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Doctrinal Discussions
These studies examine the traditional doctrines held by the Church of Christ to see if they are actually taught in the scriptures. This is not an "anti-Church of Christ" site. I was reared in the Church of Christ and have been preaching since 1968 in the Church of Christ. My desire is that we walk righteously before God, not according to traditions of men. Bernie Parsons
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Church Assembly
By Bernie Parsons - February 08, 2002
Rev. 01/29/2005 Addendum 12-10-2007
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:23-24 KJV
Hello, Family & Friends,
The church building is not the church, a temple, nor the "house of God". The church of the Bible usually met in people's houses for assembly, which is not called "worship service" in the scriptures. "Worship service" is a dangerous man-made concept for the church. Each of us is a temple wherein we worship God. Therefore, while we are in the body, we are in a state of constant worship of God. Since we constantly serve God, then we are in a constant state of service. Therefore, we are constantly in "worship service" to God. This is a major or part of what is missing in the church, and what the church is missing. As a result, the world is unimpressed when they see what is lacking in our daily lives. Our daily life should be an offering to God, a living sacrifice.
Our salvation is secure when we walk in the Lord, and the Holy Spirit lives within us. This manifests itself in the way we conduct ourselves on a daily basis. Our entire life should be one of praise and honor to God, and to His son, Jesus.
Philippians 2:12-13 "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."
1 Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit."
Matthew 12:36 "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."
Romans 14:12 "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."
Our bodies are to be presented as offerings to God, living sacrifices. We belong to Him. Every day we are to walk according to God's ways, in the footsteps of Jesus. We are in constant worship service to God.
Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
1 Corinthians 6:19 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
Our worship and service to God is not about ritual, but about righteous daily living.
Mark 7:6-9 "He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition."
Modern churchgoers wish to make God be whatever they desire or require Him to be. God must fit their ideas and ideals, or He is rejected. Therefore, in our more liberal congregations, "worship service" becomes a feel-good session wherein birthdays and anniversaries are announced, sports are touted, groups are applauded, and a twenty-minute sermonette is presented--the subject often based upon a writing of man, such as a poem or a song--because "studies show" that a preacher cannot hold the congregation's attention beyond twenty minutes. (Never mind that the Apostle Paul preached on one occasion throughout all the evening and talked all through the night.)
Acts 20:7 "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight."
Acts 20:11 "When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed."
On the other hand, our conservatively leaning brothers insist that we follow a dry, spirit-less formulaic "worship service", insisting that everything must be just so-so. (See "Five Items of Worship".) They point to the Old Testament temple worship as our pattern, ignoring that God purposely had that temple destroyed, and that we now worship God from within our own bodies. (Read "The Church Is Not The Building".) It would be in the interests of our membership if everyone was acquainted with the true history of the Church Of Christ, understanding that we follow a dried-out ritual because Alexander Campbell decided that this is the way to go. His ritualism was derived from the Protestant Reformation, which drew from its roots in Catholicism, which appears to be an attempt to recreate the Jewish priesthood and temple worship methods with a "Christian" flavor. We need to abandon this Catholicized, Protestantized take on Christianity in favor of what the Bible actually says. (Read about our history in "What Is The Church Of Christ?" and "The History Of The Church of Christ".)
Christians (the church) are in constant worship of God. When we gather for edification and encouragement, this is called an "assembly" of the church, not a "worship service". This is an important distinction, because people formulate new doctrines and argue endlessly on how to change the will of God by declaring some activities "worship service" and other activities "not worship service".
We do have an example of a church assembly, or gathering, and what takes place in such an assembly.
1 Corinthians 14:23-40 "If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
"How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
"Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
"For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
"Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
"What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
"Let all things be done decently and in order."
The thrust of the assembly described by the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 14 is the edification (up-building, growth) of the church, and its individual members. He describes how that prophecy is useless unless others understand what is being said.
1 Corinthians 14:26 "How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying."
Paul specified that prophesying or praying in an unfamiliar language was only to be done if there were an interpreter. Again, the purpose of the assembly is the edification of the body. Every man was to be given the chance to share with the congregation something of edification, but only two, or at most three, in a particular assembly. That means that if all were to be given a chance, then a rotation of speakers would occur from one assembly to the next until all had their chance to speak. This pretty much rules out the concept of "one minister" per congregation, another unscriptural concept.
Curiously, and in contrast to our modern concepts of acceptable worship, Paul mentions that among the brothers, every one has something beneficial to edify the group. One such thing is a "psalm", which indicates to me that one of the brothers may share a psalm by way of edification. This flies in the face of our contemporary teaching that only congregational singing is allowed--to do a solo would be a blasphemy. Yet Paul says that a brother may present a psalm to edify the congregation. This is a "solo" performance by the teacher.
Is congregational singing then a necessary "Item of Worship"? Some argue, yes. They often cite:
Matthew 26:26-30 "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives."
This was not even a "worship service" as they describe it, as it did not incorporate all the "Five Items of Worship" (Read "Five Items Of Worship".). This was Jesus and His apostles eating their last meal together before His crucifixion. There is no commandment for congregational singing. I am not condemning it, but I am not binding it as a God-given commandment that constitutes part of an "acceptable worship service".
The women were instructed to remain silent in the assembly--which eliminates women preachers and elders, and women teaching in the assembly. They were not even to ask questions in the assembly--they were to ask their husbands at home.
This raises several questions by "progressive" churches. This is why it is important to recognize that the New Testament does not speak of "worship service". The liberal-leaning members promote "Sunday school" as distinct from "worship service", saying that women may offer comments and ask questions in "Bible Study" and may teach "Sunday school", but must remain silent in "worship service". This entire premise is ridiculous because none of these three things are mentioned in the Bible--they are all man-made concepts devised to side-step the teachings of the Apostle, Paul. The assembly is for Bible study. "How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying." Calling a separate assembly, and designating it "not worship service" does not negate the teachings of the Apostle Paul on how to conduct an assembly.
Some ask, "What if their husbands are not Christians, and they are unable to ask at home--may they then ask in assembly?" This makes no sense at all. Women with Christian husbands may not speak, but women without Christian husbands may? Let us observe the spirit of the instruction: the point is for women to remain silent in the assembly. Why could not the women with unbelieving, or no husbands, pose their questions to other Christian men outside the assembly? This they could do quite easily.
Also, away from the assembly, there is Biblical evidence that women did indeed teach. Aquila and Priscilla functioned as a husband and wife team in the instance in which they taught Apollos in private.
Acts 18:24-26 "And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly."
We also have the case of the ladies who prophesied. Observing the scriptures that say that a woman cannot teach in the assembly, we can draw the conclusion that this prophesying was done outside of the assembly. After all, as Peter eloquently stated, this was a part of the prophecies of old.
Acts 21:8-9 "And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy."
Acts 2:16-18 "But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:"
However, in the assembly, women were forbidden to speak out at all, and certainly were not to prophesy to the assembled church.
1 Corinthians14:34 "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not
permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith
the law."
1 Timothy 2:11-14 "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer
not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam
was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in
the transgression."
Apostle Paul even gives the reason that women are to be in silence and subjection,
pointing back to the creation when woman was made after the man, from the man, to assist
the man.
Genesis 2:18 "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him."
Genesis 2:21-23 "And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."
Paul even goes so far as to reiterate the line of authority from God through Christ through man to the woman. He describes how that the woman who prophesies is to be covered, and that her long hair is given her as such a covering. Yet she is to be silent in the church assembly.
I Corinthians 11:1-15 " Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
"Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.
"For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.
"Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering."
As tempting as it may be in these times when revisionist history is supplanting true
history in our culture, we must resist the urge to do the same with the Bible. It is the
word of God Almighty.
Others ask, "But what about the children?" The excuse is made that they cannot
learn in the assembly of adults. First of all, I disagree with that--they can learn in the
assembly of adults. In fact, by being there, they see exactly how things are done. I have
watched children grow up in assemblies that did not have "Sunday school" or
"Children's Church"where in the Bible did that come from?and they became
God-fearing Christians.
Deuteronomy 31:10-13 "And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it."
In the above scripture, the children were given the same exposure to the words of God Almighty as were the men and women. The primary responsibility for teaching the children lies with the parents, particularly the father. In fact, we need to begin teaching the ways of the Lord to our children as soon as they are born. This education must continue all of our lives.
Ephesians 6:4 "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
Deuteronomy 11:18-21 "Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth."
Some argue, "But what if the father, or both parents, are not Christians?" The solution is ostensibly to have "Sunday school" and "Children's Church". (It is generally accepted by most that "Sunday School" was invented by Robert Raikes in the 1780s in order to educate children who had to work during the week instead of going to school.)
We overlook another important fact, an oversight that weakens the body of Christ. We are family in Christ Jesus. We can help each other as family, and reach out to our communities and neighborhoods. In fact, this is what we should be doing: Christian families should be addressing the spiritual needs of our neighbors and friends. ) Read “That Which Is Perfect”.) We could more easily offer instruction in our homes than trying to organize something in a church building. When I grew up, neighbors looked after each other's children, offering moral guidance, and even discipline, as required.
What really bothers me about the concept of "Five Items Of Worship" is that, besides not being set forth as such in the Bible, it detracts from how the Bible shows us that we must worship God. Our religion becomes one of ritualistic endeavor, an attempt to placate God with some man's idea of "acceptable worship". Jesus has already proclaimed that God seeks those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.
John 4:23-24 "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."
The assembly is a focal point of the Christian life. It is a place where the individual Christians come together to be edified, or built up in the most holy faith--for the word edify signifies a building up. That is the primary purpose for the assembly--to strengthen and mature the church, the body of Christ. The goal is to have a strong, mature spiritual body that matches its head--Jesus Christ! (Read "Communion & Fellowship".)
1 Corinthians 14:3-5 "But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying."
1 Corinthians 14:15-19 "What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified. I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all: Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue."
Romans 14:17-19 "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another."
1 Corinthians 10:23-24 "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth."
Ephesians 4:11-16 "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."
Ephesians 4:29 "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."
Colossians 2:6-19 "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
"Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God."
Since the assembly is for the edification of the church, I call into question our methods of holding what we often call "Gospel Meetings", modeled after "Revivals". In these week-long--or as is often popular nowadays, week-end--meetings, we urge the membership to "Bring someone with you so that they may hear the gospel", or "Everyone try to bring as many as you can". The assembly is primarily for the membership, as Paul clearly indicated in 1 Corinthians 14:23-25. If someone who is an unbeliever visits the assembly, the preaching and conduct of the members may make a believer out of him. Notice that Paul did not say to structure the assembly for the visitor, but for the church.
I Corinthians 14:23-25 "If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth."
In fact, we are to act upon the instructions of Jesus about taking the gospel to the world. He didn't say to go out into the world, and bring them into the assembly and teach them. Instead, He told us to go out into the world where they are, and preach to them.
Mark 16:15-16 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
The purpose of the assembly is to share the teachings of Christ, the Spirit of the Lord, and the word of God, so that the members can all grow together in the Lord. That is why that it is so important to assemble together on a regular basis. The earlier Christians were so excited about the Lord that they met daily in their houses, an example that we would do well to follow.
Acts 2:46-47 "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved."
Acts 5:42 "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ."
Acts 6:1:" And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied,
there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were
neglected in the daily ministration."
Act 16:5 "And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number
daily."
Acts 17:11 "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received
the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those
things were so."
Hebrews 3:12-15 "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation."
If we find the prospect of daily assembly daunting, we can look to the scriptures for an indication of weekly assembly, at the very least. The first day of each week appears to have been the day of choice, perhaps because Jesus was resurrected then. It announced the dawning of a new age, a resurrection from the dead, a new life.
Mark 16:9 "Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils."
Acts 20:7 "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight."
1 Corinthians 16:2 "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come."
We have then an example of the early church meeting upon the first day of the week--some would argue, a commandment. Here is where we need the wisdom of God's Spirit to direct us. Let us not substitute our own logic, and our man-made philosophy, for the will of God. (That is how traditions are born, and forever more erroneously regarded as the law of God!)
Mark 7:6-9 "He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition."
Herein lies spirituality--that we see a godly example, and the Spirit of God moves us to do likewise. We don't have to adopt a scientific methodology to force our members to do as we wish. If the Spirit-filled apostles saw fit to assemble each first day of the week, why would I, filled with the same Spirit, not desire to follow suit? And that scares my brethren who are of the Alexander Campbell tradition, as he fought so desperately to reduce Bible understanding to the application of logic to the scriptures to avoid a diversity of rules based upon "being led by the Spirit of God". Yet, the use of that same logic structure has resulted in many little Church of Christ factions that are holier-than-thou, and who will have nothing to do with others unless like them in every respect.
I believe in assembling as the body of Christ every first day of the week because we have a Biblical example of this being done by the Spirit-led apostles of Jesus Christ. I don't believe in man-made doctrines. While we are at it, why don't we meet daily from house to house? We might just see some souls added to the church! That's how the Christians in the Bible did it!
Acts 2:46-47 "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved."
Acts 20:20-21 "And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."
In the Bible, the church assembled on the first day of the week. We should follow this godly example, the Spirit of God dwelling in us bearing witness that this is a good thing to do. We should not pervert scripture to establish a commandment that is not set forth, such as the false doctrine loosely based upon the following scripture.
Hebrews 10:25 "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
Most preachers render this scripture completely out of context, pervert the wording, and invent an ungodly, man-made doctrine. They refer to it as "not forsaking the assembly"--or, you cannot "lay out of church--or, "you can't miss church service"--or, "you have to be here every time the door is open"! This is not at all what this scripture is talking about in its context. First, we assume, that although the early Christians met from house to house, that somehow we need to build a "church building"--an idea that does not present itself in the scriptures.
Having built our unscriptural building (usually out of the collection for the needy), we call for regular "worship service"--an unscriptural phrase--and demand that everyone be there "every time the doors are opened"--an unscriptural commandment. We cite Hebrews 10:25 out of context in order to create this "commandment". Why not, my friends, be the church of Christ that is described in the scriptures? Let us not be satisfied by being the organization that was shaped by a small group of men, but let us be that entity--the body of Christ--that God describes to us.
Hebrews 10:25, taken in overall context of that chapter, and indeed of the entire book, is describing Jews who became Christians. As time wore on, and Christ had not returned, many turned back to the Law of Moses, and the blood of bulls and goats. The writer is urging other "Hebrews" not to give up the practice of assembling together. In fact, he urges them to do it even more frequently as "the day" approaches. The verse does not say "Forsake not the assembly", yet I have heard that phrase countless times throughout my lifetime. In fact, I have heard entire sermons built around that phrase, and its cruder variations: "missing church service" and "laying out of church service". If we are at all times the church, and are at all times serving the Lord, and are constantly in our temple, worshipping God, then it would be a little hard to neglect "worship service".
What a novel idea! Worship God in spirit and in truth, from within this temple that is our body! Do this every day of our lives, not just on Sunday! Edify, teach, grow, and mature into the full-grown spiritual body of a mature spiritual headthe church of Christ, with Christ as its head! Assemble together as often as is possible, and even more so when trouble threatens (there is no doubt in my mind that "the day" that was approaching was the day of the Lord, when He would unleash His terrible wrath upon the unbelieving Jews.) And never give up this practice of meeting together for edification, comfort, and unity in the Spirit, this on-going growth of the body of Christ.
Following the Biblical example of meeting from house to house, we would no longer deem it necessary to build a centralized "church house", for each church member's house would be a "church house". This would free up a lot of the wealth of the church, allowing it to be used as God intended. (Read "Distribution Of Wealth".) Instead of wasting most of our "collection for the needy saints" on building and maintaining a "church building", the church would increase in wealth and stature in the eyes of God and man. (Read "Collection For The Saints".)
By not having a centralized and separate "church building", many of the divisive issues of the past century would be negated. Without such a building, all infighting over "fellowship halls", "church kitchens", "classrooms", and whether or not to allow weddings (or music at said weddings) in the "church building" would suddenly be irrelevant. Instead, we would concentrate our efforts on the maturity of the church, and its growth. After all, that is the purpose of the assembly of the church.
God bless all!
Love, in Christ,
Bernie
Addendum (12-10-2007):
I recently encountered the argument from a "Church of Christ" preacher who objected to folks defining ekklesia--translated in the KJV as "church"--as the "called out assembly". His objection was that if you are the "called out assembly" then you cannot assemble, because you are already assembled. Therefore, for it to make sense, you must continue to call it the church!
It is this kind of asinine thinking and preaching that promulgates and perpetuates false doctrine and schisms. I wish that these men would get a clue and get a life!
We are gathered into one body of Christ, as Paul so eloquently explains. Just as our organs are gathered into one body, so the members of the church are gathered into one body. This gathering into one body is the called out assembly of Jesus Christ. It is called out of the world of sin and is set apart from the world by virtue of faith and obedience to the word of God.
Locally, members of the universal assembly in Jesus Christ meet, or gather, to learn and grow as Christians. So, local members of the universal assembly assemble locally for edification. How hard is that to understand?
Assembly is a noun, and refers to a group of people gathered together, just as Christians are gathered together in Christ. Assemble is a verb, meaning to gather together, as in getting together on the first day of the week for edification.
Yes, my cantankerous brothers, the assembly can assemble! If that perplexes or offends you, change one of the words and say "The called-out assembly of Christ gathers or meets on the first day of the week." It all means the same thing, essentially. Rest easy, my friends! - bp
