Expert: Dr Don Howe - 4/29/2009

Question
I can find no biblical command for a mid-week prayer meeting but I often hear pastors refer to it as though attendance to it were the measure of someone's spirituality. I would certainly not say it's wrong for the church to gather and pray, but to come across as though it were practically the 11th commandment seems to border on being a pharisee. How and why has this rather recent tradition in church history become as though it were spoken on Mount Sinai?

Answer
   Mike, thank you for your question. It is hard to say exactly when Wednesday night prayer meetings actually started, but it most likely came out of the Sunday School movement in the 1800’s which became more a tradition than anything. There is nothing in God’s Holy Word about having a midweek service. So it is a tradition of men. Or as you said the 11 th Commandment of Man and not God.
    For a Pastor to say that one has to have Wednesday Night Prayer meetings means he does not know how to read the Word of God, and is more about doing what a denomination has taught him to do and that is the traditions of men. Wednesday night prayer meetings are okay and God’s Word does not say you can or can not have Mid-week prayer meetings. This being a tradition of the Baptist history is not a bad thing at all. But for a Pastor to be dogmatic about something that is not in God’s word is not being the Shepard that he was called to be.
   The Apostle Paul addressed this tradition of men in Col. 2:8 which states “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Paul is saying do not be spoiled or esomai which means deceived by things that are not real through strange philosophy and empty deceit. And do not follow empty philosophies which are based on the traditions of men, or elements of the world because they are not based on Christ. Next look at Col. 2:16 to put this all together which states, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days].” So we are not to follow false teaching, false religions, philosophies\ by empty deceit which are based on the traditions of men, but keep our focus on teaching based on Christ. Let no man judge you based what you eat, what you drink, festival, or of the new moon refers to a new Jewish holiday or could mean a new month, and do not let any man judge of the Sabbath days. No one is tell you that have to worship on first day week, or the last day of week (Sabbath), or that you have to rest on the last day of the week, and that you can not rest on the first day of the week. Or you have to have Wednesday Night Prayer meetings.  Because these are based on false religions, false teaching, philosophies, legalism, and traditions of men. But you do need to worship God on whatever day you want after and based on Christ.

  I hope this helps.

Blessings.

Dr Don Howe, RN, PhD, ThD.