You would turn in your Bibles to the book of Acts in the second chapter. Acts chapter 2, I want to read together verses 37 through the end of the chapter. Acts chapter 2, verse 37, we pick up the end of Peter's sermon and then its application and its effect. Acts 2, verse 37. Says, now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? And Peter said to them, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit for the promises to you and to your children and to all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call. And within many other words, he testified and exhorted them, saying, be saved from this perverse generation. And then those who gladly received his word were baptized. And that day, about 3,000 souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, and fellowship, and the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together and had all things in common and sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." Brief word of prayer. Our Father and our God, we're grateful today for this passage of scripture that challenges us with one of the things to which you've called us. Speak to us about it, we pray in Jesus' name, amen. So we've been emphasizing in the last several weeks the two core values that we need to have as a church. And reminder, those two core values that must be at the heart of all that we are and what we do as a church are the glory of God and the word of God. We value God's glory and we value God's word. But the value of those two things are not going to be recognized if we're only called to value without being called to do certain things that are going to shine light on those values. Actions, it is actions that reveal what we value, right? What we do reveals what we truly value. Well, likewise, we've also talked about our vision, the vision that we should have as a local church that grows out of those values, the vision for being a positive, zealous, life-changing, grace-filled ministry. But that vision will never become a reality unless we're also called to do certain things that the Lord will use to make that vision become a reality. Well, so in light of these things, in light of these values, and for the sake of realizing the vision, what are we then called to do? What are we called to do? I believe that God's Word calls us as a people of God to gather, to glory, to go, and to give. We're gonna consider each of these in the weeks ahead, but today, I just want us to recognize that the Lord has called us to gather, to gather together. Now before we begin the message per se, let me just share with you a quotation from a book entitled Gather by Tony Merida. And in that, understand a couple of things right off the start, right from the start. He writes this. He says, first, attending a church service does not make anyone a Christian. To paraphrase Joby Martin, he says, sticking your head in a church building doesn't make you a Christian any more than sticking your head in an oven makes you a biscuit. Only Jesus saves, and he changes us from the inside out. But with that said, the regular gathering of Christians in a local church is one of the primary ways we live out our changed lives as faithful disciples of Jesus. A Christian is marked not only by a love for Christ, but also by a love for his people. The New Testament knows nothing of Lone Ranger Christianity. Our faith is personal, but it is not individualistic. God wants us to live out our faith in community and church, and regular gathering for worship and instruction is at the heart of this idea. So with that said, God calls us to gather. And he does so through various means. Here in this passage of scripture that we just read in verses 41 through 47, one of the means by which God calls us to gather is by way of example, a way of example. Here at the very birth of the New Testament church, is established a basic pattern for the church that has continued ever since. Look at that pattern very quickly. Notice these elements that have continued since the birth of the church. In the first place, the church had a measure of structure or organization. Verse 41, the end of verse 41, and the end of verse 47 both say basically the same idea. That day, about 3,000 souls were added to them. In verse 47, the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. There was some thing to which saved, converted souls had to be added. There was a measure of structure or organization. Secondly, the church practiced the ordinances. You see this in verses 41 and 42. They were baptized. And in verse 42, they continued in the breaking of bread. And many understand that to refer to what we just did this morning, partaking of the Lord's table. Also in verse 42, a third element in this basic pattern that's continued through the centuries is the engagement in formal teaching. They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine or the apostles' teaching. Fourthly, they enjoyed fellowship. Next in verse 42, they continued in doctrine and in fellowship. And also verse 46, they continued daily with one accord in the temple, breaking bread from house to house. ate their food with gladness, simplicity of heart. There's fellowship together in the corporate gathering. There's fellowship with one another that comprise the church. In verse 42, also, number five, the church prayed together. They continued in prayers. In verses 44 and 45, the church cared for its members. All who believed were together. They had all things in common. And there was this selling of goods and property and possessions so that those who were in need might be helped. And by the way, that reminds me, as you leave, there's this little table there to the right side of the opening as you go out with an offering plate that says, Benevolence Offering. I always forget to mention that on Communion Sunday, but we set that out on the Lord's, the Communion Sunday so that we might contribute to this kind of thing, providing funds, benevolence funds for people who are in need. Still doing that 2,000 years later. And in verse 46, the church met together regularly. They met together regularly. They continued to meet together with one accord in the temple. So this example from the very beginning of the New Testament church serves as a means whereby God calls us to gather. But another means that God uses to call us to gather is by implication. By implication. What do I mean by that? The term church itself implies a gathering together. The word that is translated in English, church, is a Greek word that means literally the called out ones. And it is a word that is referring to, when it's used as a noun, it is referring to an assembly of people who have been called out and called together. They are the called out ones who have gathered or assembled together. That's just what the word itself means. But then when you look at how the term church is used in the New Testament, It also implies and I would almost suggest demands that there has to be some kind of a gathering. So, for example, A third of the New Testament books in our Bible were written to local churches that were read in a corporate gathering, in a corporate setting. So, for example, listen to Colossians 4 verses 15 and 16. So this is how Paul ends the letter that he wrote to the church in Colossae, the city of Colossae. He says, greet the brethren who are in Laodicea. Laodicea was a city about seven miles or so away from Colossae. And Nymphos, this is an individual, this is a person, listen to what he says. Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and greet Nymphos and the church that is in his house. The assembly of called out ones that are meeting in his house. He goes on to say, now when this epistle or this letter is read among you, you see how they're supposed to, as they gather together, they're to read the letter in an assembly. As this epistle is read among you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you likewise read the letter from Laodicea. Now, the point is very clear, is it not, that these churches, they gathered together as local assemblies of called-out believers. I would also point you to Revelation 1. As we look at the way the word church is used, in Revelation 1, John is told by Jesus to write seven letters and each of these letters is written to a different community and specifically the church in that community. So in Revelation 1 verse 4, we read, John, to the seven churches which are in Asia, grace to you and peace from him who is and was and is to come. Now in chapters 2 and 3, then you have the content of those letters that John was to send to those different churches, and it begins in chapter 2 verse 1. to the angel or the messenger of the church of Ephesus, right, and then the church at Smyrna, and then the church of Pergamos, and so on, all the way down to the church at Laodicea. And these churches were clearly organized, identifiable entities. How do we know that? Well, because, for example, in chapter 2, Revelation 2, look at verse 1, the church engaged in corporate works. Jesus says to this church in Ephesus, in verse two, he says, I know your works, your labor, your patience, that you cannot bear those who are evil. Now, who's he talking to? He's not talking to an individual. He's not talking to the church universal. He's talking to this local body of believers who have to be somehow organized in an identifiable way as the church. Now there's another point that brings this out in chapter 2 verses 14 and 15, but in a sort of a negative way. Here's what I mean. The Lord, through John, John writes to the church at Pergamos, and the Lord says to the church at Pergamos in verse 14, I have a few things against you because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus, you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Now, here's the thing to get. Here, Jesus has a criticism of the church, this organized, identifiable entity, because they have allowed, the church has allowed, corruption within. You have there, Jesus says, you have there those who hold to the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. In verse 14, he says, you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam. You have within your boundaries. if you will. There had to be some kind of a way in which the church was an organized, identifiable entity that could allow things in that didn't belong in, and that itself could engage in activities and works as a body of believers. Well, there's also implication. regarding the corrective instruction that is given to the local church. So 1 Corinthians is a letter that is notorious. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth because of some messes going on. But look at how he starts in 1 Corinthians 1. He makes it very clear to whom he is writing. He says, Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes, our brother, to the church of God, which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified or set apart in Christ Jesus called saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours. So Paul makes a distinction between those who are in this church at Corinth, They are sanctified, they're set-apart ones, they are saints. They comprise the church that is at Corinth. He distinguishes between that church and all the other saints, the church universal, if you will. But what is Paul doing in the Letter to the Corinthians? He's correcting some pretty messed up stuff. So, for example, we commemorated this morning the Lord's Table in 1 Corinthians 11. In verse 18, notice this. I want you to notice the wording here. See it in your own Bible for yourself. Paul says to the church, he says, for first of all, when you come together as a church, you individuals come together as an assembly of called out ones He says, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part, I believe it. Verse 20, therefore, he says, when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's supper, They were abusing the Lord's table and the Lord's supper. Now verse 33, he says, therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another and so forth. Now here's one thing I want you to see is Paul doesn't say if you come together. Should you happen to come together? He says, when you come together. It is an assumption that those who are called saints that comprise the church at Corinth are going to come together. And the implication here is, by virtue of this corrective instruction to the local church, that those who are followers of Jesus are called to gather together. Paul corrects this corrupt practice of the Lord's table. He also, in 1 Corinthians, corrects corruption regarding the worship of the church. Look at this in chapter 14, verse 23. He says, therefore, if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say, you're out of your mind? Verse 26, he says, how is it then, brethren, whenever you come together, each one of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. He says, listen, let all things be done to edification. When you come together as a church, it's not to be a free for all. It's not to be mayhem. There needs to be order, and there needs to be edification that takes place in the church. Whenever you come together, he's correcting their corrupt practices. So the Church is called to gather together by example, by implication. And thirdly, I believe we're called to gather by identification, by identification. That is, what the Church is identified as, indicates the call to gather. So 1 Timothy 3.15, listen to what it says. Paul says to Timothy, pastor, leader of a local church in Ephesus, he says, I write so that you may know how to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and the ground of truth. Now here, Paul is obviously not talking about the church universal. And what is the church universal? If you're a believer in Christ, you are a part of the church universal. Church universal is all the saints of God living and dead. All. That's the church universal. But the church local is what Paul is talking about here. He says, you conduct yourself in the house of God, the place where God's people gather together. That house of God is the church of the living God. Again, in 1 Corinthians 3, Paul uses a different term, but again, it's instructive, I think. It indicates to us the way he identifies the church, indicates the call to gather. He says in 1 Corinthians 3, verses 16 and 17, he says, do you not know that you, and here he's speaking of the church as a whole, you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you, in the gathered church, the temple of God. If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. Now again, in the context in 1 Corinthians 3, Paul is talking about the local church in Corinth. And he speaks of that local church as one where there was a foundation laid, and that foundation was laid by the Apostle Paul. And then others come after Paul, and they build on that foundation. He's talking about the church. And that's why he says, if anyone defiles the temple of God by building on it in an illegitimate way, God will destroy that person. But he speaks of that local church as the temple of God. Now, let that image take you back to the Old Testament, the Old Testament temple. Why did that temple exist? Why did that temple exist? It was the place where God's old covenant people gathered together for worshiping of God. And they did so through sacrifices and prayers and all that other stuff. But the point is, it was the gathering place of the people of God. Paul says to the New Testament believers in Corinth, you are the temple of God, the gathering together of God's people. You are the house of God. These means of identifying the local church, they indicate the importance and the call to gather together. But there's one more way God calls us to gather, and I would have you turn to Hebrews chapter 10, and that is by exhortation. By exhortation. Hebrews 10 and verses 24 and 25. Here the writer of Hebrews says, let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some, but exhorting one another in so much the more as you see the day approaching. You see the exhortation. The exhortation is to not forsake the assembly. Put that in positive terms. What's the exhortation? Assemble. Assemble together. Why? So that you, in heeding this exhortation, may be able to exhort one another. Well, how do we exhort one another? Well, one of the ways we exhort one another is even by what we've done already this morning. We've been exhorting one another with our voices lifted up in song. That's one way we exhort one another, but that's not the only way. We exhort one another by virtue of what's going on right now in the preaching of the word. And he says, do this so much the more as you see the day approaching. We are called to gather by exhortation, and the need to do so is greater than ever. Here's the question. Do we see that? Do we see that the need to gather together today is greater than ever? Sometimes I think we don't. I think because of just the distractions of life and all the stuff that's out there that can call for our attention, we kind of have our head in the sand about the importance of this exhortation to call us to gather together. So here's the basic point, I think, regarding this call to gather, to say that a local church has core values and a vision for becoming some kind of an entity, you know, a life-changing ministry, a grace-filled ministry, and so forth. To say the local church has core values and has a vision for becoming some kind of an entity, it's pointless and meaningless if we're not called together as some kind of a body. So we're called to gather through various means. And then I believe we're called to gather in three important ways, three important ways. First of all, we are called to gather organizationally, organizationally. We're living in a day when, oh, I would say probably for the last maybe 20 years, couple decades, The pushback against the church as an organization has become almost epidemic. I don't want to be part of an organized religion. I don't want to be part of an organized church. I just want to free float. I want to go wherever I want to go and do whatever I want to do when it comes to my religion. Well, it's a pretty free-spirited way to supposedly live the Christian life, but that's not the New Testament call and the New Testament pattern. As a Church, that is, an assembly of called-out ones, we are called to gather organizationally. In other words, there needs to be some kind of a structure of an identifiable membership, however you want to call that. Let me show you what I mean. In Matthew 18, When Jesus gave this passage about brothers who aren't getting along, and one brother has something against another, and the one who has been sinned against goes and tells his brother's fault, and he tries to bring reconciliation, and it doesn't work. But notice, I want you to notice, Verse 17, verse 17. So the guy who has sinned against his brother, he won't acknowledge his sin and he won't repent of his sin after a couple of steps. And finally, Jesus says, take that situation to the church. And then verse 17 says, if he refuses to hear them, that is the two or three witnesses, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you as a heathen and a tax collector. Now, there has to be some kind of an organization, some kind of an entity there in Christ's teaching that this offense, this situation can be taken to. If the Church is just like a blob of jelly, this is just kind of a nebulous thing where there are no parameters, the composition of that entity can fluctuate from one week to the next as people come and go as they want to come and go, and there is no organization to it, then there's nobody to take it to, you see. So Jesus' teaching here requires some kind of an organization. And then secondly, those first churches that we looked at, we looked at the church in Acts chapter 2, at the birth of the church, those first churches were an organization of members. Again, verse 41, 3,000 were added to them. Verse 47, the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. To what were those baptized converts added? If there wasn't an organized entity that could identify itself by means of You know, this person is part, this person is not part. Then there's nothing to add to, you see. There's nothing to add to. And look at chapter 9, Acts 9, verse 31. Acts 9, 31 says, then the churches, plural, and there is a textual thing. If you have an ESV, it says the church. I think that is an error, and I'll show you why in a second. the New King James and some of the other translations have plural here, then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, Samaria, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied. It wasn't multiplied, they were multiplied. What was multiplied? Who had rest? These entities. these identifiable organized entities that were called churches. In chapter 15, Acts 15, verse 41, it says the churches were strengthened. Paul went throughout Syria and Cilicia strengthening the churches. Who or what was strengthened? Again, there had to be a way of identifying the body if that body is to be strengthened. And then chapter 16, verse 5, it says, so the churches were strengthened in faith and increased in number daily. What is it that was increased in number? It was some kind of an organization that was comprised of members. Well then, the New Testament also gives us a blueprint regarding how churches were organized. And from this, we can see very clear, we can draw some very clear conclusions. How does the New Testament describe the organization of local churches? Each one was to have a pastor teacher and maybe more than one. Paul sent Titus to Crete to ordain elders in every city. Each church was to have a pastor, teacher, or elders that served as leaders of this entity, this organized group of believers. And this organized group of believers, consistently in the New Testament, was made up of redeemed followers of Jesus, converts who were baptized. And they then formed and organized an official group that could add new members, could discipline members, and could even, in extreme cases, expel members. So the conclusion of the matter is simply this. If we're called to gather organizationally, then every follower of Jesus Christ is to heed that call to be a part of what is an identifiable, organized structure that is called the Church. We're called to gather organizationally. We're also called, secondly, to gather regularly, to gather regularly. In 1 Corinthians 16, Paul tells the church at Corinth regarding their offering that they're taking up for the needy believers in Jerusalem. He says, when you gather on the first day of the week, you gather on the Lord's Day. set this aside on the Lord's day. And in 1 Corinthians 16, look at verses 1 and 2. He says, now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, notice plural, churches of Galatia. That's an area, a region, a territory. So must you also do on the first day of the week. Let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper. First day of the week. What's so special about that? Acts 20, verse 7, gives us an answer to that question. It says, now, on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread. The first day of the week is when the disciples came together to break bread. It's when the followers of Jesus came together on that first day of the week for the fellowship, for the commemoration of the Lord's table, for the breaking of bread. Paul preached to them. on the first day of the week, which is called the Lord's Day. The Lord's Day. That's what John refers to it in the book of Revelation. He was in the spirit on the Lord's Day, which is today. This is why we gather on a Sunday. We gather on the first day of the week, the Lord's Day. Now, I want you to notice something about this regular gathering as it's described in the New Testament. There is no prescription for time. In other words, it doesn't say in Acts 2 that the believers met every week on Sunday at 10 AM for worship and whatever, and therefore you must too. I mean, there's no prescription regarding the time of day in which the Church gathers. It also doesn't prescribe the place That's why over the period of years, there was the transition of gathering in houses as the church was a newborn entity, a nucleus of what it would become. Eventually, the church could build buildings where people could gather together that could accommodate everybody that comprised the local church. I dare say nobody in the congregation has a house big enough to accommodate all of us. So we build a building. There's no prescription regarding that. What there is in the scripture is a description of weekly Sunday meetings and meetings at other times as well. And the scriptures give us freedom to determine what is most suitable for our time and place. suitable for our cultural context. What's not negotiable is the need to do so. That is not negotiable. We gather organizationally, we gather regularly, and then thirdly, we gather functionally. We gather to do stuff, to function as an organization, as an organism. What do we do? What are we to do? Well, one of the things we're to do, we'll look at it the next message in this series, and that is to worship God together. We don't gather together as a...you remember when you were in high school and there was going to be a big game on Friday night? And Friday afternoon, class got out early so everybody could go to the gym and you could have a rah-rah session. It was a spirit day, you know? Spirit day. Big rival. This is homecoming. This is a big homecoming game. Everybody gets together and you get all pumped up for the game. That's not what church is about. We don't gather together for a spiritual rah-rah day. We gather together to worship God together. In 1 Timothy chapter 2, Paul tells Timothy, he says that the church is to gather together to pray. 1 Timothy chapter 2, verses 1 and 2. He says, I exhort, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. And then in verse 8, he says, I desire, therefore, that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting. By the way, I appreciate the men who have been willing to serve in opening our services in prayers. It's interesting. I was at a conference not long ago, and one of the speakers He said he was of the opinion that nobody other than an ordained pastor elder should be allowed to lead in prayer in church. And I thought, hmm, wonder why he says that. And went on to explain why he said that, and I still wondered why he said that. And then later on, somebody asked him a question, well, from a biblical standpoint, where do you get the biblical conviction that nobody but an ordained elder should lead in prayer? And again, he gave his answer that had to do with ordination and what all went into ordination, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, but he didn't give any scriptural reference. But I look at 1 Timothy 2 and verse 8 and it says, I desire that the men pray everywhere, that the men in the churches in every church everywhere pray. The church is called to pray together. The church is called to learn together, 1 Timothy 4.13. Paul says, till I come, he says to Timothy, till I come, give attention to reading, that is the public reading of the scripture. Give attention to reading, and I also appreciate these men, after they lead in prayer, then they're also willing to open the book and read the psalm for the day. Reading of scripture. Paul says, till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine, literally to the teaching. to the teaching. We're called to learn together, gather together to learn together. And then look at 1 Thessalonians 5. 1 Thessalonians 5. We're called to gather together functionally that we might encourage one another. 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 11, Paul says to the church at Thessalonica, therefore comfort each other and edify one another just as you also are doing. Comfort each other. The word translated comfort here is the Greek word parakaleo, the paraclete, the one called alongside of. And that is a rich word. It has a wide range of meaning. It can mean to come alongside somebody, put your arm around them, and let them know you're praying for them because they're hurting. Comfort them. It can also mean, hey, listen, buddy, get with it, exhort. It can mean also come alongside somebody, put your arm around them and say, listen, I know it's tough, but you can do it. You can handle this. You can get through this. Come on, let's go. Encouragement. Sometimes we need comfort. We need that arm wrapped around us and somebody weeping with us even as we're weeping. This was the emphasis back in chapter 4, verse 18, after Paul gives the instruction regarding Christ's second coming. He says at the end of chapter 4, in verse 18, he says, comfort one another with these words. Some of you have been grieving, thinking that your departed loved ones who are in Christ Jesus will not see Christ come. Comfort them with these words that they shall. And in chapter 5, verse 14, Paul says, we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the faint-hearted. Sometimes we need comfort when we're grieving, we're hurting, we're faint-hearted. Sometimes we need exhortation. We need exhortation. Like we saw in Hebrews 10, verses 24 and 5. not forsaking the assembling of yourselves, gather together so much more as you see the day approaching that you might exhort one another. Sometimes we need exhortation. Or as the writer of Hebrews said in Hebrews chapter 3, verses 12 and 13, he says this. He says, brethren, beware, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Yeah, we need to gather functionally that we might encourage one another, whether through comfort or exhortation. All right, so look, what the church is called to do corporately, what the church is called to do corporately, you and I as individuals, followers of Jesus, We're saved. We've been baptized. We're his. We claim to be his disciples. Well, I am called to this. You, who are Christ's, are called to this personally. You are called, and you and I are called, to be an official part of an organized body of believers, a local church. We're called to this. We're called to gather with that local church regularly, and we're called to gather with our local church functionally. Oh, may we heed the call. Our Father and our God, I pray that in our local church that we would hear the call and we would heed it, that that which we value, your glory and your word, might be evident through the lives and the ministry of this local church. And we pray this in Jesus' name and for his sake, amen.