PASTOR’S CORNER, David Harris, Fellowship Baptist Church, Liberal
If you are a member of a Christian church, how do you talk about going to a Sunday meeting? For many of us, the language is something like, “I will be attending church.” Or perhaps, “I won’t be attending church!” There is nothing wrong or misleading about this – but is it enough? I think there is a better way to talk (and think) about being with the church.
Members of a local church should not simply attend a church service like we would attend a movie, a concert, or a sporting event. There is nothing wrong with those things, and to go to one simply as an attendee is just fine.
But the church is less like an event one attends, and more like a family meeting in which one participates. If your parents ever called a family meeting when you were a child, you knew this was not simply something you would show up to – your participation is part of the package.
You see, the church is more like a family meeting (although without some of the negative connotations!) Biblically speaking, the church gathers. And if you are a member of a local church, you should think of yourself as gathering, with it. When you get up this Lord’s Day to be with God’s people, to pray the Word, sing the Word, and hear the Word, you are gathering with a local church – the people of God who worship Jesus by regularly assembling in a particular place.
Gathering, rather than attending, offers a better explanation for the radical kind of commitment made by those in the early church. Luke records:
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.”1
Did these early followers of the Way “attend” services? Well, sure they did. But there is a clear, persistent assumption throughout the New Testament that when they met, they shared responsibility and participated. This is a family, not a function; this is a community, not a concert; a chance to be a people, not merely observe a show. They gathered.
In Hebrews 10:19-25, the author sees faithful gathering as a means to keeping our confession of faith. He also says that we gather to encourage one another, and to help along each other to love and good deeds. Notice carefully: the likelihood of one continuing to profess faith in Christ is not merely seen in this text as between him and the Lord – it is tied to one’s regularity in gathering with God’s people.
What does it look like to gather with our congregations instead of simply attending functions put on by our congregations? We will pay attention to the ministry of the Word, we show up early or maybe stay late to talk with others in spiritually uplifting ways. We seek discipling from another believer, or look for someone to disciple. We don’t get frustrated if there’s a song that’s not our favorite – because the music isn’t about us, anyway. We look for hurting people to encourage (so that when we hurt, someone may come looking for us). We stop moving to pray with people rather than telling them we will pray for them as we rush to leave the premises.
I hope Christians reading this will not just attend an event at their church on Sunday, but gather with their church.
Now, if you are outside of the Christian faith but think this talk of commitment is a turn-off, hear me out. Evangelical Christians serious about being a part of a single church and committing to it (enough to let it significantly affect and alter their lives) are sending a message. They are saying something about what they believe Christ has done for them. Christians in name who don’t see the local church like this are sending a much different message, about the value and transformation potential in a religion (nominal Christianity) which has almost no discernable impact on its followers.
In light of that, I want to sincerely ask you, which version of Christianity is worth looking into? If Jesus really was the Son of God (as he claimed, often) and if he really does change people’s lives, then - concerning those who follow him and hold an accurate understanding of his teachings – wouldn’t you expect commitment? Maybe these followers of Jesus have all been bamboozled. Or, maybe, they found something so wonderful that even a high-level commitment to Christ and his people is worth it.
