I'm serious about this. When we get together with other followers of Jesus Christ, it should be a wonderful, special, joyous, good time. I'm not writing this to burden you; rather, I want to encourage you to anticipate a terrific time of growth in Christ through the edification of your Christian brothers and sisters.
My hope for you is that regardless of what type of church you are a part of (you know the labels I'm talking about), that you very much enjoy gathering together. Of course I'm not talking about enjoyment in the same sense as, for example, enjoying a movie (yesterday we enjoyed watching the 1977 version of Star Wars). Instead, I'm referring to the unique and supreme joy that comes from knowing and growing in Jesus Christ.
Despite what our Western culture says, we are not primarily individuals. God made us to be communal people. We depend on others, take comfort from others, and need others. Specific to Christianity, we need others to grow most effectively in Christ. As we gather as the church, we have the privilege of building up and being built up - all in the joy of knowing the King of Kings.
My last name is Carpenter. This has been misleading for most of my life since I'm not particularly good with tools. However, I can build up others in Jesus. And, I can be built up in Him. The great part is that this building up is not drudgery. Instead, edifying others and being edified is pure joy. Yes, it is work. It can even be difficult and painful at times. Despite this, it is joyful.
So, have a great time today. Set your goal on building up others in Christ. Take joy in Him as you grow in Him and help others do the same. Have a wonderful time!
2 comments:
Mission accomplished; we had a great time, learned a lot, and were edified.
My thumbnail test for whether or not a fellowship gathering is on-track is two-fold: first, does it fit the scriptures as I understand them; second, would I feel comfortable sending a newly saved friend or family member there--yes, I've seen some wacky behavior in the "church". Yesterday passed the test on both counts.
In my humble opinion, You are doing great things,
Jeff
Jeff,
I'm glad it meets the test. And I agree with you. Gathering in a home seems natural in so many ways. I think it would be easy for a new believer to understand and take part in. I'm excited by what God is doing and what He is showing all of us.
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