Edification or Worship

Based on what I read the New Testament I believe the purpose of our assembly is to edify and build up the congregation as well as encourage each other to love and good works. Historically we get our method of sit and listen from our Catholic and Presbyterian friends and our stoicism from our founders the Campbells, Stones and the like. I am being sarcastic. What we do is, at least to me, perfectly logical. We meet to remember Jesus who died for us. We meet on the day on which he conquered death. We naturally talk with God. Singing is an appropriate vehicle for admonishing and encouraging each other. Asking each other if we remember to include God in our lives is more comfortably said in the song "Did You Think to Pray" than just straight-out asking the question.  While we are together why not study God's Word, not listen to a speech but STUDY God's Word. When we read God's Word we are accomplishing what early preachers were accomplishing when they were preaching to the UNSAVED and / or educating the newly saved. We should do the same for the UNSAVED and newly saved. Contributing to the support for the poor appears to have been a practice of Jesus and his apostles as well as with the early church and is not optional. Contributing to pay expenses is optional but anyone associated with the group should be willing to help the group pay its expenses. Over time, the Pharisees among us, have altered the meeting to suit their purposes and have changed the meeting to one where we go to church. Due to our carelessness our assemblies can be boring, nonproductive and frustratingly make those who have other things to do feel guilty because they want to leave when they are finished going to church.   If I am correct and we are there to encourage each other to love and good works, with the activities designed to edify or build up the church AND since we have the following examples: ·          Paul did not tell the good Christians in Corinth to start another congregation thus leaving the bad Christians ·          Jesus did not tell John to tell the good Christians in those Asian churches to go start other congregations also leaving those bad Christians AND ·          the fact that nothing can come between "me" and Jesus except "me" maybe, just maybe how we do things does not matter. Maybe a piano in the room is not soul condemning or even some of the other new things of which we are afraid. Realizing I am not all knowledgeable and what I think and the truth may not coincide I believe it is something Christians should think about and at least have a studied and informed view as to the purpose of assembling. One thing it is not is "going to church." Being more informal, having the room arranged comfortably, ensuring coming and going is easily accomplished and activities continuing in an orderly manner and etc may be things to consider.   If the assembly is worship how dare we permit interruptions of any kind. If the president of the United States, one we like, was in the room we would show more respect to him than we do to Jesus and to God in our assemblies assuming they are present. Many of those thinking they are there to worship are quite careless in their attitudes and what they permit and what they do not permit.