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Why
Do Christians Assemble Together?
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| Introduction:
Has
it ever crossed your mind as you were sitting in a
church service or possibly involved in leading a service,
“Why do we do this every week?” In this
article I attempt to answer this question.
Although I’ve assembled together with fellow
Christians since early childhood I have periodically
asked myself just why I do this every week.
bviously
there are numerous answers to this question. In fact,
we are living in a time and day when fewer and fewer
people, including Christians, are regularly assembling
together. Overall church attendance is on the decline
in North America. |
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In
Europe it is nearly extinct. However, in many third world
countries churches are bursting at the seams. In areas where
Christians continue to be persecuted, you will find some
who are willing to risk their lives to be part of a company
of like-minded believers in Christ. So back to our question
as to why Christians regularly assemble together?
I am convinced that believers should be faithful in assembling
together each week whether that assembling is in a home
setting, a store front, a dedicated building for that purpose
or a mega-church complex with all “the bells and whistles”.
On Saturday evenings I regularly assemble with a house group
of Christians in my community in the Rim Country area of
central Arizona. On the Lord’s Day I assemble with
two groups of Christians, one in a rented facility, the
other in their own building.
It is my hope and prayer that this material will challenge
to you to be faithful to the biblical exhortation recorded
in Hebrews 10:21-25. |
| The
Ekklesia:
The word that is rendered ‘church’ in our English
language comes from the biblical word, ‘ejkklhsiva’
transliterated into English as ‘ekklesia’ with
its phonetic spelling: ek-klay-see’-ah. Unfortunately
in English the original meaning and intent of this word
has been somewhat lost through the centuries. The ekklesia
[church] is simply a gathering or assembly of men and women,
a congregation, who are “called-out” from the
world for a specific purpose; that purpose is to worship,
praise, adore and glorify the Triune God: Father Son and
Holy Spirit.
It should be noted that in the very earliest days of the
Church[1] Christians normally assembled together in homes.
It was not until some time later in history that buildings
specifically for church gatherings were erected. House churches
continue to be common in many places throughout the world.
In areas where the persecution of Christians continues to
be rampant, it is often not possible or feasible to erect
special buildings. For instance in China the house church
movement has exploded with literally millions of people
coming into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through
the witness of the house churches. In many Muslim areas
of the world Christians are forced to meet secretly in homes.
In the Western World there are pros and cons as to the concept
of house churches. There is a growing house church movement
throughout the world today. This ministry has material available
on house churches [2].
Whether meeting in a home, a storefront, a rented facility,
a large cathedral or a mega-church structure is secondary.
What is important is that God’s people regularly and
faithfully assemble themselves together in the Name of Christ.
Corporate worship should have this priority for God’s
people. It matters not how we outwardly express our praise
and worship. God looks upon the inner part of each of us,
i.e., the heart. God is less concerned with our outward
formats of worship than we tend to be. It is sadly true
that many Christians become so convinced that their format
in the public services is the only way therefore they become
critical of those who praise and worship God in a different
manner than their accustomed to. An example of this is Charismatics
and non-charismatics who continually criticize each other.
I am of the opinion that this accomplishes little good and
certainly creates disunity within the Body of Christ. |
| When
Did The Church Begin? I
am one of those people who loves both the local church as
well as the Church-universal. The church is not just another
organization. It did not begin in the same way that a social
or community group decides to organize, give itself a name,
adopt a set of bylaws and then incorporate. The Church is
unique and one of a kind. It is referred to on several occasions
in the New Testament as the church of God.[3] It belongs
to God, not to we human beings. See – Acts 20:28;
1 Cor. 1:2; 10:32; 11:22; 15:9; 2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:13; 1
Tim. 3:5, 15.
Christians are divided as to when they believe that the
Church actually began. Some believe that the Church began
during the days while Christ was still ministering on earth
before his ascension. Nearly all other Christians, I’m
part of this number, believe that the Church was birthed
on the Day of Pentecost.[4] Some dispensationalists date
its beginning later at Antioch. Whichever position one holds
is secondary. The important fact is that the Church, which
our Lord had promised in Matthew chapter 16, came into being
and continues to exist today as an organism not an organization,
i.e., the Body of Christ.
Pentecost is meaningful to Christians. As already indicated
most Christians believe that it was upon Pentecost that
the Holy Spirit whom our Lord had promised before returning
to the Father came to indwell believers forming them into
the spiritual body that we call the Church. On Pentecost
the Spirit took up residence in every disciple. This was
the fulfillment of Christ’s promise recorded in John
14:14-18 and 16:13-15.
Since its earliest days the Church is in constant need of
the work and move of the Holy Spirit within it. Revival,
renewal and restoration need to be ongoing in our local
assemblies even as each believer needs to be continually
being filled with and by the Holy Spirit. See – Ephesians
5:18-19.
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| The
Head of the Church:
As
a Protestant Christian I believe that there is but
one head of the Church, both universal and local.
This sole head of the Ekklesia is Jesus Christ.
I base this belief on a number of biblical passages.
We read in Matthew 16:13-18, “Now
when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi,
he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say
that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some
say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still
others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He
said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’
Simon Peter answered,
‘You are the Messiah,[5] the Son of the living
God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed
are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood
has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will
not prevail against it.” |
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Roman Catholics
and Protestants differ in their understanding of what
our Lord was saying to the Apostle Peter in the above
discourse. The following quote is from the notes of the
Scofied Reference Bible:
Matthew 16:18
[Peter means rock.] In the Greek there is a play upon
words in this statement: “You are Peter
[petros, a stone], and on this rock [petra, a
massive rock] I will build my church.”
It is upon Christ Himself that the Church is build.
In other words we Protestants
believe that the Church is not built upon the apostle
Peter as the Roman Catholic hierarchy teaches, rather
we believe that the Church is built upon Jesus the Christ.
Note what is recorded about this “Rock” in
1 Peter 2:4-8, “Come to him, a living stone,
though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in
God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves
be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood,
to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through
Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture: ‘See,
I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and
precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put
to shame.’ To you then who believe, he is precious;
but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone that
the builders rejected has become the very head of the
corner,’ and ‘A stone that makes them stumble,
and a rock that makes them fall.’”
St. Paul put it this way
in writing of this foundation,
“For no one
can lay any foundation other than the one that has been
laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.” (1
Cor. 3:11)
Not only has the Church
been built upon Christ as its solid Rock foundation, but
Jesus Christ alone is the only rightful head of the Church
and of the churches! Again, quoting from the apostle Paul
we note,
“He [Christ]
is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to
have first place in everything.” (Colossians
1:18)
We are told in Ephesians
1:22-23 (NIV),
“And God placed
all things under his [Christ] feet and appointed him [Christ]
to be the head over everything for the church, which is
his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in
every way.”
And again, the apostle
addressed this subject later in his letter to the church
at Ephesus stating,
“Instead, speaking
the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into
him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole
body [6], joined and held together by every supporting
ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each
part does its work. . .as Christ is the head of the church,
his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church
submits to Christ. . .” (Ephesians 4:15, 16;
5:23b-24a.) NIV
Throughout Scripture the
term “Rock” is used over and over again in
referring to the LORD God. That the Ekklesia would be
built upon “the Rock” makes sense. To claim
that the Church would be built upon a fallible man such
as Peter and his supposed successors [7] does not make
sense. The very first place in Scripture where the idiom
“rock” is used in referring to God is found
in Genesis 49:24 where we read,“. . .by the
name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.”
The Psalmist used this
symbol when referring to God on numerous occasions. See
such passages in the Psalms as 18:2, 31, 46; 19:14; 28:1;
32:2-3; 42:9; 61:2; 62:2, 6-7; 78:35; 89:26; 92:15; 95:1;
144:1.
The above are some of
the passages symbolizing that God is likened unto a Rock.
When I retired and we built our home in Strawberry we
dedicated it and named it “Ebenezer” which
means: “Stone of help” (1 Samuel 7:12).
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| Why
Christians Should Assemble Together!
Why is it important that Christians assemble together? Isn’t
it possible to worship God at home watching TV or listening
to a radio preacher?
Christians are exhorted to regularly assemble together as
a church because this is the New Testament premise. Some
people ask what is meant by “regular assembling?”
The New Testament admonition is assembling weekly, not a
hit-and-miss fashion or when, “I feel like it.”
There are many reasons why Christians should assemble together
weekly as an ekklesia whether in a dedicated church building,
as a house church or in a rented or shared facility.
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IT
IS CHRIST’S CHURCH. Jesus told His disciples,
“I will build MY Church.” The
Church does not belong to the preacher, the denomination,
nor does it even belong to the congregation. The Church-universal
and the church-local belong to Jesus Christ and to
him alone! We note in Acts 20:28b, “Be shepherds
of the church of God, which he bought with his own
blood.” Our Lord would not have shed his
precious blood for the Church if he did not consider
it important. |
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WHAT
IS THE CHURCH? The Church is the spiritual Body of
Christ. It cannot be confined to any one sect or denomination.
It expresses itself best in companies of believers
that we refer to as local churches, i.e., ekklesias. |
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PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL. The bottom line of
the Gospel is found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Christ
Jesus lived, died, was buried, rose from the grave
and ascended back to the Father in heaven. In assembling
together Christians are proclaiming their belief and
faith in the Gospel of Christ. See – Romans
1:16. |
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ENCOURAGING
ONE ANOTHER. Unless believers faithfully assemble together,
it is impossible to carry out the Scriptural admonition
of encouraging one another. Encouraging each other should
be exhibited whenever God’s people assemble together.
See - Hebrews 10:24-25.. |
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CHALLENGING
EACH OTHER. Heb. 10:23 exhorts, “Let us hold
unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised
is faithful.” And what is this hope? It is
the Gospel. Christians not regularly assembling with
their brothers and sisters in Christ often become sidetracked
by tangent issues and/or by personal ‘pet’
interpretations of Scripture that deter. It is easy
for those who neglect assembling with fellow believers
to get caught up in this syndrome to the point of believing
that they alone have the only legitimate understanding
of Scripture. As Christians assemble together they are
challenged by God-appointed leaders to continue in biblical
teaching. |
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THE
HOLY SPIRIT. Believers are added to the Church by the
Holy Spirit. There are no lone ranger Christians! God’s
people are part of each other. God has ordained that
his work is to be done in and through local churches.
Every believer is a vital part of the Body of Christ,
“The body is a unity, though it is made up
of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they
form one body. So it is with Christ. For we are all
baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews
or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the
one Spirit to drink. Now you are the body of Christ,
and each one of you a part of it” (1 Cor.
12:12, 13, 27). |
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COMMUNITY.
Somewhere along the line churches have lost the concept
of community. The common ground of Christians is Jesus
Christ. Though diverse, yet in Christ Christians are
one! The Church, both the entire Body of Christ as well
as the local assembly, belongs to God, “To
the church of God. . .to those sanctified [set apart]
in Christ Jesus, and called to be holy, together
with all those everywhere who call on the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours” (1
Cor. 1:2). Community is not possible when believers
remain separate from each other. |
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IDENTIFYING
MARK. The mark that identifies authentic believers from
nominal church members is their love for one another.
This love is not an option. Our Lord exhorted, “Love
one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one
another. By this all people will know that you are my
disciples, if you love one another” (John
13:34b-35). |
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DISCIPLESHIP.
All believers are disciples of our Lord placing themselves
under his discipline upon their spiritual rebirth. As
Christians faithfully assemble to corporately praise,
worship, pray, celebrate and study, they demonstrate
to an unbelieving world that they are truly Christ’s
disciples. Under the New Covenant believers are under
Grace, not under the Law, yet called to obey our Lord’s
exhortation to love God and to love one another. When
Jesus was asked about obeying the law he replied, “Love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
. . Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment
greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31). |
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ACCOUNTABILITY.
The disciples of Christ are called into accountability
to God and to those whom God has placed over the church
for spiritual oversight. See - Hebrews 13:17 and 1 Timothy
5:17. Scriptural accountability encompasses servant
ministry (Mark 10:42-45), mutual submission (Ephesians
5:21) and discipline (Matthew 18:15,17; Gal. 6:1). It
should be the Holy Spirit who calls and places leaders
in the church. No other body except the local church
has Scriptural offices filled by people of God’s
choosing. Unfortunately this biblical principle has
all but been lost in most cases. Churches are too often
controlled by leaders who are not anointed and appointed
by God. |
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THE
GREAT COMMISSION. Followers of Christ dare not ignore
our Lord’s Commission. See - Matthew 28:18-20.
It is the ekklesia that is called forth to evangelize,
disciple, baptize and equip. See - Ephesians 4:11-16. |
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SPIRITUAL
GIFTS. Spiritual gifts are not given for personal gain.
Rather, they are given for the building up of the church.
The Holy Spirit sovereignly gives a gift mix to each
company of believers. See - 1 Corinthians chapters 12
through 14; Romans 12:3-8; Ephesians 4:7, 11-12. |
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PRIESTHOOD
OF BELIEVERS. Every Christian is a priest. Hence, every
disciple is expected to function as a member of this
priesthood. Priests function best when they are offering
up joint sacrifices of praise, “Through Jesus,
therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice
of praise - the fruit of lips that confess His name”
(Hebrews 13:15). See also Hebrews 13:16; 1 Peter 1:5,
9). |
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SACRAMENTS/ORDINANCES.
Whether your church refers to baptism and communion
as “sacraments” or as “ordinances”
is not the issue here. Personally I prefer to refer
to them as ordinances. Christ commanded that these observances
be faithfully and regularly observed by local companies
of believers. See - Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Corinthians
11:23-32. |
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HEALING.
Whenever a fellow member of the body is sick the Scriptures
instruct thusly, “Are any among you sick?
They should call for the elders of the church and have
them pray over them anointing them with oil in the name
of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick,
and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has
committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your
sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that
you may be healed” (James 5:14-16). It is
to the local church, not outside ministries, that healing
ministry: spiritual, emotional and physical, has been
given. |
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EXPECTATION.
Christians are cautioned against absenting themselves
from assembling together, “Let us not give
up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing”
(Hebrews 10:25). See also Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2;
Revelation 1:10a. |
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Every
Lord’s Day belongs to God! It is not our day. God
has established one day each week as special. This is
why we refer to it as the Lord’s Day. To the majority
of Christians it is a special day of celebrating the bodily
resurrection of our Lord ensuring our salvation. To a
few Christians and to Jews it is a day of rest based on
Creation and the commandments. Every Christian should
faithfully assemble with fellow believers to worship,
praise, pray, celebrate, and to be further equipped in
and through the holy Scriptures. There are few reasons
for absenting oneself from the weekly assembling other
than real (not imagined) sickness, being out-of-town or
employment.
An important passage that we are called upon to heed is,
“And
let us consider how to provoke one another to love
and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is
the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and
all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
(Heb. 10:24-25)
Be
sure that the company of believers with whom you worship
and fellowship is one that adheres to the historic biblical
faith. We have a booklet available that you may want to
request. It is titled, “Won’t Any Church
do?”
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