- Some are sermons in disguise (Lord, our Pastor needs to be more open to your Spirit's work, for we know that in Ephesians it says, ... blah, blah!).
Others are gossip dressed up (And Jesus, give Al the strength he needs to overcome his awful habits, you know Lord, he drinks too much... blah, blah!).
Some are news broadcasts wrapped in Old English (Father, thou knowest that my daughter hast made the Dean's list and I thankest Thee that Thou hast blest her... blah, blah!).
But we had none of that in that gathering. We were a group of guys with open hearts, yearning to touch God and be touched by His Spirit. Being together and willing to hear each other's prayers helped to keep us honest and focused.
Sometimes together is hard! Occasionally God gives us a partner for ministry who is something less than a saint - perhaps vain, or immature, or just foolish. Sometimes He puts us in groups that wander, meandering toward a decision by the longest path possible. Sometimes He places us in a group that calls us on our hypocrisy! Ouch, that one hurts - because no one likes to have his pretensions punctured with honest insight. Sometimes He places us among people with whom we have no 'chemistry' and we have to stick with them bonded by the Spirit - you know - like being the one country music lover in a group that loves rock 'n roll!
Sometimes together is blissful! The meeting starts and the problem that has not yielded an answer to us for weeks, is solved by an insightful suggestion made by someone sitting across the table. The church service begins and the songs of the saints become the Wind beneath our wings (sorry, couldn't resist that). As prayers are offered, the light touch of another Christian and the sound of her voice asking the Lord God to meet our need, can be more comforting than almost anything in this world.
Together is never optional! This passage is so familiar, you may be tempted to skim through it. Please don't! Read it carefully.
"The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up only one body. So it is with the body of Christ.... the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am only an ear and not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? ... In fact, some of the parts that seem weakest and least important are really the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect from the eyes of others those parts that should not be seen, while other parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together in such a way that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other equally." (1 Corinthians 12:12,16,22-25 NLT)
So, dear Believer, choose together. Turn the 'me' in your life into choice for the 'we' of together. The Lord's command is -
"Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, NLT)
The Message says it like this: Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do!
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I truly hope that I'll see you on Sunday, in worship, at 10 AM - as we gather TOGETHER.
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