Each Lord’s Day, assemblies of Christians all around the world will be gathered together unto the Lord Jesus Christ, to remember Him in His death and to worship both Father and Son for their unspeakable Gift. In so doing, the New Testament pattern for the gatherings of saints is observed to the best of our understanding.
Religious orthodoxy and hypocrisy were rampant among Israel’s religious elite when our Lord Jesus walked this earth. His scathing descriptions of them in Matthew 13 exposed their self-serving focus on outward detail, and their lack of inward devotion of heart. He summarized His view of them in saying: “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” (Matt. 15:8).
The feasts of Jehovah in Leviticus 23 laid out Israel’s devotional calendar. Each feast held rich meaning, and each one gave graphic foresight into our Lord’s substitutionary death at Calvary. It is noteworthy that Leviticus 22 deals extensively with the requisite attitude of each worshipper before describing the actual feasts in the following chapter. These are things to which we also should give due consideration in our worship and remembrance.
The Uncommon Approach (1-2)
We must never view worship as a commonplace activity, on par with other activities in which we are engaged. To profane anything is to treat it as ordinary. When we come together unto the Lord Jesus Christ, this is a profoundly unique engagement which deserves to occupy a lofty place in our hearts.
The Unclean Approach (3-8)
The injunction “let a man examine himself” (1 Cor. 11:28) requires our solemn reflection. Before leaving our homes for the meetings, conscientious reflection and repentance must be our priority. Bringing our own unconfessed sin to the assembly meetings can have a Spirit-quenching effect. When we come into the holiest of all – the Lord’s Presence – we must come cleansed.
The Uncaring Approach (9)
Indifference and apathy are sweeping through Christendom like an evil tide. Far too many of God’s own people consider their heavenly citizenship as mundane. They give little time, consideration, or care to cultivating and embracing their spiritual blessings in Christ. We may never express these sentiments aloud, but it is sadly observed that they are more common among us than they should be.
The Unworthy Approach (10)
Here is where assembly oversight needs to exercise godly discernment. The sad extreme of erecting man-made barriers to fellowship is to be avoided, as is the opposite laxity in the name of “love.” The assembly is where the Lord meets with His people. Imposters may be difficult to identify, but the Holy Spirit knows whom He indwells and will guide us when we seek His leadership.
The Unwitting Approach (14-16)
When new believers are being received into the fellowship of the local assembly, it is needful to teach them about why we gather as we do. This is to address any possible ignorance which could hinder their growth, and which might hinder their full entrance into and enjoyment of the privileges and responsibilities of the local assembly.
The Unacceptable Approach (19-25)
What we bring to our Lord on the Lord’s Day is typically a reflection of our daily intimacy with Him. The sacrifices of Israel were to be pure and without blemish, as they were typifying the very Son of God in His future sacrifice for sinners. By the Holy Spirit’s leading and enabling, what we bring to each meeting should essentially be all that we can bring. Our hands should be full (Lev. 16:12).
The Unwilling Approach (29)
Many of the Psalms were sung with joy as the Israelites went up to Jerusalem for Jehovah’s feasts. May it never be that we attend the assembly meetings with little more than a cold sense of obligation. Our Lord loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7) and this should apply to everything that we bring to Him. “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the LORD’” (Ps. 122:1). May His joy be our joy, as we gather together to remember and worship our Lord and Savior.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is intensely invested and interested in each one of us. Each moment of each day, He watches over us with His omniscient and omnipotent care and leads us in ways of which we are often unaware. O how He loves us! When we come together with our brothers and sisters in Christ for the assembly meetings – and especially for the Lord’s Supper – may we be genuinely excited at the prospect of being in the place where the Lord is in the midst of His people. How we approach Him matters a great deal to Him, as it should to each of us.