[Biblemat] A) QUESTION AND ANSWER

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  A very good Thursday
morning to each and everyone.  May God bless you and yours.
Here is a question and answer that recently came my way:

QUESTION AND ANSWER

QUESTION: -- Does the Bible tell us to assemble for worship?

ANSWER: -- I heard a taped lesson teaching the very idea that
                    one does not have to assemble to worship.  It is
amazing how some people, even brethren, can take a simple
principle of truth and distort it to the point that they teach
positions altogether foreign to the New Testament.  Though
it is possible and desirable to think that the person making
such a statement was not expressing himself clearly or had
not fully thought about the idea, he asserted that our only
reason for gathering together is to edify one another.  In view
of New Testament teaching, I must label this notion as totally
lacking in approval from the Lord.  I would even challenge any
proponent of this notion to cite a passage where the Lord 
tells Christians to assemble to edify others.  I also insist that
the Bible teaches this practice in other authoritative ways, such as approved 
example and necessary conclusion.

     I would never minimize the importance of our seeking to
edify one another in our gatherings, because this purpose
is a legitimate one according to the Scriptures.  For instance,
in our singing we should teach and admonish each other in
psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16); in
our prayers we who lead those prayers ought to bear in mind
the audience and express ideas that represent the desires or
needs of all gathered, while expressing the prayer in words
that all can hear and understand (1 Cor. 14:14-17).  The num-
erous uses of "edify" in 1 Cor. 14 show us that we must con-
sider others (the horizontal dimension) in all that we do in these 
gatherings.  On the other hand one must try to miss it
to fail to see the virtical dimension of our assembling with the
saints. When we eat the supper of the Lord on the first day of
the week, we remember Christ (1 Cor. 11:25,29).  Prayer is an
expression of praise and adoration to God (1 Cor. 14:16,17).
Singing gives occasion to make melody in our hearts to God
and to express favor (grace) in our hearts to the Lord.  The
reading or teaching of the Lord's Word, even when delivered
by the gift of prophecy, also served to generate praise and
thanksgiving to God in those understanding the message (1
Cor. 14:24,25).  Surely these portraits of NT assembly worship mean something!

     If we are not careful in our Bible study and determination 
to practice the Father's will, we will so fix our efforts on one
objective as to rule the Lord out of our efforts.  Let us learn
the lesson that we must take into account all that the New
Testament says about this matter.   ------ Bobby Graham in
Truth Magazine, Vol. 51, No. 4, April 2007.

     (How can one not see that the example of Paul and his
travelling companions waiting nearly a week in order to meet
with the saints of Troas as they met together to worship God,
leaves an inspired example for us to meet to do the same?
Acts 20:6,7.  Also, we have the command found in Heb. 10:19-
29, where we are told to encourage one another to gather for
worship and to not forsake the assembling for that purpose.
JWS).   </HTML>
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