THE POUND
PROCLAIMER
Volume III
March 2008
Number 5
Sing
to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day
to day. Psalms 96:2
THE VALUE OF
PUNCTUALITY
By: J R Bronger
“Whatever your hand
finds to do, do it with your might . . .” (Eccl 9:10). I know Solomon is not
addressing the subject of punctually directly, but one cannot heed this advice
without being punctual to scheduled appointments. Those who are less than
punctual cannot possibly be complying with this verse.
A lack of being on time for worship and Bible study seems
to be a growing problem experienced in many churches. Frankly, this lack of
punctually in regard to church services and Bible studies has long been a
concern of mine. There are far too many professed believes who simply are not
striving for punctuality with all their might.
When we hear the phrase (often in public prayers) “the next appointed time,” that term
means something. It means that the church is assembling at a specific time.
Courtesy, honesty and reverence demand that I be prompt in my attendance.
There will certainly be unforeseen events that
occasionally happen causing me to be tardy, but the habitual practice of coming
to services late shows an observable disdain for “the appointed time.”
In our very “laid back” culture common courtesy and
respect have become causalities. There are many who do not view punctuality as
a big deal. Franklin Jones wrote: “The trouble with being punctual is that
nobody’s there to appreciate it.” Or, how about this jewel
of wisdom by E. V. Verral? “I am a believer in punctuality though it
makes me very lonely.” Some go even farther and suggest that habitual
tardiness to church services is fine because “We can’t keep God waiting.” Or, what about those who chirp: “Better late than never.” Or, “After all, I’m here.” God deserves
better!
Most Christians who are habitually tardy have not
conceived some ill motive for being late. They do so out of thoughtless habit.
But a habitual lack of punctuality is a vice that should be corrected,
especially when it comes to worship and Bible study.
Failure to be punctual is inconsiderate to others. “Let
nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind
let each esteem others better than himself,” (Phil 2:3). When it comes
to my involvement with others I must do all I can to have regard for them,
especially Christians, and especially in worshiping God.
As an employee I am to be on time; any employee who is
habitually tardy indicates his lack of respect for his employer and his fellow
workers. Also, if I have a social appointment for dinner at 7:00 and then come
dragging in at 7:20, I have shown contempt for my host. If I make an
appointment with you, then I owe you punctuality. I have no more right to steal
your time than I do your money. Horace
Mann said it well: “Unfaithfulness in
the keeping of an appointment is an act of clear dishonesty. You may as well
borrow a person’s money as his time.”
“Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly
love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence . .
.” (Rom 12:10-11). If I am habitually
tardy to Bible class, then I am not honoring the teacher or others within the
class I am disrupting. Teachers have diligently prepared and are donating their
time to teach me. If I lack punctuality, then I am telling them I do not
respect their work, their sacrifices or their dedication. Furthermore, I
disrespect my fellow classmates by disrupting them when I come in late.
“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them,” (Matt 18:20). I seriously doubt that if we had the
occasion to have an appointment with the President or some celebrity we would
be so inconsiderate that we would be late. In all probability we would leave
early to make certain we would not be late. If we honor the fact that Jesus is
in our assemblies and that we are keeping an appointment with Him, then we will
be punctual in keeping that appointment.
When we are late for these meetings to worship God or to
learn of God, it may be indicative that God is not as important as whatever
causes us to be late. Of course, I am not saying that all lateness for worship
and Bible studies would fall into this callousness. But if we are habitually
late we should examine our attitude towards the Lord. One who is generally on
time for other appointments but is habitually late for worship or Bible study
is probably experiencing some serious spiritual backsliding. One who is
normally late for all “church appointments” is probably also suffering some
form of tardiness within the soul. No one who genuinely loves Christ can be
late for an appointment with Him without feeling shame and embarrassment. “And
you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first
commandment,” (Mk 12:30).
Often, one comes in late and disrupts the other
worshipers by asking them to either move down or step out in the aisle to let
the late-comer pass. This obstructs the worship of the one being disturbed.
This seems to me to be a violation of the “golden rule.” “Therefore, whatever you want men
to do to you, do also to them . . .” (Matt
7:12). I am sure that we would not like to be disturbed. Suppose you are the one
who is asked to move? Suppose you are teaching a class and many within the
class come in several minutes late?
“A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but
there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother,” (Prov 18:24). When we arrive several minutes before “the appointed time” we have
opportunities to visit and show ourselves to be friendly. Niccolo Machiavelli said: “Tardiness
often robs us of opportunity, and the dispatch of our forces.” When we come
in late we miss so many opportunities to visit with our brethren.
We miss the prospects of meeting and talking with those
who might be visiting with us. Just spending a little time with those brothers
and sisters, seeing how they are and often having some meaningful spiritual
conversation is so uplifting. If I come in late, I miss this opportunity.
Furthermore, sometimes there may be some visitors with a
“lost look” standing in the foyer. These need someone to come up and make them
feel welcomed and at ease. It might be their first visit to a
If we come late, we not only miss the opportunity to make
them feel comfortable, but we might lose a soul as well. Sadly, the late comers
are usually the first to leave. They miss out twice.
If you have trouble being on time – make a change! Not
only will you be honoring the Lord and your brethren. And not only will you be
an encouragement to visitors, but you will become a better person as well.
Lord Nelson said, “I have
always been a quarter of an hour before my time, and it has made a man of me.”
We are able to get to work on time, arrive on time for
the appointment with the doctor and get to the theater before the movie begins.
Can’t we get to Bible study and worship on time? “And when you offer the blind as
a sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, is it not
evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he
accept you favorably? Says the LORD of hosts,” (Mal 1:8).
- jrb894@msn.com -
The Editor’s
Page
Going to the cotton gin atop a mule drawn wagon filled
with cotton is one of my first recollections as a child. The wagon would bump,
rattle and creak its way down the road. The trip to the gin was always more
pleasant than the trip home, because the cotton muffled the noise and gave me a
place to sit that would absorb the shock of the road. On the return trip, it
became painfully obvious that there is nothing harder than a wagon seat. It was
a board without padding. When the wagon wheel hit a pot hole, it was a bone
jarring experience to say the least. But this was not the only problem with
riding in an empty wagon. The old cotton wagon would rattle and creak so loudly
you could hardly hear yourself think.
On a recent Sunday, I was listening to a local
denominational preacher over the radio and my mind went back to that old, empty
cotton wagon. It was the practice of this particular denominational preacher to
become rather agitated when he preached. At times, he garbled his words,
hummed, sang, cried, laughed, and presented his message in a highly agitated
manner. He claimed this agitation was the leading of the Spirit. Is this kind
of extravagant display evidence of preaching that is inspired by the Holy
Spirit?
I doubt it, especially when I consider what Paul wrote to
the Corinthian church. “I thank God that
I speak in tongues more than all of you. Nevertheless, in church I would rather
speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand
words in a tongue.” (1 Corinthians 14:18-19) In the first
century the spiritual gift of speaking a language one did not know was in the
church. It is in this context that Paul recognized the importance of speaking
the words of God in a way that the hearers can understand. The purpose of
preaching is for instruction in righteousness. If this is not accomplished,
then the preaching is vain.
I was reminded of that old cotton wagon and something I
heard growing up in rural north
The next time you hear a denominational preacher blame
his inarticulate ranting and raving on the Holy Spirit, think about an empty
cotton wagon. I know I will.
THE LAST WORD
GOSPEL MEETING
April 13 — 18, 2008
Speaker: J R Bronger
Time:
Sunday — 10 am, 11 am & 4 pm
Monday thru Friday —
7 pm
Singing:
We will meet at 3:15
pm on Sunday for thirty minutes of singing before the afternoon service.
Visitors Are Our
Special Guests!
