The church gathers to build one another up in Christ. Paul teaches that God’s people are his temple, and when we come together, we meet God as we serve one another through teaching, encouragement, songs and prayer. Gathering also unites us around the Lord’s Supper as we remember Jesus’ sacrifice and look forward to his return. In a real sense, we meet God when we meet each other.
We Are God’s Temple
If all of life is worship, why gather at all? Paul answers by pointing to who the church is.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
God’s dwelling place on earth is no longer a building. It’s his people, especially when they gather in Jesus’ name. That calls us to protect our unity and pursue holiness. Paul also describes the church as part of a heavenly reality that includes believers from every place and age (Ephesians 2:19-22). Every local gathering is a small expression of that bigger family.
Gathering to Build One Another Up
Paul’s favorite word for the purpose of gatherings is “edification,” which means building up. He isn’t mainly talking about personal inspiration. He means the growth of God’s people together.
1 Corinthians 14:26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.
Notice that everyone participates. Songs, teaching and encouragement are all ways we serve one another. An unbeliever may encounter God in that setting too (1 Corinthians 14:24-25), but the primary goal is building up the body of Christ.
Paul’s picture of the church as a body makes the same point. Each member is connected to Christ as the head and to one another in mutual ministry.
Ephesians 4:15-16 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Edification is ultimately Christ’s work, accomplished as his people use his gifts for one another.
Remembering Jesus Together
The church in Corinth shared the Lord’s Supper as part of a real meal, but they were doing it in a way that divided rich from poor. Paul corrected them by reminding them what the meal proclaims: Christ’s sacrifice created one new people (1 Corinthians 11:26). The Lord’s Supper is about our relationship with Christ and our relationships with each other.
The Takeaway
The church gathers because we are God’s temple, called to build one another up in love. When we teach, sing, pray, encourage and share the Lord’s Supper together, we meet God in the midst of his people and grow as one body.
