“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25 (NLT)
Why does the church need to come together? Why is it important to meet up? Believe it or not, the church service is not meant to be an opportunity to reach the lost, though that can and should definitely be in our mind (1 Corinthians 14). The primary purpose of our “assembling together” is to corporately worship God, to fellowship with other believers and to be equipped with the Word of God, and empowered by the Holy Spirit so that the body can be “witnesses!” Somehow things have been twisted, priorities have been shifted and the world has gained a stronghold in many of our churches. And it has been such a slow dissolve that the leadership don’t even see the level of decay that they have accepted as norm. Our services are meant to be places where God moves among us, where the Holy Spirit is free to do whatever He wants. Our gatherings are to be places where He heals, delivers and restores. I believe God desires His presence over our programing. He longs for us to encounter Him over being entertained! Every second of our time together is vitally important, and is holy! Though we live in the world, we are not of the world and our coming together should look and reflect this reality. We are not merely social clubs that exist for the benefit of its members. We are Jesus’ body, coming together in all its various parts. He promises that where two or more gather in His name, He is there (Matthew 18:20). Our services and gatherings need to reflect this!
Please pray for your church to be absolutely aligned with Jesus the head! Pray that every trace of worldly compromise would be exposed and removed. Pray for your leadership to be willing to do whatever it takes to create presence and encounter opportunities. Pray that the churches across our city would indeed become holy ground where God literally moves among us, where His power and presence is felt, and His kingdom is released. Pray that believers across our city would be empowered when they come together to go out filled with the Holy to share Jesus boldly (Acts 4:31).
