Assembled Together
#findingyourplaceseries
Written by Brigitta Tedja
CBC’s topic for this month is “Finding Your Place” and Pastor James continued the series with a sermon entitled “Assembled Together”. This Sunday marks the beginning of our Ministry Open House so that every believer can be plugged into ministry to grow, mature, and to be a people of purpose.
ASSEMBLING TOGETHER
Hebrews 10:23-25 23 “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, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
God calls the church to assemble together in both senses of the word: physically and spiritually; naturally and supernaturally.
1. IN PERSON:
We can see from this verse that God instructs us to physically assemble together with the church.
During 2020 COVID, the world shut down. The church shut its physical doors and services went online with pre-recorded messages and worship and Zoom CARE Cells began.
March 2020, this new scary disease was rapidly infecting people across the globe
People were getting sick, hospitalized, with no cure in sight, no idea how to stop this thing
There is no problem with other forms and means of fellowship and a community supplemented by technology, but when we try to PERMANENTLY REPLACE actual physical Christ-centered community with things like technology that allows or maintains or reinforces distance, it becomes a problem. It is unacceptable.
Being apart can be tolerated for a season, but it cannot be the permanent arrangement.
God has called you, called us, to assemble as the body of Christ and to come together physically.
There Is Something About Gathering Together:
Engaging in the atmosphere of worship
The prophetic moves different being physically in the room
Hug, handshake, the pats on the back
The community engages differently in person
Laying on of hands for impartation, for blessing, for healing
Anointing with oil
Baptism, communion, breaking of bread
When you are bought in, when you understand that this is the place where God has called you, appointed you, commissioned you, and ASSEMBLED YOU into the body – there is something in you that says, “I’ve got to get there!”
“Technology is good, but I’m fighting my way back into that room.”
“Zoom helps us, Discord, WhatsApp, Telegram are also good.”
Assembling Together is a Form of Discipleship
There is an element of sacrifice and the shaping of our lives around the primacy of the things of God.
Getting dressed, getting the kids ready and in the car
Moving lunch plans, social events around being together for service
It is a step away from consumer Christianity and closer to discipleship.
Shorter message, fits our schedule better (convenience)
Church is not a convenience store
God calls us to assemble together as members of the body of Christ. Not just physically, but spiritually.
2. AS THE BODY
Like with IKEA: Every little piece is important, and every part has a function
When one piece is missing, the product is incomplete
Every piece has its place.
Ephesians 4:11-13, 16 NLT “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.”
Verse 12: “Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.”
Five-fold ministry as the governing body of the church
Maybe 95% of the church is not in these 5 roles (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers)
Offices God has called certain people to, for the equipping of the rest of us
Verse 13 “This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.”
He WAS and IS the expressed image of God the Father, and the complete standard to which we as the church and His body, grow into.
Jesus Christ is the measuring rod for your character, for your gifting, your calling,
and for all that you are as a follower of Christ.
Individually and corporately.
God knows none of us can do it all
Jesus was the only perfect example: apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher, gifts of the spirit, healing, faith, etc.
He spoke to: fishermen, high priests, tax collectors, prostitutes, and lepers.
Every stratum and segment of society and culture
While Jesus could do it all, but we, ASSEMBLED TOGETHER, can disciple the nations.
When assembled together, we start to look like the fullness of Christ.
Verse 16: “He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”
Jesus makes all of us fit together perfectly.
He has assembled us as members of the body, inseparable from one another.
1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 11 AMP “Now there are [distinctive] varieties of spiritual gifts [special abilities given by the grace and extraordinary power of the Holy Spirit operating in believers], but it is the same Spirit [who grants them and empowers believers]. And there are [distinctive] varieties of ministries and service, but it is the same Lord [who is served]. And there are [distinctive] ways of working [to accomplish things], but it is the same God who produces all things in all believers [inspiring, energizing, and empowering them].
1 Corinthians 12:11 AMP “All these things [the gifts, the achievements, the abilities, the empowering] are brought about by one and the same [Holy] Spirit, distributing to each one individually just as He chooses.”
We do not choose our gifts, but we choose what we do with them
Distinctive varieties of ministries and service, distinctive ways of working to accomplish
That is how we can each be called to different arenas of society and culture
7 Mountains: Family, Education, Government, Business, Religion, Arts & Entertainment, Media
Different ministries, different gifts
Some of you are called to campuses, to create businesses, to medicine, etc.
Youth, College, Young Families, Music, Video, Hospitality, Prayer, Salt & Light
The Call Stands: “Make Disciples of All Nations!”
The way we do that is when we are assembled together.
We often do not know our calling until we place ourselves in the assembly of the body.
When you place yourself as a son or daughter connected to the vision of the house, of the Father, He places you, shapes, and refines you into the purpose and calling over you.
Romans 8:19 NKJV “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.”
We do not always start out where exactly we need to be or serving exactly in the role that we are to be, but be faithful and use each season as a stepping stone into our ultimate purpose, on why we were created.
Prayer Points:
Pray to be placed in an assembly, physically and supernaturally
Pray to be a son or daughter of God
Pray to be connected to the local church and its vision so that God can place, shape, and refine us into our purpose and calling, what we were born for
Pray to trust God’s plan and purpose for us
Pray to make ourselves available, say “yes” until God takes us to where we are supposed to be
Pray to know what section of the 7 Mountains we are in (Family, Education, Government, Business, Religion, Arts & Entertainment, Media)
Pray that God utilizes all our gifts, talents, and time
Pray for divine appointments and divine relationships
Pray for Holy Spirit synergy, a freedom in the Spirit, and that the Spirit’s gifts can move easily
Pray that once being part of the body of Christ, being equipped through ministry and CARE Cell, we can ultimately “Make Disciples of All Nations”
Pray for the next two weeks that the people will know what ministry to commit to
Pray for the advancement and building progress of the Ministry Center; no delays, obstacles, or interruptions.