Church of the Nazarene (Mission Valley, Mt.)
11am Service
- Everlasting God
Acts 17:28NIV2011
Romans 11:36NIV2011
- Every Move I Make
- Lord I Lift Your Name On High
- Lord I Need You
- Why do we gather together?Today I want to discuss The Church and why we gather.What are the reasons you come here?Why do YOU gather here?What benefits do you receive?What does it cost you?Why do you do what you do?Story of gal who has stopped attending a church that she used to attend regularly!The New Testament is Clear that The Church is the gathered TOGETHER People of GodNow, I admit that The Church is NOT the building.The Church is God’s called out community of faithful believers who gather together to worship, pray, fellowship and glorify God.The Greek word that has been translated as church is ecclesia which means the gathered assembly of the people.But, The Church is NOT the building. It is the individuals. However, The Church is NOT simply individuals. She is individuals who assemble together physically and spiritually.
1 Corinthians 12:27 NLT All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.If you look closely at that verse, we are reminded that TOGETHER we are the body of Christ. In Greek, Paul writes with a plural statement. When he say’s YOU are the body of Christ he is saying that YOU ALL TOGETHER are the body of Christ.The same thing is relayed earlier in the same letter1 Corinthians 3:16 NLT Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?Y’all together are God’s temple.Remember what the temple signified? It signified God’s dwelling presence among the people. Although we as individuals bear God’s Spirit, God is known to be present among our world when we TOGETHER bear his Spirit into our world. When we TOGETHER are the Temple.And, in another letter in the New Testament we read1 Peter 2:5 NLT And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.YOU ALL are being built together as God’s temple.This means that we are not the church as individuals. We are The Church when we are TOGETHER as the body… Yes, we are, as individuals a part of the Church. But, we are NOT the church until we are united.The Greek word for this is koinonia. A communion of togetherness where life is shared!Another important Greek word is koinonian which refers to the togetherness where life is shared.We read about this togetherness ins Acts...Acts 2:42–47 NLT All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.Hopefully you can see that the New Testament STRESSES the togetherness of the Church. God’s word stresses that we are not the Church unless we are TOGETHER! HmmmSo then, why do so many followers of Christ think that they can be the Church without the gathering together?The temptation not to gather together is not new to The Church.This isn’t a new problem. It seems that there we always people who felt they didn’t need the gathering. From very early on in our faith tradition we read these wordsHebrews 10:23–25 NLT Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.In an early letter to The Church, the Church is reminded of the need for gathering together. It seems that there were people who had already forgotten that WE TOGETHER are the Church. People had already made up their excuses for not attending...I don’t like the chairsThe carpet is uglyThe music isn’t my styleThe pastor doesn’t preach what I want to hearIt’s too cold or it’s too hot in the buildingIt’s too earlyI’ll talk with someone later in the week and get all that I missedThe game is on later today and I don’t want to miss itI’m too tired from hunting all day yesterdayAnd, all the while we forget that being the Church isn’t about US! Remember, we need each other to BE THE CHURCH! What this means is that if people are not present, we are missing a piece of God’s Temple. If you are absent when we gather, you are leaving a hole in the Church! You are leaving a hole in our witness of God’s presence in the world.The Church is NOT about individual, but there ARE personal benefits in gathering...Did you know that psychological studies have shown that people who attend religious gatherings on a regular basis are less depressed?Did you know that studies have shown that people who attend religious gatherings on a regular basis live longer?The question is, what is “regular” attendance?Contrary to our world’s standard, regular gathering that has this type of affect on people is gathering MORE THAN ONCE A WEEK! It is not simply the Sunday gathering. It is the Sunday gathering AND the men’s group, or women’s group, or teen group etc…According to Hebrews 10 our gathering allows us to hold to our hope, it provides opportunity for us to be encouraged into good works, and it provides the encouragement we need to keep on until Christ returns.Gathering together provides the “reset” we need to face our world with hope and courage. Our world is a shifting, crazy, chaotic place. But, gathering together allows us to see God’s Kingdom growing in OUR midst! It allows us to know that there are more people on our side who live in this tension of being a part of God’s goodness in an evil and corrupt world. Gathering together is a reminder that we are not alone!We are created for relationshipsGenesis 2:18 NLT Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”Gathering together bears witness to the power of not being alone amidst the real struggles of the world. Gathering together bears testimony to what God is up to in our midst and in our world through us. Gathering together allows us TOGETHER to be the Temple of the Lord - the place where God dwells in our world.Our world says they cannot see God. If the Church is really the Church, she will be God’s presence in the world. Taking a day or two or three to gather together as a body, rewriting patterns and habits of what is important, shows the world that God is active in creating a NEW COMMUNITY that has different values, priorities, and systems. Yes, we can do good deeds. But, unless we remain faithful to gather together, our good deeds are individual acts of piety. It is when we come together that we are the CHURCH.We are the church and we need YOU!If you have forgotten the necessity of Gathering Together over the last 2 years, here is your gracious, but pointed reminder… YOU are not the church. Together WE are the Church. But, we cannot be the Church without YOU and you cannot be the Church without us.Do not neglect the gathering together! Get involved. Grow Together, Work Together, Love Together. Be God’s presence in our world TOGETHER! Hebrews 10:23–25NIV2011
1 Corinthians 12:27NIV2011
1 Corinthians 3:16NIV2011
1 Peter 2:5NIV2011
Acts 2:42–47NIV2011
Hebrews 10:23–25NIV2011
Genesis 2:18NIV2011
- Build Your Kingdom Here
Church of the Nazarene (Mission Valley, Mt.)
(406) 675-0081
15 members • 2 followers