“SMO” Attendance
Gary P. Adkins
In today’s religious world, Sunday Morning Only (SMO) worship is becoming more prevalent. Many people come for Sunday morning worship service, and that is the extent of their weekly “duty” for the Lord. Acts 20:7 is often cited to justify their regular SMO attendance.
There used to be an old saying: “People are expected to be at worship service on Sunday morning. Then, on Sunday evening, it is based upon how “good” the preacher is; and for mid-week services, it is how “popular” Jesus and Bible Study are to them.”
If a Christian attends all three regularly scheduled services, including Sunday morning Bible study, this amounts to approximately six hours. This represents about four percent of our weekly allotted amount of time.
According to Romans 12:1, 2, is this the extent of our “reasonable service?” Of course, there are other activities worthy of our Christian vocation. Ephesians 4:1-3. Attending services of the church is only a small part of living the Christian life.
I wonder how long a person would hold a job, remain in school, or be on an athletic team with a one/two hour attendance record each week? According to Hebrews 10:22-31, “forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” is a willful sin.
A Christian who is able-bodied, has adequate health, finances, and means should plan and set aside time during the week to worship God in truth and spirit as often as possible. To purposely plan not to attend and participate could be compared to Malachi 1:6-14. -PO Box 841, Culloden, WV 25510.