"For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine." - Romans 1:11-12
"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
These verses are so incredibly encouraging to me! Paul emphasizes the importance of believers gathering together for mutual edification (building up). That's one of the greatest things about Christianity! It doesn't say, "You're on your own! Go try to be a good person!" But rather, "We're all broken and in need of a Savior. Let's meet together so that we may be encouraged by one another and support one another during times of trial!"
Somewhere along the way, though, someone seems to have gotten the idea that Christianity was meant for the individual, and that support and accountability, through the church, was not a necessity anymore. Let me just say... INSANITY! The church is not the building, but rather the people, within a gathering, who profess Christ as their Lord and Savior. Does the married man maintain a good relationship with his wife, if he keeps himself separated from her but is constantly in the company of other women? Christ called the church His bride! Can we keep the bride of Christ at arms length, while we spend the rest of our week in the company of the world? The "other women" that I speak of... money, pride, fame, houses, cars, etc... they bombard us as an adulterous woman, begging us to relinquish our convictions, and instead to enjoy the fleeting pleasures they offer.
In the same way that intimacy and communication is important to keep a relationship between a husband and wife strong, a relationship with other believers is important to keep a Christian vibrant and strong in the faith. Paul says, "that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine."
This isn't a matter of "attendance" because we need to have bigger numbers each Sunday! I would rather have fewer people, and for those who come to be actively pursuing Christ and actively ministering to other believers as well as non-believers.
You might ask, why can't we do that at home, by ourselves? Because, again, faith is not something that was meant to be solo... Your salvation is between you and God, true, but we are then called to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. The only way to avoid drying-up, as a Christian, is to be constantly filled with the truths of Scripture. You cannot, in and of yourself, hope to accomplish what God does through the gathering of individuals to whom He has been speaking throughout the week! Let me try to unpack this idea...
When you go to church... There are probably anywhere from 30 to 3,000 people, correct? If God has been speaking, all throughout the week, to those 30 to 3,000 people... don't you think there's a good possibility that He may have given some different insight, into different passages (or even the same passages), to some of those other people? Don't you think that maybe the experiences of life, that some of those people are going through, might be able to encourage you and teach you more about God's character? His loving kindness/Holiness/judgment, etc... ?
Really quickly, let me tell you what I'm NOT saying... I'm not saying that home churches are bad. If in fact there is the accountability of believers, meeting together for the purpose of edification, then the Scriptures say that, "Where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." (Matthew 18:20) The key here is the clause "in My name..." Gathering together, without Christ truly being the center... it just becomes another hang-out session without the accountability and conviction of sins that true Scriptural teaching brings, and we might as well stay home and watch a couple of make-me-feel-good televangelists!
Well, that's it for today's rant! I hope you all have a wonderful day!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
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