Monday, February 28, 2005

CH_CH: What's Missing?

There's a good article entitled "CH__CH: What's Missing?" in the March issue of The Gospel Message. Brother Tom Woody and I undoubtedly share a profound love for assembling together with the Lord's people, and his essay ought to get you fired up for it. The goal, of course, is not simply "attendence," which is worthless by itself. The actual building up, or edifying, of the ekklesia is the true goal we should all aspire to.

Here are a few great snippets from Tom's article that should whet your appetite:

    “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42) When the Church began on the Day of Pentecost, the first converts to Christ got off on the right foot by doing spiritual things with one another. They realized not only the value of the gospel they had obeyed, but also their need for the fellowship of others of like precious faith. ...

    A television celebrity recently offered a public criticism of Christians and was quoted as saying that religion was ‘a neurological disorder.’ His comments are understandable since men typically look at their own opinions as normal while viewing anyone who thinks differently as having some sort of mental deficiency. ...

    The Lord made us so that we need one another, especially in the Body of Christ. “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.” (I Corinthians 12:18) If you willfully absent yourselves from fellowship with your brethren, you are not only depriving yourself of the best source of encouragement you could ever have, you also defraud the saints of a true blessing - YOU!

    Full article

(Note: For those of you who meet regularly with other believers in your homes, don't worry--I'm not suggesting that you're "absent" from the assembly because of the location you meet in.)

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