Why We Gather Together

[Christ4Ever]

For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. Romans 1:11-12 NLT

Although Paul had more experience and knowledge than the church in Rome, he didn’t see himself as superior to the Roman believers. He visited them with the expectation that blessings would be shared in both directions. Paul’s trip was completely for the benefit of the church he served. He brought them a spiritual gift that would help them rather than helping his own reputation in any way. In fact, Paul’s desire to bless the Roman church led to an extremely dangerous trip that put his life in danger.

As you consider whom you can serve and the sacrifices your service may require, keep in mind that you will also find blessings and encouragement along the way. In fact, times of ministering to others could be some of the most restorative parts of each day. As you give of yourself to others, you will find them sharing God’s goodness with you as well—provided you remain open to that possibility. The best reason to gather with others is to minister to each other as equals in the family of God.

Prayer: Jesus, help me to serve others with humility so that I can receive the blessings they have for me.

 

[Andyindauk]

Hi Nick,

I see too many posts on this forum from TJ'ers saying they don't go to church because they believe the churches in their locale aren't good enough for them and are in error in some way. This grieves me because I firmly believe that we are God's gift to each other and as important as any other of His gifts to us, namely prayer, the Bible and the Holy Spirit and so to deliberately shun any one of those gifts is an ungracious and ungrateful rebuff to your God.

There's no scriptural support for being a hermit, the disciples met together, supported and prayed for each other in the upper room following the resurrection. If you read 1 Corinthians 11 you'll see that the communion service should be celebrated in church, rather than at home. In John's letter to the 7 churches (Revelation chapters 2-3) there were some pretty rum goings on in some of those churches but John in no way ordered the congregation to disperse, go home and close the church. The definitive scripture is of course Hebrews 10:25.

If we find ourselves in disagreement with a church's policy or teaching, Satan will use that by telling us to leave and have nothing more to do with that church. If we all adopted that policy, the church would fragment to the point that there'd be 2 billion churches with a congregation of one member. Just how effective would that be? No church is perfect and we cannot expect to be 100% in agreement with everything that's said, preached and goes on in a church. Where that's the case, pipe up and say something or even better, pray about it.

Others have said that Talk Jesus is their church. Talk Jesus isn't a church, it's a forum.

We have to remember of course brothers and sisters who are incapacitated and can't get out to church and others in countries where going to church is too dangerous. For both these, we can celebrate the gift of technology and Zoom where we can be a member of a church online. Not ideal, but a lot better than nothing. So why do able bodied brothers and sisters in free countries settle for nothing?

 

[Br. Bear]

Talk Jesus isn't a church, it's a forum.

I fully agree, Andy


Bless you and yours ....><>

 

[BloomOne]

I consider why we gather together is that we should exhort one another daily.

For we heard:

“but EXHORT ONE ANOTHER DAILY, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭3:13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Selah