Sometimes when we’re raised in something, its meaning gets lost, and for many who were raised in the church, the meaning of Church has been lost because they never stopped to ask why they go to church. All too often “church” is just part of our upbringing, culture, and life. But, when Christians lose sight of why they go to church, the Church loses her savor. This is why I loved the mission field, because the faith is still fresh and people ask really good questions. So that’s what we’re going to do here.
Okay, so, let’s ask a basic question: why do Christians go to church?
Well, we have to start by dealing with an important error contained in the question: “Christians are the Church“. Almost everyone in my generation has heard this line, and yet, we continue to function on the premise that church is someplace we go to. This is not a trivial, “semantic” point; it’s actually the point. Instead of “going to church”, we should be talking about why we “come together”. Jesus did something that not only impacts us individually, but also communally as God’s people. “Going to church” is centered around the idea that the Church is separate from us; it’s the idea that the church is a program or activity that we fit into our schedule, which is exactly how American Christians treat it. “Coming together” reflects the idea that we are a people with a shared purpose and identity.
So, now let’s ask a better question: why does the Church assemble?
Covenant
First, we are our Messiah’s covenant people, which means that we have a relationship with God based upon his promises. God made various covenants with different people in times past, all establishing how he would relate to various people or things, but now, God has made one specific covenant that serves as the basis for how he relates to his people (i.e. the Church) through Christ.
This covenant is found in Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 31:31–34 (CSB) — 31 “Look, the days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 This one will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt—my covenant that they broke even though I am their master”—the Lord’s declaration. 33 “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days”—the Lord’s declaration. “I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “For I will forgive their iniquity and never again remember their sin.”
The details of this covenant are further explained and applied in Hebrews 10:1-17, where we learn that Jesus took away our sins, which separated us from God, and fulfilled God’s will among his people by “sanctifying us through and through“. Put simply, our relationship with God is defined by Jesus taking our sins away and the Father inscribing his will upon our hearts by the Holy Spirit so that we can truly know God.
This is why the early Church devoted themselves to learning apostolic doctrine and growing in their knowledge of Christ and his covenant:
Acts 2:42 (CSB) — 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.
Ephesians 4:11–13, 16 (CSB) — 11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. 16 From [Jesus] the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.
2 Peter 1:3–11 (CSB) — 3 His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, 6 knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, 7 godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble. 11 For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.
Christians assemble to learn from what every member supplies (not just one superstar pastor) so that we might all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son. We break bread together (interpreted in Acts as observing the Lord’s Supper) in remembrance of this covenant. We pray to God according to these promises. So, we assemble to put into practice God’s covenant as the one community of his people.
Love
Second to our Messiah’s covenant, we are a people of our Messiah’s way of life. Jesus taught his disciples a specific way of life, which can be summarized by love. He taught his disciples to respond to evil with good. He taught his disciples to embrace personal sacrifice for not only one another and their neighbors, but even for their enemies!
This is Jesus’ way:
John 15:12 (CSB) — 12 “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you.
Matthew 22:37–39 (CSB) — 37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
Luke 6:27–31 (CSB) — 27 “But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If anyone hits you on the cheek, offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don’t hold back your shirt either. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and from someone who takes your things, don’t ask for them back. 31 Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them.
Ephesians 1:4 (CSB) — 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.
Jesus’ way of life involves loving one another, our neighbors, and our enemies.
This kind of love was so unnatural, so otherworldly, so extraordinary, that the early Christians understood their urgent need to assemble in order to strengthen each other for the purpose of showing this kind of love:
Hebrews 10:24–25 (CSB) — 24 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.
Christians assemble to provoke love and equip (by what every member supplies) God’s people to show this kind of radical love. We share our blessings to meet one another’s needs. We exercise patience towards those who are struggling. We use our gifts to build one another up. Put simply, when God’s people come together it’s meant to be a platform to amplify the exercise of Christian love. So, we assemble to put into practice Jesus’ way of life as expressed through love!
A Word To The Church About Why We Assemble
Unfortunately, there’s an assumption in the Church that is hurting her right now, and that assumption is that our institutions are entitled to the Christian’s loyalty for the Church even when they are not expressing the ministry of the Church. Many churches have become social clubs featuring all kinds of Christian-adjacent programs, but, their members are not putting into practice God’s covenant the way he designed his covenant to be expressed, nor are they living out Jesus’ way of life as expressed through love. Put simply, many of the institutions we call “church” are not the church, and attending their programs does not express the ministry of the Church. We’re told we have to “go to church” by those whose interest is in growing their organizations, but, if those institutions do not exercise the true ministry of the Lord’s Church, then attending such programs is not different than staying home and watching the football game!
So I want to conclude this post by encouraging those who are entrusted with leading the Church to make sure that the focus of their assembly is to put into practice both the covenant and way of life given to us in Jesus Christ!
Therefore, let all God’s people assemble each according to their ability as he supplies!
A Dedicated Faith 