“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”(Hebrews 10:24-25)
Have you ever wondered why many believers in Christ, especially those with prophetic gift refuse to belong to a local assembly where they can serve the Lord with their gifting, yet they are very comfortable to operate online? There are two reasons for it.
One reason is that some of such people belong to a church under envious church leaders who will not allow them to grow their gifting in the local assembly. Some leaders are to their followers, what King Saul was to David. Despite being the King of Israel, Saul became jealous of little David when because the people loved him more. It is difficult for an anointed person to operate successfully under an envious leader. I have been a victim of such. However, my advice to those who belong to this category is that they should never forsake the assembly of the brethren. It is for our good.
You may have had a bad experience in one local assembly or another, it does not mean that all local assemblies will treat you likewise. If you are not sure of where to go, be still and seek the Lord for direction. He will show you the way if you sincerely desire to serve him. We have all been called to serve the Lord and help build His church with our gifting. Our service comes with great blessings. Don’t allow any envious leader to rob you of it. This is possible only when you do not leave the local assembly because of envious leaders.
It does not matter how anointed we are, if we would use our gifting effectively to the glory of God, we will first off, be trained and equipped for the work of the ministry. This can only be done in a local assembly. Without being involved in a local assembly, we deny ourselves the chance to be groomed and equipped in the things of the Lord. In that case, we will never qualify as vessels fit for the master’s use.
As believers in Christ, our primary work is to win souls for Christ. Soul-winning is not for those in the 5-fold ministry alone. It is an assignment for all believers in Christ. Prior to His ascension to heaven, our Lord Jesus Christ commissioned His disciples to go into the world and make disciples of all nations. Whoever accepts the good news and becomes part of the body of Christ equally carries the same mandate.
In order to accomplish this glorious task, the early disciples started fellowshipping together in love. Their meeting was not for prayer alone. It was also for the purpose of teaching new converts what the Lord taught them so they could teach others in turn. It was through that process that we, too, have become disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. The commission of making disciples for Christ will never cease until the Lord returns. However, we will never be able to carry out this commission effectively, excpet we are well equipped in the way of the Lord. This can only be done effectively within the local assembly.
The work of equipping the saints is the core duty of those who have been called into the 5-fold ministry.
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:11-16)
Once a soul comes to Christ, the local assembly is the soil where that soul is taken care of until it is fully matured in Christ. It is by so doing that new believers become rooted in the word of God. No plant can grow well and bear fruits without a deep root in the soil to feed it. Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, Evangelists and Pastors are called to teach and equip believers in Christ for the work of ministry. However, if we fail to fellowship together, it will be difficult for them to do their work. This is why it is extremely important that believers in Christ do not forsake the assembly of the brethren.
This discourse is important because in these days of technology, many believers in Christ no longer see the need for us to fellowship together, physically. We are at a place where many of us have made online fellowship an alternative to the physical gathering of God’s children.
Truth be told, social media platforms have become a great means of spreading the gospel. Great meetings are held all over the world through them. It is a great idea. It is bearing fruit. However, it is important we do not forget that what we do on social media is an extension of what is done in the local assembly. It is in the local assembly that we have the opportunity of interacting with our brothers and sisters in flesh and blood and learn from those who have been called and ordained to teach us the word of God.
I will not be wrong to say there is better concentration when believers meet in person than when we meet online. It is in the local assembly men of God can effectively see and correct our mistakes, not on online. This is because it is hard to be loyal to someone you don’t know in person.
Through physical interactions with fellow believers, we can be truly corrected and helped to renew our minds and our ways in order to develop the character of Christ in us. At the same, we receive encouragment to keep up with whatever good works leaders see in us. This cannot be done effectively on online.
As a pastor, I have seen that people hate rebuke. People have left our church because of rebuke. If people who have walked physically with us for many years can easily leave us, you can imagine how fast those who follow us online will disappear from our lives once they are rebuked. This shows that online meetings, no matter how convenient, can never be better than physical meeting of believers in Christ.
Many online unbelievers can pretend to be saints. That is why people, including believers in Christ are getting duped all the time by wolves in sheep’s clothing who pretend to be fellow believers. These days, many scammers are parading themselves on social media as men and women of God. Majority of their victims are believers in Christ. It is true that we have scammers even in the local assembly, however, it is easier to be duped online than in the physical world where we have the chance to interact with the scammer, physically.
Truth be told, it takes discernment to know who is real and who is not, especially online. That is because we are dealing with total strangers who claim to be saints of God, but are not.
Many people parading themselves on Facebook and other social media platforms as prophets of God, deceiving people, yet they do not belong to any local assembly. Such people are rebels who are not willing to submit to any local church authorities. Social media has become a fertile ground for them to do as they please. Be careful of such people.
Do not submit yourself to people online just because they bear big titles or have prophesied accurately to you. Know for sure that, Satanic agents also have power to prophesy. Character is important. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to know the character of someone we have no physical interaction with.
I have noticed that many people are not willing to accept rebuke online. They believe no one has any right to tell them what to do. They do not see the need to submit to someone. Interestingly, the same people want others they have met online to submit to them.
My experience is that online, loyalty is limited. The internet is a place where no one recognizes anyone as an authority over him or her. But, it is a different case in our local assembly where we all know who is who to a large extent. There is nothing wrong with running a ministry online. However, we must never forsake the local assembly. That is what the Bible says.
“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”(Hebrews 10:24-25)
Source: “Truth be told (TBT) series”
Author: Apostle Frank B. Ogbu
Head Pastor/Overseer
Champion Grace Eternal Ministries
Ayikai Doblo, Amasaman
Accra, Ghana
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