Psalm 122:1-4 – “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together, where the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, to the Testimony of Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.”
If I were to ask you if being a Christian requires effort, I would expect to hear you say “YES!”. Sin is a constant battle, and it is SO EASY for us to give-in. Not giving-in takes effort, so does growing in understanding and learning more about God and the church. Those require being with other like-minded individuals who know more than we do, and can help us get there.
One of the most important ways for a Christian to grow and flourish is to be a part of is the BODY of Christ! Yes, God adds us to the church though baptism, but when we don’t assemble with those we claim to be a part of, we lie to ourselves, to God, and to the world.
So is assembling with the church that big a deal? Abe’s lessons below show us the answer is YES!
- How do you see this?
Click on the the buttons below to hear recordings of both lessons, and you can follow along by reading the outline below.
Assembling – Lesson 1
- Psalm 122:1
What Constitutes An Assembly?
- For spiritual reasons
- (As a church)
- 1 Corinthians 11:17–34
- 1 Corinthians 14:23, 26
- Acts 20:7
- 1 Corinthians 5:1-4
- Acts 11:26
What Does It Mean To Assemble?
- (ekklesia) church (115) or assembly (118)
- Matthew 16:18; Acts 19:23–41
- Called out (forth) church or assembly (local, universal or saved) Hebrews 12:23
- (sunagoge) (57) James 2:2 (mostly in gospels, Acts and Revelation)
- synagogue (55), congregation (1), assembly (1)
- (sunago) (62) 1 Corinthians 5:4 (mostly in gospels, Acts and Revelation
- gather (15), be gathered together (12), gather (9), come together (6), be gathered (4), be assembled (3), take in (3)
- (sunerchomai) (32)
- 1 Corinthians 11:17, 18, 20, 33, 34; 14:23, 26
- come together (18), go with (4), come with (2), resort (2), come (2) come with (1), company with (1), accompany (1) assemble with (1)
- (sunathroizo) (3) Acts 12:12
- gather with (2), call together (1)
To Assemble Means We Have Decided To Be With a Local Congregation
- They continued together after being baptized
- Acts 2:42 – “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
- Paul wanted to be a part of a local church
- Acts 9:26 – “And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple.”
- The church at Troas assembled to partake of the Lord’s Supper
- Acts 20:7 – “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.”
- The church at Corinth did as well – 1 Corinthians 11:18–34
- Although they had not partaken properly, they had assembled properly
- Only correction was concerning the Lord’s Supper
- Church at Corinth was instructed to give on the 1st day of the week – 1 Corinthians 16:1-2
- This infers that they met every 1st day of the week
Reasons We Should Assemble
- Because we love Christ
- John 14:15 – “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
- To serve as a good example, let our light shine
- Matthew 5:13–16
- To demonstrate our faith
- James 2:18 – But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”
- To be with the Lord
- Matthew 26:28-29
- Hebrews 2:11-12
- So we can grow
- Ephesians 4:11-16
- To increase our knowledge of God’s word
- 2 Peter 3:18 – “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
- Romans 10:14–15 – “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
- Nehemiah 8:8 – “So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.”
- Assembling regularly is essential in the work of a local church
- If one can refuse to assemble with God’s approval, then all can, because God is not a respecter of persons – Acts 10:34-35
- If all refuse to assemble, where would the local congregation be and how could she fulfill her mission
- Everyone of us needs the fellowship, teaching, encouragement and spiritual strength derived from assembling
- When we fail to properly eat, we lose our physical health. When we fail to assemble and get spiritual food, we lose our spiritual health
In closing
- Assembling is very important.
- We understand that we need to be in attendance in every other aspect of our lives, our jobs, our schools, our families, sports, etc.
- Why do we have some many problems with it in the Lord’s church?
- Thank you for being here today!! It means a lot to me.
- It means even more to God.
Assembling – Lesson 2
Psalm 122:1
Assembling is Essential in Obeying Christ
- At least 3 commands or approved examples are violated when we willfully miss
- Command to assemble – Hebrews 10:24-29
- Lord’s Supper – 1 Corinthians 11:17, 23-25
- Command to give – 1 Corinthians 16:1-2
Other things they did in the assembly
- Taught or preached sermons
- 1 Corinthians 14:18-19; Acts 20:7
- Had prayers together – 1 Corinthians 14:16
- Sang
- Ephesians 5:19
- Colossians 3:16
- 1 Corinthians 14:15
How About Wednesday Nights?
- Elders should want the flock to be fed
- Acts 20:28 – “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”
- Christians are to grow and work hard (study) to show themselves approved
- 2 Timothy 2:15 – “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
- We should hunger and thirst after righteousness
- Matthew 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
- It is a good work to assemble when we can learn from others
- Ephesians 4:16 – “from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
Why Do Some Neglect to Assemble?
- Not adequately taught
- Hebrews 5:12–14 – “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
- Lack of interest
- Revelation 3:16 – “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”
- Someone offended them
- James 3:2 – “For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.”
- Matthew 18:15–18
- Don’t like the preacher
- 1 Corinthians 2:1–5
- John 6:66–69
- Clothes not good enough
- James 2:2–4 – “For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool, have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?”
- Not big enough
- Revelation 3:8 – “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”
- Don’t think “the church is run properly”
- 1 Corinthians 1:10–11 – “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.”
- I just don’t see the need to assemble
- Hebrews 10:24-25 – “not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together”
- Ephesians 4:16 – “edifying of itself in love”
- I have other things to do
- Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
- I’m on vacation
- Hebrews 10:25
- Acts 20:5-7
- 3 John 5-6
In closing
- Assembling is very important
- We understand that we need to be in attendance in every other aspect of our lives, our jobs, our schools, our families, sports, etc.
- Why do we have some many problems with it in the Lord’s church?
- Thank you for being here today!! It means a lot to me.
- It means even more to God.