If ye love [the Lord Jesus Christ], keep [his] commandments.
John 14:15Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for [the Lord Jesus Christ] is faithful that promised;) and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Hebrews 10:23-25
The reason why Christians should meet with other Christians is that the Lord Jesus Christ commands it. If you have been saved by God’s grace, the love of Christ should constrain you to meet with other Christians. When one is saved he or she is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), called out and delivered from darkness (Colossians 1:13). We are a new creation the Lord Jesus Christ has commanded us to be separate from systems and ways of the world. God does not want us to be isolated individuals so He has also commanded that Christians meet together and help one another.
What does it mean to meet with other Christians?
It is important to know that having Christian friends is great but it does not fulfill this command of the Lord Jesus. When the Lord Jesus Christ calls us out of the world He calls us to Himself. God gathers believers together unto, into and in the authority of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The command is fulfilled when Christians are joined together by God in obedience to the Bible to honour Christ. God calls a group of Christians who are obeying this command a “called out people,” a church or an assembly.
The Bible shows that obedience to this command:
- Gives God glory, because together we are a public testimony to the work of Christ.
- Provides for us as God’s new creation, so we can fully develop and function as spiritual beings.
If meeting with other Christians has been difficult for you, it may be that you have never done so the way God wants you to. We have posted the Bible’s divine pattern for you to prayerfully take to the Lord and seek His will.