Absolutely! I frequently get together with
other Christians. Several times a week, in fact. But this is not a routine I
follow. I believe the church is God's family, so just as families get together
very naturally, I allow my connections with other believers to just happen
naturally. This may be getting together for dinner, lunch, or simply to pray for
one another. I believe as Christians we need to learn how to live as family. The
instruction in Hebrews 10:25 never says to organize a once a week meeting or a
formal gathering, it just says don't neglect getting together with other
believers. There has been a whole load of stuff added to that scripture that
just isn't there.
So how do families gather? Well, they just call each other up and do it! And
they don't go, "Okay, first Dad is going to speak for 30 minutes, then Mom is
going to teach us a new song, then uncle Bill is going to take 15 minutes
telling us about his new job, then cousin Tina is going to take ten minutes to
tell us about her new doll. And we are all going to sit in rows facing forward
as each person stands up front and shares." Can you imagine a family doing
that?! We'd think they're crazy! But that is exactly what we Christians have
done! We have organized God's family and lost sight of how to simply be family
and get together as family. This is what I am learning to walk and live in. So I
don't care what "group" or "organization" a brother or sister belongs to, I
enjoy being with them as family. I like to meet other Christians, get to know
them and then share what God is doing in each others lives. I like hearing what
God is teaching them and sharing what He's teaching me. I have developed some
very close relationships with some other believers by living this way. To me
this is what being the church is all about.
