How Should Christians Meet According To The Bible?
John Ruskin Gill
Table of Contents
How Should Christians Meet According to the Bible?
“What church do you go to?” This is a question that is often asked. The church is people. All the saved people, Christians, are members of the one body of Christ. This is the church of Scripture.
Christians are told to assemble themselves together (Hebrews 10:25); to learn together and wait for the coming of the Lord together (Jude 1:20-21). The church is told to love one another (1 Peter 1:22); pray together (Ephesians 6:18); worship together (John 4:23-24; Philippians 3:3) and remember the Lord together (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
God sees only one body (Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:4 and 1 Corinthians 10:17; Colossians 1:18). In John 17:21-23 the Lord Jesus prayed that the believers would be a testimony of that one body. Jesus says, “ ... That they all may be one ... that the world may believe.”
That one body is the church for which He died. “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25).
If all Christians obeyed the Word of God as to how the church should meet, they all would be gathered together to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The public testimony of the church has failed in its witness to the world that the church is one. It is God’s plan for the one body of Christ.
God has given instruction in the Bible about how believers are to worship and for ministry. Every Christian is responsible to find out what those instructions are. We must give an account to the Lord Jesus Christ as to how we obeyed his instructions.
In 1 Corinthians 1:11-15 the Christians were dividing into groups. The Apostle Paul asked them, “Is Christ divided?” They were choosing names and leaders. The prayer of the Lord is dishonored. The testimony is damaged.
To help Christians learn the will of God so they can obey it, we will look at four reasons for gathering only to the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ:
1. Only the Name of the Lord Jesus is worthy;
2. To give the Holy Spirit the leadership that belongs to Him;
3. Scripture teaches that we should worship God outside the ‘camp’ of organized religion;
4. It is according to Scripture to be on the ground of the one body.
#1 Only the Name of the Lord Jesus Is Worthy.
Christ our Leader is not the head of an organized religion. Christ is the head of the whole church. “There is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved,” Acts 4:12. Jesus Christ should have the first place in all things, Colossians 1:18; God has highly exalted Him, Philippians 2:8-11; and given Him “a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow ... ”
Jesus promised, “Where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20. Only the name of the Lord Jesus is worthy to be the center of gathering. Early Christians met in that name. That is why they were called "Christians." (Acts 11:26) There were no other names. They only knew the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is a responsibility connected with the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who are gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ should recognize that He is LORD. The name of the Lord requires obedience. If we are gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we should not be doing things contrary to the Word of God.
My first responsibility is to be obedient in my personal relationship with Christ as my Lord. Faithfulness should characterize believers gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is worthy. How much is the name of Jesus worth to you?
#2 to Give the Holy Spirit of God His Place of Leadership.
Who is the Spirit of God?
He is one of the three Persons of the Godhead. The Spirit of God is God. There is no difference in rank between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Each of these divine Persons is God. The Spirit of God is here on earth.
John 14:16-17: "I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; ... ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."
John 15:26, "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeded from the Father, He shall testify of me."
He Shall Glorify Me
God dwells on earth in the Person of the Holy Spirit. God has given his Spirit to lead in the assembly. His duties here are:
1. To glorify Christ – John 16:14
2. To convict sinners of their sin – John 16:8
3. To show to us the things of Christ – John 16:13
The Word of God does not give us written instructions to follow at the time the assembly is gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the duty of the Spirit of God to lead in the assembly. When the Spirit of God is given the place of leadership that belongs to him, He will guide the assembly to give glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Spirit of God is Here to Guide
the Assembly Meeting
The meeting for the remembrance of the death of the Lord is precious to our hearts. We do not know who will give thanks for the loaf and the cup, or who will give out a hymn or stand up and praise God in prayer. There is no program. We come depending on the Spirit of God to guide in the assembly meeting. We must behave ourselves properly so that we are prepared for the Spirit of God to use whoever He will, so that Christ may be glorified.
We Have No Program
To prepare a program ahead of time, or if I decide before the meeting to take a certain part, I am not giving the Spirit of God His place. During an assembly meeting, the Spirit of God must have liberty to use whoever He desires. A brother that decides before the meeting to read or pray or give out a hymn during the meeting makes a mistake. The teaching of Scripture is to give the Holy Spirit liberty to lead the meeting.
Men Led by the Spirit of God
It is important that brothers taking part should be spiritual men. They should be reading the Word of God at home, and think and pray about what they read. When they come to meeting, the Spirit of God can bring to their memory those things they have learned in their study time. The brothers who are taking a part in the meetings should be living the truth that they teach.
“The Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance.” John 14:26.
“Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.” Titus 1:9.
#3 Scripture Teaches That We Should Worship God Outside the ‘Camp’ of Organized Religion
Hebrews 13:10, 12-13. "We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach."
Our altar is anticipated in Psalm 69:30-31 “I will praise the name of God with a song ... This also shall please the Lord more than an ox or bullock ... ” Because Jesus, our Sacrifice, “suffered without the gate,” we are to go outside the camp bearing His reproach. There we offer the sacrifice of praise to God – the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name. When we think of all He did for us, we want to do good by helping others. “With such sacrifices God is well pleased.”
The religion of the Jews says a person must be good by keeping the law, so God will accept you. This is impossible. No one can be saved by the religion of the Jews. We must separate from our own works and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. “For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” Eph 2:8, 9.
The camp is anything connected with the Jewish religion. Organized religion mixes the religion of Judaism with Christianity. God wants all believers to go outside the camp and to leave everything connected with this religion. The Spirit of God wants to gather all believers to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. He wants us to worship Him because of His work on the cross without our own works.
The book of Hebrews is written to the Jews in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the capital city of the ‘camp.’ This is the city where Jesus Christ the Messiah should have been received, in power, as King. Instead He was cast out and crucified. His blood was shed outside of that city. The cross of Calvary is the place where Christ was rejected outside of the camp of the religion of the Jews. This is when Jesus bled and died and finished the work of salvation.
This work of Christ cancels the altar of the Jews. Our sacrifice is the work that was finished by Christ on the cross. Now we are saved by grace through faith in Christ. There is no good thing you or I can do to deserve salvation. Titus 3:5 says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.”
God has asked the believer to go outside the camp.
Four things describe the camp
The camp had a building that was the Holy Place.
Today there are dedicated buildings used for the service of God. People think that the church or meeting room is a holy place. God does not now dwell in buildings men have made. Believers should follow the rejected Christ outside the camp. We may use a building for worship but the building itself is not a Holy Place. We are gathered to the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are not gathered to a building or a religious organization.
The camp had a class of priests between the worshipers and God.
The Jews had ordained priests as mediators between God and the people. This practice has been ended by Christ. Now there is “one mediator between God and men, the Man, Christ Jesus” 1 Timothy 2:5. Yet men today are being ordained as pastors or priests, to stand between the worshipers and God. These men take a name of God calling themselves Reverend. The Bible tells us “Holy and Reverend is His name.” Psalm 111:9.
The camp had a mixed group with both believers and unbelievers.
There are many churches now with saved and lost persons gathered together to worship God. This is because numbers of members are more important to them than the truth of God.
The church is composed only of believers. The remembrance meeting is only for believers. Only believers can pray to God and worship God. Only believers can understand the Word of God. When a person is saved the Lord adds him (her) to His church. unbelievers cannot take part in worship of the Lord. Therefore in assembly meetings only the believers take part. We should invite unbelievers to hear the gospel of the grace of God so that they may be saved.
In the camp all the people were required to keep the law so they could be accepted by God.
Many people are being taught that for them to get to heaven they, must do good works and believe on the Lord Jesus. Keeping the Ten Commandments will not save anyone. You can only be saved by grace, through faith in Christ, without the good works of the law. A believer living by the Spirit will bear the fruit of the Spirit. “Against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8, 9
Good works are the result of salvation. We should do good things because we are saved; not to get saved.
These four points we have learned about the camp describe many of the churches in the world today.
It Costs Something to Leave the Camp
The Word of God is: "Go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach." Hebrews 13:13.
If you are going to leave the camp you must be committed to believe the Scriptures. You may have family or friends in the camp. It may not be easy for you to meet apart from these people to obey the Word of God. You love your family and friends. They will not like you to leave the camp and be gathered only to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. This will bring reproach to you.
Ask a person in any church organization what he is connected with, and he gladly tells you the name of his “Church.” He is in the camp and people know about his church. The name of a church denomination gives people a status making them feel accepted in the world of religion.
Suppose I am gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus and I am asked what church I go to. I tell him, "I meet with a group of Christians."
He asks.” What is the name of it?"
I answer, "We are gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, so we take no other name."
He tells me, "You must have some name."
I tell him, "The name of my Saviour is enough;" and he walks away thinking I am very strange.
There is reproach connected with being gathered only to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified”. 1 Peter 4:14
This reproach should humble us. We must never think that we are better Christians than other believers. We must never forget that each of us has been saved by the grace of God alone. We are all part of that “One Body.”
#4 It Is According to Scripture to Be on the Ground of the One Body.
The eye of God sees all believers as one body not hundreds of bodies with various names, as we see them. These names are without value to God. There will be no other names in heaven.
“So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and everyone members one of another”. Romans 12:5.
"There is one body." Ephesians 4:4.
Christians at the beginning of the church in Jerusalem or Corinth or Ephesus met only as believers. They were part of that one body. It is not different today. If you wanted to meet with the Christians as they were remembering the Lord, they should ask some questions before receiving you at the Lord’s Table. They would want to know that you are saved and that your life was pure and free from immorality. They would want to make sure you did not believe or teach evil doctrine about the Person and work of Christ. They should accept you as a member of the body of Christ to partake of the loaf and cup. These emblems teach us the truth that all believers are members of the body of Christ.
When believers travel to a place where they are not known, they should take with them a letter of commendation from the assembly where they live. This introduces them as being gathered to the Lord’s name. Acts 18:27; 2 Corinthians 3:1. They are then received as being members of the body of Christ.
The unbroken loaf of bread is a picture of all the members of the One Body of Christ. The loaf includes all believers in the world; those who are present at the meeting and those believers who are not present. After the loaf of bread is broken, it reminds us of the death of the Lord Jesus. We partake of that loaf as members of the one body.
“For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.” 1 Corinthians 10:17.
It is the teaching of Scripture to be gathered on this large ground. Every member of the body of Christ on earth is recognized to be a brother or sister. Every believer that is not living a life of sin has the privilege of remembering the Lord in partaking of that one loaf.
“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke 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.” Matthew 26:26-28
In the beginning receiving believers was very simple. The assembly has the responsibility to receive believers at the Lord’s Table. This duty has become difficult because many who call themselves Christians are not Christians at all. It is not enough to take the testimony of an unknown person himself. God says there must be two or three witnesses. The assembly should discover if the person is true and honest. The assembly is responsible for those who are received. It is not the responsibility of the person to decide for himself. The assembly is responsible to keep the Lord’s Table clean. Matthew 18:17-18; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 5:7-13; 1 Thessalonians 4:7
Love is an important part of the Christian life.
We have talked much about being gathered only to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the importance of following the instructions of the Bible. These teachings mean nothing to us unless we show the love of Christ to all believers. We may know everything, but without love we are nothing.
“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10.
“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:35.
“He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” 1 John 4:20. Love shows itself in what we do and how we speak. Love is not something that I have in my heart for a short time.
And if I “understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and . . . have not love, I am nothing . . . Love has long patience, is kind; . . . bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. . . . Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:2,4,7,8
Truth without love dishonors God. It is not following Christ. Unless the love of Christ is shown to all believers, we should not say we are gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. This responsibility goes along with taking the name of the Lord. Christians have failed in witnessing to the unity of the church, but that failure does not excuse me from practicing these things
We ought to be, “Speaking the truth in love,” Ephesians 4:15.
Adapted from Why Do We Meet As We Do?
Abridged and edited April 23, 2007
T. A. Roach