SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

by Denise L. Shaw

 

The holidays often bring fond memories - especially to parents - their first Christmas... her first baby doll... his first train set... baking cookies together... 

 

My mother tells of taking great care to set up a play farm set under the tree when my brother was quite young - something he was sure to enjoy.  On Christmas morning, with hands on his hips, he huffed, “Huh!  I didn’t order that,” and off to other presents he went.  All that work...

 

Then there is the ever-memorable assembly of a child’s first bicycle.  Some parents purchase the gift pre-assembled from the store.  However, for most, the task is left for Dad or Mom on Christmas Eve.

 

It’s truly amazing how something so big could come in such a small box.  All those little pieces and parts. 

 

“Are you sure we need all these screws?” says mother.

 

“I know how to do it,” and to the side the directions are tossed.

 

The bicycle has been purchased.  And, yes, all the parts are there - gathered in one location.  But, it’s not really a bicycle until it is fully assembled.

 

And so goes the church.  There is a big difference between being gathered in one place and being assembled.

 

Hebrews 10:25 (Amplified)  Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching.

 

From the original Greek, the word translated “assemble” means a complete collection.  Common meanings in the English language are: to bring, pull or come together; to put or fit together, to build, compile, connect or construct.

 

The assembling of the church is not supposed to be a mere gathering.

 

The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12:12 (NKJV), “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.”

 

 

A bicycle has many parts.  Separately, they are just parts - screws, handlebars, tires, pedals, and gears.  Collectively assembled according to the instructions, they become one bicycle.  Each part may have its own identity, but without the other pieces, some are completely useless.  What good is a screw if there is nothing for it to connect?

 

1 Corinthians 12:17 (NKJV)  If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?

 

The little streamers that are often found flowing from the ends of the handlebars on a little girl’s bike are lovely.  However, if they were the only part, there’d be no way of transporting the child from point A to point B.  She’d have nowhere to sit.

 

1 Corinthians 12:19 (NKJV) And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

 

We wouldn’t have a bicycle.  We’d have pompoms.

 

Twice in the New Testament the Apostle Paul uses the Greek word, epichoregia, translated as “supply” or “supplies.”  We see it first in Philippians 1:19 regarding prayer and, “...the supply of the Spirit...” and again in Ephesians 4:16 (NKJV):  ...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.

 

The parts of a bicycle must be joined together in order for it to function as the manufacturer intended.  Every piece has a part to play.  For example, it’s nearly impossible to ride a bike with only one pedal or without a chain to help turn the gears.

 

So it is with the church.  Every believer has a part to fulfill within the local church and the body of Christ as a whole.  Every believer has a supply to make.  We are first gathered together and then we are assembled.

 

One might say, “I can’t do anything.  I’m just a babe in the Lord.”  My reply would be, “Are you hungry for more of God?  Do you desire to know more of His Word?  Do you long to worship Him?  Then, you have a supply to make.”

 

Some believers don’t realize the importance of sincere, heart-felt worship.  It improves the function of the local church - a supply anyone can make - from the least to the greatest.

 

Worship brings with it the presence of the Lord, which in turn provides blessing for the entire congregation.

 

Another thing, it is such a blessing to have those within the congregation that are hungry for the Word of God.

 

We’ve got a young woman in our church - a new believer - so hungry for God we find her on the front row nearly every Sunday.  Her desire literally draws things out by the Holy Spirit.  It makes the speaker a better preacher.  Her spiritual hunger is the supply she makes.  And the whole church benefits from it.

 

A growling tummy benefits the whole body when its message is heeded.

 

Of course, there are lots of different things believers can do within the body of Christ.  Where would we be without ushers and greeters, parking lot attendants and nursery workers, pray-ers and teachers?  There is something for everyone.

 

According to Ephesians 4:16, if every part is making its supply it brings growth to the body.

 

Some believers get frustrated if their church is not growing.  There are lots of reasons why these things happen.  But, perhaps we should examine ourselves to see if we’re merely “gathering” or we’re being “assembled.”  Are we doing our part?

 

Over the many years I have been involved with ministry, it has always disturbed me to hear folks say they don’t have a need to go to church, citing they can get fed by watching Brother So-And-So on television.

 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I think Christian television is a wonderful thing.  However, I don’t believe that the Lord ever intended for it to replace the local church.

 

Yes, it is true we can be spiritually fed through books and tapes, videos and television.  However, where is the spiritual supply?  It’s not just about receiving.  Where is the giving of ourselves as unto the Lord?

 

In order for the body of Christ to function as God intended, we must be assembled according to the instructions (the Word of God). 

 

Some local churches are not bicycles.  Some are gigantic machines sent forth to bring in the harvest.  It is a thrill to see a combine (a farm implement used in harvest) working in the field.  However, without proper maintenance, that machine would break down and cease in its intended purpose.

 

The local church must be well oiled (by the Holy Spirit) and fueled (by the Word of God) in order to accomplish its task.  It must have a pastor who knows how to operate it - one who is sensitive to its every need.

 

Some may say, “Well, there are just no good churches in my area.”  And, I would say, “There could be, if one had you as part of the assembly.” 

 

Again, Hebrews 10:25:  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

 

It’s not just a matter of having more church services.  It’s a matter of all of us faithfully finding our place. 

 

The Day of the Lord is nearly upon us.  Let us be found well assembled and fulfilling our divine destiny.

 

Fall / Winter 2004