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To Gather Every Week

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Hebrews 10:23-25 NLT

Why do we gather every week? We’re invited to church every week so…

We can retell the story of who we are

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Hebrews 10:23 NLT

We can live in community and not comparison

I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. Romans 12:3-5 NLT

We can contribute and not just consume

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 1 Peter 4:10 NLT

We can confess sin and celebrate the resurrection

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. Colossians 3:16 NLT

My Notes

Personal Reflection Guide

Take some time to be by yourself with God. Invite him to sit with you and ask him to help you feel his presence. Since God led his people Israel out of slavery in Egypt, he has created structures where he can dwell with them. First it was the tabernacle, and then the temple and then he sent his son, Jesus, or Emmanuel, to dwell with us here on earth. After Jesus resurrected and returned to heaven, he sent his Holy Spirit to live in us but he also built his church through the faithfulness of his disciples. Thousands of years later, God still dwells with his followers in church communities. What are some of your first experiences in a church? How has God met with you in church (it could be through worship, a time of prayer with other believers, through communion, or from the teachings in a sermon)? Church is not only a place where we meet with God and fellow believers, but also where we serve and meet the needs of others in God’s family. Ask God to show you how he has specifically gifted you to serve in the church. Spend some time this week asking others (perhaps in your community group) what giftings they see in you and prayerfully consider how you could enlarge your ability to use those giftings to serve God’s church. Thank him for the beautiful way he has designed the church as a place where his people can worship him and serve one another together here on earth.

Discussion Questions

  1. What are some of the habitual things you do every day and what criteria do you use to decide what goes on or off that list?
  2. In a typical month, how many weekends do you attend a worship service? When you miss, what typically keeps you from making it?
  3. Read Hebrews 10:23-24. What would you say it is about being around other Christains that is encouraging to you or that helps you hold more tightly to God’s promises?
  4. Read Hebrews 10:25. What is one thing that needs to change or be adjusted for you to be able to attend a weekend service more regularly and how might that change make your life better?
  5. Read 1 Peter 4:10. Where are you currently using your gifts and serving? If you are not, what can you do to use your gifts and move from being a consumer to a contributor?
  6. Read Colosians 3:16. In a life where connection to Jesus “leaks” over time, what consistent habits, experiences or disciplines help you stay connected and living a life of fullness in Jesus (share what works best for you)?