“I am Christian today not because of my own weak determination to follow Christ but because of stronger Christians who refused to let me go by injecting me into their everyday lives and themselves in mine.”
This chapter was originally written for someone who heard me use the term ‘church life’ in conversation and wanted to know what exactly I meant by it. I hope it will be a blessing to you too.
As promised, I am writing this for you and also for me so that I can reorder my thoughts and test and examine my reasoning to determine its integrity. I will try my best to explain plainly how all this is drawn from scripture, supported by examples from the everyday church life I once had the undeserved privilege to experience. I cannot promise that this essay will be completely free from my sometimes offensive fiery passion and ‘difficult’ nature but I will try my best to keep my emotions at bay so that you can see clearly for yourself, as much as possible, through the word of God and not rely solely on the cataract eyes of my fallen human nature.
Before we delve into the word, I cannot help but tell you what church life means to me. Church life is important to me. You might have figured this out already but it just needs to be said: It is vital. If not for the church life I was blessed with in my early days as a Christian, it is unlikely that I would even have been a churchgoer – except maybe during Christmas and Easter.
Within the space of four months in my first year of university in London – my first time living alone in the big city – I repented in one church, learnt what it meant to be follower of Christ and took up my cross in another church, and got built up in love in yet another fellowship. It was the last of the three that ensured my faith and hammered in the final nail to my cross, so to speak.
This fellowship was annoying. They pestered me so much and never let me go. I felt like running away but I didn’t because I could tell that there was something good going on in my spirit every time I was with them. I didn’t agree with all their opinions but these were all secondary issues. The essential primary building blocks of our faith were solid and unadulterated.
They laid heavy emphasis on church life and this was new to me. I didn’t even know what this meant though I grew up in a no-nonsense Christian home. Every Tuesday afternoon we would have Bible study on campus, on Thursdays one of the elders of the church would take me out for coffee and we would read a chapter of a Christian book together and discuss what we gained from it. I hardly ever had to cook dinner on Fridays because we would have dinner together as a church in someone’s home. After eating we would sing and sing then settle down to read a book together or discuss our week. During the weekend, if enough of us weren’t buried in deadlines at school or work, we would go somewhere: to a museum, garden or out of the city. If I didn’t show up for anything, they would call to check up on me. This was how my typical week was in my first year of university.
As a fresher, I was in a very fragile and destiny-shaping time of my life. I was an independent 18-year-old with naturally-occurring radical ideas, living in a city that promotes self-idolatry, in a humanist university, studying a course taught by lecturers who use unquestionable logic and visible evidence to promote atheism, and surrounded by confused mates with no certain direction in life that also mocked the existence of God. I am Christian today not because of my own weak determination to follow Christ but because of stronger Christians who refused to let me go by injecting me into their everyday lives and themselves in mine.
“Do not forsake the assembly [of God’s people]”. Who knows how many times I have heard people repeat this. However, no one actually says the meaning. It is just uttered as an unquestionable command sort of like the Ten Commandments. It is adhered to without any thought to the “what?” and “why?”. Many Christians are afraid of asking questions; but unless we do, we would be victims of the stereotypical blind faith or just plain old religious people like the Pharisees. These questions are what I will now attempt to address for the remainder of this essay.
What exactly is the assembly? The textbook answer would be when Christians meet together for a church service or Bible study or perhaps prayer meetings. However, the ‘assembly’ goes beyond the Sunday and mid-week routines of the church calendar. Looking at the life of early Christians in Acts, one can get a picture:
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47 NIVUK)
Again,
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there was no needy person among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. (Acts 4:32-35 NIVUK)
Firstly, from the Bible, we see that the early Christians devoted their lives to fellowship. In other words, they devoted their lives to one another. This translated to them meeting daily, sharing, praising God as one and eating together. Do not underestimate the power of Christians eating together. As the early Christians met to feed themselves spiritually, encourage each other emotionally and strengthen their common and unified mentalities, they also nourished themselves physically. That is enrichment on every single dimension! No realm of their existence was lacking. Church life headed by Christ has the potency to do that: No need, no lack in every single aspect of our lives.
We also see that there was no such thing as the ‘this-is-mine’ mentality that has permeated from the world into the church today. Every house, item of clothing and car is at the disposal of God and one’s brothers and sisters in Christ. Sadly, today we see that sometimes when it needs a Christian’s property or service, the church has to pay. This shouldn’t be so. Nothing we do for church should be considered as business.
In addition, note that no one was in need because people gave money to the church, not for constructing unnecessarily fancy and enormous church buildings or for buying a copious number of air conditioners, but for any Christian who was in need. Imagine what it would have been like if the millions we spend on inanimate buildings in the Nigerian church were used to pay school fees. Or the money could be used for the medical treatment of members who fell seriously ill. Can you fathom the impact that would have both in the Christian community and in the hearts of others? What non-Christian would not want to know about this Jesus whom inspires such love?
Now, why should there be church life? Consider Hebrews 10:
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIVUK)
The purpose of all these meet-ups, eating and coffee we did in London was not for fun or just for an excuse to get out of the house. It was a genuine endeavour to encourage one another in our walk with God. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a Christian biological family, colleagues or friends. Living with people who don’t see the things that have been revealed to you is energy draining. This is where the church steps in – to sincerely build one another up as we wait in hope for our future glory.
James even talks about confessing our sins to one another[1]. This is not for gossip or seeking forgiveness in the manner of confessions in the Catholic church, as only God has the authority to erase sins, but for us as a family to know where our weak points are and help each other out. One of the first signs that a person is drifting is that he or she evades church. It is easier to spot a drifter in proper church life. However, with this Sunday-to-Sunday church we do, it’s a lot harder. We see each other for two hours, only have a few minutes to greet with fake smiles after service – if we do at all – before rushing to our private lives independent from church. How can you tell if a person is struggling or truly believes?
I am not talking about adding more items to the calendar. If you are thinking that then you are not understanding me at all. I am talking about living as a family in every single aspect of our lives, in thought, word and deed. The church needs to wake up and start operating like a true united family again, one that you are going to spend all eternity with. When non-Christians see the disunity or nonchalant expressions between us, is it a wonder they are put off from the Gospel?
We do not cultivate church life out of a sense of duty but out of the love that compels us, the love that stands as our only commandment as Christians, the love of John 15.
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friend (John 15:13 NIVUK)
This is the love Jesus Christ so clearly and openly showed us. It is this same love that we are called to have as Christians, the followers of Christ. This is a self-sacrificial act – not just words – for our fellow Christians and the larger world. As Christians, we automatically become showers of love and blessings to those around us and crucifiers of our lives for the sake of the Gospel and salvation of the world.
This love should be the centre of our attitude and drive towards church. It should be the uniting force among believers. If God, who created the glorious sunset I’m seeing before me at this very moment, stripped Himself of all His majesty and splendour to take up my mortal form and feel my human pain, why can’t I love my fellow human sacrificially? In comparison to the Creator’s sacrifice, my labour is nothing.
[1] James 5:16
The Mark 8 Christian 