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the Assembly Of The Saints

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the Assembly Of The Saints


Hebrews 10:25a
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is;

In the light of the entire context of God's word, the church is meant to be much more than mere attendance at a large Bible Study.

"ASSEMBLING"

Imagine if you went to the Ford dealership and the salesman took you and a few others to see their latest car in the showroom. They sit you down and play some music and then open a curtain. You see a beautifully painted car with special trim on the fenders, doors, and hood. It has cutom rims and road gripping tires. The upholstery is luxurious and the stereo has all the latest sound innovations and high performance speakers. It has a powerful 5 liter engine with new fuel efficient technology.

There's only one thing that's not quite righ: All the parts of the car are laying on the carpet - UN-ASSEMBLED!

... Yes, it's been EQUIPPED and all the pieces are GATHERED there, brand new, painted and pretty. The engine may even run, ....but can you drive it? What if the salesman offered you a "Bargain of a Lifetime Sale" and they'll beat any competitor's price... Will you be buying that car today?

Is it any wonder, the rest of the world is not breaking down the doors to get into "showroom" of the church?

"Assembling of ourselves" does not just mean gathering for a "hallelujah - Good Word - Amen" The fact is, the Church is scarcely tapping into 20% of its potential (14% Teaching + 6% Worship, Revelation, Healing etc. -- combined!). There is 80% MORE. But we need each other in UNITY to access it.

Our unity is and must be based on our relationship with Christ. But it is not Christ's responsibility for us to choose to really bond together as one in His name. There is a whole new level for the Church can reach that will be more effective and even accelerate fulfilling the Great Commission of Christ !! ... But for many, it will require eating some Humble Pie, some serious prayer, and for many pastors it will require restructuring and re-building their current leadership architecture.

When Jesus gave us the "Great Commision" he ALSO said: to "make DISCIPLES" (Matthew 28:19). That doesn't mean to just become a church member and listen to a series of topical messages while strongholds and demons in your life are left unattended in your life!

If you are a pastor and your church needs to be broken down and rebuilt for the greater Glory of God ... for the greater, more abundant life that you and I could be having now (IN HIS WILL), wouldn't it be worth it? Are we willing to let go of the momentum of OUR agenda of just go-with-the-flow and stay with the "same-old-same-old"??

There is a giant to be slain here. And it is none-other than the entertainment "Corporation" that the Church has conformed itself after. The Lord gave some strong words about this: Revelation 3:14-22.

The key that will open up the door to almost every promise of God and His destiny for our lives, is the key that none of us likes to use: Humility. We have to be willing to let go of our own kingship (our personal agenda) to follow the agenda of the King of Kings. Sadly, many great ministries have gone down in flames because the "corporate" leaders were desiring success in the World MORE than in the Kingdom of God. They start out working God's plan but once they get enough momentum of success, their personal agenda became more important. And both they and we wonder why God stopped blessing them, or how their anointing diminished, or how they ended up in a compromise of corruption. Yet that mistake is repeated when we end up trying to continue the work of God through the efforts of our flesh.

This giant is a common failing repeated throughout History. Some may also know it as the pride of life and manifests itself as COMPLACENCY.

This destructive giant remains subtle because we hold on to without realizing it, and it looks like this: In our selfishness, we want the Messiah to come in power, destroy our enemies -- they way we expect Him to. Why? Because in our selfish hearts we want to finally be successful and live like kings on the earth as we desire.... We want God to answer our prayers - OUR WAY.

But truly, our pride and selfishness is difficult to let go of. Fortunately, anyone who has truly given their heart to the Lord Jesus Christ will agree that compared to God's plan, our best and most well-though-out plans are TRASH (Philippians 3:7-21).

Imagine if we let go of our plans, and started helping each other work His plan. We would all benefit greatly. Indeed, to the degree that we yield to His plan, is the degree that we tap into a more abundant life.

There are some churches that ARE seeing SOME good results but they are limited, because:
God will only use what you give Him.
And we can most definitely give Him more - but not with an old wineskin.

The Body of Christ (the Church) could be operating, in a much more effective, powerful and glorious way. But why do we not see it, except in brief moments of revival?? We proclaim (from the pulpit) that these things already exist in the church, but the evidence in our lives, betrays our preaching. To battle this giant, we have to deal with it not only individually but also as Body committed to Christ and each other.


THE CHALLENGE:

Try to imagine a church WITHOUT a pulpit. Take a moment and just try to do that. It's difficult, if not impossible. This is not to suggest that there isn't a time or a place for Teaching and Preaching. BUT THAT'S THE MOJORITY OF WHAT WE DO. We talk about Love and unity in the Body of Christ, but an outsider mainly sees all talk and no action. Why? Because it requires that we truly take the effort necessary to REALLY work WITH each other.


THE PROBLEM:

What is the real fear of truly working with each other? Actually, there is a legitimate fear that is based on the possibility that we would have to assume responsibility for our problem-filled neighbor. Not to say we shouldn't be " Good Samaritans " but those who BLINDLY do this, often end up opening doors of destruction into their own lives! And so, the fear is valid. BUT "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of POWER and LOVE and a SOUND MIND" (2 Timothy 1:7). And even if you've effectively worked through step 2 of 'the PATH' in this website, it is straight-out foolish to open your door to a demon filled addict and place yourself and your family at risk. Nor does anyone of us want to waste our time in some activity that is un-fulfilling and ineffective!

Even though we may be properly equipped, we are not properly trained!! We have been FOOLED into thinking that discipleship is just going to church for a few brief moments of fellowship. For the Church, this a chronic debilitating problem that we've just learned to live with! Is it any wonder that even desperate people who live in harsh areas of darkness in the world, DO NOT come flooding into the church to seek the LORD as the strong tower of Refuge that He is!?

The problem is that none of us can adequately respond to these difficult situations - individually. The key is 'WE' = You and me together in UNITY, and not in word only but in deed. Working with our neighbor does not mean we have to assume the responsibility to solve their problems. But there is a way to remain in freedom, and still help them...

There is a more excellent way...


THE SOLUTION:

WHAT IF... you had REAL backup? What if you were in a church (which should be a family of families) that even if they didn't have the means of dealing with a hard situation, they had connections with other believers WHO HAVE DEALT WITH those issues? What if your church could grow and you could grow through dealing with that issue - safely, without putting your family at risk. Without becoming a co-dependent to a person with alcohol or drug addiction, etc.?

The Christian Life is not just getting and staying free, individually. It's living free and fulfilling the destiny that God has planned for you. And His way, is one where as He blesses you, you begin to bless others. And once you get a taste of how great that really is, your selfish lusts will devalue like a watered down soft drink.

What if every time you go to church, you and everyone there grows in a real way because there is more for you to do that you that has real value (not Church-ianity). You come out not just feeling you're more valuable, but knowing exactly how. Like exercising at the gym, you know you are getting stronger.

Growing means that your character is actually getting stronger. Your purpose is deepening. The vision of your destiny is getting clearer. Your means of accomplishing the goals God has given you are coming in reach. Your effectiveness in helping those around you is increasing. Your worship of the most High God is becoming more pure and more passionate. Your relationship with the Holy Spirit is more intimate and responsive. And your charity (Love-In-Action) is more rewarding as you work with your family in Christ to help others. You find that you are more able to give of yourself more freely to your family and friends in the World. And as a result, you become the one they turn to when they need to find the Truth.

We can find greater strength and unity in ASSEMBLING ourselves according to the blueprint of the Master Builder.


Hopefully, the Holy Spirit has already been giving you ideas on how to implement a new strategy for growing stronger at your church. If you would like more help putting this into practice in your group or church, checkout our Workshops...

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This is 2nd in the series of 10 articles entitled: "Leadership Issues" found in StepStay Freein the website: GetTrulyFree.com

For better understanding of this article, it is best to view all the articles in this series in context, with the Holy Bible at your reference and the Holy Spirit in your heart.

Next Article: Old & New Wineskins

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