Template:Why congregate
Why Congregate
Why should we Congregate?
The people of every free government, from the beginning of man's history, have congregated together in Free Assemblies to help maintain their mutual liberty. The greatest threat to a free society comes from within, not from without. A free society is bound by Social Virtues like love and honor and not by Contracts, covenants and constitutions which limit freedom of choice.
Historically, small groups gathered together in these social networks to protect individual liberty, sacred under a fundamental moral code. People functioned in a free society and cared about their neighbors and their neighbors' rights as much as their own.
This is, and was, what early Israel and early Rome were doing, and what the early Church did because the people were willing to repent and think and act in a different way. It has been said that there is strength in numbers, but the manner in which society establishes those bands that connect them with one another are many fold.
The method and manner used to bind society determines the fruit of that society but the why for His Church is because Jesus as the Christ commanded that His disciples make the people organize themselves in by companies in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties..[1].
Man is gregarious by nature
There is a natural emotional need in mankind to gather with others like themselves. Gathering together in fellowships offers individuals emotional and even psychological support to their purposes and satisfaction. However, the emotional dependence upon a group can become a form of bondage. Your intent or spirit for gathering can either facilitate that bondage or protect you from it.
The question you must ask should answer why are you gathering.
While what would qualify as a cult might cultivate a welcomed emotional dependence, it also may go so far as to completely remove a member from their support systems of friends and family. A cult may even be a means of making income, thus causing a person to become physically and financially dependent upon the group, and therefore its leaders.
There are other, more subtle, ways of creating an emotional dependency.
For example, Modern Churches will try to fill a natural emotional need for community and fellowship. Their attempt to feed or satisfy an emotional dependency in the congregant can also cultivate the quality of loyalty in attending congregants. Such churches may use guilt or even fear of condemnation if a congregant stops going to church.
This type of church may be catering to an individual's existing emotional weakness. Their weakness manifests itself by granting power to leaders as seen with Saul in 1 Samuel 8, opening a door to a leader's controlling spirit. He will secure his leadership position of loaned power using various methods as seen the case of Saul. Banning members from meeting, communing with others outside the Church congregation, or an over-shadowing denominational loyalty are all signs of the syndrome.
The opposite is true with Jesus who met with both sinners and saints, Jew and Samaritan and even Romans. In fact, He clearly states that He came that the whole world might be saved.[2]
Of course loyalty is a virtue and therefore is a good thing. Yet it is the intent and motivation behind that loyalty which leads to the production of good fruit. Thieves and robbers have loyalty too. Loyalty for the wrong reason or compelled (forced) loyalty are both forms of bondage.
Loyalty in a true congregation of Christ is loyalty to the righteousness of God which is what we are to be seeking. Loyalty to individuals by virtue of their office or to the symbols of that office are forms of Idolatry.
When the people looked to Peter as a leader of the Church to dictate commands his response was clear:
- "Then Peter opened [his] mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." Acts 10:34-35