The Value of the Assembly I. Introduction A. Acts 2:42, Hebrews 10:24-25 1. From the beginning, Christians came together, devoting themselves to the Apostles' doctrines, the breaking of bread, association, and prayer 2. They were encouraged to do so as part of their work in stimulating one another to love and good works B. Many forces are conspiring to make assemblies seem less valuable 1. Entertainment, sporting, and other venues compete for people's time and attention on Sundays and Wednesdays 2. A lot of people have bought into the idea that they can be Christians without a church and without assembling with Christians 3. Some people elect to "virtually assemble" online or through the television! 4. A good chunk of people, however, are just indifferent-- they do not care C. Is there still value in the assembly? D. Why should we assemble? What benefits are there in assembling? II. The Value of the Assembly A. The assembly is as important and critical now as it was in the first century! B. The Necessity of Association 1. The Bible speaks of the association that exists between fellow believers (1 John 1:3-5, Acts 2:42) 2. That association represents the connection between the various members within the Body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27) 3. While it is true that said association exists even when members are not physically together, and that Christians can get together in other contexts... 4. ...the assemblies have an integral role in promoting and developing the bonds of association! 5. The stronger the association, the stronger the Christian; the weaker the association, the weaker the Christian! 6. 1 Peter 5:8-9 7. The more separated a Christian is from his fellow brethren, the easier Satan's job becomes C. The Assembly as Time of Encouragement, Edification 1. 1 Corinthians 14:26, Hebrews 10:24-25 2. God recognizes that we humans are weak! 3. We constantly require strengthening 4. God established the assembly for Christians to present times for coming together to strengthen, build one another up! 5. Encouragement when all of us get together 6. Our faith built up-- greater resolve to be the Christians we should be 7. Can such things be done in events outside of the assembly? Absolutely-- but the assemblies represent the consistent, dependable times for refreshment, re-energizing 8. Do we not all need times of relative shelter from Satan's onslaught, the pressures of the world, to devote ourselves to God, His Word, His people, and to be refreshed in spirit (cf. Ephesians 4:20-24)? D. The Value of One Another 1. As we have said before, so we say again: God could have decided to leave us all on our own as individual believers to do our individual thing only 2. Instead, in His wisdom, He established local congregations and local assemblies! 3. The local assemblies remind us that we are not alone (cf. 1 Kings 19, 1 Peter 5:8-9) 4. The local assemblies give us opportunities to strengthen the weak and be strengthened when we are weak (1 Corinthians 12:24-27) 5. We are best able to develop strong bonds of love and association with fellow members of the local assembly that will help us endure the ups and downs of life! E. The assemblies, in general, have great value! III. The Value of the Acts of the Assembly A. The various activities done in the assembly also have great value! B. Bible study 1. Acts 2:42 2. While we should always be studying on our own (cf. 2 Timothy 2:15, 3:16-17), there is value in coming together to study 3. Proverbs 27:17, Acts 8:30-31 4. There are times when we may come to some erroneous conclusions in our study, and we can receive correction and better understanding when discussing Scripture with others 5. At other times, we may gain insights from others based in their perspective and study that we would not otherwise gain 6. Therefore, studying the Scriptures together helps us all to be better Bible students! C. Praying and Singing 1. 1 Corinthians 14:14-17, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16 2. We are certainly to pray as individuals (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and to sing as individuals (James 5:13) 3. Yet there is comfort and strength when the whole assembly is praying for our needs, difficulties, etc. 4. We are to be strengthened when we speak to one another in the songs we sing! 5. There is power in the coming together of many voices! D. The Lord's Supper 1. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 11:23-26 2. Something for which we have no authority to do by ourselves! 3. Important to stop for a moment every week and reflect on Jesus' great sacrifice for us 4. Physical reminder of our association-- people of the Bread and Fruit of the Vine, partaking together! E. Giving 1. 2 Corinthians 8-9 2. Giving for the work of the church extremely important-- when we give, we invest ourselves in the work of the congregation! 3. It is part of our joint participation in the most important work there is! F. Preaching 1. Acts 15:32, 2 Timothy 4:1-4 2. Preaching is designed to exhort and encourage! 3. The message is designed to be firmly Biblical, provide insights, and to promote greater faithfulness to God's purposes! G. The acts of the assemblies also have important value! IV. Common Reasons For Not Assembling A. Why do people not assemble, or do not find value in the assemblies? B. "I do not get anything out of the assembly" 1. Many times people feel as if they do not get much out of the assembly 2. Sometimes it is true that there is not enough strengthening or encouragement in the assembly-- something for which to watch out 3. More often than not, however, such people are not putting much into the assembly! 4. The assembly is not a "spectator sport"-- everyone should always be participating in the assembly, even if they are not the ones speaking at any given moment! C. "The assemblies are boring" 1. Our society is filled with entertainment and excitement 2. Many people therefore look at the "old-fashioned" assemblies and find them "boring" 3. Again, there are times when it may be true, and we must be concerned about that 4. But are the assemblies boring because one does not have much interest in association or spiritual matters? 5. What is the real source of the boredom? D. "The assemblies are not edifying" 1. Some do not feel super-charged after assemblies 2. They may be familiar with denominations and their entertainment-based, emotion-fueling assemblies 3. Again, there may be times when the assembly fails to live up to its purpose 4. But, in general, is the issue that the assemblies are really not providing spiritual encouragement, or is it that the assemblies fail to provide the emotional high that many crave? 5. Let us make firm distinctions between emotional highs and true spiritual encouragement! E. The Real Problem: "It's All About Me" 1. In general, all of these attitudes to some extent indicate that the person believes that the assembly is about them 2. In society, the general attitude is, "what is in it for me?" 3. But the assemblies of the saints are not designed to be "all about me" 4. The assemblies are about one another! 5. Philippians 2:1-4 6. We must trust that our needs will be met when we fully devote ourselves to the needs of others, and the assemblies are integral parts of that! F. When we assemble... 1. ...do we consider how to stir one another up to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24)? 2. ...do we seek to find ways to build one another up (1 Corinthians 14:26)? 3. ...are we jointly participating in the communion of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16-17)? 4. ...are we praying for one another and speaking to one another in song (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:14-17, Ephesians 5:19)? 5. ...do we seek to understand the applications of the lesson for ourselves and our own lives and how we can better serve God and others (Romans 13:8-11)? G. When we make the assembly about one another and not about "us," we will most likely find that our excuses and justifications against the assembly wither away! H. It is when we make the assembly about one another that we will find the true value of the assembly! V. Conclusion A. The assembly has great value! 1. On its own, in general 2. All of the acts of the assemblies B. The reason behind dissatisfaction with assemblies, ultimately, is selfishness! C. The assemblies are about one another and building one another up in the most holy faith! D. Truism: Stronger, more mature Christians always understand the importance and value of the assembly 1. Yes, a weak Christian may understand the importance and value of the assembly... 2. ...but we have yet to find any strong Christians who do not! E. Do not be deceived by selfishness and worldly values-- let us seek to come together as often as possible to strengthen one another in the faith! F. Invitation/songbook