This weekend, congregations will gather all over the world.
The people of God will gather in large buildings, small buildings, tall buildings, and short buildings. Some will gather in tents, sheds, and caves in the ground. The beloved of God will meet in the northern, southern, eastern, and western hemispheres.
What a momentous occasion. Nothing here goes unnoticed.
The angelic army will peer with awe and anticipation over the banister, their gaze fixed upon the bride. They will observe with wonder as believers engage in sacred acts of fervent prayer, inspired preaching of the divine word, joyous singing that resonates with the heart of God, attentive listening to His truth, and the communal sharing of bread and wine, all in fellowship with their Savior, the sovereign King of all creation.
Wherever the bride of Christ is assembled, no city, state, or nation remains the same.
No hesitating, church.
The people of God will assemble this Lord’s Day in your community. We should let nothing keep us from this glorious gathering short of the providence of God. These redeemed of the Lord will advance our Father’s gospel as a properly qualified man of God will rise to lead these local people with fear and trembling. We must never abandon communities to spiritual death due to a lack of faith. No place or person is beyond grace. We win hardened hearts with His gospel. No alley is too dark, no neighborhood too corrupt, no city too big or too small, no nation too strong to prevail against the Lord’s church.
The Lord of heaven has called for the sacred occasion.
Your casual jog to the meetinghouse is unimaginable. Therefore, it is crucial for each individual to examine their heart today. Your actions and your attitude as you gather with your fellow believers this weekend will serve as a profound revelation of what you truly think of the Lord and His cherished bride, the Church. The spirit of individualism, a driving force within Western civilization, indeed runs wild through our veins, influencing our perspectives and behaviors. And while a degree of healthy independence can be a gift, it can also, paradoxically, become a detriment when it crosses into untethered autonomy. The Christian must never let his independence run unchecked. His liberty may cause him to leap like a calf in a mountain meadow (and that’s what I look like when I leap, a calf), but he is not an authority unto himself.
For the Christian, despite this boundless freedom, is fundamentally a man or woman under an authority not his or her own. We are called to live in freedom, yes, but a freedom tethered to the loving rule of God and the guidance of His appointed shepherds, always remembering that our ultimate allegiance is to Him.
To the Church-house brothers and sisters. We’ve been called by the King. He is meeting with us to be worshiped.
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