Faith: Gathering unto the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ
by Albert Hull ... by permission from Truth and Tidings
"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20
Some might question the necessity of addressing such a topic. Yet, it could be of timely value to a younger generation who gather in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is no longer enough to follow the traditional, and say, “It was good enough for our forefathers, so it is good enough for me.” While there is wisdom in respecting the principles of those who have left us a rich legacy, yet more is required. Getting back to the NT teachings on this subject is our sole and scriptural answer in our present day. We must get back to “the BOOK!”
The scriptures that are most prominent in addressing the subject are: Matt 18:20; I Cor 1:9; 1 Cor 3: 5-17; 1 Tim 3: 14 16; Phil 1: 1; Acts 20: 28 and Rev 2 & 3.
It is important to note that from the beginning of time there has been a relentless attack upon two basic pillars of the truth in our Bibles: (1) The Name and (2) The Place. History traces either OPPOSITION to, UNIFICATION against, IMITATION like, or INFILTRATION into these great bulwarks.
While there will never cease to be “a testimony” on earth, we are also aware of the constant three-fold danger assailing the testimony of the Lord: a) the world that intrudes, b) the flesh that divides and c) the Devil that destroys.
The preservation of local assemblies is nothing short of a miracle!
We must distinguish between the Church which is His body (universal) and local churches found in various place, or confusion will result.
The Church which is His body is foretold in Matt 16: 15-18, and commenced in Acts 2. Also in Acts 2 we have the first local church in Jerusalem, a testimony unto the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through persecution, believers were scattered and gathered in different places in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the mind of God: scriptural churches in many places.
We now come to the subject. Are we fanatical to believe that the local assembly stands in contradistinction to everything else on earth? The Facts are unassailable..