Why do we meet together?

If you stopped someone in the street and asked them what kinds of things Christians do, what do you think they would say? I suspect high on the list of answers would be: going to church, reading the Bible, praying and singing. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to consider why Christians do those things. This week… Why do we meet together?

In our series on church earlier this year, Paul reminded us of two reasons from Heb 10:18-25 why we meet together. First, we meet to encounter God. Of course, we can and should meet with God on our own. That’s a healthy part of Christian discipleship. But there is something unique about meeting with God together as his people. Because we are in Christ, the church is God’s dwelling place on earth, the new temple, the place where God lives. When we meet in his name, he is present with us. That’s what Jesus promised us in Matthew 18:20: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am with them”.

The way we encounter God when we meet is by listening to his Word. The Bible isn’t just abstract truth. It is “living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword” (Heb 4:12). When we gather to hear the Bible read and preached, God speaks to us by his Spirit. He engages with us, exposing our thoughts and attitudes and speaking to our hearts.

?The second reason we meet together is to encourage one another. The writer of Hebrews urges us to do just that:

“Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb 10:25).

We need each other to live the Christian life. We need the encouragement of other Christians speaking the word of God into our lives, praying for us, rebuking us, loving us, modeling the Christian life to us. The day when Jesus will return to judge is drawing near, and God is telling us what we will need to do to hold unswervingly to the hope we profess: Meet, meet, meet. And as you do, encourage one another.

Joshua Harris explains:

“This is why gathering to worship with other believers in a local church is so irreplaceable.  It can’t be substituted with a great personal devotional time, a lively Bible study with friends, a meditative nature hike, or a live TV church service.  When the church is together to worship and hear God’s word preached, nourishment and encouragement occur that can’t happen quite the same anywhere else.  Our corporate worship edifies and strengthens us and glorifies God in ways nothing else can.”

So as you come to church this week, take a moment to consider why it is that we’re meeting. Could there be any greater privilege, or anything we need more, than to encounter God and to encourage one another as the Day draws near?

With love in Christ,
Stephanie Menear (Women’s Pastor)