Why Christians Should Gather for Worship: Part 1

One of the benefits of COVID was that it forced us to set up a livestream. This was something we’d talked about, but other things always took priority. In March 2020, those priorities rapidly shifted, and we finally did set up a livestream. I’m thankful for it because God has used that to help those exploring Christianity to get a feel for our church before coming in person.

This raises the question, is a livestream a suitable alternative for gathered worship? Can you be a faithful Christian but only watch the service? In short, the answer is no. In this first newsletter I’m going to look at the command and history behind why Christians gather weekly for worship. Next month I’ll give us a number of practical reasons why we should gather.

First, Some Caveats

I’m incredibly grateful for our congregation because, by and large, everyone has returned in person, but you’ve probably been tempted to simply watch. Or perhaps you’ve wondered why it even matters that we gather.

There are good reasons to use the livestream, and I’m thankful we can offer that. I already mentioned how useful it is for people exploring Christianity but nervous to attend in person. The livestream also helps those who are sick stay connected with what’s happening at church. This is a blessing. Some of our people have weakened immune systems, and this also helps them maintain a connection to the church.

In the end, though, we should see the livestream as a temporary stand-in, not a replacement, for gathered worship. Whether someone is exploring Christinaity or has a weakened immune system, the goal should always be worshiping together in person. The livestream is like instant ramen: quick and convenient, but insufficient for long-term health.

The Expectation To Gather

Hebrews 12:24-25 is most clear that Christians should regularly gather together. It says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Pair this with other passages in the New Testament where the believers met together on the first day of the week (John 20:19, Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2), and we can infer that this Sunday gathering is what the author of Hebrews tells us not to neglect.

You may wonder where the idea of weekly gathering came from; we can trace two streams that lead to its development. First, when God finished his work of creation he established the Sabbath. He commanded us to mirror that cycle: one day out of seven we are to rest from our work. Soon after Jesus' resurrection the New Testament Church began treating Sunday as their Sabbath because it was the day Jesus was raised from the dead. This day became known as the Lord’s Day (Revelation 1:10), indicating that it should be a day devoted to God.

Second, while we don’t see Israelites gathering weekly in the Old Testament, they certainly gathered for public worship a number of times (1 Kings 8:22; 1 Chronicles 15:3; Nehemiah 8:2-9; Ezra 3:11). In fact, the Greek word translated as “church” was often used to describe these assemblies.

During the time between the Old and New Testaments, the synagogue came into existence as a way for the Jews who’d been scattered throughout the Middle East to gather for worship. The word literally means “gathering together.” Anywhere ten male Jews lived, a synagogue could form. These synagogues looked similar to our churches, and the service even resembles our service today. It would include something like a call to worship from Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21 or Numbers 15:37-41. There would be several prayers, a Scripture reading, and a sermon on the text. The service would close with a benediction. Any qualified male could read and give the sermon. The synagogue ruler kept everything running smoothly.

By Jesus’ time, synagogues had popped up in many places, both in Palestine and around the Middle East. For instance, in Luke 4:14-21 we read that it was Jesus’ custom to join the gathering in the synagogue on the Sabbath, reading from the Old Testament and giving a short sermon on the passage.

Many of the Apostles participated in synagogue life, even getting to preach to the Jewish congregations. When Paul traveled through Asia Minor he often visited the synagogues, read Scripture, and gave sermons (Acts 9:19-20; 13:14-15; 14:1-2; 17:1-3, 18:19).

With that background, let’s return to Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Now that we understand some of the historical and cultural context, it’s evident this is a command; Christians must be in the habit of gathering together. This is something that believers have done for more than 2,000 years. With that much history behind it, it’s clearly something we should take seriously. Likely your next question is, “But why?” For an answer to that you’ll have to wait till next month, where I’ll give a number of reasons.

In Christ,
Pastor Jon