The Gathering Times

everything is always just as it was...

                                                                       ...until it isn't anymore

Job 3:14 when kings and counselors of the earth who built ruins for themselves…..

When the kings and important men of the earth first built, what they built were fine palaces and homes.  Then those buildings become ruins because eventually everything on the earth is destroyed by erosion, flood, earthquakes or just age.  The things of this world DO NOT LAST.  Jesus wasn’t joking when He told us to store up treasures in heaven, where moth and rust can’t ruin things.  It isn’t that we shouldn’t be concerned about our things on this earth.  It’s more that we shouldn’t be OVERLY concerned – they should never take precedence over the things of the Lord.

I turn to my Father in heaven.  I kneel humbly before Him in prayer and ask Him to keep my heart right before Him.  Then I remind myself that we are dealing with imperfect flesh, of which I am the first in line for that label. It all seems so difficult, making the right choices, doing the right things and doing them for the right reason, too!

God what is the answer? We are doing the best we can do, aren’t we?

ARE WE?

Some might be afraid to ask this question, but it needs asking.  More importantly, it needs answered.  Are we doing the very best we can do to obey the last command our Lord and Savior Jesus left us with?  In our gatherings on Saturdays or Sunday mornings and different evenings throughout the week, are we fulfilling His purposes for us?  

ARE WE BEING WITNESSES OF HIM?

I’ve sat through some church services, fighting to keep myself awake and let me tell you, it was quite a tussle!  BORING!  Is that how we see Jesus?  Is that how we are to portray Him to others?  

Sleepy, unimaginative, drab, droning on from one liturgical scheduled agenda item to the next?  

On the farther end of the spectrum I’ve cringed and covered my ears to keep my eardrums intact with all the shouting and carrying on at some other services.  Is this how some see Jesus?  A crazed screaming lunatic trying to whip up some emotional nirvana for theatrical purpose? 

How are we portraying Him in our church services?  It’s of the utmost importance that we find the answer to this question in order to answer an equally important question.  

What is the purpose of our church services? 

I want to admit right off the bat here that I don’t pretend to have the answer, and I don’t think I know all there is to know.  I am simply one who, through the outrageous grace of God, has been saved by the Blood of Christ and am walking through the process of sanctification as best I can the same as others are.  

I know I am not the only one questioning what goes on in our churches, because people who say they love God stay away Sunday after Sunday. 

WHY?  Entire books have been written about getting MEN into the churches, getting young people involved.  Why are the majority of church services filled with women or simply empty?

Maybe a time of awakening in the models and programs of church is due – even long overdue.  Often, we continue in following patterns even when they no longer produce good fruit simply because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.”  

That isn’t a good enough reason when it is obvious the goal isn’t being accomplished.  The gathering of saints isn’t for the sake of itself.  In Ephesians, we see the reason the saints are to gather together laid out by the Apostle Paul. 

1.    .  Equipping the saints – Preaching and teaching the Word of God, which is our SWORD, by reading and studying together to gain deeper understanding and discover the practical application of biblical truths for our daily living as the children of God.  
2.       Build up or edify the Body of Christ in love – meeting needs through prayers, healing or even such mundane needs such as food or clothing, and encouraging one another in our walk of faith, strengthening each other through the sharing of our testimonies.
3.        Doing the work of the ministry – this covers everything from administrative tasks to evangelism and all the in between stuff involved with discipling others in walking with Christ, helping each other with whatever is needed and the practical side of living life.

If our church gatherings aren’t accomplishing these things, perhaps its time we took a good, hard, long look at our church services and ask God – what should we be doing differently to more perfectly accomplish Your will and purposes?  

I keep reading I Corinthians 14.  The Apostle Paul isn’t so specific there isn’t room to fit his directions into our cultural needs, but he does lay out some basics it wouldn’t hurt us to pray about incorporating into our own weekly meetings.  

Verses 1-26, it is obvious he is straightening out some errors in the early church, and we’d do well to take to heart that error creeps in and needs correcting.  It is a good thing to check our course and correct it to assure we continue on a path that honors our Lord.  

From verse 26 all the way through chapter 16 verse 24, we see a picture of a vibrant, growing church that bears much fruit to Gods glory and declares the message of salvation to the lost.

We see a picture of a lively gathering, where folks are involved and interacting, not nodding toward sleep in a pew.  

We see the Holy Spirit manifest, but in an orderly fashion that shows respect and awe for our Holy God.  We see teaching taking place.  We see planning to reach the lost with the gospel message and then those plans carried out.  We see giving taking place that has purpose to bless those individuals in need and to meet the needs of those in the church.  We see exchange from one gathering of saints to another for the purpose of inspiring unity, keeping the Body of Christ connected in spite of geographic distance.  We see instruction and discipline taking place in love, so the Body will be healthy and growing.

I believe we are truly in the End Times.  I see things happening very fast.  To continue as we are, if we are not reaching the lost with the message of Salvation regularly, if we aren’t seeing lives change, doesn’t make sense.  Not when time is short, and those we fail to reach are facing an ETERNITY of torment.  

If church services are not filled with excitement about all Christ has done for us, and encouraging saints to tell others of the wonders of salvation, then I say the time has come to change how we conduct church services.

What do you think?  Click on the Comments and share your thoughts.  We're all in this thing together.  Never forget that.