which is another way to say that Sunday worship is not the only purpose of the church, the point I was trying to make. Thanks for reading and for keeping me honest!

Speaking of meaningful worship services, we just heard Andy Stanley via video at my son’s church on Easter Sunday. He forcefully made the point that Jesus’ resurrection matters: it’s the foundation of the church. The link above takes you to the version as it was released last year. It’s worth the 30 minutes. And it was fun being in a packed venue with people of all ages–mostly younger–who were enjoying the music and the testimonies of two men, one of whom had been homeless, who were baptized. So, yes, I’m in favor of Sunday morning worship services!

And I’m in favor of you, my readers, challenging me. Let’s work together to build each other up.

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27.17, NIV)

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10.24, 25, ESV)