The Assembly and the Christian Life I. Introduction A. We recognize that there is great value in the assemblies of Christians 1. Acts 2:42, 20:7-- practiced in first century 2. Hebrews 10:24-25: not to be forsaken 3. 1 Corinthians 14:26: designed for edification, strengthening B. Yet consider some Biblical facts regarding the assembly 1. Forsaking the assembly is never listed as a sin in any of the sin lists (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 4:31-32, 5:3-5) 2. Rarely is the assembly discussed or mentioned in the New Testament for its own purpose, like in Hebrews 10:24-25 or 1 Timothy; most of the time it is mentioned as an incidental detail (cf. Acts 20:7ff) or because of sin present within the assembly (cf. 1 Corinthians) 3. Much more space is devoted in the pages of Scripture to living the Christian life than there is to the assemblies! E. This should not mean that we conclude that the assembly has no value! 1. It seems to be assumed more than anything in Scripture-- you assemble at least weekly, encourage and gain encouragement 2. When the Biblical authors wrote, they did not feel compelled to address the assembly as much as other issues because they did not feel the need F. What does this all mean in regards to the assembly and the Christian life? G. Let us consider the Scriptures II. The Assembly A. The Scriptures do make the purpose and activities of the assembly evident 1. Hebrews 10:24-25, 1 Corinthians 14:26: all things to be done to strengthen, edify 2. Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 11:23-26: Lord's Supper on the first day of the week to remember, proclaim death of Christ, our association 3. 1 Corinthians 14:14-17, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16: prayer to build up and songs to speak to and teach one another 4. Acts 2:42, 1 Timothy 4:13, 2 Timothy 4:1-2: proclamation of the Word in teaching, public reading, and preaching to build up the soul (cf. Hebrews 4:12) 5. 1 Corinthians 16:1-3, 2 Corinthians 8-9: giving to provide for needs of congregation B. All of these matters of great importance, and we have no desire to minimize them! C. Unfortunately, however, many misunderstandings and distortions of the assemblies exist in the world D. Assembly as Location of Penance 1. Many denominations have taught that believers who sin must make confession and penance-- when that is done, sin is forgiven 2. This has been further distorted by many in society who look at coming to church as a form of penance 3. They believe that they can do whatever they wish on Monday-Saturday and that as long as they come to church on Sunday, God is satisfied, and they can keep doing what they are doing E. Assembly as Sum of Christianity 1. Many have accepted a very structuralized view of life 2. They have their "work life," their "school life," their "entertainment life," and so on and so forth 3. It is easy for such persons to look at religion and define the assemblies as their "Christian life" 4. They block out time in their schedule to assemble, and that is about all to their Christianity F. Assembly as Measurement of Faithfulness 1. Unfortunately, among the Lord's people, the assembly and assembling have become measuring standards for faithfulness 2. This is understandable, for the assembly and assembling are easy a. Attendance can be easily quantified b. The assembly and assembling are quite public and evident c. It is obvious when things are done in the assembly that God has not authorized d. It is equally obvious when someone fails to assemble 3. Thus, "sound" churches are defined often by what is and is not done in the assemblies and with the treasury of the congregation 4. "Faithful" Christians are often defined by quantity and consistency of attendance G. What does the New Testament have to say to these things? III. The Christian Life A. The focus and emphasis of Christianity is, understandably, on Jesus Christ and His Kingdom 1. 1 Corinthians 2:2: the message of Christ crucified 2. 1 John 2:3-6: keep His commandments, walk in His steps 3. Romans 6:16-23: serve Jesus as Lord B. This emphasis is to pervade all of life! 1. Galatians 2:20, Philippians 3:13-14 2. Consider Ephesians 5:22-6:9 C. It should not be surprising, therefore, that much of the New Testament is devoted toward encouragement, exhortation to live the Christian life! 1. Some letters are almost wholly devoted toward this exhortation (1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, 2 Timothy, Titus, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John) 2. Other letters focus on theology or doctrine for a time but will eventually turn toward the Christian life (Romans 12-15, Galatians 5-6, Ephesians 4-6, Philippians 3-4, Colossians 3-4, 1 Thessalonians 5, 2 Thessalonians 3) D. The message of the Christian life, therefore, is of the utmost importance in Scripture! 1. We are to love God-- seek His will, avoid what He has deemed sin, do what He has established is right (cf. 1 John 4:7-21, Romans 12:9) 2. We are to love one another and our neighbor-- find opportunities to do good, reflect Christ to one another and our neighbor, do nothing to cause him harm (Romans 13:8-11, Philippians 2:1-4) 3. This all requires great sacrifice and energy! 4. It would be difficult enough on its own, but it is compounded by the world and the spiritual forces of darkness who tempt us to do what is evil and avoid what is good (cf. Ephesians 6:12, 1 Peter 5:8, 1 John 2:15-17)! E. How does this all relate to the assembly? IV. The Assembly and the Christian Life A. We have seen the importance of the assembly and the emphasis on the Christian life B. It should be evident that there is much more to Christianity than just the assembly, and much more to faithfulness than just assembling with Christians! 1. We cannot put Christianity into a little box in our lives and be pleasing to God-- instead, we must let our Christianity influence and transform our lives and all of our relationships (cf. Romans 12:1-2, Ephesians 5:22-6:9) 2. The assembly is part of that Christian life and part of our obligation to God and to one another, but it is by no means the whole of that obligation! 3. We cannot believe that we can assemble on Sunday and forget about Christ the rest of the week-- such is not real repentance nor real faith, and it will not save (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9, Hebrews 10:26-31)! 4. Furthermore, we can faithfully assemble with the saints yet not be faithful servants of God if we are not doing God's will the rest of the time (Matthew 7:21-23, Revelation 3:1-3)! 5. Likewise, a congregation may do everything "right" in their assemblies and yet be quite unsound in overall faithfulness and attitude to the rest of God's revealed will (cf. Revelation 2:1-10)! C. We must maintain a healthy sense of perspective and balance D. What is the role of the assembly in the Christian life? V. The Assembly in the Christian Life A. The assembly, while not everything, has its role in the Christian life B. It is the time of refreshment, strengthening, and reinforcement! 1. Consider the image of Ephesians 6:10-18: the spiritual war 2. While it is unfortunately true that Satan can turn the assembly into another front of the spiritual war, such is not the way it should be! 3. The assembly should be the time when we get to "recharge" our spiritual "batteries" 4. It should be a break from the temptations, difficulties, and hostilities of the world (cf. Romans 8:2-10, 1 John 2:15-17) 5. It should be a time of devotion to God, His Word, and to fellow brethren, to solidify and deepen all of these connections (Acts 2:42, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27) 6. We should be built up and strengthened in the assembly to continue to reflect Christ in our families, our workplaces, and in our communities! C. We should be able to see, therefore, that the assembly has been designed for our edification and strengthening to continue to fight the good fight of faith! D. Since it is of great value in providing strength, why would we avoid the assemblies? 1. There is a reason for the exhortation present in Hebrews 10:24-25 2. While it remains possible to faithfully assemble without really growing spiritually, rarely if ever do people grow spiritually without faithfully assembling 3. When there is inconsistent assembling or willful choice in avoiding Sunday evening and/or Wednesday evening assemblies, one's spiritual strength and connections with brethren are greatly diminished! E. "Forsaking the Assembly" 1. Much is made of the idea of "forsaking the assembly" in Hebrews 10:25 2. The word carries the idea of abandonment, as can be seen in parallel usage in the New Testament (Matthew 27:46/Mark 15:34, Romans 9:29, 2 Timothy 4:9-10, 16, Hebrews 13:5) 3. Therefore, the Hebrew author's concern more with those who have abandoned assembling with brethren, less with those who for various reasons do not or cannot assemble every time 4. Furthermore, forsaking the assembly is a symptom of a greater, more pernicious, and more difficult problem! 5. Comparable to a fever a. In the vast majority of cases, when a person has a fever, the fever itself is not the problem b. The fever is the body's reaction to another problem c. With fevers, we understand that if we just treat the fever, the problem is still there and may get worse d. When the actual infection is addressed, the fever goes away 6. So it is with forsaking the assembly! a. In the vast majority of cases, a person forsakes the assembly because there is another problem in their lives b. It could be anything from bad priority decisions to fear of rebuke to a guilty conscience because of having fallen into some sin c. Merely addressing the forsaking of the assembly does not change the bad decisions, fear, persistence in sin, or whatever other difficulty may exist-- it may cover it and allow it to get worse! d. But if the underlying problem is addressed and removed, faithful assembling returns! 6. Thus, it is good for us to not confuse the symptom with the problem, and encourage people to remove the difficulty and return to us (cf. Galatians 6:1-3)! F. The assembly, therefore, is our time of refreshment and reinforcement, giving us renewed strength to stand for Jesus throughout our lives G. Avoiding the assemblies leads to greater disconnect with fellow Christians and makes one easy prey for the Evil One, and without repentance, such ones most often fall away! VI. Conclusion A. Thus we have seen the assembly and the Christian life B. The assembly is part of the Christian life, but not the sum of it! 1. The assembly is important as a means of renewing, reinforcing spiritual strength 2. But that strength is to be displayed and used throughout the rest of our lives as we serve the Risen Christ in our lives as spouses, parents, children, employees, etc. 3. If we distort the assembly and its purpose, maximizing or minimizing it, we do ourselves a disservice! C. Let us take advantage of the encouragement and strength of one another and use them to the glory of Jesus Christ in every aspect of life! D. Invitation/songbook