On Being Reformed - Commitment #3 and 4: “Gather Faithfully and Pursue Biblical Fellowship.”

Hello, church family and anyone else reading this. So far, we have seen that in our first two commitments of the Knox Membership Covenant, Scripture is the ultimate authority for everything we believe and practice as a church. We have also seen that God calls every believer, and therefore His Church, to pursue holiness. Now, an obvious follow-up question is: “If we are called to a pursuit of holiness as a church, how does God intend for us to do this?”

The remaining commitments flow from this very truth. As we look to the Scriptures and see the commands Christ has given His Church, we willingly commit ourselves to obey them together. So, for today, we will look at two commitments, since they flow together very well, and I believe it will make more sense to discuss them together. And these two commitments are: “regularly attend the corporate gatherings of this local church,” and “participate in intimate and spiritual fellowship with this community.”

These two commitments are the first to describe how we are to live together as Christ's Church in pursuit of holiness. The reason is that we cannot pursue holiness together as a body of Christ if we are not actively part of the church. At first glance, this may seem obvious, but sadly, one of the greatest issues plaguing the church today is a very individualistic mindset that it is “me and Christ” against the world. And we see this in many different ways, such as: the thinking that we don’t actually have to be a part of a church, since I can just watch online; the thinking that I don’t need any guidance but my own thoughts when I read the Bible; and the belief that Christianity is about my own salvation, and not the salvation of Christ’s Church.

But when we look to the Scriptures, we see clearly that when Christ returns, He isn’t coming for millions of individuals, but for His bride, the Church (Rev 19:7-9, Rev 21:2, 9-10, Eph 5:25-27). This alone should cause every Christian to recognize how precious the Church is to Christ. Another issue we face today is the belief that belonging to the universal Church means the local church isn’t necessary in a Christian's life. 

Now it is true that all believers at the moment of regeneration and new birth were baptized into one body, which is the universal Church (1 Cor 12:13). However, Paul spends the rest of 1 Corinthians 12 explaining that, as members of the body of Christ, we are called to be active participants within it. As soon as we think that we don't need to be a part of a church, it is as though a finger decided to remove itself from the body and live on its own. But we are called to be together and united in all that we do (1 Cor 12:26). And this is ordinarily expressed by becoming part of a local church, a visible expression of Christ's universal body. 

This understanding of the Church is not merely illustrated in 1 Corinthians 12; it is also explicitly commanded in Hebrews 10, which serves as the primary passage for this commitment. Where the author of Hebrews writes, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Here we see Christ calling His people to gather together faithfully, encourage one another, and stir one another up to love and good works.

And we see that even though every believer enjoys personal communion with Christ, the Christian life was never intended to be lived in isolation. Christ saves individuals into His body so that they might strengthen, encourage, and serve one another as they gather together. We should always remember that Christ loved His Church enough to die for it (Eph 5:25), and as such, we should love the Church the same.

But gathering together is not an end in itself. Once Christ's people gather together, what are they called to devote themselves to? That is what our fourth commitment addresses. And we see a good example of what a healthy church looks like when we look to Acts 2:42, and we see it said about the early church, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” The early church devoted itself to the apostles' teaching (Scripture), fellowship, the breaking of bread (communion), and prayer. These were the ordinary practices of the early church. And although Acts 2:42 is not a direct command, it intentionally describes the ordinary life of the apostolic church. It therefore provides the pattern Christ intends His churches to follow.

Many today approach these passages as though they simply describe what worked for the early church, but are not necessarily intended for ours. Scripture presents them very differently. They show us the kind of church Christ desires His people to be. Going back to the individualistic mindset so common today, many assume that devotion to the apostles' teaching (Scripture) is all that is required. But Acts 2:42 shows that the early church devoted itself not only to the apostles' teaching, but also to fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer.

Biblical fellowship is far more than simply spending time together socially. It is the shared life of believers united to Christ. This shared life is expressed in the ordinary life of the church as we worship, serve, pray, and encourage one another. This is the call of Christ for His Church. And we must not make the mistake of thinking fellowship only refers to eating together, as is often the only time that word seems to be used today in many churches. But it is when we: encourage each other, sing together, pray together, learn of God together, serve together, bear each other's burdens, rejoice together, mourn together, are generous among ourselves, and hold each other accountable. But this faithful biblical fellowship can only begin when we faithfully gather together as Christ's body.

We can always seem to make time for the things we truly value in life. We reschedule our entire week so we don’t miss a TV show or game we want to watch, a friend passing through town, or a concert we’ve been dying to see. Yet, when it comes to our priorities, we tend to put church at the bottom of our list, and we attend only when it is convenient or when we have no other plans for a Sunday. But this needs to change. How can we, as Christians, see how much Christ loves His Church, see the commands He has given to gather together, and yet not desire to do so?

The gathered church must become a genuine priority in our lives. Christ has not only commanded His people to gather together, but He has also ordained the gathered church as the ordinary means by which He strengthens, nourishes, matures, and preserves His people. Through the faithful preaching of His Word, the ordinances, prayer, mutual encouragement, and loving fellowship, Christ Himself builds His Church.

That is the call of every Christian: to be a healthy member of Christ’s body and contribute alongside the gathered body. There will be times when sickness, work, or travel prevent us from attending, but those occasions should be the exception rather than the norm. We have committed to being in the church as often as we can, since it is what Christ has commanded us to do.

But simply gathering and showing up is not enough. We are also called to be active participants in the life of the body by pursuing meaningful fellowship with one another. And this is the very reason commitment #3 and #4 go so well together. We commit ourselves to attending the church gatherings and events, but also to being joyfully and actively involved in them. We not only gather each week, but we also have conversations, share our lives, serve together, help those in need by sharing in their burdens, host people at our place or meet somewhere during the week, and check in on members who have been absent.

We do these things because we pursue holiness and cultivate a culture of love among ourselves. Spiritual isolation and individualism are very dangerous. Christ has saved us to be a part of a community, where we use our gifts to help and encourage others, as they help us. When we live this way, we glorify Christ by displaying the transforming power of His Gospel as we strengthen, serve, and encourage one another. In doing so, He preserves the unity of His Church, grows us in holiness, and prepares us for the day when we will worship together with His people from every age for eternity.

One final truth we need to remember is that we do these things not merely out of duty nor simply because we desire community, but because we love the things that Christ loves. We love the church and recognize that He established His Church for our benefit. So, why would we ever neglect it?

I pray that we can start seeing the church as Christ sees His bride. God help us to love your church more.

Soli Deo Gloria

Pastor Steven Larson