Regularly Assembling for Worship and Fellowship

We, as a local body of followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, do covenant together to make disciples of all nations and to promote one another to good works and mature faith in Christ.

I can remember the onslaught of Zoom calls, phone calls, and questions I was getting about gathering on Sunday. News was breaking and this odd virus called Covid was scaring everyone and the leaders of our country began to mandate that everyone had to stay at home. There was no class from my time at seminary that ever discussed this possibility and how to gather as we are commanded to, in Scripture.

I am so thankful for those that just jumped in and figured out how to pivot in a few days to get us ‘together’ online as we figured this all out. During this time I was hearing about how excited other churches were because so many people were joining them online. It seemed God was using such a difficult time as a way to have the Gospel go forth in a new way. I am thankful for this technology and that we were able to still offer a way to proclaim the Gospel as a church family, but I was worried, as many pastors were, if people would return as soon as the stay at home orders were lifted. I do know that many church families have suffered greatly even to this day in light of how the pandemic caused people to stop meeting together. Churches around the world have had to make many decisions on the importance and effectiveness of being together weekly.

As grateful as I am for the technology that we used during the pandemic (and still use), we must do all we can to gather as the people of God! Our gathering throughout the week is not about just getting information out or checking off our spiritual to do list. Being ‘in the room’ together on a weekly basis matters greatly!

Of course, each follower of Jesus is a Christian at all times, but the Church is evidence of this when we gather. Our gathering is so important that our country was founded in part so that we could have the freedom to worship without government interference. There are governments around the world that persecute the gathered Church relentlessly, and yet God’s people continue to gather. This persecution is because when we gather, we declare collectively that our allegiance is to Christ and His Kingdom. When we gather as a church we are making a public profession of our faith and we are witnessing to our neighbors the unity and hope in Christ,and our allegiance to Him. I know that people will say that the church is a people, not a place. But it is when the Church is gathered that the Church is visible and distinct in these days.

This part of our covenant is not only contained to our weekly Sunday morning worship gathering. It is a priority and should always be a top priority for the people of God. We must also be committed to meet regularly in other ways also. This is why our community groups, discipleship groups, and other studies are valuable, but I also deeply encourage each of you to just meet together regularly. Do life together. Laugh together. Sing together. Cry together. Pray together. Eat together. As we read in Hebrews 10:24-25, consider how to stir up one another to love and good deeds, NOT NEGLECTING TO MEET TOGETHER….  

I am so thankful that M28 Church has a very low online presence. I want the Gospel to go to all the world and the internet is a great way to make that happen, but in this case, I rejoice that we are a people that know we must GATHER TOGETHER over and over again. We will continue to seek to take the Gospel to the nations, but our witness begins right here in West Midtown day after day and Sunday after Sunday as we gather in the name of our King, Lord Jesus! Our gathering is a part of our declaration of faith and what we believe!  

My soul is so deeply encouraged by the Lord as I hear us SING when we gather! The PRAYERS of one another are deeply sustaining to me as I navigate life day to day. The CONVERSATIONS of life give me joy and assurance of why community matters. I can’t even express how all the laughter and tears have been such a delight to me with each of you. I am also just amazed at how soul changing it has been to see us even navigate hurt feelings occasionally and other difficult situations with Christ-like forgiveness and love. These reasons and many more are why we must be together regularly!

I am glad that I see so many of you not only on Sunday, but many other days of the week as well! My greatest joy is that even though we still use modern technology at times for meetings, what a joy to actually be with you as we gather in the name of Christ!  To Him be the glory!