What A Congregation Is
Phil. 1:1-2

When Jesus spoke of the church He would build, He spoke of only one - Mt. 16:18.
2. But sometimes in the New Testament the word “church” appears in the plural.
a. “The churches of Galatia” Gal. 1:2; “The seven churches which are in Asia,” Rev. 1:4.
(A) Does Christ have one church or does He have several?
There is no contradiction if we see that “church” is used in two senses in the New Testament:
(a) The universal sense.
The local sense.
But we may understand the basic difference between the church universal and the church local and still not have an adequate understanding of exactly what a local church is supposed to be.
What is a local church? And more specifically, what are we as a local church?
We are a group of Christians who congregate = We come together to accomplish God’s assignment to us.
(B) Church comes from the Greek --- ekklesia — assembly, gathering.
Acts 19:32, The term is used in reference to non-religious assemblies.
The word is used in the New Testament to an assembly of Christians.
It defines a physical assembly of the Lords people in the Old Testament, Acts 7:38, Moses and Israel in the wilderness.
Acts 8:1, The persecution of Spiritual Israel.
One of the primary characteristics of the local church is that it congregates or assembles, Acts. 14:27, Paul and Barnabas mission report, “Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.”
The church is not the church just when assembled.
1 Cor. 11:18, “When you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you...” As a member of the church I am the church when I am somewhere away from the assembly.
b. But the assembly is important. We tend to underestimate the importance of the
assemblies of the congregation. Some members of the congregation do not come when the
congregation assembles.
(1) Some members show a lack of appreciation for the assembly itself. That was also true in the first century, 1 Cor. 11:17, “Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse.”
(1) Neglect (in whatever manner) of the assembling of ourselves together is a very serious matter - Heb. 10:23-25, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another.”
(a) Eph. 11:4-16, why we are not to forsake the assembly. The assembly is the place where come to be fed and nurtured spiritually. And to encourage eachother.
(b) Acts 20:7 The first century church came together on the first day of the week.
(1) How many first days of the week are there? Answer that by asking how many weeks are there? There are 52 weeks in a year. That means that the church came together 52 times a year, or every time there was a first day of the week.
(2) What was the purpose of these assemblies? Served a very important purpose.

(1) To be strengthen and encouraged by partaking of their covenant meal that had been established, ordained by Jesus in Matt. 26:26-29.
(2) Paul talked about this in 1 Cor. 11:17-34. Partaking of this covenant meal every first day of the week is an ordained observance given by Christ Himself.
(3) We come together for fellowship and together we praise, honor, and remember what Jesus did on the cross. It is our covenant meal in which we give honor and glory to God for our salvation. It is commanded by God, how could we dare forsake this hallowed, sacred, commanded observance?
(2) We are members of the Body of Christ. As God’s Family we have a common bond to one another. We have a pure relationship to a common Father and to one another.
(1) 1 Jno. 1:3, says, “We have fellowship with one another and our is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”
We are to honor God and Jesus by putting our fellowship above all others.
(1) Rom. 12:5, “We, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”
(2) Rom. 12:10, “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.”
(3) Rom. 12:16, “Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.” That means that you don’t put any one in the world above your brother or sister in Christ. Don’t be high minded toward another Christen who has less education, less wealth, wisdom, prestiege or less anything.
(2) God, Christ, the Church ( your Brothers and Sisters in Christ) come first, above all other relationships and obligations in this life.
(1) The Church—You and I are members of Christ’s Body. Understand that!
(2) If any member of the Body is weak, ill, in need in any way we had better respond to that need.
(3) Acts 2:41-47. The first congregation of Christians on earth lived their lives for God and each other.
(1) “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Heb 13:20?21.
(2) Acts 20:32.

Spur - 07/22/2001 am