Why we gather…
For 52 years, I have gathered on Sunday mornings with other Christians with very few exceptions. As a baby, as a child, as an adolescent, as a college student and all of my adult life, I have “gone to church.” Of course, my vocation involves Sunday worship gatherings, but many of us, regardless of vocation, can say Sunday church gatherings are a regular part of our lives. And it’s not just Sundays; as Christians and church members, we gather at other times and in different places for activities that are directly tied to being part of a church.
As a person whose vocation is directly tied to the local church gathered on a regular basis, I have wondered at times why we gather, why we bother to get up on a Sunday, dress up (more or less) and dedicate an hour or two or more together. The obvious answers to that question include very legitimate and important reasons: worship of our God and Savior; building each other up in the faith; passing on the rational and practical knowledge our children need to be faithful followers of Jesus; and fellowship. But no matter how familiar we are with these good and God-given reasons to gather, all of us at one time or another have likely approached church-gathering as something more like a habit than an intentional activity.
Before examining several scripture passages that reveal reasons for Christ-followers to gather regularly, consider what we already know about the nature of the church gathered:
There are no specific instructions in the New Testament regarding time, place, regularity ornamentation or rituals required for church gatherings. Anything we do in these categories in our time are simply the result of preferences, traditions and adaptations.
Clearly, the first church groups met in homes but eventually (church history indicates), church groups erected buildings in which they gathered and in many cases, those buildings became centers of Christian activity.
In our time, the church is formally gathered in large groups on a weekly basis but it is also gathered in a variety of smaller groups and settings on a regular basis. What most defines the church gathered has less to do with location and more to do with people and activity.
With these things in mind, lets briefly examine some important scripture passages that indicate the reasons the church gathers. For the sake of space, only the scripture references are included and not the actual text.
Acts 2:42-47, 20:7. These short summaries in the historical account of the beginning of the church clearly indicate that the purposes for which the church gathered were worship, fellowship, communion, meeting practical needs and prayer.
Romans 12:3-5; 1 Corinthians 12:7; 1 Peter 4:10-11. The church gathers in order to use God-given gifts and abilities for the mutual benefit of all its members.
Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:19. These two verses instruct believers to gather for the purposes of spiritual teaching, spiritual encouragement and spiritual worship.
1 Corinthians 5:4-5; 11:17; 14:26. These passages indicate the need for the church to be gathered in order to discipline wayward members, share the Lord’s Supper as a reminder of what Jesus did for the church and to allow the Spirit to speak through and to church members.
Hebrews 10:24-25. The church gathered for mutual encouragement and to urge each other to love in action.
Now consider for a moment, whether or not these things are taking place in the church at large or in our church when we gather. At best, the answer to this question is mixed. Participation in a church in our culture has become more and more a spectator and consumer-oriented experience. Instead of “being” the church, Christians “go” to church. Instead of being motivated and inspired by Spirit-led action, Christians often are motivated by a well-polished worship experience. Instead of being part of a church community in order to give of oneself, many Christians become part of a church community in order to get something.
But the passages reviewed above tell us that the church gathered is less about a Sunday morning service and more about who we are, what we do and how we relate when we are together. A Sunday morning gathering in our building is the church at worship and teaching the Word; a Tuesday night Life Group is the church praying together and encouraging each other; an elder board meeting at a coffee shop is the church leading and planning; a community outreach raising funds and collecting donated food for needy families is the church meeting practical needs; a couple sharing their faith with their neighbors is the church evangelizing; a secretary doing her work diligently and showing love to coworkers through kindness is the church being a witness to the love of God; an older couple babysitting the children of a younger couple so they can have uninterrupted time together is the church caring for each other. The examples are endless. We gather so we can scatter and display God’s redemption. We gather to glorify God, to become mature and equipped-to-serve believers so that we can scatter and collaborate in proclaiming the gospel to the lost.
The church is not and never should be on “pause.” We should always glorify God (1 Peter 2:9-12); we should always be growing and maturing in our faith (Ephesians 4:11-16); and we should always be making new disciples (Matthew 28:19-20) - even when we can’t be together.
Yet, we must be committed to being together for godly reasons and in godly ways:
Don’t give in to the incorrect idea that the “real” work of the church is for leaders and hired professionals. All of us are the church, at all times and in all places.
Don’t give in to the lie that that you can be a healthy, growing Christian without the benefit of being with other Christians and without living life together.
Don’t give in to the temptation of “doing church” from the comfort of your home and solely with the convenience of technology.
Don’t give in to the deceitful distraction of “church performance” in which bigger is better, numbers are everything, being cool and creative is idolized and past successes define present objectives.
May we be committed to becoming more and more a church that gathers in meaningful, God-honoring, mutually beneficial ways so that we can scatter in order to serve others and bring the gospel to bear in our homes, schools jobs communities and culture for the glory of God.
Long ago, the young church was persecuted in the city of Jerusalem and was scattered as a result throughout Judea and Samaria. Instead of dying out before having an impact, the result of being persecuted and scattered was the spread of the gospel and the growth of the church. Will we face personal and corporate challenges with a commitment to proclaim the gospel? Ask that question, listen to the Spirit for answers and don’t stop being the church gathered for worship, encouragement, help and equipping, and don’t stop being the church scattered serving God with hope, integrity and love as a witness and blessing to a lost world.