Day 316 "More than an 'Hour of Power' "

Passage: Acts 20:7

On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.

Devotion:

Paul was in the final stage of this his third missionary journey, preparing the following day to return to Jerusalem. This particular trip had been especially fruitful because not only were new churches planted, existing churches expanded, and leaders developed, but it was also a time of personal literary productivity that we -- a little less than two thousand years later -- have become the beneficiaries. It was during this time that Paul's four greatest letters were written: 1 Corinthians from Ephesus; 2 Corinthians and Galatians, probably around the same time, from Macedonia; and Romans from Corinth. A pretty good legacy, yet Paul had even more to say before he left and as a result he spoke until midnight.

I would like to meet the person who decided how long a church service should last; yet in just about every church throughout America they are the same. I wonder how much of the Holy Spirit's influence we miss when we hold our pastors accountable to such tight schedules. When was the last time you ever heard of or were present when a pastor, so filled by the Holy Spirit continued speaking, without limitations, until he was finished? For me the answer is never -- at my church the 11:00 am service ends at precisely 12:15 pm -- every Sunday without fail.

Questions to Ponder:

Has your pastor ever exceeded his allocated sermon time? Did you find yourself looking at your watch, worried that you might miss "kick-off" of the latest football game or your lunch reservation with friends? I'm sure Paul didn't operate with the same time restrictions or schedules that today's pastors seem forced to adhere to. However, the real question is this: If your pastor had more to say would you have the interest and patience to listen, or is church just one more activity booked into your already too tight schedule?