Importance of togetherness

All things done for edification

Last week we discussed the meeting times of the first century churches according to the New Testament writings. This week we will review some other points about where they met and the importance of meeting together. We also run into our first examples of problems that Christians encounter when they meet together. These problems are not acceptable excuses for locking ourselves inside our homes on Sunday mornings. We need each other and we need the benefits we derive from meeting with each other.

Schedule of togetherness

Some myopic Bible teachers focus exclusively on Acts 2. I’ve made the same mistake in my ill-spent youth. Verse forty-six says that the newly minted Christians met daily house-to-house. Therefore, we must do the same thing in order to be genuine. Everything else is phony and anti-biblical.

I have a question. How did the first century church in Jerusalem stop these practices? Did the church fall away from Christ by changing its schedule and venue? Why didn’t the other churches outside of Jerusalem experience the same behaviors? Was it a lack of faith or apostasy? If so, why did Christianity survive and continue to grow across the Roman Empire producing the New Testament books and passing the faith to another generation if they lost the original behaviors of Acts 2?

Allow me to propose a different view of Acts 2 and the subsequent chapters. The excitement of Acts 2 was phenomenal. Hence, Luke records it because it defies all convention. But eventually, the excitement faded away because it couldn’t be sustained forever. In its place, some sustainable behaviors emerged. They weren’t lesser Christians because of this, but they found a way to integrate their new relationships with God and each other into their regular lives. As they worked, raised their kids, etc.

If we approach the entire New Testament from this point of view, then things begin to make sense. The people met with each other daily, weekly and on special occasions. Paul challenged the Jews on the Sabbath day. When Christians met weekly, they chose the first day of the week as their preferred time. This corresponded to the day of the week when Jesus rose from the dead (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, 9, Luke 24:1, John 20:1) and He appeared to His disciples (John 20:19). That day allowed Christians to share the public synagogues and temple areas of the Jews without competition.

Paul teaches all night at Ephesus on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). Paul proposes collections for the relief of Judean Christians be taken on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:2). This implies that the disciples met regularly on that day.

While some accounts show believers meeting daily, most accounts focus on one day of the week. Either the Sabbath when the apostles were reaching out to the Jews or the first day of the week after the Jews in that city rejected the gospel.

Location of togetherness

The end of the Acts 2 pictures the new Christians meeting house-to-house. Don’t forget that they also met in the temple according to the same passage. There’s nothing magical about small house meetings. Intimate and less formal, yes. Spiritual, not particularly.

Furthermore, the entire Church of about 120 people met for many days in the upper room where the disciples and Jesus celebrated the Passover before His death. Most Christian movies portray this room as a large living room, but to hold over 100 people, it must have been a massive hall. It was a miracle that this room was not booked before Passover season so that the disciples could claim it just before Passover by simply saying, “Where is the guest room?” (Mark 14:12-16, Luke 22:8-13).

Paul trains new disciples in a school (Acts 19:19). When the church fears persecution, believers meet in private houses:

And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.
(Acts 12:12, NASB)

When persecution doesn’t exist, they meet in public areas:

And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled. (Acts 16:13, NASB)

In another example, the entire city assembles to hear the gospel in the synagogue:

The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord.
(Acts 13:44, NASB)

This gathering was followed by an incident of persecution which prompted the apostles to leave the city. The Jews rejected the gospel as a result of this meeting, but the Gentiles received the gospel with joy. Many were saved – as many as had been appointed for salvation.

Since we have those who push for house church meetings as the only way for a genuine first century experience, I want to fill in your knowledge with a few other passages. Yes, the disciples met house to house at the start of the church (Acts 2:46). But they also met in the temple (as seen in the same verse). We find one additional mention of this practice later in Jerusalem (Acts 5:42). This verse also mentions that believers met in the temple. So they met in small groups and large groups.

But remember that Jesus instructed His disciples not to move house to house when they enter a city (Luke 10:7) but to stay wherever initially welcomed. This prevents the disciples from playing people against each other while seeking better accommodations or meals. Paul warns his churches twice against going house to house:

For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.
(2 Thessalonians 3:11–12, NASB)

These are the first indications we encounter in this study revealing a danger of coming together for worship. In this first case, Paul warns that some people have stopped working and taken up roles as busybodies. He commands the congregation to stay home, work and eat their own food.

Paul directs this second example towards the women of the church specifically:

At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention. (1 Timothy 5:13, NASB)

In the same way, those who go house to house act as busybodies and gossips. They don’t fulfill their home duties for their own families. No one benefits from this behavior.

Modern Christians need to find a balance in which believers can gather for worship properly without interfering with each other’s family lives. Despite his own prohibitions against it, Paul was able to further his ministry by going house to house:

how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house (Acts 20:20, NASB)

As we will see throughout this study of worshiping together, we encounter blessings and dangers when we come together. I have heard pastors speak about the blessings many times. Pastors and teachers will occasionally speak about the warnings and restrictions also found in the New Testament. However, I don’t recall anyone ever connecting these things together into a cohesive study. We must use wisdom to avoid the pitfalls of the early church. Similarly, we should use compassion and wisdom to fulfill the kingdom of God’s mission on earth without causing friction in our local churches and denominations.

Most of the problems we face today come from the same source as problems of antiquity. Individuals want to fulfill their own plans rather than encourage and build up the body of Christ. The problem is that they have lost sight of the difference between these two goals. They think that their personal success leads to the enlargement of God’s kingdom. But God’s kingdom never works that way. The greatest in the kingdom is the servant, not the leader (Matthew 20:26; 23:11, Mark 9:35; 10:43, Luke 22:6)

Importance of togetherness

Based on all these things alone, I cannot over emphasize the importance of meeting together with other believers on a regular basis. We have found that the disciples met together in all sorts of places and at various times of the week. They met in the mornings, evenings and late at night depending on the current circumstances. But wait! I have one more point to make about the importance of meeting together which serves as the focal verse for this devotional:

let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
(Hebrews 10:22–25, NASB)

So many Christians today want to go it alone, but the writer of Hebrews envisions a different plan. This is the only verse in the New Testament which calls out the infrequent church attendee. The writer doesn’t address them directly but warns the reader against emulating their behavior.

Instead, he encourages the people to draw near with sincerity. Draw near to what? The writer paints a picture of heaven corresponding to the Old Testament tabernacle and temples. In those places, a large opaque veil separates the worshiper from God’s presence.

Thanks to Jesus, that veil has been destroyed. Christians can enter into God’s presence any time we desire. God has removed every spiritual limitation that used to exist. Yet, the writer commends sincerity as we approach God. Why? Because Jesus has cleansed our hearts like we feel after taking a bath. Similarly, we come with our confession of hope (i.e. Jesus per Hebrews 3:6) secure in our hearts. Why? Because Jesus won’t hesitate to confess us to the Father.

Consider the construction of all these clauses. We don’t approach God by ourselves but with other believers. The same is true for the rest of the passage. We can confirm this reading by the last major clause in the passage, “let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.”

This is one of the main reasons we gather together.  We gather as an encouragement to each other.

Our example demonstrates to other believers how to love others. It’s hard to love people. We need the Holy Spirit to do it. But we practice love on each other. These incidents help new believers and those Christians having trouble with it how to love each other.

God never calls us to live as hermits without any human contact. (Shh! Don’t tell those who practice these things. If they don’t want to be around us, then they don’t need to hear the truth.) There’s no evidence in the Bible, just a few examples who isolate themselves for a limited period. It’s never a lifestyle. Even then, the most pious Christians over the history of the Church have expressed the difficulties of loving one another. Being alone doesn’t make love any easier to bear or to express. We learn by doing and by mimicking others.

In the same way, our coming together helps us learn how to perform good actions. I’m not talking about religious deeds intended to make us appear more pious and dignified than unbelievers. I’m thinking about the kind of actions which help people in their time of need and relieves their burden. Good deeds are also a way of expressing love. You may not be able to say it or touch it, but you can make some cookies or help a brother lift a heavy load.

What does all this have to do with worship? We enter God’s presence with a sincere heart and a steady confession of Jesus along with an attitude that encourages other believers. Those who make it a habit to neglect the assembly of believers miss all these opportunities of worship.

Problem of togetherness

At the same time, don’t get a false idea of what it’s like to gather with other believers. It’s hard work requiring discipline, patience and a calling to a greater purpose than just comfort. I think so many new Christians (and shallow ones) think that church should be like heaven. Everybody is kind and sweet. They are all wealthy and healthy. They are mature emotionally and spiritually.

Truth reads nearly the opposite. Most Christians have struggles with finances, emotions and family. They come with needs concerning work and rest. Most walk with a limp gained during past tribulations. Yet, some have a joy that the world cannot explain. They give selflessly. They love the unlovable. They accept the down and out with a brief confession of humility.

We come to church to get healed, but we also come to help heal others. It’s more of a self-help group than a country club.

These problems separate this unit from the previous one about ways we worship God. In that group of devotionals, we didn’t consider the dynamics of other people. God derives glory from our thanks, service, confession of His name, etc. In this unit, we must remember to submit ourselves to others in order to prevent the problems of the world from interfering with the work of the kingdom.

Bottom line to remember throughout the next dozen devotionals. No one remains a Christian by accident. It takes a lot of effort to remain devoted to Jesus. Coming together doesn’t make it any easier, but it makes it more likely that a new believer with continue following Christ. It make it more possible for devoted believer will find the power of the Holy Spirit and learn to walk in the Spirit every day. When we come together, we worship God by everything we do when He remains our focus instead of making church all about ourselves.