"Searching the Scriptures and Seeking the Lost"
THE FIRST TEN MINUTES AFTER SERVICES
by Wayne Jones
In less time that it takes for many people to drive to the house of worship or to get to work in the mornings, we could do some things that would help the atmosphere, closeness and stability of the local church. God has taught us to be time conscience. He has instructed us to use everything (including every minute) that we have to His glory and for His purposes. Paul told the Ephesians and Colossians to redeem (or to make best use of) their personal time (Eph. 5:16, Col. 4:5. While a lack of time has been used as an excuse for generations, the truth is that we all have the same amount of time in each day – 24 hours; 1,440 minutes; 86,400 seconds. Rather than complain that time is limited or that time moves too fast, we must resolve to use the time we have to the best of our ability and as thoroughly as possible. Thus, we should redeem the time.
The time to which we are making reference in this article is one sixth of an hour. It doesn’t seem like must time at all. Most of us spend much more than ten minutes a day commuting to work, standing in line, sitting in traffic, on the phone, etc. Yet, if we would better use the first ten minutes after worship services, we could better serve our fellow man and possibly help to strengthen the kingdom of God’s dear Son.
One of the things we could do during that time is seek out a visitor and make them feel welcomed. Depending on the size of a building or the number of exits available, there is always the possibility of missing visitors who are in attendance on Sundays. However, we may be guilty of using these reasons as excuses for not being more diligent in making it a point to find and greet our visitors. There is nothing more discouraging that visiting with a congregation of God’s people and feeling as if you are unwanted or unimportant.
James explained this feeling and its negative effects in James 2:1-9. Although James was speaking in the context of prejudice, who really wants to feel out of place or unwanted like the man in ragged attire (Jam. 2:3)? We may not choose to talk with a rich visitor rather than a poor one, but all of us at some point have chosen to talk to a friend or another local member in favor of using that time to talk to a visitor. Sometimes visitors will pass three or four members of the church before one will make an effort to speak to them. Friends, such should not be the case. Perhaps that person is looking for a local congregation with which to regularly worship. Do you suppose they would want to be part of a place wherein they felt uncomfortable because no one would speak to them?
Others chose to allow other members to do there greeting for them. Every congregation has those two or three (or more) members who take this responsibility to heart. However, we must continually ask, “what if every member we just like me?” Or, “what if the growth of the church depended on how I treat each visitor?” Do those questions reveal a weakness in our lives and a misuse of our time at the close of every service? Friends, there will be time to talk to other members of the church and there will be time to catch up on the latest sports updates, but there may not be time after the first ten minutes to meet and greet the visitors that we consider our “honored guests.”
Another good use of our time at the end of each worship service is to commend and thank those who took a public lead. It common to express appreciation to the preacher (even if we did not closely listen to his sermon) because he is usually standing at the back and it is simply the normal thing to do. How many of us express appreciation to the song leader and commend him on a job well done. What about the men who took us before the throne of God in prayer? These men may have been more nervous in their public roles than the preacher, but far too often we take them for granted and certainly do not thank them enough for their examples of courage and participation. If every member is important (1 Cor. 12:18-24) and every role they fill is important then we should take the time to express our gratitude for their efforts. While those who participate publicly are not doing their good deeds to be seen and praised of men, everyone needs to be encouraged and appreciated!
Therefore, the next time the “Amen” is said and the thoughts of getting to the car, talking to that old friend or simply not talking at all enter our minds, remember that those few precious moments immediately following the services could be used to strengthen the brethren and to assist others who may have a genuine need. We may not be aware of it, but a simple “Hello,” “Good to see you,” “Glad you were here this morning” or “Good job,” might make all the difference in the world.