When an assembly of Christians can't assemble

by Michael Larsen

     When people first see some cathedrals or huge church buildings, they say “What a wonderful church!” What are they praising really? They are praising a building. And what is this building for? It is a place for Christians to meet. And what are Christians? Some people might say they are people who read the Bible.

     But what do they believe about the Bible? Well, hopefully, they believe that the Bible is God’s word to humanity, and that it is true in all that it teaches. But that alone might not make you a Christian. Because a Christian is a person who has a relationship with Jesus Christ. What kind of relationship? Christians believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. That is the main and most important thing. That is their main point in common. And lastly, they should go to church every week. The Greek word for church means an assembly of Christians. Typically Christians assemble every week in the same location, and thus, become a church.

     But what if they can’t assemble due to a pandemic or personal physical illness or injury? 

     What is the basic purpose of a church? Some people would say churches are for worshiping God. Other people might say churches are for praying together or singing together or studying the Bible together. These are all important things to do together, but we can and should also do these things alone.

     The apostle Paul helped start many of the first local churches. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul talks about the purpose of the church. He says that the purpose of the church is ...

“to prepare God’s people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach the unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12–13).

     Then, in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, he says,

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

     So the church’s main purpose is to be a group of local Christians that help build each other up into the likeness of Christ. We often refer to the church as our family. Ephesians 2:19 says “You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household.” As a family, we help one another to grow up in Christ. We build one another up. That’s why we have local church and why we should belong to one. 1 Corinthians 3:9 says that we are “God’s building.”

     So even though we can’t meet together for a while, let’s continue to do what we can to build ourselves and each other up in Christ.