Better Gatherings

Blog

  • The defining story: the gathering of God

    Scripture reveals that God’s eternal plan is to unite all things in Christ. To achieve this, he is gathering to himself a vast assembly, from every nation, tribe, people and tongue, to the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1-2).

    At the beginning of human history, fellowship with God was broken because of sin, and disastrous consequences followed (Genesis 3-11). We were separated from God and divided from one another. But God initiated a process of restoration designed to bring blessing to ‘all the families of the earth’ (Genesis 12:1-3). He drew Abram and his descendants into a covenant relationship with himself, and from that context the people of Israel emerged. In his dealings with Israel, God prepared the world for the coming of the Lord Jesus and the gathering of the ultimate assembly of people from all nations that is portrayed in Revelation 7.

    Gathering Israel

    God rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and gathered them to himself at Mount Sinai, describing them as his ‘treasured possession out of all peoples.’ He promised that, if they obeyed his voice and kept his covenant, they would be ‘a kingdom of priests and a holy nation’ (Exodus 19:3-6). That ‘day of the assembly’ (Deuteronomy 10:4) was decisive and formative for the life of the people from then on. In their wilderness wanderings, and then in the Promised Land, the Israelites assembled on various occasions to meet with God, to express their devotion to him with sacrificial rituals and to respond to his word with faith and praise (e.g. Exodus 29:38-46; Psalm 95).

    In this pattern of worship and service, sacred places such as the tabernacle and temple, divinely appointed priests, prescribed rituals, and a yearly round of festivals, were essential aspects of their gathering to God, required by the law given to Moses. Shaped by those gatherings, they were meant to treat one another with mercy, justice and love in every sphere of life (e.g. Deuteronomy 26:1-15). Indeed, when their corporate worship did not provoke them to serve God with everyday faith and obedience, the prophets were strong in their condemnations (e.g. Isaiah 1:10-17; Amos 5:21-4; Micah 6:6-8).

    God sought to bless Israel by gathering them to himself, but the judgment that ultimately fell upon them for their disobedience and unfaithfulness was their scattering among the nations (Deuteronomy 4:25-40). Even so, the prophets spoke of the day when God would act to rescue and restore his people, gathering them to himself once more (Deuteronomy 30:1-3; Isaiah 40:9-11).

    Gathering the Church

    In various ways, the New Testament proclaims the fulfilment of those promises in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. His mission was to gather the lost sheep of the house of Israel, to be their Good Shepherd, to save them, to lead them, to feed and protect them as God’s flock (John 10:14-16). More than that, in fulfilment of the original promises to Abraham, his purpose was to draw people from every nation to himself (John 12:32), making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19), and building his assembly (his ‘church’), against which even the power of death will not prevail (Matthew 16:18).

    Reflection: Consider Matthew 16:16-20 in the light of Exodus 19:1-6.

     

    • How does Jesus build his church?
    • How does it differ from the ‘congregation’ that God gathered to meet him at Mount Sinai?

    God has delivered the people of the New Covenant from the dominion of darkness and death and has transferred them into the kingdom of his beloved Son, ‘in who we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins’ (Colossians 13-14). Jesus our ascended high priest and saviour-king has gathered us to God’s throne in heaven, where by faith we are part of the joyful assembly that is Christ’s heavenly and eternal church (Hebrews 12:22-4). He continues to grow his church as he sends out the messengers of his word and enables people by the power of his Spirit to respond with repentance and faith.

    We look forward to the day of Christ’s return, when that heavenly assembly will be fully and finally revealed (Revelation 21:1-4). Those gathered together by God in his new creation will continually rejoice in his victory and enjoy eternal fellowship with God (Revelation 22:1-5). But even now, as believers are gathered to Christ through the preaching of the gospel and have access to the Father in one Spirit through Jesus Christ, we are drawn to each other by the new relationship with God we share. When we meet, there is a deep bond between us generated by God’s word and God’s Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:21-2; Philippians 2:1-2).

    Every Christ-centred gathering is an expression of our union with him and with each other before God’s heavenly throne. The vertical dimension (God engaging with us) is primary. Uniquely among human assemblies, we are gathered by the triune God to himself, and he is powerfully present among us. So we meet with God in the presence of one another and meet with one another in the presence of God. The horizontal dimension (meeting with one another) is created and determined by God’s approach to us. God ministers to us through the fellowship of his people and we respond to him as we pray, praise, and listen to his word.

    But each of our gatherings, week by week, is also an anticipation of the ultimate assembly of God’s people around his throne in the new creation. Since we await that final experience of fellowship with God, each Christian assembly has an ‘already and not-yet’ dimension. We are already ‘in Christ’ and yet we wait to be together ‘with Christ’ in the new creation.

    Christian assemblies can take place anywhere and do not require the presence of any particular person. They can occur at any time (Romans 14:5; Galatians 4:9-11), and do not involve any essential ritual (Colossians 2:16-17). Christians do not have sacred places on earth to which they must come to worship (John 4:21-4), and the only priest they need is Jesus Christ, who is in heaven (Hebrews 8:1-6; 10:19-23).

  • Biblical teaching about the gathering of the church

    What are some of the key issues informing and driving the conduct of services in the congregation to which you belong? Make a list and see whether these issues are addressed in any way in the pages of this website.

    Sometimes the issues are practical and pastoral, such as the need to minister appropriately to different age groups, or to be outsider-friendly, or to engage with particular cultural groups, or even just to finish by a certain time because that’s what the people want! But we need to be aware that practical and pastoral decisions generally reflect theological agendas, whether they are acknowledged or not.

    For example, the content and style of one gathering presumes that the main aim is to teach and encourage the congregation, whereas another style of gathering presumes that the purpose is to encounter God in prayer and praise. In one church, only carefully prepared contributions by the gifted few may be encouraged, whereas poorly prepared and inadequately delivered contributions may be allowed in another, both strategies expressing particular understandings of the theology of edification!

    The reading of Scripture may be extensive and well prepared in one church, but perfunctory and incidental in another, perhaps because of different views about the way the word of God is heard. Psalms may or may not be recited, because of opposing views about what can be understood and appreciated by contemporary believers.

    The aim of this study is to consider what the Bible teaches about our gathering together as God’s people. Such reflection is an essential step in the process of evaluating what we do in our congregations, so that we might glorify God and edify his church more effectively.

    1 The defining story: the gathering of God
    2 Created and nurtured by the gospel
    3 Gathering as a testimony to Christ
    4 Gathered for worship
    5 Gathered for fellowship in Christ
    6 Building towards maturity in Christ
  • About Better Gatherings

    About Better Gatherings

    Welcome to the Better Gatherings website! This website has been compiled by the Archbishop of Sydney’s Liturgical Panel.  The panel consists of Bishop Forsyth (Chairman), the Rev. Dr David Peterson, the Rev. Dr Andrew Shead, the Rev. Dr Michael Stead, Dr Greg Clarke, Dr Jane Mathieson, the Rev. Alan Lukabyo, the Rev. Christopher Allan and the Rev. Peter Tong.

    We hope that you find the material on this site helpful for creating services that glorify God and edify the church.

    Here’s a word from the archbishop……

    PFJ Through the gospel of the Lord Jesus, God incorporates us into his church and summons us to meet together. In the words of the Book of Common Prayer, we meet ‘to render thanks for the great benefits that we have received at his hands, to set forth his most worthy praise, to hear his most holy Word, and to ask those things which are requisite and necessary, as well for the body as the soul.’

    We have a solemn responsibility to order our gatherings in accordance with the teaching of God’s word. The spiritual quality of our preaching, prayer and fellowship depends on our obedience to the Lord. We are living at a time when the pastors and leaders of our congregations need to re-think theologically and pastorally the basis of our experience of church.

    The bettergatherings website provides a much-needed resource for those of you with a responsibility for what occurs in church. I commend it as a useful means of continuing and promoting God-honouring, meaningful and biblical gatherings.

    Peter F Jensen
    Archbishop of Sydney