What One Who Forsakes the Assembly Does Not Do!
The Hebrew writer warned those of his today to not forsake the assembly. Said he, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Heb. 10:25).
This was a practice of some brethren of that point in time evidenced by the warning that was issued. Some today contend that one does not forsake the assembly by missing a service once in a while. I recently heard a gospel preacher make this claim. The word “forsaking” means, to leave behind in some place, i.e. (in a good sense) let remain over, or (in a bad sense) to desert:--forsake, leave. Strong’s Dictionary. If one willfully chooses not to attend one service when they could attend, this one has left that particular service behind; they have deserted it; they have forsaken that opportunity to worship and thus they show disregard to God and their brethren. Consider what one does not do when they forsake the assembling of the saints. They DO NOT...
Considering these truths from the scriptures,
forsaking the assembling is a serious matter! Those who willfully forsake the
assembling of the saints need to give the words of the Hebrew writer serious
thought and repent. Where will you be each time the saints assemble to worship
God? – tgmc
Who is a
Christian?
By Heath Rogers
“Where Two or
Three Are Gathered Together in My Name”
By Greg Gwin
In a frequently cited verse Jesus promises “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20). Often folks apply this to situations where they join with one another in prayer about a specific problem. The idea is that if they agree together and jointly offer prayers, Jesus is ‘with them’ in regard to the desired outcome. Even more often this verse is used concerning worship. The concept is that Jesus approves and is effectively ‘there’ in any assembly of two or more that have joined in worship.
While people have drawn comfort from both of these notions, they sadly represent a rather serious misuse of the text in question. As in all studies, the context of Matthew 18:20 must be considered in order to draw a true conclusion about its meaning.
Jesus’ specific contextual thoughts begin in verse 15 where He addresses a situation in which a brother has committed a trespass. He instructs us to “go and tell him his fault.” If he “will not hear thee” then the next step is to “take with thee two or three witnesses.” Finally, in the case of an unrepentant brother, we must “tell it unto the church” and if that fails he is to “be unto thee as an heathen and a publican.” Jesus is, of course, describing a very serious and sad consequence. We commonly refer to this as ‘church discipline.’ In these matters He gives assurance that “whatsoever ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven” (vs. 18). It is in this specific sense that He promises “where two or three are gathered together in my name” (or by His authority) “there am I in the midst of them.” He is ‘with us’ in the sense of approving our actions.
Thus, we see that the frequently quoted phrase really does not have ‘prayer groups’ or, especially, worship assemblies in view at all. To use (misuse) the passage in this way has led Christians to faulty conclusions like this: go ahead and skip the regular assembling of the church, have a brief devotional in their hotel room, and then head off to the amusement park for fun and games. Folks who do so should not take any false comfort in the idea that Jesus is ‘with them’ in such abuses. Matthew 18:20 offers no such justification. Think!
Special note: The misuse of Matthew
18:20 has been very evident in our current coronavirus crisis. Brethren are
using this verse to justify the ‘virtual’, ‘online’, ‘remote’, ‘at home’
observance of the Lord’s Supper. Again, the text in question does not speak to
or authorize such. We firmly believe, as many have expressed, that the Lord’s
Supper is to be done when “the whole church has come together into one
place” (1 Cor. 14:23 – see also 1 Cor. 11:18, 20, 34 and Acts 20:7). –
Collegevue church of Christ Bulletin, April 19, 2020.