Ruth Pearson is a dear Christian in Cookeville, Tennessee. She is now battling cancer. The chemotherapy she is receiving is so severe that her blood count, both white and red, is dropping precipitously. The doctor told her to stay away from crowds. Ruth expressed her disappointment, and he asked her where she wanted to go. She told him that she wanted to go to worship. He said, “You can go to church. Just stay away from the people.” Ruth told me she thought the church was the people.
She is, of course, right. Peter described Christians “as living stones” and went on to say they were “being built up a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5 NKJV). Paul said God’s people are “built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22). He asked the church in Corinth, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).
One interesting feature of Paul’s trip to Rome as a prisoner was the power of getting to visit with God’s people. Julius, the Roman centurion who had charge of the apostle, permitted him to be cared for by his friends in Sidon (Acts 27:3). Paul and his companions found brethren at Puteoli and were invited to stay with them seven days, which may mean they wanted to partake of the Lord’s supper with them (Acts 28:13-14; cf., 20:6-7). Brethren from Rome came as far as Appii Forum and the Three Inns, resulting in Paul growing in courage and thanking God (Acts 28:15).
Assembling with God’s people is one of the great blessings of being part of the church, the body of Christ. Spending time studying God’s Word together, working with one another and generally helping each other are continual sources of encouragement. Let us not stay away from the people, but instead, let’s treasure our time together and help one another on Heaven’s road.
