“Online Versus In-Person Service”
Opening:
A 2019 survey published by Erin Duffin on Jan 17, 2020, showed 23 percent of Americans attend a church or synagogue every week, 10% almost every week, and 12% at least once a month. So, 45% of Americans go to church or synagogue at least once a month. Because of the pandemic, most churches have been closed since March this year, and they do their Sunday services with Zoom or YouTube. Many Christians enjoy joining the service online so much. Because of that, after more than six months doing the online service, some pastors worry that this would create a new habit that will continue even after the pandemic ends.
Would it be okay if, after the pandemic ends, those who can go to church choose to do online service? Some Christians support the idea. Here are some of their arguments: Online service is more convenient because they do not need to leave their houses and drive for 20 minutes or more. It is also more comfortable for them because they can sit on their sofa, enjoy their morning cappuccino, or lie on their beds while listening to the sermon. It is cheaper because we do not need to have or rent a place. And doing online service can reach more people to join (people from all over the world can participate). From the biblical perspective, they say, according to Apostle Paul, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who is in us (1 Cor 6:19). So, we are the church! We do not need to go to a place called a church. Based on John 4:24, we can worship God in the Spirit and in truth, wherever we are. They also argue that the New Testament does not require us to attend a public service at church. A pastor of a mega church said not long ago that the Lord does not command us to meet. Is that true?
We are thankful for YouTube, Zoom, Skype, and Google Meet that have helped us a lot, especially during this pandemic. God gives humans intelligence to invent modern technology of communication. We, of course, will not despise it. Online service indeed has many benefits as they argue. I think churches still need Zoom and YouTube after the pandemic ends. But online service should not replace the in-person Sunday service. We can do Bible study or seminar online, but we need to have real meetings with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Why? Let us see what the Bible says about the importance of attending public worship:
1. Jesus and His disciples did it. It was the custom of Jesus Christ and His apostles to attend Sabbath services either at the Temple in Jerusalem or a synagogue if they were away from Jerusalem.
- Mark 1:21 - “Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.”
- Luke 6:6 – “Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught.”
- Acts 17:1-2 – “Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul, as his custom was, went into them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures....”
The New Testament records more than ten occasions on which the ministry of Jesus took place in the synagogue. Jesus, and later also apostle Paul, used the synagogue to teach the word of God. Synagogues are consecrated spaces used for the purpose of prayer, reading of the Tanakh (the entire Hebrew Bible, including the Torah), study, and assembly (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synagogue).
2. The early Christians worshiped God at the Jerusalem Temple, the synagogues, and different locations. At first, they worshiped at the Temple and the synagogues. Acts 3;1 says: “One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon.” When they realized that they were not welcome to worship there, they began to meet for Sabbath worship and non-Sabbath "Bible studies" and meetings in other locations:
- At rented rooms: “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying” (Acts 1:12-13a).
- At homes: “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart.” (Acts 2:46a). Likewise, greet the church that is in their house (Rom 16:5). The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house (1 Cor 16:19). “to the beloved Apphia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house” (Philemon 2).
- At schools: “But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus” (Acts 19:9).
Where they met was not significant. What was important is that the early church members accepted, as essential for their spiritual welfare, the necessity to continue to meet and fellowship regularly and frequently with their brethren in Christian unity.
3. Biblical definition of church. “Church” is the translation of the Greek term "ekklesia" used in the New Testament to identify the community of believers in Jesus Christ (109 times out of 114 occurrences of the term). The word occurs twice in the Gospel (Matt 16:18; 18:17), 23 times in Acts, 46 times in the Pauline writings, 20 times in Revelation, 1 in James, and 1 in Hebrews. The word church is used in three different ways: 1) As the body of Christ, the church refers to a local assembly or group of believers (1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:1-2). 2) As the body of individual living believers (1 Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13). 3) As the universal group of all people who have trusted Christ through the ages (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 5:23-27). So, biblically, ‘church’ refers to believers' congregation in Jesus Christ or the fellowship of those who were called “out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).
4. God commands Christians not to forsake assembling. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” The word “meeting” or "assembling" is translated from the Greek – “episunagogen,” which means "the society of Christians," or the church. The command is to meet together to worship God and the fellowship with other believers, and Christians should do this essential activity. Otherwise, they could not grow spiritually and be strong in the Lord. The author of Hebrews did not explain why some Christians neglected public worship then. It could be because:
(1) They were afraid of persecution as those who attended the service would be more exposed to danger than others.
(2) They felt no interest in it - as professing Christians now sometimes do.
(3) They may not understand the necessity and benefits of attending church meetings.
(4) They were not satisfied with the leaders or had a relationship problem with other church members.
Whatever were the reasons, the author says they should “Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together!”
Based on what we learn today, I understand why some pastors no longer comply with the local governments that forbid them to reopen their churches. In the beginning, they supported the government’s instruction to close their churches. But later, they saw their local governments allowed other groups to meet, including a massive gathering of protesters who came to streets for months and caused damages (according to the Daily Signal, the U.S. experienced 637 riots between May 26 and Sept. 12). That made them suspect that their governments used the pandemic for their political agenda and intentionally tried to control churches. In that case, they said, “We must obey God rather than human beings!” (Acts 5:29). May God give them strength and protect them and their congregations from getting an infection of the virus as they reopen their churches.
Closing:
Remember, last Sunday, we have learned to be careful about the devil’s schemes. We should know that it is God’s will that we attend church meetings/services regularly. I hope you and all Christians worldwide will come back to church when the pandemic is over. In the next three weeks, we will learn more about the importance of attending the Sunday service. Toward the end of his life, John Stott wrote, “I trust that none of my readers is that grotesque anomaly, an unchurched Christian. The New Testament knows nothing of such a person. For the church lies at the very center of the eternal purpose of God.” (John Stott, The Living Church (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007, 19). God does not save people from sin without also saving them into the body of Christ! D. L. Moody stated that “church attendance is as vital to a disciple as a transfusion of rich, healthy blood to a sick man." Christians belong in the church like a fish belongs in the water.
