There are no good examples in the Bible of 'Lone Ranger' believers.
2 Chronicles 30:1-9 (NIV)
CONTEXT: Good King Hezekiah worked to bring reformation to Israel by getting rid of idolatry and re-establishing proper worship of God in the temple.
Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel. 2 The king and his officials and the whole assembly in Jerusalem decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month. 3 They had not been able to celebrate it at the regular time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem. 4 The plan seemed right both to the king and to the whole assembly. 5 They decided to send a proclamation throughout Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, calling the people to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel. It had not been celebrated in large numbers according to what was written.
6 At the king’s command, couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and from his officials, which read:
“People of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your fathers and your fellow Israelites, who were unfaithful to the LORD, the God of their fathers, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see. 8 Do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were; submit to the LORD. Come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you. 9 If you return to the LORD, then your fellow Israelites and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will return to this land, for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 28: The Obligations of Church Members
We believe that
since this holy assembly and congregation
is the gathering of those who are saved
and there is no salvation apart from it,
no one ought to withdraw from it,
content to be by himself,
regardless of his status or condition.
But all people are obliged
to join and unite with it,
keeping the unity of the church
by submitting to its instruction and discipline,
by bending their necks under the yoke of Jesus Christ,
and by serving to build up one another,
according to the gifts God has given them
as members of each other
in the same body.
And to preserve this unity more effectively,
it is the duty of all believers,
according to God’s Word,
to separate themselves
from those who do not belong to the church,
in order to join this assembly
wherever God has established it,
even if civil authorities and royal decrees forbid
and death and physical punishment result.
And so,
all who withdraw from the church
or do not join it
act contrary to God’s ordinance.
Summary
Hezekiah inherited a country in shambles from his father, wicked King Ahaz. When it came time to celebrate the Passover, the biggest and most important religious celebration on the Jewish calendar, It has to be postponed because not only were there enough priests who had prepared themselves for it, but nobody even bothered coming to Jerusalem at the appointed time.
In other words, nobody - neither the clergy nor the laity - made worshipping God a priority anymore. Hezekiah realized that this failure had resulted in terrible things had happened to Israel. In the letter he sent out, he told the people that this unfaithfulness caused God to make Israel "an object of horror."
Hezekiah demanded the people stop being "stiff necked" and instead to "submit to the LORD and come to His sanctuary." Hezekiah then reminded the people of the benefit of regular assembled worship, writing "Serve the LORD your God... for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn His face from you if you return to Him" (v8-9).
Dig Deeper
There have always been people, who because of one grievance or the other, have walked away from the Church. They've noted that it's full of hypocrites and that although they love Jesus, they can't stand His Church.
Others may not harbor any bitterness or anger towards the Church, but feel like they experience God's presence in a fuller and deeper way by hiking, jogging, sipping coffee on the couch or laying in bed till noon on the Lord's Day rather than assembling with God's people in His sanctuary.
But this type of Lone Ranger religion has never been part of God's design. From the moment His people were freed from their slavery, God told them that they were to be a holy people, set apart and different from the world around them. One of the key ways they were to look different was by assembling together often to be reminded that they were His covenant people.
Nowhere in the Bible will you find an example of an independent person, disconnected from other covenant people, who is enjoying God's blessing. Quite the opposite, in fact, as King Hezekiah would be very quick to agree with. Although so much has changed about how and why covenant people meet together after Christ arose, the pattern God set for His people thousands of years ago continues to be relevant today.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who "is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him;"
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you and those close to you will truly desire to meet with God's people often, and that you'll experience the blessings associated with doing so;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 2 Corinthians 11
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