Church meetings…
Several days ago, I posted about how the church helped my family move. We enjoy helping one another with things like packing up and moving, but that’s not the only reasons we gather. Actually, we have one day of “official” meetings, Sunday. We meet together Sunday morning and Sunday evening. But, what about other days of the week?
Saturday: Our family went to a movie and dinner with out-of-town visitors (my wife’s sister and her husband) and some of our church family.
Sunday: We gathered together with the church Sunday morning and Sunday evening.
Monday: Some of the church family came to our house for pizza and fellowship.
Tuesday and Wednesday: My wife and children went to the local pool with some of our church family.
Thursday: Our family went to a young friend’s baseball game, then to a Bible study.
Friday: My wife and daughter helped some of our church family do some work on their house.
Some people would not call this “church” – except for Sunday and perhaps the Bible study on Thursday. However, God has called us to walk this life together. That must encompass more than planned meetings.
How do you gather with the church?
While we sure haven’t gotten to the point of “daily” (we’re trying!), I definitely relate to what you wrote. We try to gather in many different ways — sometimes just one or two, sometimes more — not just for “church”.
I praise God that He is leading you on this journey. The details different from person to person, group to group. But the story is basically the same. People discovering church outside of “church”.
May the Body of Christ continue to discover itself in this way!
God bless,
steve 🙂
I’m not sure if this really answers the question you asked, but it does add another dimension to it. One thing that has greatly convicted me in the recent months is to love and gather with those that aren’t as loveable, if you know what I mean. It is so easy to gather with other believers with whom you share common interests, or can carry out great conversations, but what about those that aren’t so easy to talk to and be with? How do we overcome this akwardness? I believe this is really where we see the power of God’s love working in us and through us.
1 John 4:12 “No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.”
Renata,
You are right! We can’t limit our contact to those who are like us and who we like. Perhaps love is not love until it is demonstrated to someone who is different from us. I certainly have much to learn in this area. I pray that God will mature me in this area as I begin to interact with the people in my new neighborhood.
Alan