A few weeks ago, a friend asked me where we were going “to church.”

The expression itself has always bothered me: we don’t go to church, we are the Church. We live it, we share it, we build it. But this question, asked with a hint of curiosity and perhaps concern, plunged me into deeper reflection: Gather together? Yes, of course! But to do what?

Is gathering an obligation or a calling?

After visiting two or three local churches in our area, Cathy and I quickly realized that our presence, as independent missionaries, made some of the leaders uncomfortable, to say the least. “What are they doing here?”

And we wondered the same thing. “What were we doing there?” Attending Sunday meetings without being able to serve or actively contribute doesn’t suit us, and in this type of denominational assembly, it’s difficult to serve when you’re not part of the “inner circle.”

So I confessed to our friend that since moving to the area, we hadn’t been attending a local church regularly, and we explained why.

« If God asks you to go to a Baptist church, a Pentecostal church… then you must obey. »

My interlocutor’s response did not surprise me: “If God asks you to go to a Baptist church, a Pentecostal church… then you must obey.” The implication being: there are churches 30 minutes from your home, so why be difficult?

But the fact is, God hasn’t asked me to do anything like that. And her response, although sincere, reveals a limited understanding of what it means to “gather together.” Even though she didn’t quote it, I could hear the verse from Hebrews 10:25 ringing in my ears, brandished as a reminder:
“Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together, as is the manner of some.”

This verse is usually mentioned to encourage Christians to be more diligent in attending their local church, but it is also quoted to those who no longer attend church, as is our case, and to call the straying sheep to order.

At one point, someone quoted this verse to me because, following a disagreement with the pastor, Cathy and I, young Christians had changed local churches. Our former pastor had come to “lecture” us about it!

It is interesting to note that the way this verse is generally quoted is often different from the way it was written.

“Let us not forsake our assemblies” becomes “do not forsake your assemblies.” Those who quote it in this way, distancing themselves from the text, set themselves up as judges.

The trap of biblical “slicing”

The division into chapters and verses, introduced long after the biblical texts were written, has sometimes led to truncated interpretations. Separating verse 24 from verse 25, for example, means losing the overall meaning intended by the author.

« Let us watch over one another, to stir up love and good works.
Let us not forsake our assembly, as is the custom of some;
but let us exhort one another, and all the more so as you see the day approaching».
Hébreux 10 : 24-25

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews is not just talking about meeting for the sake of meeting, but about persevering together in hope, keeping our eyes fixed on the return of Christ.

So let us not forsake the assembly by ceasing to watch over one another and exhort one another to love one another and others (i.e., those outside the assembly).

The question is therefore not, “Do you go to church?” but “How do you live in fellowship with other believers?” The difference is significant.

In Acts 2, the early Christians “lived together, shared everything, broke bread in their homes, and praised God together.” This is a far cry from simply attending a Sunday service passively.

One day, while Cathy and I were fasting and praying, God said something to us that struck me: “You have replaced fellowship with meetings. That is where you have gone astray.”

This remark, which struck me as a revelation, sums up the problem well. How often have we confused being together with being the Church? How often have we reduced community life to a program, songs, a sermon, without ever really committing ourselves to one another?

Gathering together is not just about being in the same place. It is about watching over one another, encouraging one another, sharing our lives, our struggles, our victories. It is also about serving, giving, welcoming. When I see congregations that are content to simply consume a religious service, I ask myself: where is the communion? Where is the living Church?

What if we all started over from scratch?

Perhaps it is time to redefine what it means to “come together.” Perhaps we need to break away from traditional patterns to rediscover what is essential: authentic relationships, love in action, faith lived out on a daily basis. There is no need for buildings, structures, or sophisticated programs. Just men and women who, together, seek to follow Christ and love their neighbors.

So, gather together? Yes, but not just to check off the box of a weekly meeting, but to live, to grow, to shine from the inside out.

The Church is not a place, it is a people. A people who walk, pray, and act. A people who, together, await and prepare for the return of their Lord.

And you, how do you experience fellowship with other

Mikaël Réale