If you’ve been a part of Faith Bible Church for any time, you’ve heard us teach that church isn’t an event or a building. You’ve heard us preach that the church is God’s people, saved by God’s power, for God’s purposes. We emphasize the importance of living everyday life with gospel intentionality—purposely living out the good news of Jesus in word and deed.
We encourage people to see life as countless opportunities for evangelism and discipleship, happening over coffee and meals, in the workplace, at the gym, and in our neighborhoods. We seek to live as servant ambassadors sent by Jesus to show the world what God is like, beautifully demonstrated in a Jesus-centered community.
So why is it vital for us to gather together every Sunday morning to sing and hear a sermon and partake in communion? If we teach that discipleship is life-on-life, in community, and on mission, doesn’t a Sunday gathering seem to conflict?
I want to share a few thoughts on why we believe it’s essential for the scattered church to gather regularly as a family of servant ambassadors.
- We gather to remember the gospel story. The Church is a story-formed community rooted in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As we gather together each week, we sit under the authority of God and hear him speak through his word, the Bible. The Bible narrates the world for the Church, and the gathering of the family of God is the primary place for this to happen. We hear God’s true story loud and clear as we remember his mighty deeds—past, present, and future—and find our place in his story. The organization of our gatherings, including the songs we sing, the liturgical rhythms of praise, confession, and assurance we recite together, and the other elements of worship point to who God is and what he has done in Jesus to rescue the world from the ravages of sin.
- We gather to retell the gospel story. Each week we gather to hear God’s word preached. Preaching is a powerful means by which God’s people may be nurtured and empowered for God’s mission. Preaching helps us to see that the Bible is one unfolding story that is the true story of the world. Preaching helps us to see that the family of God must learn to live everyday life more and more in this story. Preaching brings listeners face-to-face with Jesus and his saving power to equip us to live all of life for his glory. We retell the good news of Jesus as we encourage one another through times of prayer, sharing of stories, and partaking in communion together.
- We gather to respond to the gospel story. Our Sunday gatherings help nurture and form a family of servant ambassadors rooted in the gospel and come to know God’s saving power in worship, preaching, and prayer. But it doesn’t stop after the gathering is done. We gather to be equipped and encouraged to be sent out into our culture as a people living the new life of God’s kingdom. We respond to the gospel story as we live everyday life—Monday through Sunday—with gospel intentionality. Michael Goheen, in his book A Light to the Nations, points out that a people responding to the gospel story will be:
A community of justice in a world of injustice; a community of generosity and simplicity in a consumer world; a community of selfless giving in a world of selfishness and entitlement; a community of humble and bold witness to the truth of God in a world of uncertainty; a community of hope in a world of disillusionment and consumer satiation; a community of joy and thanksgiving in a hedonistic world that frantically pursues pleasure; a community that experiences God’s presence in a secular world (pp.209-210)
What other amazing things occur when we gather together? How is God glorified, Christ exalted, and FBC empowered for mission as we gather together each week? Share your thoughts!
Praying for you, FBC!
–Wade