The Sacred Assembly - Part One

On Glory, Discipleship, and the Purpose of Creation

God created everything as a declaration of His glory. Scripture is clear that the heavens declare the glory of God, man declares the glory of God, and that Jesus is the physical representation of the fullness of the invisible God. God is at work declaring to all of creation that He is all in all, mighty God, ruler and creator of everything.

In the beginning God created man in His own image and set him in the garden. This representation or likeness of God was intended to be a declaration of God’s glory. Man fell into sin and God’s declaration of His glory was corrupted. The man was set apart from God and commanded to reproduce. In spite of man’s wickedness, God promised to send forth a way for man to return to God and through His Holy Spirit to be restored to the man’s holy and uncorrupted original state. In this state man had fellowship and communion with God.

In the early ages of this plan God set apart a man and promised to make a great nation from him. This man was to be set apart from others and bear the mark of His covenant with God. As time progressed God continued to lead and guide His chosen people. He established the covenant of the Law and the sacrificial system. The rules were strict. Anyone could become a part of the assembly but no one could be a part of the assembly without adhering to the rules. The assembly was considered sacred and only God’s people could be part of the assembly.

It is recorded many times in the Old Testament that the people corrupted the assembly and suffered because of it. They corrupted it by allowing those outside the covenant to enter the assembly. This happened so often that by the time of the apostle Paul this offense was punishable by death. In the book of Acts we see where Paul was accused of bringing Greeks into the temple and the Jewish leaders sought the death penalty.

The purpose of God in creation is to declare His glory. His declaration through man was corrupted when man fell into sin. When people turn to Christ the Spirit of God is restored to them and God’s glory is once again declared through them as they choose to obey God. God has chosen discipleship as the method by which men learn to obey God and walk in His ways. God’s purpose in restoring mankind through His Spirit has not changed since He first called Abraham and set him apart. God is setting apart a holy people for Himself.

This people are called the Church. It consists of all those who through faith in Christ have had the Spirit of God restored to them. This people are instructed throughout Scripture to be set apart from the profane things of the world. We are to have no yoke with unbelievers, no fellowship with demons, and no unbelievers in our midst when we gather as God’s Holy assembly. The purpose of the church is defined as spiritual in nature and unbelievers do not have the spirit and therefore cannot participate.

The representation of the church in America today can be likened to the corrupted assembly of the Old Testament. When the church allows (or invites, begs, advertises for and even bribes) an unbeliever to enter into the sacred assembly it defies its purpose for existence. Not only does it defy its purpose but also it mocks God by allowing His enemies to partake in what was intended to be holy. The church in America has many problems today and many people that are hoping to correct them from the inside out.

There is one problem above all others that must be fixed before God’s church is what He intended it to be. The church must close its doors to unbelievers and cleanse the assembly. Until the assembly is cleansed the corrections to the structure of the church will only be superficial. No change in style or structure will produce a sacred assembly. The only way to have a sacred and holy assembly is to only allow those who possess the Spirit of God to partake of it.