NHCF Blog

by Calven Celliers Earlier this week a member of our congregation shared the following short article with me, and I want to share it, and some of my thoughts, with you: “As church attendance numbers fade and online services become very convenient (who doesn’t love not getting ready in the morning or leaving home?), it’s important to remember why church attendance for you and your family matters so much. You can’t serve from your sofa. You can’t have community of faith on your sofa. You can’t experience the power of a room full of believers worshipping together on your sofa. Christians aren’t consumers, they’re contributors. We don’t watch. We engage. We give. We sacrifice. We encourage. We do life together. The church needs you. And you need the church. Wherever you are, find a local church where you and your family can be part of community and use your talents to advance the kingdom and reach others. To come alongside one another physically, not just through a screen. While I’m grateful for technology to keep people connected that can’t physically come to a facility or need to be away, it’s absolutely not like being in the building. Never will be.  Yes, church on the sofa is nice. But it’ll never be the same as church in the sanctuary.” The church’s physical gathering is a glad and visible expression of its spiritual nature: believers are the called-out people of God, united by faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour. Community, however, requires commitment. Only the Holy Spirit can create real fellowship between believers, but it takes God’s power and our commitment to produce a loving Christian community. I reckon there’s truth in the statement that ‘to neglect, or forsake, assembling with other believers is to turn from God’s design for His church and embrace a false substitute: the notion that Christianity is individualistic, rather than familial or communal.’ Life is meant to be shared. God intends for us to experience life together. The Bible calls this shared experience fellowship. Fellowship includes unselfish loving, honest sharing, practical serving, sacrificial giving, sympathetic comforting, and all the other “one another” commands found in Scripture. Most, if not all of those, cannot be done online. We are not neglecting nor forsaking the assembling of God’s people if we temporarily obey a government order to protect public health. But we are neglecting and forsaking our assembling if we decide that physical gatherings are simply not necessary or relevant or as convenient for us. The physical gatherings of the church are God-ordained means for believers to have their faith in His promises strengthened. I firmly believe that for us as believers, our churches’ physical gatherings are essential means of growing both spiritually and relationally. No matter how you look at it, the words of Hebrews 10 are relevant, “ 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one…

by Calven CelliersI have a book on my shelf, that I open on a fairly regular basis, for the simple reason that the content is so gripping, so inspiring. In the opening lines of the introductory chapter, the author, Jeff Van der Stelt communicates the truth that God’s vision, for every man, woman, and child in every place is to have a daily encounter with Jesus through words spoken and deeds done through His people.“14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”(Habakkuk 2:14NIV) God accomplishes this vision through His Son, who works through His body, the Church. As the apostle Paul says in his letter to the Church at Ephesus, “22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” (Ephesians 1: 22 & 23NIV) This is Jesus saturation. Jesus is the head of His body, the Church, through which He intends to fill every place with His presence.“Can you imagine every city, every neighbourhood, every street, and every house saturated with Jesus’ presence through His people? What if, in every school, every classroom, and every extracurricular activity, students daily experienced the person and work of Jesus? Can you dream with me a day when no business office, retail center, or industrial hub can get away from the good news of Jesus proclaimed in words and expressed in gracious deeds? A day when every café, pub, restaurant, or bakery smells of the aroma of Christ? This is God’s intention for his world. And his plan is to do it through his people. He wants you to be part of it.” (Jeff Van der Stelt – Saturate)Many Christians have unwittingly embraced the idea that “church” is a once-a-week event rather than a 24/7 calling of all believers. Being part of God’s vision is not for the spiritually elite. If you know, trust, love, and follow Jesus you are part of it.“To every true Christian these two things may be said: You have need of Christ and Christ has need of you.” (William Arnot)What is it that God left you on earth to do? What is it that we can do on earth that we can’t do in heaven? Just before He returned to heaven, Jesus explained to His disciples what they were to do after His ascension. What He said to them, He also says to us. He left us on the earth that we might be His witnesses. Listen to the words of Jesus in Acts 1:8 as he imparts this truth to his followers: “8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8NIV) These words emphasize two things that we as believers need to know: 1) The Holy Spirit empowers disciples, and 2) Spirit-filled disciples witness…