Montreal Archives | The HUMFREYS

Church gatherings are like family reunions

Family reunions are casual and comfortable. And they are an opportunity to learn about the lives of distant loved ones.

Anytime the church gathers, it is like a family reunion. Every Christian can testify to the truth of what Jesus said, “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matt 18:20). Christians enjoy the presence of Jesus as the guest of honour in any gathering.

In the apostle Paul’s correspondence, he repeatedly has an emotional, affected longing for reunion. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, he said, “we endeavoured the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face” (2:17) and “you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you” (3:6). We can imagine that Paul would have been the first to sign up when the aunt sends the family reunion email to everyone.

Church gatherings are the reunion of the adopted

Paul repeated celebrated the fact that he was a part of this new family. In his early letter to the Galatians, he highlights the intent of the saving mission of Jesus, “that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal 4:5), telling the Ephesians, “he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” (1:5), and to the Romans he said that we have even received the Spirit of adoption (8:15), which makes us offer the same familial cry, “Abba, Father!”

When we gather at church, there is more going on than simply consumption. Just like a family reunion might have great food, and you can overindulge yourself, yet the food is not the point. The point is to bring together different people from different places and reunite them in their common family bonds.

The family reunion this Sunday

Every Sunday in a special way, and also at other times throughout the week, the church gathers to be reunited in those family connections. The same applies to conferences, special events, prayer meetings, and any other gathering where Christians come together. It is a family reunion, celebrating our adoption into God’s own family through the saving work of the Son and the power of the Spirit of God.

Imagine how our attitude would change if we anticipated Sunday’s church gathering like it was a family reunion? Let’s change how we think of church, conferences and other get-togethers. Let’s treat them like family reunions because that is what they are.

Summer is a gift of God to a people who live in a cold country. Our summers are short and so there is always a certain urgency. We have to take advantage of the warm (hot!) weather.

The same is true for the Christian life. All people need to take advantage of the gospel offer in this season before the last Day. Paul reminds the Corinthians that “now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2).

A Sense of Urgency

It is also a season for calling people to believe in the gospel. This is not just your own personal belief in Christ, but the importance of bearing witness to this news of salvation. The season for this is brief too. And that is all the more reason why we need to have a sense of urgency, even as we are basking in the sunlight of the Son.

Jesus knew this tendency to forget how brief the window is. He said to the disciples:

Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. (John 4:35)

The harvest was urgently upon them. And they needed to admit the facts. They couldn’t let themselves think that they still had lots of time before the urgency kicks in.

The Unexpectant

In 1866, Charles Spurgeon preached on this passage and he noted how unexpectant Christians had become. He said:

You know that this is the general feeling at present in the Christian church, not to expect any great things now, but to be waiting and watching for something or other which may one of these days, in the order of providence, “turn up.”

We can be quite unexpectant. That is why we are fearful in evangelism, or we are apathetic in it. We just don’t expect that we can do it, or it will do any good. We almost completely take God out of the equation. All we end up seeing is the indifference or hostility of people toward the gospel.

But could it be that the indifferent person is simply being ripened by God, so that their apathy will be arrested by the drama of God’s wrath that rests upon them? (cf. Rom 1:18). Maybe they’ll be shaken by the profound condescension and love of God in Christ Jesus? If you speak the gospel to them, they might be ready to burst in relief at finding a refuge to flee from the wrath to come.

You don’t know this for sure. But you can be expectant of God.

As William Carey said, “Expect great things; attempt great things— for God”.

Enter the Harvest

Summer is a wonderful time. Let’s also remember that it is the precursor to the harvest. Will you pray with expectancy for ways to enter into God’s harvest?

“The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.” (Luke 10.2).

Pray this way and God will make you an answer to your own prayer.

3 Ways You Can Expectantly Enter the Harvest:

Prayerfully reflect on God’s undeserved favour to you, and start praying in concentric circles for the salvation of those closest to you, and progressively further out.
Pray for the Word heard together, in your Sunday gatherings and as people apply it in small groups and one-to-one discipling. Pray that new people would be witnessed to and invited to come and hear the message of the gospel too.
Go and share the gospel with someone and invite them to your church.

Let us pray to be more expectant of what God can do.

Vladimir Kudinov