Faith & Reason Nexus

When I gather with fellow believers, I am expressing the following:

I Love the Lord and Want to Be With Him

• Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
• As I come together in worship, I demonstrate my love for God and my desire to be in His presence.

I Want to Set a Good Example

• Ephesians 6:4, Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
• I am committed to setting a godly example for others, especially within the church community.

I Want a Good Conscience

• 1 John 3:20-22: “If our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.”
• Through assembly, I maintain a clear conscience before God, ensuring I am living in alignment with His will.

I Do Not Want to Backslide

• 2 Peter 2:20-22: “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.”
• I gather to protect my spiritual walk and prevent falling away from the faith.

I Need to Go and Am Needed

• Hebrews 10:24-25: “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 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.”
• My presence is important for the mutual encouragement and support of the body of Christ.

I Need to Satisfy My Spiritual Appetite

• Matthew 5:5, 1 Peter 2:1-2: “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”
• “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”
• Gathering with the saints nourishes my spiritual growth and satisfies my hunger for God’s word.

I Need to Maintain My Spiritual Growth

• Ephesians 4:15-16: “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.”
• Regular worship and fellowship are key to my continued spiritual maturity.

I Want to Obey the Elders

• Hebrews 13:7, 17: “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.”
• “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account…”
• I respect the leadership of the church and submit to their spiritual guidance.

I Do Not Want to Close the Doors

• Romans 14:7: “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.”
• By assembling, I affirm that my life is interconnected with the body of Christ, and I refuse to isolate myself.

I Do Not Want to Disobey God

• 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.”
• Gathering with the saints is an act of obedience to God’s command to fellowship and worship.

Worship Always and Worship in Spirit and in Truth!

• John 4:24: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
• When I assemble, I am fulfilling the call to worship God with sincerity and truth.

I Do Not Want to Rob God

• Malachi 3:8: “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.”
• 1 Corinthians 16:1-2: “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him…”
• I understand the importance of giving back to God and worshipping through financial stewardship.

In assembling with the saints, I am declaring my commitment to worship, growth, community, obedience, and faithfulness to God’s word.