Blessings of the “Fifth Sunday”
Usually, every year has four “fifth Sundays:” a month when five Lord’s Days are within the month rather than the customary four. For more than thirty years, those were Sundays when I would leave the “home” congregation and help at a smaller place that requested our assistance in teaching and preaching. How blessed it is to be able to stay home nowadays and listen to another preacher present the gospel of Christ. Yes, we older preachers need to sit and learn as well!
Growth within the local church remains a major concern for many areas. Growth often occurs when opportunities are available for members to develop their skills by doing what they want to try but need experience in. Where is it better to receive caring feedback and encouragement than at home? If a man wants to try leading singing, let him! If he wishes to lead us in prayer, present a Bible reading, or make a few suitable remarks at the Lord’s table, let him! If he wants to organize and deliver a lesson, let him! These are chances to gain experience in the grace and knowledge of Christ Jesus (2 Peter 3:18), and we need to take advantage of them! Suppressing these opportunities causes discouragement and can often hinder any growth in the local church.
“Fifth Sundays” provide a time for reflection for the “local preacher.” We should never regard them as “time off” for him, but rather as an opportunity to sit and learn instead of teaching or preaching. Admittedly, it’s hard for someone used to speaking to remain silent, even when they feel compelled to add things to the public discussion. But this is an important lesson too: learning to be quiet! (1 Thessalonians 4:11) He should remember that someone “way back when” allowed him to gain experience and later privately guided him to understand the way of Christ more fully (cf. Acts 18:26). Respect for this process means letting him gain his experience! The same applies to song leaders or anyone seeking to develop their skills in leading worship. Young women who are Christians can benefit from these experiences (and not only on “fifth Sundays”). They can assist older women who are experienced in teaching or preparing communion and learn from doing these duties.
The famed basketball coach, John Wooden, seldom left the bench during a game. An interviewer asked him why his demeanor was so calm while his players were so excited. He responded, “My job is to teach these men how to play the game. Once they are taught, I can watch to see how well they’ve learned.” While we “more mature” Christians certainly need not be “retired” from our service, we need to respect the need to prepare those who follow us in the Lord’s work to do it well. Seeing that growth in others grants peace of mind in the souls of the teachers.
Paul the aged (Philemon 1:9) wrote to Timothy, his son in the faith, saying, “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2: 1-2) This is the way the Lord’s church promotes growth and assurance of a faithful continuance in the work God gave us to do. Fifth Sundays are blessings for this cause!
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An Evening of Singing
We have set the date of July 19 to gather at the town square in Orleans, IN, to sing praises to God. The time is 7 – 9 that evening. Our aim in conducting this worship in song in an open, more public arena is to impress this community with our love of God and His truth. Singing is teaching and admonishing (Colossians 3:16). Singing blends our voices into one, as the melody comes from our hearts (Ephesians 5:19). We have invited area churches of Christ to join us so we can, with greater emphasis, impress the community of Orleans with our desire to please God in all we say and do (Colossians 3:17). This is NOT an “entertainment” event, but a worship in song. Yes, we enjoy singing, just as we Christians enjoy the fellowship gained in serving our Lord. We welcome you to join us!