Advent 2021: Gather
Quote
“To gather with God’s people in united adoration of the Father is as necessary to the Christian life as prayer.”
Martin Luther
Passage
8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
Acts 1:8-9 (NASB)
Background
Quote-Martin Luther (10 November 1483, 18 February 1546) was a German professor of theology, priest, author, composer, former Augustinian monk, and is best known as a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation and as the namesake of Lutheranism.
Luther was ordained to the priesthood in 1507. He came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church; in particular, he disputed the view on indulgences. Luther proposed an academic discussion of the practice and efficacy of indulgences in his Ninety-five Theses of 1517. His refusal to renounce all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Holy Roman Emperor.
Luther taught that salvation and, consequently, eternal life are not earned by good deeds but are received only as the free gift of God's grace through the believer's faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority and office of the pope by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge, and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood. Those who identify with these, and all of Luther's wider teachings, are called Lutherans, though Luther insisted on Christian or Evangelical (German: evangelisch) as the only acceptable names for individuals who professed Christ.
Passage-The genre of the book of Acts is Narrative History with several Sermons. Luke, the author of the Gospel of Luke, was a doctor and Gentile. He wrote this book circa 60-62 A.D. It is Luke’s sequel to the Gospel of Luke. It is titled "Acts" to emphasize that this book records the "Acts of the Apostles through the work of the Holy Spirit". The key personalities of Acts are Peter, Paul, John, James, Stephen, Barnabas, Timothy, Lydia, Silas, and Apollos.
Luke wrote the book of Acts (Acts of the Apostles) to record how believers were empowered by the Holy Spirit, worked to spread the Gospel of Christ, and are a model for the future church.
Advent Opening Statement
That first Christmas day wasn’t called Christmas. It was the end of a long and difficult journey. Many gathered that evening around a manger at an inn, shoved out of the way into the stable. Dignitaries from the far corners of the world made a perilous journey on faith bearing gifts to present to a king unlike any the world had ever seen before or since. They gathered that day in reverent awe celebrating a new birth but that end was just a new beginning and a new journey they would be unable to complete on their own.
Ask: Can we be Christians all by ourselves?
Point: We can but this decision limits what we can accomplish, what we can learn, and how far we can grow in Christ.
Ask: Why do we want to be in a group as Christians?
Point: We are stronger as a whole than we are as individuals.
First Reading (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NASB)
Ask: What makes a “cord of three strands” stronger than just a single strand?
Point: The individual strands are only as strong as they are by themselves. However, when combined, the strands become much stronger as they rely one on the other to manage heavier loads.
Ask: While three strands of a rope combine three identical cords, what do we get when we combine and gather people together?
Point: A wide variety of different people, experiences, and points of view.
Ask: Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
Point: This is a good thing, but why?
Second Reading (Romans 12:4-13 (NASB)
Ask: Different gifts are great but doesn’t that mean everyone is going to be doing their own thing?
Point: Not if we come together and agree we are all about the same purpose and goal.
Third Reading (Psalm 133:1-3 (NASB)
Ask: What is the goal of the Christian brother and sister following Jesus’ teachings?
Point: Fourth Reading (Mark 16:15-16 (NASB)
Ask: If we are commanded to go out why should we be interested in gathering?
Point: Fifth Reading (Acts 2:42-43 (NASB) We gain strength, power, and revitalization from fellowshipping together. Our union as believers makes us strong, heals the wounds of the world, and gives us the courage to continue on God’s path.
Ask: What is the biggest benefit of gathering together as believers?
Point: Sixth Reading (Matthew 18:18-20 (NASB)
Closing Statement
The greatest benefit of gathering as believers is the presence of Christ. It is not the fellowship, not the confirmation of beliefs, not iron sharpening iron as we make each other better. Jesus is among us when we come together in peace. This works only when we believe the words of Jesus, God, and the leading of the Holy Spirit. We come together in peace and hope because it is what Jesus sought for God’s children. But why do we gather, is it solely for the purpose of feeling good about our faith? No. We are to come together, fellowship, and council one another so that we can perform another task, and that is spread the good news about what Jesus has done for each of us. Christ came 2000 plus years ago to begin a task. It was completed some 33 years later. Today, we continue to gather in remembrance of those times to begin to fulfill Christ’s commands, but this is a beginning, not an end. Our advent today is in preparation not for an end but a beginning.
Question for the Week
Gathering people together invariably brings disagreements and conflicts, so how do we gather in groups and still maintain peace amongst the people gathered?
Scripture
First Reading
9 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.
10 For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.
11 Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone?
12 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NASB)
Second Reading
4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,
5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;
7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching;
8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
Romans 12:4-13 (NASB)
Third Reading
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, Coming down upon the beard, Even Aaron's beard, Coming down upon the edge of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon Coming down upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing—life forever.
Psalm 133:1-3 (NASB)
Fourth Reading
15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
16 "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
Mark 16:15-16 (NASB)
Fifth Reading
42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
Acts 2:42-43 (NASB)
Sixth Reading
18 "Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.
19 "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.
20 "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."
Matthew 18:18-20 (NASB)
Definitions
Gather
Greek Strong's Number: 4863
Greek Word: συνάγω
Transliteration: synagō
Phonetic Pronunciation: soon-ag'-o
Cross Reference:
Part of Speech: v
Vine's Words: Assemble, Bestow, Gather, Gathering, Resort, Take
English Words used in KJV:
gather 15
be gathered together 12
gather together 9
come together 6
be gathered 4
be assembled 3
take in 3
miscellaneous translations 10
[Total Count: 62]
from <G4862> (sun) and <G71> (ago); to lead together, i.e. collect or convene; specially to entertain (hospitably) :- + accompany, assemble (selves, together), bestow, come together, gather (selves together, up, together), lead into, resort, take in.
James Strong, Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary, (Austin, TX: WORDsearch Corp., 2007), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "4863".