Our Assembling Together

by Micky Galloway

One of the more visible signs of straying from the faith is the habitual neglect of Christians to come together with their brethren for edification. This seems to be a wide-spread problem in most every congregation of God's people, especially on Sunday night and Wednesday night and has existed for as long as I can remember. However, the fact that it is widespread does not justify the practice. When approached concerning their absence, these may ask, Where's the scripture that says I have to come Wednesday nights? or Why do I have to attend every service? These questions are evidence of problems – 1) one is untaught concerning the purpose of our assembling together, or 2) they don't appreciate the blessings that are received in them. In Hebrews 10:24-25, we can see the command of Christians to not forsake the assembling of the saints together. This instruction is too plain to miss without help. It was the custom of some to forsake (egkataleipo) “to leave behind in some place, … to desert” (Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994) this blessing and not consider one another to provoke unto love and good works. Assembling is one way that we show consideration for the spiritual well being of one another. Our willful absence in essence says we are not concerned about such spiritual well being of others. Obviously, there is value in our assembling together - who can deny it?

God, in His infinite wisdom, commanded that we meet together to edify each other. The fundamental meaning of the word “church,” ekklesia, is called out people. The word “church” may refer to all Christians everywhere, universally as in Matthew 16:18, Ephesians 1:22. It may refer to a local group of disciples having mutual responsibilities to one another, a certain organizational structure, and its own peculiar work, as in Acts 20:17-35. This constitutes a local congregation with certain mutual responsibilities, whether in the assembly or not, as in I Timothy 5:16. The word “church” may apply to an actual assembly of disciples in one place, as in I Corinthians 11:18, 14:19,23,35. The Corinthians came together “in the church.” The word “church” may refer to the disciples dispersed over the city, a distributive sense. Saul “laid waste the church, entering into every house, and dragging men and women committed them to prison” (Acts 8:3). After one obeys the gospel and is added to the Lord’s universal church (Acts 2:47), he must join himself to a local congregation of God's people in a specific place to worship and work (Acts 9:26). We are commanded to come together (assemble) with these disciples, to whom we have joined ourselves and with whom we share mutual responsibilities, as often as they meet together.

The apostle Peter teaches us to “long for the spiritual milk” (I Peter 2:2), and “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18). Our assembling together is designed by God for that very purpose. We come together to worship God in prayer, songs of praise and thanksgiving, and study of the Bible. Upon the first day of the week we are to partake of the Lord's Supper and also give back to God a portion of that which He has blessed us with, as we have purposed in our hearts and according to how we have prospered. These commandments of God are given so the Christian may be built up in his faith and grow to maturity. These matters are not done when an individual deliberately chooses not to assemble together with the saints. Would you really wish to stand in the day of judgment knowing you were guilty of this?

Something is terribly wrong, brethren, when Christians feel they don't need to come together with those of like precious faith. Others seem to fail to realize the blessings obtained by assembling with other Christians. I know many, whose custom this is, who are not so slack when it comes to attending their jobs, ball games, picnics or the many other secular activities that one may choose to involve themselves with. Priorities must be re-examined.

We must also realize that simply attending services doesn't make a person's heart right with God. Jesus said, “they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). Our motivations for attending services must be to please God, not to socialize or to be done grudgingly to keep the preacher or elders off your back. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he …” (Proverbs 23:7). This pin-points the real problem with those who wilfully forsake the assembling together of the saints. If one’s heart is not right before God, he must repent and change his heart.

Finally, our influence is damaged if we willfully forsake the worship services. Not only is our personal influence damaged, but we also harm the influence of the church. Jesus showed the tremendous influence Christians have in the world. Matthew 5:13-16 says, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do (men) light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are in the house. Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” We can be guilty, among other things, of being a stumbling-block to our husbands, wives, children, brothers and sisters in Christ and yes, even those in the world by neglecting the assembling of the saints together. Whether it is Sunday or Wednesday night, we cannot show those who watch us that we love the Lord and “hunger and thirst after righteousness” (Matthew 5:6), when we fail to assemble with the saints. Brethren, let us realize the purpose of our coming together is that praise and glory may be given to God and that brethren may be edified. Paul wrote, “that I with you may be comforted in you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine” (Romans 1:12).