The Gathering (Part 5)

Concerning the Gathering:

Who?

Who is the Gathering for?

What/Why?

What is the Gathering/Assembly?

What is the Gathering/Assembly all about?

Acts 2:42-47

Hebrews 10:23-25

1 Corinthians 14; Ephesians 4:11-16

Never referred to as a “worship service”

Romans 12:1-2

John 4

The assembly is A time/place for worship, not THE time & place

When?

Sunday

Where?

Anywhere

How?

How should the assembly/gathering be structured?

How would a typical Sunday look if we tried to match the early church’s gatherings?

Jody Apple:

No snark intended … our multipurpose building is a house. Five students plus the owners (me and my wife) live here. It has accommodated 35 +/- in the living room and would probably hold 65-70 in the large office/game room downstairs. We have breakfast ready at 9 Sunday mornings. Class at 10. Worship at 11ish. Wrap up around 12.30-1. After which we enjoy a meal and hours upon hours of continuous fellowship. Some go for walks, hikes in the bordering forest. Play games… there’s ping pong and fuss ball in the basement. We sing. And enjoy each others company. Sometimes we are together for eight hours straight on Sundays. And we do this every Sunday. The togetherness … it’s awesome. And the support and mutual concern … equally awesome. This arrangement costs the body of Christ no money. But we are all willing to spend time and our resources and some effort to pull it off. We are in a college town and students are a big part of our group. Christian students invite their non-Christian friends. And those non-Christian friends invite others too … like tonight. It’s a wonderful experience that I wish I would have fully embraced 45 years ago when I first started full-time ministry. No, this is not what my beloved brother Ralph asked for … I get that. But I thought it might be helpful to consider an alternative approach to how we do church. It’s the most natural approach I’ve ever witnessed and personally experienced. Blessings to all. Love, Jody