Assembly Required

I saw a maxim on a building's sign today that read:

• The church is God's greatest gift;
• Assembly required!

Well said!!!!! It is amazing to me how many Christians believe they can be a part of the church that our Lord and Savior suffered and died for so He could purchase it with His own blood and then feel they are not obligated to assemble with the assembly. The Greek word ekklesia which is translated "church" means "assembly". We are the "assembly of Christ". How is it we don't have to assemble?

Hebrews 10:25 words it so succinctly: "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some". Could you put it any plainer? But nonetheless, there are those who have decided that does not include them. There also are those who have decided that the Hebrews writer said: "not forsaking the assembling on Sunday morning for worship only", but that is not what it says, is it? It says, "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together". Where I attend worship, we assemble on Sunday morning for a Bible study, then for a worship service; we then reassemble for a Sunday evening worship service and also assemble for a Wednesday evening Bible study and then meet for a Wednesday evening worship service.

Which "assembly" can I forsake? Anyone that I choose? Many have said they can forsake all except the one on Sunday morning. Why do you HAVE to assemble at that one? They will say because it is then that we take the Lord's Supper and so they cannot forsake that one. Let's look at what Heb. 10:25 says again--"not forsaking the assembling of ourselves"--where does it say "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves when the Lord's Supper is taken"? As members of the Lord's body, we often quote the passages that teach we are not to add to nor take from the word and yet isn't that what we do all the time with this passage when we want to justify our neglecting a direct command from God to NOT FORSAKE THE ASSEMBLING OF OURSELVES TOGETHER?

In His word, God says what He means and means what He says and He says in Heb. 10:25, "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some..." I will assume that He meant what He said and I will be at Bible study on Sunday morning, at worship on Sunday morning, at worship on Sunday evening, at Bible study on Wednesday evening and I will also be at the short worship service we have on Wednesday after our Bible study because I can't decide which one it is that is not an "assembly".

Dana Burk