The Gathering

Democracy was invented in Athens around 508 B.C. It was a direct democracy, meaning that the citizens voted for every issue – they did not vote for representatives who would vote on issues for them (that’s a Republic). All legislative and executive issues were determined by the citizens. Imagine an issue of taxation coming up in Athens. An assembly of the citizens (to be honest, only wealthy, adult males) was scheduled for a certain time and place. The assembly then heard arguments pro and con, often accompanied by political satirists and comedians (their own SNL), and then a vote was taken. You had to be physically present in order to be a part of the assembly and to have a vote on the matter.

The Greek word for the democratic assembly was ekklesia. It literally means “those who are called out,” i.e., called out of their homes to gather as an assembly. That same Greek word is very important in the New Testament and is always translated “church.” Unfortunately, the word “church” has come to mean a lot of things other than this picture of the assembly. Traditional and historical baggage has been attached to the idea of “church,” resulting in our understanding of church having little to do with the teaching of Jesus and the Apostles.

Jesus came preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. However, he taught about the idea of his “ekklesia” on two different occasions. The first occasion was when he asked his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” You’ll recall that Peter responded with this important confession of faith: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:13-16). Jesus then made this statement about his ekklesia: “I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:18-19). Jesus made a very clear declaration: “I will build my church,” my assembly. Jesus committed himself to building a community of gathered ones who would have authority to “bind” and to “loose.” This new assembly would gather in communion with heaven and share in the authority of heaven. It would be an entirely new kind of assembly that would triumph over the gates of hell.

On the second occasion Jesus was teaching his apprentices about the unique nature of his kingdom, describing the greatest in the kingdom as “someone who takes the lowly position of this child.” He went on to condemn those who cause one of his little ones to stumble, to recommend leaving the ninety-nine sheep to find the one who has wandered off, and to describe the process of restoring a fallen brother or sister (Matthew 18:1-17). Jesus then made this statement: “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:18-20). Jesus expanded on his earlier teaching about the unique authority of his assembly by describing a concrete example of a Kingdom gathering, one involving “two or three” real people gathered at a specific time and place. This assembly would share heaven’s authority to bind and loose. Why? Because “where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” This human gathering has heaven’s authority because they are gathered “in my name” and as a result, Jesus is with them.

I’m convinced that most of what we think of as “church” is not really church at all. We all know that the building is not the church, the people are the church. What we don’t appreciate is that the people are the church only when they are assembled together. I am not the church when I leave the assembly. We are the church during the times we are assembled together. And when we gather in the name of Jesus, with Jesus at the center, representing the mission priorities of Jesus, he is present with us, standing in the midst, speaking and working to and through us. It’s not enough just to be together; to share in heaven’s authority we must “agree” together in unity. And when we agree together as we agree with Jesus, the authority of God’s Kingdom is extended to and through our gathering.

May I suggest that there are many reasons why we occasionally assemble together that really miss the point:

·         To see and be seen. While we thoroughly enjoy our human connections and interactions during the times we are together, the church/gathering is not primarily a social club.

·         To serve and be served. For many the local church exists to provide a menu of religious goods and services. Some gather only when they are scheduled to serve. There is really no understanding of the authority of Jesus in the midst of a gathered, united community of Christ followers.

·         To put on a show for seekers. While we are committed to being a welcoming church and not a religious getto, our primary purpose is to gather in the name of Jesus to exercise the authority of God’s Kingdom.

·         To earn favor with God. In our Bible belt culture we are committed to the thought that “going to church” is always a good idea and contributes to our reputation of being good people. But we do not “go to church,” we are the church when we gather together in his name.

Instead, we must understand that the regular practice of assembling together is vitally important to our lives as apprentices of Jesus, to the Jesus Way, and to our experience of being transformed and empowered to being instruments of transformation in the world. We are committed to the regular practice of gathering because:

·         We are the “called out ones,” called out of the world by the grace of God.

·         We are representatives of Jesus, gathering in his name, gathering as instruments of God’s Kingdom in the world.

·         Jesus is with us; we gather to celebrate Jesus, to fellowship with Jesus, to worship together.

·         We have Kingdom authority when we are gathered together, taking advantage of the opportunity to “bind” and “loose” in Jesus’ name.

It’s no accident that you find all of us together at certain times and places. We are God’s Kingdom Gathering – transformed people transforming the world.