Jack Jurgens's Ministry Library

Meetings of the assembly

I appreciate that introduction. Thank you. Thank you. Welcome. I want to do more introductions like that. Excellent style from the preacher. Well, as you said, you heard that was informative and excellent. And I know you’ve done that. Alright, well, these are the things the assembly is going to consider together tonight. There are a number of points that I want to bring before you, and we certainly will mention and develop all of the assembly gatherings that Scripture teaches us about. But there’s a principle here in the literature that I want to show and develop just a little later on. So we’re going to speak about the principle of our gathering, which will be just towards the end of the meeting. We’re looking for a principle in this particular verse: Deuteronomy 12, verse number five. Now, I know that this is under the law, and I know that God is speaking about the people of Israel and just exactly where they would meet and gather when they came into the land. But the principle stands good, and you’ll see why in a moment.

So, verse 5 of Deuteronomy 12: “But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there. Even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come.” The Lord was going to choose a place, and in that place, He would establish His name. It was to that place that God’s people would gather. Later, in verse 6, “Hither you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your eve offerings of your hand, your lambs.” And all of those things—they couldn’t just offer them wherever they wanted to; they had to bring them to the place where God had established His name. That place, right at the beginning when they came into the land, was a place called Shiloh. But later on, of course, it became Jerusalem. And so, where the temple was built in Jerusalem, that was the place of the name. It was the place where God’s people used to go in order to worship Him.

Now, of course, in Matthew’s Gospel—and you know, I’m sure, where I’m going to read—Matthew chapter 18 has the same kind of principle, but now in the New Testament and in relation to our Christian traditions. Not the Old Testament, not Judaism, not Israel, but the church now. Matthew 18 and verse 20: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” That, using similarity to these times, is gathering unto the name—not this time the name of God as such, or the name of Jehovah, but now it is the name of the Lord Jesus. And now this gathering to His name is not just in one single place, as it was in the Old Testament from Jerusalem. But now, actually, says the Lord Jesus, wherever two or three have been gathered together. He says, “There am I in the midst of them.”

So this is not just a New Testament principle; it has its foundation in the Old Testament, and we do want to talk about that principle of our gathering later on. Now let’s just turn to Acts chapter 4.

First of all tonight, I want to talk to you about the purpose of our gatherings. For what purpose and what reason do Christians gather together on an open Sunday? Now, you know I’m sure that the Book of Acts tells us of seven different local church gatherings. There’s also an eighth one, which is in First Corinthians, so I’ll mention all of them, and we’ll turn to them just as we get to them. But in Acts chapter 4 and verse 31, it says, “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together.” That’s the key word. If you follow that word through, which is the Greek word sunago. And sorry for all these Greek lessons; I’ve been throwing Greek words at you all of these nights. But that word sunago, which is translated here as “assembled together”, has the idea of people collecting together for a particular purpose.

On this occasion, in Acts chapter 4, Christians have been assembling together for prayer. So, here is our mandate for the local assembly prayer meeting, and it says they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness. Now we will look forward to this, but let’s cover it with chapter 11, verse 25: “Then he parted Barnabas to Tarsus for to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch.” And it came to pass that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church. Now there’s the word again: to gather together. A company of Christians, a company of believers is gathering together for a specific purpose. You say, “What’s their purpose this time?” Well, prayer is not mentioned this time. They assembled themselves with the church, and they taught much people. So there’s your mandate now—not for the prayer meeting, but for the Bible teaching meeting. That’s what we’re doing tonight: Christians gathering together for the teaching of the word of God.

So, we expect a local assembly to have prayer meetings, and we expect a local assembly to have Bible teaching meetings. Those are two of the seven gatherings in the Book of Acts. And it says the disciples were called Christians in Antioch. Now, one more verse I think we’ll read is in the epistle to the Hebrews—Hebrews chapter 10. I said I was going to reduce the number of points that I’m going to speak on tonight. Well, tough luck—I’ve increased it. Sorry about that. I’m not sorry at all.

We’ll talk about the purpose of our gatherings. We’ll speak about the principle of our gathering, and then right at the end of the meeting I want to talk to you about the priority of gathering together. If you go there, I’m reading verse 24. The apostle says—I’m not sure if the apostle was, but it certainly wasn’t Paul—he says, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but rather exhorting one another, and so much the more as we see the day approaching.”

So that must be, wasn’t it, the priority of gathering together. We must not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. That’s all we’re going to read, but I would like to please just turn back to the Book of Acts, and I want you to keep that open because I am going to take you to various references in the Book of Acts. If not, just to keep me awake, but at least it keeps you turning the pages, and you can see these various gatherings and reasons for which Christians were gathering together.

So, very simply this evening, what I want to do as I talk to you about the meetings of the assembly is I’m going to talk to you first of all—and this will take the vast majority of our meeting—I want to talk to you about the purpose of our gatherings. I hope you know, and I hope in your minds you’re not writing them down, you can think of the various reasons for which Christians gather together that are given to us in the Book of Acts. And there is one in First Corinthians. I hope in your mind you can think about the various reasons, the purposes of the gathering. Why do Christians gather together? We know they gather together to pray. We know they gather together for the teaching of the Word of God. But there are a number of other assembly gatherings that we need to see and know. So, we’re going to emphasize the purpose of these gatherings, and that will take us the vast majority of our time.

Then just towards the end of the meeting—so you’ll know when we’re getting towards the end—I want to talk to you about the great principle of our gathering. Now, that just brings great dignity and honor to our gathering. You say, “What’s the point in gathering together to pray? What’s the point in gathering together that we are tonight to teach the Word of God?” I can see some relevance, some importance, but listen: the importance of the dignity and the variety of gathering together as a local assembly is because of that wonderful principle in that verse. “Where two or three are gathered together.” You say, “Well, it makes it worthwhile, doesn’t it?” That’s why you say, “Well, yes, it’s good to pray as a company.” You say, “Yes, I need to know more about the Word of God. I like to be taught.” Let me tell you, the Lord Jesus is here. That makes every assembly ever worthwhile.

So I do want to spend a bit of time just looking at that statement in Matthew 18 and speaking about the principle of our gathering. And then finally, right at the end of the meeting—and this will just be a very light touch. It will be a little pat on the back as you are making, well, it might not be, it might be a bit more firmly. But anyway, a little pat on the back as you’re making your way out of the building. And the Hebrews says it’s about the priority of gathering ourselves together.

So first of all then, what about the purpose of our gatherings? Now, Acts 1:4, looking at verse 31: “When they had prayed,” it says, “the place was shaken where they were assembled together.” Now, I recommend that you do this. You’ve got no excuse not to do this. With all of the resources that we have at our fingertips, with all of the Bible study resources that are easily available online, or even those really old dusty things that are called books, it is possible to find a Greek word and to trace it all the way through the New Testament. And when we read in Acts chapter 4, verse 31, of the saints assembling themselves together, that is using a Greek word, sunago—S-U-N-A-G-O. I’ve got no excuse now.

Sunago, this word which describes the assembling and the gathering of Christians. It doesn’t have to be Christians, but the assembling and the gathering of people together for a specific purpose and a particular reason. And these Christians are gathering together in Acts chapter 4 for the purpose of prayer. Now, I suppose—and I know that this was before the church was formed in Acts chapter 2—but really, this goes right back to the day in which the Lord Jesus was raised in the world. You read about that in John 20. And do you remember that in John chapter 20, the disciples were tucked away in an upper room? That’s a great study, my friends. That room was a remarkable room. That is a room, actually, that bridges dispensations. I invite you to go home. I tell you that room work is building up already. I invite you to go home and have a little study of the upper room. All that took place in that room. And what all of you just taught in that room. It’s a room that literally bridges the dispensations. You’ll find it at the end of the Gospels. You’ll find it in the Book of Acts and when the church has been formed.

But in John chapter 20, on resurrection day, the disciples find themselves tucked away in the upper room. The door is locked for fear of the Jews. What happened? It says when they were assembled together on the first day of the week. That’s why Sunday—the first day of the week—became so significant to Christians—because it was the day in which the Lord Jesus rose from the dead. The first day of the week. And there were those disciples tucked away in that upper room for fear of the Jews. And as they were sunago, assembled together, He appeared right in their very midst and said, “Peace be unto you.” Isn’t that a wonderful day? Constantly slow, physically, mid-jump, on resurrection ground, right in the middle of His disciples as they were gathered.

I don’t think this is any different in the 70s. I know that Christ physically, literally, is in heaven and in the moment. Isn’t that wonderful that 2,000 years later—and maybe this isn’t an upper room, but it’s like an upper room—here are Christians gathered together. A wonderful thing is Christ is here in this assembly. Everything that you do, everything that you say as Christians now. So as you follow that word through, you’ll find seven times in the Book of Acts, seven times Christians are gathering together for different reasons, and we want to talk about these meetings of the assembly and the purpose for which they gathered together.

Let me make one broad general statement, and I hope it doesn’t upset anyone. Every time we read of a Christians gathering, every single one of those gatherings was for all of the assembly. Now, the one gathering I’m speaking about is the elders’ meeting. I suppose you wouldn’t so much call that an assembly gathering because not the whole assembly is invited. But the Book of Acts tells us of occasions when the elders and overseers, the shepherds—they’re the same people—gather together for the specific and particular purpose of shepherding each other and discussing matters that have arisen in relation to the flock and the assembly. And that was a meeting gathering specifically for the elders. But on every other page, the assembly gathering was for the whole assembly. Everyone was invited. No one was excused. And in fact, everyone was expected to be there.

So that really puts an end to gathering specifically for women, and it puts an end to gathering specifically for men, because the Bible doesn’t teach that. Every assembly gathering was for the whole assembly. Now, how about Acts chapter 4, verse 32? Here is the first gathering: “When they were assembled together, they assembled together for the purpose of prayer.” Now, I said to you tonight, of all of these assembly gatherings—and we’ve mentioned a few—which of them is the most important? You would all say to me, “Brother, Daniel, you’re trying to catch me out. I know that all of these gatherings are important. I know we love the breaking of bread. I know that’s the first meeting we have on the first day of the week to remember the Lord Jesus, and that must have some significance.”

But I know every assembly gathering we have, on the basis of what you’ve just said, Christ is there. Every assembly gathering must be of equal importance. Not according to Paul. The apostle Paul says, “There is one gathering which should…” Now, by the way, that was wrong. Every assembly happens in Paul. Well, what was that? It’s interesting that Paul will emphasize, and Paul will say, “First of all,” which means first in order, first in priority. It means prayer. You know the priority. That’s what I agree with what I’m talking about.

Just turn across to First Timothy. In First Timothy, Paul describes the local assemblies as a household of God. It’s a household belonging to God. And this is what he says in First Timothy 2. Paul has a great deal to say about the local assemblies in this epistle. After he’s made his greetings in chapter 1, he comes to chapter 2, and this is the first thing that he says. Chapter 2, verse 1: “I exhort therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men.” Verse 2: “For kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” Verse 8: “I will therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”

Now, this means that the males—not just human beings, the males—they pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands. Which doesn’t mean to say that when you lead the company in prayer, you don’t need to wave your hands around; it’s metaphorical. These males that are leading the saints in prayer, they are able to, as far as themselves are concerned, lead the company in holiness and glory. And there’s a holy character that pertains to the individual. They’re living a holy life. Without those who are—that is, they don’t have difficulties or troubles or problems with other saints.

And without doubting—do not doubt that God is who asks for the prayer they’re offering. Paul is speaking about the local assembly, friends. That is the first gathering—the Christians in that local assembly gather to pray. Paul says it is of the utmost importance. And in fact, the house of God, as the context is, cannot function properly, and it cannot function effectively unless the saints have gathered. Now you go to the audience—the priority of the assembly is absolutely massive. If we don’t do anything to do, as Virginia used to say, “It’s the heart and soul of any assembly.” It’s the priority.

You say, “What are we praying for?” Oh, Paul says, “Pray for all men.” He says, “Pray for everyone. Pray for all men.” You know, the context in which he gives that is verse 4: “Because God will have all men to be saved.” That’s why we pray for them there. And because Christ is the mediator between God and men, that’s why you pray for all men. Is you what Paul’s saying? Christ has died for all. Therefore, we have a responsibility. And I know locally we have contacts in the surrounding areas; we’re not praying for everyone in the world, that’s absurd. But we’re able to pray for everyone around about us and those that we know who aren’t saved because Christ died for them. He says, “I want you to pray for all men.” He says, “I want you to pray for kings. I want you to pray for those who are in authority.” He says, “I’m not really into politics. I don’t mind praying for political parties.”

Why do you pray for them? These individuals that have authority in the lands and countries to which we belong—why do we pray for them? Well, says Paul, “So you can have a quiet and peaceable life.” No, he doesn’t say that. He says you pray for them that they might be quiet and peaceable. Why do we want a quiet and peaceable life? So that we might be able to continue to spread the gospel and preach it without interference from the government. That’s what you’re speaking about in that context. I tell you, it brings tremendous dignity, doesn’t it? Good friends! I want to say what all that occurred to you behind my son. President, remember me when you pray.

And it’s your responsibility to lead the assembly publicly and audibly in prayer. When you pray, as a public leader, you are leading the congregation. Do not pray, “Father.” You can pray “Father” when you’re at home and while you’re still. That’s “Father.” But when they’re in the assembly, you pray in the whole company. You pray, “Lord, we pray,” because this is collective and this is corporate. And after you’ve made that sin for me, the Lord speaks about that, by the way. He says, “If two or three of you shall agree on earth as concerning anything that you shall ask,” he says, “it shall be done for my Father which is in heaven.”

But he says, “You must agree on earth.” Make a symphony together. So the brother prays on behalf of all. So we must be sure that what he’s praying is going to be acceptable and commended by all. And at the end of the prayer, he will say, “Amen.” And the company will join in saying, “Amen,” won’t we? Because we’re all making a sin before God. Tremendous dignity, tremendous opportunity to see the face of the Lord in Christ.

Watch out for the information well. Don’t forget the ministry. Some saints want all the other saints to know that there’s a particular matter weighing on their hearts. They don’t know what it is, but let me tell you, during their prayer, they’re going to find out what it is. And you find out. So there’s ten-five minutes in prayer informing your saint what the issue is. Don’t forget when you’re saying that. The Father knows it all and wants to hear it from you. But you don’t inform the saints. You inform them before the prayer begins so they can all join with you in prayer.

Watch out for the innuendo prayer. Oh, the innuendo prayer is a terrible thing. That’s when you’re really digging at someone else in the meeting. If you’re not thinking about who you’re praying to, you must be careful there. “Lord, we know how important unity is. We wish we knew—or we wish our brother so-and-so knew how important unity was.” If knowing this is just to sit there and end up praying. So what do lies in? That’s mocking. Remember when you’re speaking to Him?

All kinds of prayers like that, aren’t there? We’re at the international prayer meeting. This is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. Some say, well, they start in the US, of course, and maybe they start in the US. Not right, Uncle, but they start in the US. Maybe all the way around the world, two or three times before they sit down. They’re not just sitting there. That’s the international prayer meeting. Now listen, there’s nothing wrong with specific prayers, and missions specifically, and issues specifically around the world. But don’t forget the person who lives next door to you; the door next door—you know, the people that live around this door? Maybe no one is praying for them. You say the war in Israel, the war in Gaza, the war in Ukraine? We should pray for those situations, so we should. Or there will be millions praying for those issues. Who is praying for your next door neighbor?

Let you know—it’s our responsibility in this local meeting to pray for those around. Throughout the whole life. When in First James, we preached in a synagogue to the Jews about Christ Jesus, the Messiah, and his resurrection. And the next Sabbath, they all gathered together to hear this message in more detail.

Look at verse 44 in Acts 13. The next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together. They came together—sunago—they assembled to hear the word of God. This is a meeting for the purpose of preaching the gospel. And I understand that there’s not a specific assembly in view here, and it doesn’t say that Christians met together. But Paul, as was his custom, had been in the synagogue. He had preached to them Jesus as the Christ. They said, “We want to hear more of this next Sabbath.” And next Sabbath, he’s not even in the synagogue; there are too many meetings. But this doesn’t tell us exactly where he was. Maybe he was outside of the synagogue, maybe he was in a public place, but the whole city, including Christians, are gathering for the purpose of preaching the gospel. And many accepted the offer of eternal life, and many believed.

Do you remember Acts chapter 2? They gladly received His word, Peter preached, they were saved, the assembly was added to. My friend, gospel preaching and gathering together for the preaching of the gospel, whether in the hall or outside of the hall, is vital and should be prioritised. You know, I’ll never forsake the preaching of the gospel. Sometimes in England, we have a very small assembly, a very small gospel meeting, and on some occasions, there are no unsaved people in the meeting. You say, “Well, do something else.” Preaching the gospel is our mandate. It’s scriptural—it honors God and glorifies His Son. If there’s no one saved in the gathering, what is the purpose of it? It encourages the saints; it builds up the saints. There may be individuals there that you think are saved and are not saved at all.

We must honour the gospel; reach the impossible; see these gatherings? We’re gathering in prayer. We’re gathering for preaching the gospel.

Look at Acts chapter 11. We’re moving a bit quicker; I know I’m going backwards. This is my personal flavour. Acts chapter 11, verse 26—we read it together. Barnabas is looking for Saul. When he found Saul, he brought him to Antioch—not now Antioch in Pisidia, the first Antioch from where they went out as missionaries. And it came to pass that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, gathering for the purpose of teaching the Word of God that Christians gather together to teach the Word of God.

Please, can I just throw out the word to those of you who are shepherds? Shepherds have a responsibility to the flock to make sure that the flock is fed. How will they be fed? They’ll be fed by the teaching of the Word. You say, “Which bit?” Just the best we want. Just the bits we understand—mostly the New Testament, because the New Testament wrote the language? No, the whole counsel of the blood of God. Now shepherds and sheep—if you start complaining that they’re not being fed, shepherds teach the people of God the whole counsel of the Word of God.

They should be getting a diet of Old Testament; they should be getting a diet of New Testament; they should be getting a diet of good brethren, gifted brethren to teach who are taking up specific subjects. They should be getting a diet of consecutive Bible teaching—verse by verse, chapter by chapter. There should be opportunities for brethren to speak what is on their minds and hearts. No subject. There should be opportunities for handfuls of purpose—that’s what Ruth was given. The shepherds say, “There’s something that needs to be addressed here. There’s a problem that we need to address there. Let us have a ministry meeting on it.” The whole counsel of the Word of God.

When was the last time the saints were taught from the Song of Solomon? When was the last time they were taught from the servant’s song of Isaiah? When was the last time you went through Romans? Fundamental truth? Hebrews? Fundamental truth? I dare say you should have a question. Let me book in the Bible on it, and you should know that when you last visited that particular section of the Word of God, it is essential that the people of God are well-fed, well-taught, grounded and founded in all that Martha said to him, “I want him.” You know what Paul said to Timothy? He said, “Timothy, everything that you’ve heard from me,” he says, “I want you to commit that to faithful men.”

We have an outstanding heritage of truth. It’s our responsibility to see to it that the saints are well grounded in that truth, and that truth is passed on to the generations of the enemy. So they were gathering for a Bible teaching.

How long did it take? 15? Of that, verse 30. Here’s another gathering: “So when they were dismissed.” Now I’ll fill that in just a little later, but individuals are being sent away from an elders meeting and apostles meeting in Jerusalem. And when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch. And when they had gathered the multitude together, here is another assembly gathering in the assembly at Antioch. And this assembly was for the deliverance of the letter. There was a letter that was written by the apostles in Jerusalem. And that letter was read in the hearing of the saints of Antioch.

Verse 31: “Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation or the exhortation of that letter.” You say, “What was this gathering for?” This gathering was for the reading of the Word. Do you know what I mean? There was a letter which is recorded for us in Acts 15. It’s Scripture. There was a letter that was sent from Jerusalem, and the whole assembly was gathered together to listen to the reading of the Word. Now we have a downer of when that word was read.

The individual who was reading it was probably giving the sense or making comments about that which he had read. We’re gathering together to read the Word. Well, of course, there’s a tune—he writes a tune—he says, “Timothy, I want you to give yourself to reading.” He wasn’t saying to Timothy, “Tuck yourself away in the study, get a whole load of books down from the shelf, and just read all that.” He wasn’t saying it. He was saying in the assembly to him, “It’s essential that you read the Word of God to the people of God.” Why? What do you think about that? You can’t all read.

And I dare say to them, “I’m not going to read.” There are some saints who aren’t reading the Word. Interesting, but there was a gathering for the reading of the Word of God. I want to get it back in the Old Testament. You think about Ezra. Think about what Nehemiah 8 says of Ezra: so they read the book of the law. They read the Word of God distinctly, and they gave the sense, and they caused those who were listening to understand the reading.

Now that’s really what our Bible reading meeting should be like. It is one of those teaching meetings. But brethren who are gifted should be reading the Word of God, speaking plainly and giving the sense of what the verses and the chapters are teaching. And it’s part of the teaching of this meeting. And there should be gifted men who are able to make comments and to give the sense of what is contained therein, or at least they will lead the reading.

And so, what’s our favourite? Well, turn to Acts chapter 20, and if you’re counting, this is number 5. Acts 20 and verse 6. Luke says, “We sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread and came to Troas in five days, where we abode for seven days. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples sunago gathered together.” Why? They gathered together to break bread.

I suspect that this meeting was probably in the evening of the first day of the week. I say that because a lot of them would have been working during the day. I also say that because Paul was preaching after the meeting until nighttime. But why will they gather together? They gather together, not like that one again. On the first day of the week, when Christians gather together in worship. Every meeting has an element of worship too.

But that meeting in particular—we gather together for the remembrance of the first week. Whether it’s the breaking of the bread or the drinking of the cup, we are bound together; those who have the privilege of taking those, we are bound together in fellowship. And we continue to do that on the first day of the week, every week. We continue to do it in remembrance of the Lord Jesus.

So that would be true; it’s not given any prescriptions by the running block. Even when the Lord Jesus established it in the upper room, and Paul recounts some of that detail in First Corinthians 11, he’s talking about the importance of those emblems and the fellowship that we’re displaying by taking part in those emblems. Now that meeting is characterized by many aspects of worship. We are there to remember the Lord Jesus. Worship is the adoration of a person. It’s not even so much what the person has done; it’s who the person is. The character of that person. Worship basically is what we give to God by reason of what He is in His person.

And that meeting should really be characterized by brethren or sisters singing, who are just offering up their appreciation of the charity of the Lord Jesus—the One who died here. What must the saints have to say about? Here’s what worries me about some of those gatherings—they’re so packed with anything. The Father doesn’t get much of truth about what the saints think of His Son.

I’m not decrying the sin, and those songs can help us in our appreciation of the Lord Jesus. The Father wants to hear what we love our eyes to say, and I can’t. Those meetings sometimes, they’re so full of Him, and if they’re not full of Him, they’ll bore a slate of course as they seek to see. The hearts of the saints then have much to say in that way. Stand up, it doesn’t have to be ten minutes; it doesn’t have to be eloquently briefed; it could be a word spoken—a world who just stands to his feet, stands for two sentences, and just verbally gives worship, as long as he’s appreciating the Father!

You understand the difference? We will often fall into thanking God for what He’s done, and thanking the Lord Jesus for what He did, and the blessings that we receive as a result of Calvary, but don’t make the meeting about you. And don’t fall into that habit of thanksgiving on that occasion. Thanksgiving is so true. From that meeting, I just want to remember.

I don’t know what a meeting is like here; I haven’t been at one. I do. So look out! I go to a number of those meetings and I can often have a feeling of a real burden in my soul—a real burden that the saints didn’t really want to understand. The help of the very hard progress—what must the Father of the old meeting? That’s what the meeting’s for.

Now, there are three that hold; two that are left in the Book of Acts, and there is one in First Corinthians 3. The two that are left in the Book of Acts are—and you can write down a reference, and we’ll do it later—Acts chapter 14 and verse 27 is the missionary report meeting. You’ll find that Paul and Barnabas went away on their first missionary journey. And when they completed that missionary journey, they came back to the assembly that had commended them to that service. And when they came back to the assembly in Antioch, they rehearsed. They gave a report when the saints were gathered. They reported what the Lord had been doing through them on that journey.

Well, for occasions, the missionary report meeting—it’s good for the saints to gather together when the occasion calls for it. Perhaps you have a missionary in town. It’s good for the saints to gather together to hear a missionary report. And the seventh gathering in the Book of Acts—Acts 15 and verse 6—the elders and the apostles and the elders in the assembly of Jerusalem, they called together a meeting to discuss a particular doctrinal matter. And that was whether or not the Gentiles should be circumcised—those who had believed the gospel.

And the fact that Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, and was going out preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, Gentiles were being saved. Should they be circumcised? Should they be obeying the law? To see how important that conference was—a serious, doctrinal matter that those elders needed to address. And then, of course, the outcome of that discussion was sent by letter to the assembly all around there—it was the elders meeting!

Now, we want all of those gatherings. We love all of those gatherings. There’s one more gathering in First Corinthians 5, and it’s the 18th. And that is a meeting for assembly discipline. An individual there who has taken them in fornication. The assembly has received that individual, because the assembly receives to the fellowship of itself. And if the assembly receives, the assembly also puts out of their fellowship. The elders will give guidance, wisdom, and direction—the assembly receives and the assembly puts out. Paul says, “I’m sorry that you’re going to have to gather.” In order that this man might be disciplined, in order that he might have power-shipping in the assembly. We don’t know what that means—well, it is one who assemblies dead.

That was most of the meeting—the purpose of our gathering. Now finally, I want to talk to you about the great principle of our gathering. This is what brings such dignity and such warmth to all of our hearts. You remember Matthew 18:20. I hope we recycle it almost on a daily basis. There’s a wonderful principle in it: remember what the Lord Jesus said. He said, “Where two or three are gathered together.” Now let me just delve you into some of the grammar of the verse. Where two or three are is the smallest possible company of believers, isn’t it? Two. That’s all it is; you couldn’t call it a company or assembly if there was one or two. So where there are two or three, He says, where two or three are having been and still being gathered together. You know that’s in the passive, which means that someone or something has operated upon these individuals to gather them together.

You say, “Do gather food.” It’s just the very principle—the root principle of all of our gathering. As a local assembly, you say, “Do you want to walk out of them?” The Spirit of God won’t. I’m sorry, you just can’t go out there and create the breaking of bread. You can’t go out there on a cruise and just create a local assembly. Because the Spirit of God established a local assembly. And in the history of this place, there will have been a movement of the Spirit of God that saw souls saved through the preaching of the gospel, and the Spirit gathered them together.

We can’t create assembly. We can’t create breaking of bread meetings; they are always associated with an established assembly. Where two or three are having been and continuing to be gathered. And they were gathered by the Spirit of God. Listen to what the Lord said; they’re gathering unto my name. You say, “Why does it say they’re gathering unto my name? Why doesn’t it just say they’re gathering unto me?” Because this was going to characterize a theory of when the Lord Jesus was multi-physically present. We gather in His name because physically He is in heaven. Physically, He’s not here. Therefore, we gather unto His name. That has tremendous significance. If we’re gathering unto His name, it speaks of His authority. He is the sole authority for our gathering; He is the sole authority in our gathering. All that we do is done with His consent, and one day it is authority; we gather for the Word of it.

It also has the idea of association, not just authority, but association. We’re not gathering in the name of Daniel Walsh; we’re not gathering in the name of Mr. Biden; we’re gathering in the name of the Lord, which means we represent Him. It means we are associated with Him, which means that we gather in consistency with who He is, His character, and His virtues and His attributes. You’re gathered in the authority and into the association of theology—to something else in you.

It also has the idea of attraction, because Christ is there. In spirit, He is like a magnet; He’s drawing us all together. He is the one that—I don’t know if I used the word—we’re all being sucked together like a magnet, but we’re all being drawn together with one another. Why? Gathering mountains in the sun!

I know you want to see; I know you want to talk to the sun; I know you want to see the sun. But they’re here because you love power! Absolutely. Where two or three are—in a particular place, they’ve been gathered there by the Spirit of God. Where two or three are, having been gathered together in the past, and they’re still gathering together under the name of Christ and all that means—He says, “I’m there. I’m there in the midst of you!”

The old thought of our presence of God. In Hebrews chapter 13 it says, “I will never, no never, no never leave you.” In that honourable problem—the presence of God—well, that’s a different one. Our presence in Hebrews chapter 13 is His comforting presence with us in the midst of trial, tribulation and suffering. He says, “I will never leave you.” He’s saying if you’re going through troubles, He’s there to comfort you. Well, that’s not the Matthew 18 presence of God. Remember, at the end of Matthew’s Gospel—the Great Commission—the Lord says, “I want you to go and make disciples.” And lo, I am with you always.

Now that’s not the comforting presence of Christ in suffering; that’s His empowering presence in service. “Go and preach, and I am with you.” You say, “What about Matthew 18?” This is the gathering of goodness. We know that comforting presence in our suffering as individuals; we know that empowering presence in our service as we go out. But the gathering presence with His Son is the promise of Matthew 18. How did you have shot him already chasing that with the doing?

If Christ is really good, I think He is. I believe He is. If Christ is really here, I want to take my say that. It should bring real dignity in my domain. Even if the preacher is horrible, I don’t want to do this. I’ll study; I’ll try and give interest. My lovely attitude, my language—dare I say, mindless.

There isn’t a beautiful government; there isn’t a dress code, but there should be dignity to the way we dress. Christ is here. Dare I say, my timekeeping? Only Christ get here when we started at Did this gathering of presence get here when the second person came into the hall? Because where two or three are? You say, “Well, after grace, we’ll speak to get here first or second so that we can enjoy the presence of Christ.” Or did He get here? I’m not trying to read it. Did His presence amongst us begin the moment that our brother stood up formally, and started that?

And will we be here until the moment the brother formally closes the meeting? It’s a gathering presence, and how shameful if we’re not here to honour that presence of your love.

And His great dignity to everything you need. So, I close with this statement: the purpose of our gathering, the principle of our hill, the priority of you! If Christ is you, I want to be. Those saints that the apostle was writing to—the Jews—they would lose. They were Christians, but they came out of Judaism, and they were being persecuted because they had left Judaism. And they were gathering together unto a rejected, despised Christ to sign with Him.

Maybe, a suffering good. Some of them were just starting to look back to an easier life. “Perhaps we should go back to a bit of Judaism; things will be much simpler for.” He says, “Listen.” He says, “Whatever you do.” You can imagine that some of those individuals would not want to gather with the Christians in a public way because of all the persecution that was associated with it. “Oh, we saw so-and-so going to that Christian gathering again?”

The apostle says, “Whatever you do, he says, do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together as the manner and the habit of some is.” And I hope that this hits some of you right between the eyes. What the apostle really said—he was saying, if you deliberately and persistently abandon the assembling of yourself with the Christians, you are in danger of abandoning the Lord of the sea.

But the same is, “You should make it your priority; you should build your life and your timetable around this assembly.” And it’s gathering that we forsake—not we. Priority. It’s a very global decision, wouldn’t it?

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