Some Assembly Required
Pastor, Jim May
The church is a wonderful creation of God. It is here where we come together, not just on the Lord’s Day, to worship Jesus, but at all times and for a multitude of reasons. Yet every time we come together, whether it is for a regular service, a time of fellowship, a time of working together, or for the purpose of carrying on necessary business, we are assembling ourselves, building ourselves into a unified body of Christ and working toward the growth of our church.
Every person, no matter their age, or any other factor, have a unique and special place in the Body of Christ. Each of us, coming in with our own special abilities and character, have so much to offer, and it is the Lord who will take us and join us together to create a functioning body of Believers to carry the Gospel to a lost and dying world.
This year, in Victory Temple, we have seen God’s hand at work in our congregation. God has assembled a wonderful group of people here. Whether you believe it or not, you are not here by accident. God’s wonderful design is that each church, each body of Christ if you will, that He brings together will lack nothing of what is needed.
God knows that we need different people, doing different things, with different ways of thinking, to get the job done. I am so thankful to each of you for allowing the Holy Spirit to lead you to be a part of our church.
We have seen a number of people come through our doors this year. Some have come to stay for a little while and while they were here they blessed us greatly, but then for whatever reason, they have chosen to move on. We must never take their leaving as a sign that anything is wrong with our church. The simple fact is that each church has its own character and not everyone who comes will want what we have to offer.
Hebrews 10:22-25, "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised) 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."
I want you to notice that this scripture says that, we are to “assemble ourselves together.” When something is assembled, it doesn’t happen by accident, or by chance. The very act of assembling means that someone, possessing an intelligent plan, takes each part and puts it exactly where it fits best to create a fully functioning creation.
First of all, God leads us and draws us together, bringing every necessary part of the body into one place at one time. As each of us comes in, we search for our own special niche, a place where we can feel needed and wanted and useful to the church. Some find that place very quickly and seem to just fall into place while others may seem to take a while longer. If we will search for a work to do, and desire to be used by God, then God will reveal that place where we need to be in Him. We are to encourage one another, exhort one another, teach one another and build each other up in the faith. Every member of this church family is important and has a vital role to play.
I want to tell you about one family that I have met in a church where I once attended. They were called the “Tate Family”. Now I know that we don’t have anyone in this church by the name of “Tate” but I think that we could probably find a few who are closely related.
There is one named Dick Tate, who wants to run everything, while Uncle Roe Tate tries to change everything. Their sister Aggie Tate stirs up plenty of trouble, with help from her husband, Irri Tate. Their son Debili Tate is often a bad influence on other children.
Whenever new projects or ministries are suggested, Hesi Tate, and his wife, Vege Tate, wants to wait until the finances are right and circumstances are right. Their motto is, “Don’t do anything until you know everything.” Then there is Brother Disorien Tate who never is aware of just what is going on. Grandpa Disser Tate will talk on and on about most any subject when given a chance. Then there is Ges Tate who takes a long time to make up his mind about any new ideas. And let’s not forget Aunt Emma Tate. Why she thinks that our church should be like all the others. Of course it seems that every church has a member named Devas Tate, they always provide the voice of doom and their faith is such that it always expects the worst. There are a few black sheep in the Tate family too. Does your family have any black sheep? One of theirs is Cousin Fragmen Tate who seems to always be stirring up division, and his sister, Apos Tate who has formed her own little church within the church following her way of thinking. Oh, and let’s not forget one other member of the Tate family. His name is Ampu Tate. He suddenly decided that he knew it all and wasn’t being fed at the church so he has cut himself off from the Church!
Cousin Temp Tate doesn’t stay long in the church, just long enough to start trouble. Uncle Poten Tate feels he has to run the congregation, single-handedly, his way but complains that no one gets involved. Need we neglect Uncle Lamen Tate, who complains incessantly about the sorry state of society and how things were better when "he" was a kid!
But not all the members of the Tate family are like these we have named. Sister Facili Tate is quite helpful in doing whatever needs to be done around the church. There is Uncle Capaci Tate. Why you couldn’t find a more helpful member of the church than he. And let us remember Cousins Cogi Tate and Medi Tate. They are so thoughtful and are always thinking things over and lend helpful, steady hands to the work. Oh yes, and Sister Anno Tate helps keep the records for the church and her twin sons, Orien Tate and Rehabili Tate are very good at ministering to new and struggling members.
And there is one last member of the Tate Family that is seldom seen anywhere and never gets involved in the affair of the church, or of his other family members. His name is Couchpo Tate. About the only family member who ever sees him is Vege Tate.
Do you know of any of your relatives who might be a member of the Tate Family?
Now I know that all of this may be a bit funny, but we must realize that the church is a lot of individuals with their own little idiosyncrasies and with their own ideas of how things should be, and yet God takes each of us and makes us into a living body of Believers that can be used by Him.
It is a miracle of God that we can all come together, with all of our differences, spiritual backgrounds, educational levels, social levels, economic levels, and varying talents, and then work together, and with our work bring glory to God.
Still God commands us to assemble ourselves together, and to not forsake doing so. That means that even though God has brought us together with his plan for our church in mind, there is still something that we must do ourselves.
If we are to assemble ourselves together, we must learn to “put up with one another”, “forgive one another”, “overlook the faults in one another”, and search for those things that are “good in one another”. In other words we must look for a common denominator, a common ground if you will, where we can all agree and work together.
The good thing about the church is that God has provided that common ground, or that common denominator in each of us that allows us to act as one. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and we are washed in the Blood of the Lamb, we become members of one family, the Family of God.
There is an old chorus that says,
I’m so glad I’m a Part of the Family, the Family of God. I’ve been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood. Joint Heirs with Jesus as I travel this life. I’m so glad that I’m a part of the Family of God.
Families go through good times together and sometimes they have to face the hardships together. This family of God, at Victory Temple, has seen a few hard times and a lot of good times together, and all of those things help us to feel a part.
If there is one thing that I am so thankful for in our church, it’s the unity that we have in Christ, and the fact that everyone who comes here, whether as a member or as a visitor, can feel loved. I am so proud of our church and each of you, for even though we may be small in number, we are huge in heart. That is why I know that we are on the right track. I know that Jesus is building this Body of Christ into something wonderful for His own glory.
The Bible says in John 13:35, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
I want to commend you as we close this year for being true Disciples of Christ. I want to commend you for your faithfulness to the church and to the support of its ministries. I want to commend you to Christ for your faithfulness to the Word of God and for listening to what the Lord would have for me to say to you. Sometimes the sermons are a bitter pill to swallow but you have taken the medicine, allowed yourself to be cleansed be the washing of the water of the Word, and continued to grow in faith.
In the days to come, should the Lord tarry, there will be many more who will step into our doors for the first time. Let’s welcome them with open arms and do all we can to make them feel a part of this family of God.
Nearly all of them will be searching for something. Whether we have what they are searching for, as a church, is a question that time will tell. But they will all be searching for Jesus and I know that they can find Him here. Some will not assemble themselves with us because they are not really meant to be a part of this body. God has a plan for them somewhere else. But many will come, and many will stay, and in God’s time, and in God’s plan, they too will assemble together with us and become a part of our family.
With that thought in mind, let us face the days ahead in faith and with great anticipation as we look forward to what God will do for us and for this church. Let us remain faithful and continue the work of assembling ourselves together.
There are a lot of adjustments that we will all have to make to become the unified body that Jesus wants us to be, but we will make them and God will be glorified through His church, through this body of Believers.
God loves each and every one of you. Look around you at everyone in this church. I want you to see that there is a family here that loves you, prays for you, and is concerned about you, just as much, if not more than your natural family. You can count on this family to be there when you need them. Even though each of us may seem to go our separate ways, when you need us, we will be there for you.
Jesus is in the midst of Victory Temple. All who have accepted Jesus are His adopted Brothers and Sisters. We are all a part of one family, the Family of God. God loves you and His greatest desire is that we will be assembled together, with one mind and one purpose, into a family that will live with Him eternally.
Most of you have purchased things, or maybe even received some gifts this Christmas that said “Some Assembly Required”. When you opened the package, there were all the parts and fasteners needed to make a whole object. Along with that there was probably a list of tools that you would need to complete the assembly. The tools had to be used properly, and the parts assembled in the right order, then you could finally enjoy whatever it was that you received.
I think that Hebrews is saying that same thing about the church. There is some assembly required in the building of a church and there is a list of tools that are necessary to complete the job.
If you have ever attempted to assemble something only to find that there are pieces missing, then you can understand what it is like for us to build a church, a local Body of Christ, when you are not here. You are a missing piece and we cannot finish the assembly until your place if filled.
We will not grow together in the Lord to be as one unless we have the tools to work with. It will take a lot of prayer, exercising of your faith, and coming together to worship, allowing the Word of God to continually change us, and most of all, it will take the indwelling presence of the Holy Ghost to bring us to the place where we are fully assembled.
Let’s strive to assemble ourselves into the church that God wants us to be.
