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Not only do I get to preach, but I also have the opportunity to praise God alongside others, and to watch how the Lord is using our fellowship for His glory. As Christians, we should all desire to gather together with one another as often as possible. As motivation, here are ten reasons why gathering regularly with the church is important:
- Why Are Church Gatherings A Threat?
- Gatherings Represent Heaven’s Rule and Judgments—Like An Embassy
- Gatherings Establish A Visible Outpost of Christ’s Kingdom—Like Geography
- Gatherings Testify to The King—Like An Embassy Flag
- Gatherings Identify Citizens of The Kingdom—Like Passports
- Gatherings Form A People—Like Citizenship Classes
- Gatherings Mobilize A People—Like Training Ambassadors
- Gatherings Exalt The King
- Conclusion
The threat begins not with the gathering, but with the Christian message. These Christians, his informants tell him, say their ultimate allegiance belongs to this Jesus, not to the party, regime, or nation. They say he somehow “saved” them and is their “king.” Not only that, these people promise to prioritize one another over their fellow citizens ...
The concerns of our imaginary government official are off-base, but they’re not wholly without merit. They’re off-base because 2000 years ago God didn’t send Jesus to overthrow Caesar. And churches don’t gather to train insurrectionists. And yet, our official is correct to recognize the work of a foreign power. If he could use theological language,...
Closely related to the last point is the idea that church gatherings represent the geography of the kingdom of heaven. That might sound like a strange thing to say. But if we back up in the biblical storyline, we can understand it. Originally, God dwelled with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden—a geographic plot of land. When they sinned, he cast t...
If gathered churches are embassies, a third purpose follows: they testify to the king—his rule and salvation—like the flag in front of every embassy. This is why Jesus refers to gathering in his name, and why disciples baptize into his name (Matt. 18:20; 28:19). Through the Lord’s Supper churches declare Christ’s new covenant, the forgiveness of si...
As churches gather to testify to the king, they also testify who belongs to the kingdom, that is, to affirm its citizens. Sticking with the embassy metaphor, we might say the gathering is where churches ordinarily hand out passports. How do they do this? Through the ordinances. Just as members of the Abrahamic covenant were marked off by circumcisi...
Churches also gather to teach everything that Jesus commanded (Matt. 28:20). That is, they gather to form a people, a bit like citizenship classes teach people what it means to be a citizen. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit creates and gives shape to a people. Yet the Spirit has ordained that churches use the so-called ordinary means of grace for this p...
One aspect of Christian formation worth highlighting in particular is the fact that Christ has made his people ambassadors and given them a ministry of reconciliation (2Cor. 5:18–20). And the gathering is where Christ, through his preachers, ordinarily commissions his people to “go into all nations to make disciples” (Matt. 28:18). For instance, th...
Finally, churches gather not just to point to the King, but to exalt the King. To worship. Purposes one to six above culminate here. And there is no embassy analogy here because embassies do not serve the purposes of worship. Churches do. God commands us to sing addressing “one another,” yes, but even more we are to make melody “to the Lord” (Eph. ...
Churches don’t gather merely for pragmatic or instrumental reasons—because it’s a good thing to do or because it’s beneficial. Churches gather because it’s essential to a church being a church. It’s essential to the church’s mission of proclaiming the excellencies of God. A church becomes a church in the gathering. Strictly speaking, a person can b...
Jun 21, 2022 · The early church grew, and lives were transformed. God’s power was released, and the Lord “added to the church daily those who were being saved.” Being together as a church community not only pours blessings upon those who are there, but the gathering is also a natural witness of God’s goodness to the world.
- Worshiping together is part of God’s intent in making us relational. He who is relational in Himself as Trinity created us needing one another (Gen 2:18).
- It reminds us that we’re not alone in our Christian walk. Many of us struggle most in being faithful—or worse, in surrendering to temptation—when we’re by ourselves.
- Our engagement in worship is encouraging to others. We have learned that it’s great to see brothers and sisters in person. Others encourage me, and I trust my being there strengthens them, too.
- Non-believers who see us worship might sense our love and awe of the Lord as we worship and praise Him. This assumes, of course, that lost people are in our churches—but if those who are present sense genuine humility, deep gratitude, and heartfelt commitment to God, perhaps God will use that experience to turn their hearts to Him.
Jun 3, 2022 · Why is it that we are called to specifically gather together as a church? In the Bible, I recognize that there is a command to not neglect gathering together, “And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10: ...
Jul 19, 2020 · Certainly it’s a needed corrective for those inclined to equate church with a building. But the handy dictum is not quite complete. The local church is not less than a people, true, but it is more: it is a people who gather together in a place. A church without any gathering place — that is, one that never assembles — is not a church.
Gathering: Unlocking the Biblical Meaning “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20. In the vast tapestry of biblical teachings, the concept of gathering holds significant spiritual weight. Beyond the mere act of coming together, gathering embodies a deeper meaning that resonates throughout the ...
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