Bella Vista Church of Christ
LIFELINES
November 14, 2001 Larry Mitchell
Assembling
Attendance. Worship. The assembly. All have been topics of theological discussion in the post-Pentecostal church. The very idea of corporate worship has been the subject of controversy in the modern era. Does God require an assembly of the church on the Lord's Day? On Wednesday evening? On Sunday night? And if God does command assembly, are Christians expected to be present? Is attendance required or elective?
In ancient times, God often required His people to assemble together. And in most of those cases, divine worship and thanksgiving were required of the people. Grave consequences were in store for those who did not present themselves. The people, in fact, expected as much from their fellow men. In the book of Judges, we are told that the people came to Bethel and "sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly," questioning the reasons for the demise of their brothers, the Benjamites. (Judges 21.2,6, NIV) Early in the morning, they built an altar there and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. (v. 4) Recalling an oath they had taken at Mispah, the Israelites were concerned with those who had "failed to assemble before the Lord," and demanded that they "should certainly be put to death." (vs. 1, 5) To neglect the assembly was a serious matter.
Willful neglect of the assembly remains a serious matter in the church today. Sunday is the Lord's day--a time when we come together to study and to learn as the Body of Christ. It is a time to sing and pray as a people, and to remember the Lord's death through the sacred emblems of communion. It is a day for us to give back to God a portion of what He has given to us. Is it any wonder that the inspired writer of Hebrews would caution us to "not give up meeting together," but to "encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching"? (Hebrews 10.25)
All we need to do to realize the importance of assembling is to stop and consider the great blessings we miss when we neglect or ignore the opportunity to come together.
Larry Mitchell, Booneville, Ark.
