So the men… went to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter.  Acts 15:30

How do you gather a church together? How do you know who they are? If the church is the family of God, consisting of all baptized believers, the only way to know this family is if they make themselves accountable to a local body. The church in Jerusalem sent a message to Antioch, but it was not taken house to house. The leaders in Antioch gathered the believers together, and then they shared it. They knew whom to notify because those people had made themselves accountable to the Antioch church. “Tobias isn’t here yet.” “Let’s wait for the Hart family.” “Here come Mary and John. Now we can start.”

In our individualistic culture, it’s easy to become spiritually isolated and think we’re healthy. “It’s just me and Jesus,” we think. “Don’t need anybody else.” The Bible does not support that theory. The overwhelming majority of the 66 books was written to groups: Israel and the church. While salvation is a personal matter, one result of that salvation is love for other Christians. God saves us into His family and calls us to work together, learn together, and come together often for fellowship and worship. Until we see ourselves as part of His church and planted where He wants us, our growth is stunted and our impact is minimal.

Final Thought: When the church gathers to hear from the Lord, do you make certain that you are there?

Prayer: Father, this convicts me. My church involvement is skimpy. I keep myself on the outside so I don’t have to answer to anybody. But that’s not how you set it up. Please forgive me. I want to be faithful to Jesus and His church. In His name, Amen.