There is something universally special about gatherings.
Many animals gather at certain times to migrate: fish, crustaceans, amphibians, reptiles, insects, mammals, and even slime molds. They range in length from 1/16 inch to 80 feet.
In Bracken Cave, Texas, where Mexican Free-tailed bats live, twenty to forty millions of these winged critters exit the cave to eat 200 tons of bugs every night. That’s a lot of bugs.
Names for animal groupings sound weird, or fitting, and even majestic, such as cobras, called a quiver, buzzards, branded a wake, ducks dubbed a paddling, lions labeled a pride, and one of my favorites, porcupines get pegged a prickle.
We humans gather as well. A crew of sailors weigh anchor. Students make up a class. Relatives comprise a clan. Ballplayers make a team. Workers organize a union. Companies establish boards of directors, and theaters create troupes of actors.
A huge crowd gathers into a horde; when confused, it becomes a melee, which turns into a dangerous mob, and subsequently, a noisy rabble, organizes into a regiment, which moves in one direction as a troop, and finally arrives as a wave.
I’ve attended committee meetings like this.
When we who hope in Christ gather, God calls us His church. I’ve heard the saying, “Christians don’t go to church, we are the church.” While true, this phrase sounds a little cranky to me, but our Father does intend we should gather regularly.
When we assemble to worship, the Lord offers us a preview of heaven.
The scriptures tell us, “You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.” I Peter 2:4-5 (NLT)
I know Christians who have stopped going to church. When asked about it, they say something like, “Oh, we’re fine. We read our Bible, and look at church podcasts online, we pray. We just don’t need it right now.”
My wife and I neglected to attend church for a time. We read our Bibles, watched church on TV, prayed daily, occasionally socialized with Christian friends, and tithed. Things were okay.
Except things were not okay.
We knew it in our hearts. Oh, our relationship with the Lord mattered to us greatly. Yet, it felt like, somewhere, in our garden of faith, a tree stood dying. God intends for His chosen to gather and give Him glory.
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:23-25 (NASB)
There are many admonitions in scripture for believers to worship in unity.
“Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.” Colossians 3:16 (NLT)
So why did my wife and I stay away from church? I have no complete answer.
I believe part of the answer lay in “self-ness.” We put aside the principle of, “J-O-Y”: Jesus, Others, and then, Yourself. We lost our joy in the Lord as our focus turned inward.
The dying tree embodied that joy, a tree that thirsted for the Living Water found in gathered worship with our brothers and sisters.
You know, all those Christians who are just as flawed and broken as me.
And you.
“But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body.” I Corinthians 12:18-20 (NASB)
Our society today places high value on self. People snap and post “selfies” all the time. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with taking a picture of yourself at some event you want remember. It’s fun.
It’s all the rage, not just because of the availability of technology, e.g., cell phones, but it’s also a symptom of our obsession with self, as an outgrowth, in part, of that same technology.
People now have options. Before a doctor visit, people google their symptoms. This drives doctors and nurses crazy. Someone wants to buy a car, so they research all available within a hundred miles.
In this post-modern age, people don’t trust leadership, or institutions. People see the church as an institution.
People have a strong sense of self-sovereignty. Some Christians believe, since they have a personal relationship with Christ, they can self-direct their spiritual growth. This has never been true. Our grace comes from God; our faith comes from God; our growth comes from God; He grants us our right standing before Him; we are used by the Spirit to further God’s plan and will for His church in the world.
“For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation]. For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].” Ephesians 2:8-10 (AMP)
It’s pretty amazing God chose to use us, broken people, to carry out His grace in the world, and He delights in us.
This astounds me.
He had other options. He is God. He formed His chosen into His church to build each other up for the work of serving Him.
“God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Ephesians 3:10-11 (NLT)
Some people can’t attend church because of illness or some other reason. I know several people who have for years visited those who are sick, housebound, or recovering. They bring church to them.
We read in James, “Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;” 5:14 (NASB) “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” 1:27 (NASB)
When a Christian stays away, God’s assembly misses the absent brother or sister. God intends for those who follow his Son to meet regularly. It’s His plan.
Broken people lifting up broken people.
This morning I woke up tired, with painful back, and I thought about staying home, but Candace and I were in church. As we waited for service to begin, a man with a walker shuffled by to take a seat in a front pew. Another celebrated her 90th birthday today.
Okay, Father, I see Your point. We must gather.
Bees gather in a swarm, hyenas cackle, plovers congregate, zebras dazzle, hares warren, goats tribe, squid audience, jellyfish smack, and eagles gather in an ostentation.
And God’s chosen gather as a church. He meant for us to do so, as brothers and sisters in Christ, to honor Him.
In Bracken Cave, Texas, where Mexican Free-tailed bats live, twenty to forty millions of these winged critters exit the cave to eat 200 tons of bugs every night. That’s a lot of bugs.
We knew it in our hearts. Oh, our relationship with the Lord mattered to us greatly. Yet, it felt like, somewhere, in our garden of faith, a tree stood dying. God intends for His chosen to gather and give Him glory.
“But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body.” I Corinthians 12:18-20 (NASB)
must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;” 5:14 (NASB) “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” 1:27 (NASB)