ASSEMBLY TRUTHS

What is an assembly?

Ekklesia is made up of two words: “ek”, meaning “out of” and “klesis”, meaning “a calling”. Literally this means “a calling out of” or an “out-calling”.

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“The church of God”, (1 Corinthians 1:1-2),

“Tillage (or field) of God”, (1 Corinthians 3:9),

“Building of God”, (1 Corinthians 3:9),

“Temple of God”, (1 Corinthians 3:16-17),

“Body of Christ”, (1 Corinthians 12:27),

“Chaste Virgin”, (2 Corinthians 11:2),

“Little Flock”, (1 Peter 5:1-3),

“House of God”, (1 Timothy 3:15),

“Pillar and Ground of the Truth”, (1 Timothy 3:15),

“Golden Lampstand”, Revelation 1-3

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What scriptural support do we have for common assembly practices?

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• The assembly is made up of a group of believers that have been saved, baptized and shown evidence of a separated life• Gathered unto the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. • They claim no name other than the Name of the Lord

Jesus Christ • This assembly is a spiritual fellowship that meets regularly

in a particular locality • This spiritual fellowship is expressed as they meet for the

weekly breaking of bread, prayer, collective testimony, the teaching of God’s Word and the preaching of the gospel

Summary part 1

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Acts 2:41-42, 47

41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The assembly is made up of a group of believers that have been saved, baptized and shown evidence of a separated life

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Gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ

1 Corinthians 1:1-2

1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

1 Corinthians 5:4

4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus,

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They claim no name other than the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ1 Corinthians 1:1010 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

Philippians 2:9-119 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Acts 11:2626 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. Colossians 1:1818 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 8/27

This assembly is a spiritual fellowship that meets regularly in a particular locality

1 Corinthians 1:2

2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

1 Corinthians 3:10-11

10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

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This spiritual fellowship is expressed as they meet for the weekly breaking of bread, prayer, collective testimony, the teaching of God’s Word and the preaching of the gospelActs 2:42, 4642 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

Acts 20:77 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.

1 Corinthians 11:2626 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 10/27

• The assembly has been gathered together by the Holy Spirit • Their sole authority is the Word of God.• They are promised the presence of the Lord in their midst.• There is a spiritual but not an organizational link between

assemblies. An assembly is answerable only to God but is interdependent with other assemblies. • They are a residence of the Holy Spirit on earth, so they

are a holy temple unto the Lord. • Such an assembly is guided by a plurality of godly

elders/overseers and served by faithful deacons in both a temporal and spiritual ministry.

Summary part 2

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The assembly has been gathered together by the Holy Spirit

Mark 14:13

13 And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him,

Romans 8:12-14

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

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Their sole authority is the Word of God

2 Timothy 3:16-17

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

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They are promised the presence of the Lord in their midst

Matthew 18:20

20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

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There is a spiritual but not an organizational link between assemblies. An assembly is answerable only to God but is interdependent with other assemblies.

Acts 14:23-28

23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. 24 Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25 And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, 26 and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. 27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they remained no little time with the disciples.

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They are a residence of the Holy Spirit on earth, so they are a holy temple unto the Lord

1 Corinthians 3:16

16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

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Such an assembly is guided by a plurality of godly elders/overseers and served by faithful deacons in both a temporal and spiritual ministry

Acts 20:28 28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

Titus 1:6-9 6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. 17/27

• The priesthood of all believers is exercised in worship, praise and prayer. Spiritual gifts, given by God, have liberty to function under the control of the Holy Spirit. • Headship is displayed at assembly meetings through the

silence of the sisters, their long hair and head covering as well as by the audible participation, short hair and uncovered head of the man.

• There is a clear line of demarcation of the within and the without of the assembly and purity is maintained by a careful, compassionate and godly exercise of discipline.

Summary part 3

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The priesthood of all believers is exercised in worship, praise and prayer. Spiritual gifts, given by God, have liberty to function under the control of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:11-1611 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

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The priesthood of all believers (con’t)

Romans 12: 6-8

6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

1 Corinthians 12: 4-6

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

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The priesthood of all believers (con’t)


28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

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Headship is displayed at assembly meetings through the silence of the sisters, their long hair and head covering as well as by the audible participation, short hair and uncovered head of the man. 1 Timothy 2: 8-15

8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. 22/27

Headship (con’t)


33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, 34 the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. 35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

1 Corinthians 11: 3-16 (NKJV)

3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. 6 For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered. 23/27

1 Corinthians 11: 3-16 (NKJV) (con’t)7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man. 9 Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. 10 For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. 12 For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God. 13 Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him? 15 But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering. 16 But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.

Headship (con’t)

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There is a clear line of demarcation of the within and the without of the assembly and purity is maintained by a careful, compassionate and godly exercise of discipline.


9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

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There is a clear line of demarcation (con’t)


15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying?

17 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.


23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.

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Resources

Truth and Tidings magazine at www.truthandtidings.com

Search: title: Q: Bottom of Page 37 articles on assembly truths

Search: title: When Thy Son Asks 17 articles on assembly truths

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http://www.truthandtidings.com/

ASSEMBLY TRUTHS

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