So far we’ve talked about the big why of Christ’s heavenly church, and the local, earthly purposes that this generates. But what about the actual physical church meetings that many of us are keen to get back to?
Thanks again Tony - so many good points such as; face to face meeting in church enables us to better and more completely fulfil our obligations to one another; the challenge of delaying our face to face meeting until we can get it right (or at least go close).
I was interested that in view of some of the definitions of "church" that are going around, limiting it to the actual meeting, did I hear you correctly saying that church is NOT just meeting but what can happen outside of the actual Sunday gathering? Evangelism? Home groups? Etc?
Also, back to Ephesians 3:10, maybe I don't understand it fully, but if the translation is local gathering, that is, the local congregation, perhaps at the bottom line, it doesn't make a huge difference, but I was thinking through the impact of things like out unity or disunity and our relationship and love for one another, how we honour Jesus as Lord, that it seems, that to take 3:10 as referring to the local congregation, has a huge incentive and motivation for us to live lives that witness to the heavenly realms and that do indeed what to give glory to Jesus
Thanks again Tony - so many good points such as; face to face meeting in church enables us to better and more completely fulfil our obligations to one another; the challenge of delaying our face to face meeting until we can get it right (or at least go close).
I was interested that in view of some of the definitions of "church" that are going around, limiting it to the actual meeting, did I hear you correctly saying that church is NOT just meeting but what can happen outside of the actual Sunday gathering? Evangelism? Home groups? Etc?
Also, back to Ephesians 3:10, maybe I don't understand it fully, but if the translation is local gathering, that is, the local congregation, perhaps at the bottom line, it doesn't make a huge difference, but I was thinking through the impact of things like out unity or disunity and our relationship and love for one another, how we honour Jesus as Lord, that it seems, that to take 3:10 as referring to the local congregation, has a huge incentive and motivation for us to live lives that witness to the heavenly realms and that do indeed what to give glory to Jesus