An UN-critical mass

One of the prevailing messages in the Bible is ‘to gather’. Throughout its pages we read instructions, and see examples of God’s desire to gather people together. In His amazing grace He calls people from every walk of life, every conceivable human condition, and invites them to gather in His Name and around His purposes. In His mercy He accepts each of us as we are, but according to His justice He compels us to lay aside the influences, wounds, and baggage of a destructive kingdom and embrace the values and life that are found in His Kingdom.

This message of gathering together is affirmed, and reaffirmed, in passages like:
• Psalm 68:5 – God sets the solitary into family
• Hebrews 10:24 – Don’t stop gathering together as some are in the habit of doing
• Acts 2:46; 5:12 – As they continued to meet together God’s power was displayed
• 1 Corinthians 12:27 – God sets each person in the Body (speaking of a local church)
• Ephesians 1:5 – It has always been God’s plan to bring us into family
• Philippians 1:27 – No matter what happens continue to contend together

As we respond to God’s desire for us to gather and come into the place of cooperation with one another we become a very strong evangelistic voice to the world. The way we treat one another, serve one another, and love one another, presents the world with an undeniable object lesson of God’s love and power. Each time that we choose to gather together, and subsequently choose to maintain our ‘gathering’ we present a picture to the world of a God who genuinely makes a difference in the lives of people.

It is for this reason that the evil one works diligently to undermine our coming together. Our gathering together is strengthened in the place of humility, service and submission so the evil one deceptively promotes an agenda of pride, selfishness, and offense to drive us apart. If these conditions are left unattended they will tear at the fabric of our gathering and ultimately break it apart. When this happens, the picture of God’s love and power that our gathering portrays is tarnished and become less attractive to the world with each passing day.

As our family continues to walk under the banner of ‘Contending Together’ it is my prayer that we will diligently maintain our commitment to gather and see others added to our gathering. We will each need to guard our hearts against pride, selfishness and offense and allow others to hold us accountable towards that end. In doing this we can effectively gather around the Name and purposes of God and form an UNcritical mass that would influence our region, Nation and the Nations for the glorious cause of Christ.