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As motivation, here are ten reasons why gathering regularly with the church is important: (1) To be obedient to God’s command (Heb. 10:23-25). (2) To be equipped for the work of ministry (Eph. 4:11-14). (3) To have our minds renewed through the preaching of the Word (Rom. 12:1-2).
- 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...
Jul 19, 2020 · A church without any gathering place — that is, one that never assembles — is not a church. At least not according to Jesus. No doubt, Matthew 18:20 is one of our Lord’s sweetest promises: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
Feb 9, 2016 · The church is the assembly of Christians gathered to express that unity in Jesus and to worship Jesus. So the Bible says, “Now you [Christians] are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27).
May 6, 2019 · For the Christian, every Sunday is Easter because from its beginnings, the church gathered on Sundays—the first day of the week—to remember Jesus’ resurrection. Consider the historical record as laid out by New Testament theologian Richard Bauckham in the book From Sabbath to Lord’s Day.
Mar 15, 2022 · The gathering together of the body of Christ to hear from their under-shepherd is a privilege, indeed. A worship gathering is a primary means of corporate discipleship, when the pastor accountable to God for watching over their souls (Heb 13:17) directs listeners to Christ.
Aug 31, 2020 · If the gathering of believers—committed to one another, accountable to one another, equipped by elders and pastors, following Jesus together, translated as “church” in the English Bible—wasn’t a vital part of God’s cosmic plan …
