Overview
Assembling together is something God instituted for his people long before Christianity, and Hebrews 10:24 and 25 give the reason: we consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, and that cannot happen while we are isolated. In this teaching Rev. Rico Magnelli follows the Greek verb sunago, which means to lead or to bring together and is the root of the word synagogue, through Hebrews 10, 2 Thessalonians 2, Luke 4 and Acts 4, 9, 14, 15 and 20. Every one of those gatherings required somebody to lead, coordinate, organize and communicate. The word does not prescribe the size, the venue or how often; it simply encourages us to do it, and in a world endeavoring to isolate us that is worth fighting for.
Transcript
Why God’s People Have Always Assembled: The Greek Verb Sunago
Please turn to Hebrews chapter 10. We want to take a few minutes to consider our assembling together and how truly it’s very important for us to seek to assemble. And it’s something that God has instituted for his people for many, many, many, many years, even before Christianity.
You can see this in Judaism and Israel. There’s two words that I was looking at in this light, and it’s the Greek verb sunago. And the Greek verb sunago means to lead or to bring together.
And sunago is the root of the word for synagogue, which we’re all familiar with. The reason why God’s people would assemble in these smaller groups outside of Jerusalem in the synagogues, the primary purpose was to read the Torah, to read the five books of Moses, and then other things. These assemblies had purpose and motive.
And it’s important for us in a world that’s endeavoring to isolate us, that’s endeavoring to put boundaries between us, that we fight for our assembling together. In whatever manner you choose, whatever that is, because the word doesn’t necessarily prescribe in specific detail how to practically carry it out in each situation. It just encourages us to do it.
Hebrews 10:22 and 23: Draw Near With a True Heart and Hold Fast
And here in Hebrews chapter 10, it says in verse 22, Let us draw near with a true heart, a true heart, in full assurance of faith. The faith, the accomplished work of Jesus Christ, provides a full assurance, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.
That’s an old man, nature, habits, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast, verse 23, the profession or the confession of our faith, the word faith actually is hope, without wavering, for he is faithful that promised. And let us consider one another.
Consider One Another Means Mutually and Reciprocally
Let us consider one another. The words one another mean mutually and reciprocally. We are to consider one another.
And we’re to do it mutually, reciprocally. And why are we considering one another? To provoke unto love and to good works. To provoke means to sharpen. We bring out the best in each other in love and in good works. And it takes us to consider one another.
Not Forsaking the Assembling of Ourselves Together
It takes us to be around each other in order to provoke one another, to sharpen one another unto love and good works, because what ends up happening is the adversary wins when he isolates us off. And it’s very easy to get isolated off. The adversary endeavors to work through culture in order to do that to people, to get them sequestered, to get them hidden away, to get them not to interact. Verse 25, Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, encouraging one another, comforting one another.
And so much the more as we see the day approaching. The day is the day of Christ. The day approaching is the gathering together of the church. And as we really see that day approaching in our mind’s eye, in our heart, then we are inspired and encouraged and comforted, and we move in a direction that will facilitate assembling together. This word assembling together at its root form is from that Greek word, sunago.
Assembling Together Takes Coordination, Organization and Communication
Here it’s actually at the sunagoge, where we get the word synagogue from. But see, to assemble together it takes coordination. It takes organization. It takes communication.
And you can’t get a better example than the human body, because the human body in its various parts is coordinated. The human body in its various parts is organized. The human body in its various parts actually communicates.
So it can work in unison. It coordinates, organizes and communicates to its individual parts, and the body of Christ is no different. Look at Second Thessalonians chapter two.
What About Believers Who Do Not Want Any Organization?
There are some that do not want to align themselves with any type of organization, and I understand that. But the word doesn’t actually teach that. The word teaches us that we are to assemble together. Now how we do it, and in what manner, the word doesn’t actually describe in detail how to do that.
It just encourages us to do it. Because who is going to sharpen you? Who’s going to sharpen me unto love and good works if we remain isolated?
And I know it’s work. Believe me, I know it’s work. But that’s why we travel.
That’s why we do what we do. Because our commissioning before God is to perfect the saints for the work of the ministry, the edifying of the body of Christ. And it requires an element of being assembled together.
There is an organization and communication that’s involved. It’s not going to happen by osmosis, or it’s not going to happen by us all trying to think the same thoughts independently and see if we come up with a meeting location and a time. It’s not going to happen.
2 Thessalonians 2:1: Our Gathering Together Unto Him
Second Thessalonians chapter two, verse one. Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him. That’s the same word that’s used in Hebrews chapter 10.
How God wants to conclude the body of Christ is a gathering together. That’s how he wants to conclude it. Amazing.
See, there are many obstacles in your way. I know that there’s many obstacles in my way, but the obstacles can be overcome. And there’s no criticism and no judgment of anybody.
Let’s never get involved in that kind of thing. But there’s encouragement. There’s comfort, because God has called us to a body and a family, the household of faith.
And it requires organization and communication in order to really bring to pass the things that God would have us to do. We can debate it. We can argue with it.
And as we do, days and weeks go by. I think we just go with what the word says. Look at Luke chapter four, please.
The Synagogue: A Local Gathering With Purpose and Motive
The synagogues were places to gather in the local areas. And the Israelites would gather in their little hamlets, in their little towns, and they would have these synagogues where they would meet on a consistent basis, and various things were done there. I’m not going to go into all the details.
You can look it up yourself. But one of the things that they did do was read the scriptures. It was very central to their coming together, because a coming together is to have purpose and motive.
There’s a purpose and a motive. And we want it to be that love. And we want it to be that element that builds unity.
Luke 4:16: Jesus Went Into the Synagogue As His Custom Was
In Luke chapter four, familiar section to you, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ goes back to his hometown in verse 16. And he, Jesus, came to Nazareth where he had been brought up, and as his custom was.
So this was something that he did routinely. Why did he do this? Because this was in his heart to do. He went into the, there it is.
Sunagoge, synagogue, on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. He endeavored to assemble at the place where they would assemble. Now God doesn’t dictate to us in our various geographic locations on how to carry this out, where to carry it out, when to carry it out.
He doesn’t tell us this. This is something we have the latitude to figure out. But it’s worth our time and our heart and our energy for us to lead people, bring them together, to do the sunago, which means to lead, to bring together.
Acts 4: Coming Together Can Be Used for Evil or for Good
That’s right. Now, to come together can be used for evil or for good. Look at Acts chapter 4. The adversary of God’s people, Satan, is parasitical and feeds off of truth.
So if they’re assembling together in order to conjure up evil, how much more God’s people? Why do we get the idea that we shouldn’t assemble together and organize? I don’t think that that’s a plan from God. I don’t think that that’s insight from God. I think it’s from the world.
Acts chapter 4, please. Verse 6, And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. Sunago. That means that there was leadership.
There was communication. There was somebody working this through in order to coordinate it and organize it. And sometimes it’s for evil, like in these people, these religious people.
You can also see this in verse 26. This is a prayer, and it’s very revealing. In verse 26 of Acts 4, it says, The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
They were leading. They were organizing. They were communicating.
What was their purpose? Against the Lord and against his Christ. That’s what they were doing. How much more should we lead, organize, gather together on behalf of Christ? Absolutely. Verse 27.
For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together. There it is. That means there’s leadership involved.
There’s communication. There’s organization. Where did they learn that? Well, from God’s people.
Acts 4:31: The Place Was Shaken Where They Were Assembled Together
God’s people were organizing in local areas. The Israelites and synagogues for long periods of time. Look at verse 31 of the same chapter.
And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
Somebody had to communicate. Somebody had to organize. Somebody had to coordinate, lead, in order to get this meeting together.
It just didn’t happen by people having good thoughts. And then, you know, simultaneously, everyone shows up at the same place. Now, I know this is more of a simplistic point of view, but it has great meaning and great depth.
Acts 9: Saul Looked for the Early Christians in the Synagogues
Look at Acts 9. The Christians were doing this. The early Christians, outside of Jerusalem, more specifically. They were meeting in synagogues because it was already a place where people would organize, come together, and share the word.
Watch this. Acts 9, verse 2, talking about Saul before his conversion. And desired of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
Where was he going to go? The synagogues. Because that’s where he was going to find those early Christians. They were organizing.
They were communicating. Look at verse 20 of the same chapter, after Paul gets converted. And straightway, verse 20, he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the son of God.
The place where the people assemble. Somebody was organizing. Somebody was coordinating.
Acts 14:27: They Gathered the Church Together and Rehearsed What God Had Done
It just didn’t happen. Acts 14, please. In Acts 14, verse 27.
This is after their successful itinerary. And when they were come, they had come back to Antioch, and had gathered the church together.
The words gathered together are that word, sunago. That means somebody led it. Somebody was coordinating. Somebody was organizing.
Now again, I know that people can take organization in a wrong direction. I know that. We’ve all probably experienced that type of mishandling of people’s lives. But I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about what does the word say.
The word says that they assembled together. And what did they do? They rehearsed all that God had done with them. And how he had opened the door of faith.
The faith of Jesus Christ unto the Gentiles. And there abode long time with the disciples. There’s something very pristine and magnificent when it comes to God working in the believer as we assemble together.
Absolutely magnificent. That’s Acts 14, verse 27. Look at Acts 15.
Acts 15: The Apostles and Elders Came Together Over a Matter
It also involves leadership. Acts 15, verse 6, in response to an issue that was going on in the early community of Christianity. And the apostles and elders came together for the consideration of this matter.
They assembled. They were led to be brought together. Somebody had to communicate, organize.
It’s right there. Again, God does not describe how we should do it in our situation. What’s the size of the group? What’s the venue? How many times? Doesn’t say that.
It’s just something that the early Christians did, and they found great success. Look at verse 30 of the same chapter, Acts 15. So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch.
They go back to where they came from. And when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle. So this is a large group.
They still required leading, coordinating, organizing, communicating. This is what the word says. Now, I know people that have communicated.
They don’t want to be a part of any organization or anything like that. And I don’t have any problem with that. And that’s their choice.
That’s their business. But I don’t have to follow that. I want to follow what the word says.
Acts 20:7: Breaking Bread and Dialoguing the Word Until Midnight
And finally, in Acts 20, in Acts 20, in verse 7, And upon the first day of the week, that would have been Sunday because their week ended on the Sabbath, which would have been equivalent to our Saturday, when the disciples came together. There it is again. So somebody’s leading, somebody’s coordinating, somebody’s, there’s effort being put into people coming together.
They came together to break bread. Paul preached unto them. The word preached is that Greek word dialegomai.
It means to discuss. It means to dialogue. What a wonderful fellowship this must have been.
They were eating and then discussing the word, dialoguing with the word. That’s one of the things we do on Tuesday nights in our house. Do a meal and we just discuss the word.
Not a formal meeting. And ready to depart on the morrow, continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber where they were what? Gathered together.
Seeing the Day Approaching
There it is again. Somebody led them, coordinated, organized, communicated. So what’s the point of all this? Well, I think that the world is trying to isolate us.
And people have their own preferences. And that’s fine. I’m not criticizing them.
They can do what they want. But what does the word actually say? They put effort, they led, they coordinated, organized and communicated in order to assemble together. Why were they doing this? Well, Hebrews 10:25.
And that section tells us really clearly to provoke one another, to love and to good works, because they see in the heart of their heart, they see the day approaching. They know that a day is coming at some time in the, in the future. We don’t know when.
Do Not Let That Thinking Erode What the Word of God Says
Where the Christ will return and we will be gathered together. So I would encourage us not to succumb to that. That doesn’t mean you’ve got to go to every meeting and do everything.
That’s not what I’m saying. You’ve got to live your life. What I am saying is not allow that thinking to infiltrate in the way that we operate.
Don’t allow that thinking to erode what the word of God says. The word of God’s clear. I’m just looking at a little snippet, a little sliver, if you will, of this topic.
And I thought it would be a blessing because I have heard, and I have been aware of people that have communicated. They don’t want to be a part of any organization or anything like that. And I don’t have any problem with that.
That’s their choice. It’s very important for us to seek to assemble. So we have avenues to serve.
We have a means by way we can give, we can support and encourage one another. To assemble together, it takes coordination. It takes organization.
It takes communication. And it’s important for us in a world that’s endeavoring to isolate us that we fight for our assembling together.
Key Takeaways
- The Greek verb sunago means to lead or to bring together, and it is the root of the word synagogue; the phrase assembling together in Hebrews 10:25 comes from that same root.
- Hebrews 10:24 gives the purpose of assembling: we consider one another, mutually and reciprocally, to provoke unto love and to good works, and to provoke means to sharpen.
- The adversary wins when he isolates us off, and he endeavors to work through culture to get people sequestered, hidden away, and not interacting.
- Assembling together takes coordination, organization and communication, exactly like the human body, which coordinates, organizes and communicates to its individual parts.
- Every gathering in Acts 4, 9, 14, 15 and 20 required somebody to lead, coordinate, organize and communicate; it did not happen by osmosis or by everyone having the same good thought at the same time.
- The word does not describe the size of the group, the venue or how many times; that is latitude we have to figure out, but it does encourage us to do it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Greek word sunago mean in Hebrews 10:25?
Sunago is the Greek verb meaning to lead or to bring together, and it is the root of the word synagogue. Rico Magnelli points out that the phrase assembling together in Hebrews 10:25 comes from that same root, and that God’s people had been gathering this way in the synagogues outside Jerusalem long before Christianity, primarily to read the Torah, the five books of Moses. Those assemblies had purpose and motive.
Does the Bible say how Christians are supposed to assemble together?
No. The word does not prescribe in specific detail how to practically carry it out in each situation, and it does not say what size the group should be, what the venue should be, or how many times. That is latitude we have to figure out in our various geographic locations. What the word does say is that the early Christians assembled, and that it takes coordination, organization and communication.
Why does it matter whether we assemble together or stay isolated?
Because Hebrews 10:24 says we consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, and to provoke means to sharpen. If we remain isolated, who is going to sharpen you and who is going to sharpen me? The adversary wins when he isolates us off, and he endeavors to work through culture to get people sequestered, to get them hidden away, to get them not to interact.
Scripture References
Hebrews 10; Hebrews 10:22; Hebrews 10:23; Hebrews 10:24; Hebrews 10:25; 2 Thessalonians 2:1; Luke 4:16; Acts 4:6; Acts 4:26; Acts 4:27; Acts 4:31; Acts 9:2; Acts 9:20; Acts 14:27; Acts 14:28; Acts 15:6; Acts 15:30; Acts 20:7; Acts 20:8
This text was prepared from the teaching audio. Please verify scripture references against your own Bible.
