No Guarantee

As we come together as the church, we can try to follow the biblical model as much as possible.  For example, we can meet in homes, celebrate the Lord's Supper as a complete meal, remain together with all ages present, engage in participatory discussions, avoid the clergy/laity divide, etc., etc.

These things are all fine but they do not guarantee that the purpose of the meeting will be fulfilled.  The purpose is the edification of the body in Christ to the glory of God.  The above structural attributes of gatherings are great, but in the end they aren't very important if we lose sight of why we come together in the first place.

What can we do about this?  As we gather, we must make a concerted effort to focus on the needs of others in our conversations and actions.  If we make this attempt, I believe the Holy Spirit will give us plenty of opportunities to make this happen.  It may occur in the larger group setting or in individual or small group type conversations.  It might be a simple act of sacrificial service.  It may also take place at any time during the week, not just the Sunday gathering.

While at our gatherings, sometimes I find myself just sort of talking with others. This is fine some of the time, but if I'm not making some kind of an effort at mutual edification, then I'm likely wasting a great opportunity. We can make a deep impression on others when we inquire about how their lives are going and how they're doing in Christ. We should be able to have these types of discussions fairly easily with those we know so well.

I simply want to encourage us all to be intentional in our efforts at mutual edification as the body gathers. Otherwise we miss the point of the meeting altogether. There are no guarantees.