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The Church of God, MMI

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The Church of God, MMI

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The Church of God, MMI

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The church is the body of Christ and no substitute exists for commanded assembly.

Sermon Notes

Based on a true story…

The COG-MMI Home Office was first in Bentonville, AR, which later relocated to Gravette, AR, before it was dissolved after about 4 years due to a drop in attendance by 1/3rd. In many ways, the COG-MMI was a great place to fellowship. I had been raised in a church of God most of myself's life, but because of a number of doctrinal changes and, I, being otherwise unable to live with myself, as the situation was a torment to me, finally decided to disassociate with that group and immediately assembled the COG-MMI. After all, I, myself, and you know me, had struggled for a good eight years against such a tide, that it felt so incredible to be among those who simply agreed on most things. At the time, it was just not conceivable to myself, and I can assure you, to me, either, to trust any of the other COG groups.

Even if I got into an argument with myself, no matter how serious, it seemed that the matter could always be resolved by me. When it came to worship, the vocal unity was unmatched. I could always trust the doctrine and instruction given by me, always being pleased with myself for being such a team player.

After a few years, though, I began to grow discontent with the same ol', same ol'…

Heb 10:23  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
Heb 10:25  not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Present a quote…

From “https://www.hisholychurch.org/ekklesia.php“…

The Church, the Ekklesia

“The word 'church' in the New Testament is translated from the Greek word 'ekklesia' which comes from two words 'ek' meaning 'out' and 'kaleo' meaning to 'call.' An ekklesia or 'calling out' was not just an assembly. The words agora and paneguris as well as heorte, koinon, thiasos, sunagoge and sunago can all mean an assembly. The word ekklesia was a political term, not a religious term. Jesus was the King and the Bible used the term ekklesia for a good reason. In classical Greek "ekklesia" meant "an assembly of citizens summoned by the crier, the legislative assembly."”1

1Liddell and Scott define ekklesia as "an assembly of citizens summoned by the crier, the legislative assembly." [R. Scott, and H.G. Liddell, A Greek-English Lexicon, p. 206.] Thayer's lexicon says, "an assembly of the people convened at the public place of council for the purpose of deliberating" [J. H. Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, p. 196]. Trench gives the meaning as "the lawful assembly in a free Greek city of all those possessed of the rights of citizenship, for the transaction of public affairs" [R.C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament, 7th ed., pp. 1-2]. Seyffert's dictionary states, "The assembly of the people, which in Greek cities had the power of final decision in public affairs" [Oskar Seyffert, A Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, pp. 202-203].From "fully after the LORD" by Steve Flinchum http://www.bryanstation.com/flinchum-fully.htm

DISCUSSION…

For the purposes of this particular message, the assumption is made that the listener already knows the Sabbath is holy. The listener already has learned from scripture that it is a day of rest from our labors. The listener may even realize that it, in the old testament, was a commanded assembly for the people of Israel.

The problem, related to this last issue, is the confusion that I have seen and experienced concerning the importance of assembly for the new testament EKKLESIA.

Discouragement can lead to isolation and self-protection. We might say that we may not go to assembly anymore, but we…

Always say uplifting things to the checkout person at the store, or help out at the local soup kitchen every Tuesday without fail, or we give generously to a ministry for which the sole purpose is to give out Bibles and 100% of their funds go to Bible acquisition and distribution.

Turn to…

Gal 6:9  And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Gal 6:10  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Eph 4:1  I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
Eph 4:2  with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
Eph 4:3  endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Eph 4:4  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
Eph 4:5  one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
Eph 4:6  one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

I Corinthians 12 likened to a body

1Co 12:12  For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
1Co 12:13  For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
1Co 12:14  For in fact the body is not one member but many.

Returning to Ephesians 4…

Eph 4:16  from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

A recap about me, myself & I…

After a few years, though, I began to grow discontent with the same ol', same ol'. To me, it seemed, I just wasn't growing enough as a Christian, even when relying on myself for guidance. Neither me, myself, nor I, were really willing to drive anywhere to meet with anybody else, so this fellowship never grew in number.

Finishing the story…

I finally did some searching, which was rather transparent to me, with myself understanding why I needed to learn to share with others besides me, being so much like myself. So, in 2007 I visited another church where I found the Christian walk to offer much more exciting opportunities for personal growth and development, for serving others, learning better to adapt to situations which may not always be in agreement with what I would normally do. Now, I get to learn to leave myself behind and forget about me, no matter how comfortable I was with me, I often having been more concerned about myself than I should have been.

The church is a gathering of people, and that gathering is the body of Christ. Without gathering, we are not a body.

Many of us in this room have experienced disappointments with Christian relationships, and what we must do is make sure that our strength comes from God. We must support one another to remember the source of strength and endurance. We must make sure that we are not the weak link in Christian fellowship and development. We are the EKKLESIA.