Lesson Two • Gather
Cameron Aldrich
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3
It has become clear that the majority of people in today’s culture have taken on a specific mindset, focused entirely on the self. They ask, “What is best for me? What do I need? What or who will make me happy?” I am certain that people today are having these questions pop into their minds on a daily basis.
Let us face reality – people are selfish. That mindset is just human nature, right? While that might be true, I also believe that the story does not end there. So, how can we overcome our human selfishness?
Jesus is the perfect example of someone who is the exact opposite of selfish. Every word that He spoke and every action He made during His time on Earth came from love and selflessness.
Do you remember the way Jesus chose to come into the world? He did not choose to come with undeniable glory, unmatchable power, or forceful sovereignty. Instead, our King became an infant and placed Himself into an extremely low status compared to that of other earthly kings. By becoming an infant, He made Himself helpless and incapable of caring for Himself. Talk about setting the ultimate example of humbling oneself.
Now, as we think of how we can overcome our human selfishness, I believe we should also think about our church life and focus on another important question, “Why do we go to church?”
When we gather together as the church, we not only gather to meet with God, worship God, and hear His Word, but to also act as the church and all that the body of Christ represents and embodies.
A major role of the church is to help win people to Christ and to share and spread the Gospel of Jesus throughout the world. In doing so, this means that we must place high importance on reaching and loving others around us. Just as we reminded ourselves earlier, this is exactly what Jesus did.
So what is “gathering as the church” not about? When we gather together as the church, we cannot only focus on ourselves and our needs and situations. If we go to church for the sole purpose of focusing on ourselves, then how are we acting as and embodying the church when we gather? How are we fulfilling what Jesus commanded the church to do?
To put it simply, the church is not only made up of a single individual. So, why would we gather to only focus on ourselves? Just as Jesus unfailingly did through His earthly ministry, we must focus on and put others before ourselves. This is especially the case when we gather.
During our church gatherings, we have the opportunity to encourage, build up, love, and stand in faith with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Doing this is undeniably important, and Jesus emphasizes this in John 13:34-35 where He states, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
If we do not love others and put others before ourselves, then we are not putting on the mindset of Christ. As a result, we cannot possibly hope to display the image of Christ to the world around us. If we only think about ourselves and our needs when we gather as the church, then we cannot possibly be gathering for the right reasons.
I cannot provide the entire answer to how we can overcome our human selfishness, but I am confident that a great place for us to start is to evaluate the reasons we have been going to church and to focus on the importance of gathering as the church for the right reasons which Jesus intended.