The 24-Hour Church

By tradition of men is the church only open for worship service on Sunday morning and one, maybe two days a week for Bible classes and prayer service. This tradition comes from men believing that God commanded this way; to only worship Him on Sunday, without completely understanding the scripture they reference.

God said, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). He said that no one should do any work on the Sabbath because He created the earth on the other six days of the week and that the seventh day was for to acknowledge Him. At least half of this commandment has carried down throughout history to this day. Today we ignore the working part but churches still conduct worship services on Sunday (even though the Sabbath Day is actually on Saturday).

But what about other times of the day and week when believers need spiritual fulfillment? The church doors are locked. Many would say, call the pastor or a fellow member for this fulfillment, but what if they are unavailable? The believer should be able to go to the church during any day of the week or any time of the day and get spiritual strength in times of need.

There should be someone at the church all day, every day – in shifts of course – to take prayer request, for counseling, comfort, or to receive anyone who has a desire to be saved during the times the church is closed. The scripture in Acts 2:46 says, “and they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple…” meaning, someone was at the church all day, every day. Nowhere in scripture is there a commandment or suggestion that the church should remain closed during other days.

Granted, there are some churches today that are open daily, but not for worship purposes, but for administrative reasons. If a member needs support and calls the church, the administration directs them to call the next available minister or to set an appointment.

There should be a regular worship service in every church every morning and there should follow bible classes and prayer meetings all day afterward. Not every one who attends church works nine-to-five, there are some who work other shifts. Moreover, with daily access to the church there is potential for more members because no one knows when anyone will have the urge to come to God and believers can come to get the extra strength needed for daily survival. This is all the more reason churches should have their own businesses so people can work among those who have the same beliefs and transition easily from work to worship.

The 24-hour church may sound extreme but is not beyond a reality; furthermore, it would build a stronger relationship between God and believers. The world would witness stronger, Spirit-filled believers, dedicated to worshipping God. When church leaders begin to show their love for God and the believers of God through daily acts of devotion, and they arrange work and pleasure around worship instead of the opposite, then maybe they can see their labor bring forth fruit.