Why a Solemn Assembly?
This Saturday evening we are
gathering together as a church family for a time of “Solemn Assembly.” The idea
is based on multiple examples in the Old Testament of the people of God coming
together to repent of sin, seek God, and yield to His revealed will. For
example the prophet Joel wrote to a rebellious nation, calling them to come
together in genuine repentance:
“Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the
elders And all the inhabitants
of the land Into the house of the
LORD your God, And cry out to the LORD.” (Joel 1:14; cf. 2:15).
We might respond, “Well, that
was Israel, that was the Old Testament. We are under grace!” It is certainly
true that the church is not Israel. We are a spiritual entity, set apart by
grace. Why then are we having a service
like this?
First of all, it is an
intentional step in which we are acknowledging together that this church is a
spiritual entity under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the head of the
church, He is our Savior, our Lord, our Master, our King. He has called us out
of darkness into the light, and by grace we are saved through faith in Him. We don’t
need programs, we need Jesus! As our
Lord, He has the right to expect our devotion and obedience. Individually we are forgiven of our sins, His
child forever. We are also a “work in
progress” in the sense that we are learning and growing, step by step “putting
off the old man and putting on Christ.” Since our old nature is defeated but
not destroyed we will often sin against the God that saved us, and in the
process we will often offend our brothers and sisters, co-heirs of Christ,
redeemed by His blood. So we need to confess our sins to God (I John 1:9) and
to one another (James 5:16). And we need to be willing to forgive as we have
been forgiven.
We all recognize that Boothbay
Baptist Church has come through some difficult times to arrive at where we are
today. I am convinced that God is working in our midst. Over this last year I’ve
seen a renewed burden for the lost, a growing hunger for truth, forgiveness and
reconciliation between hurting people, and love extended in a myriad of ways to
both people within our fellowship and to others in the community. God is working and I believe He desires to
use us as a body of believers in a powerful way in this community and beyond.
If God is at work, we can be sure that the enemy is also lurking, looking for
any opportunity to discourage believers and derail God’s mission.
I would urge you to be praying fervently
for our church at this moment in our history. Ask God to prepare your own heart
as we seek Him together. We need to
yield to His will, to recognize His presence, to understand more His attributes,
including His holiness. Jesus was speaking to the church in Laodecia when He
said:
“Those whom I love I
rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the
door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and
eat with him and he with Me” (Revelation 3:19,20).
That is an invitation to intimate fellowship. Do you hear His voice,
inviting you to draw nearer? That is a
step that will make us, as individual Christ followers, and as a part of this
local body of believers more usable for His mission. Will you dare to open the
door and invite Him in? Please plan to be here at Boothbay Baptist Church on
Saturday evening at 6:30 P.M.
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