The Gathering Isn’t the Problem—The Heart Is

There is a growing conversation in the Church today that says, “Church is being done wrong.”

The buildings are too big. The services are too structured. There is too much preaching from a platform. We need smaller gatherings. We need house churches. We need to get back to the way things were.

And certainly, there are things within modern Christianity that need correction.

But I think we need to be careful that we don’t diagnose the wrong problem.

Because when Jesus confronted the religious leaders of His day, His primary complaint wasn’t that they gathered people together to hear Scripture.

It wasn’t that someone stood and taught.

It wasn’t that people gathered in synagogues.

The problem was that the people teaching the Word were not living the Word.

Jesus said concerning the scribes and Pharisees:

“All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.”— Matthew 23:3 KJV

Think about what Jesus said.

He didn’t tell the people, “Stop listening because the entire system of gathering is wrong.”

He essentially said, Listen to what is true—but don’t imitate their hypocrisy.

Why?

“For they say, and do not.”

That was the problem.

They Knew It, But They Weren’t Living It

The Pharisees could know Scripture.

They could teach Scripture.

They could discuss Scripture.

They could gather around Scripture.

And still completely miss the heart of God.

That should concern us today because we can do exactly the same thing.

We can attend church every week.

We can hear a sermon.

We can take notes.

We can sing worship songs.

We can say amen.

We can shake the pastor’s hand afterward and tell him how good the message was.

And then walk out the door and never apply what we heard.

If that happens, changing the building will not fix us.

Putting twenty people in a living room instead of two hundred people in a sanctuary will not fix us.

Removing the stage will not fix us.

Getting rid of the microphone will not fix us.

Changing the structure of the gathering cannot fix a heart that refuses to surrender.

We can change the gathering and carry the same heart into the new one.

Jesus Confronted Hypocrisy

Jesus certainly challenged religious traditions when those traditions contradicted or undermined God's commands. He was not afraid to confront corrupt religious practices.

But look at the heart of so many of His rebukes.

Jesus said:

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!”— Matthew 23:13 KJV

That word keeps appearing: hypocrites.

Why?

Because there was a separation between what they presented publicly and what existed within them.

Jesus said:

“Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”— Matthew 23:28 KJV

There's the problem.

Outwardly one thing. Inwardly another.

And we need to be very careful that we don't spend all our energy correcting outward structures while ignoring inward transformation.

Maybe We’re Trying to Fix the Wrong Thing

Sometimes I hear people criticize the modern Church and immediately point toward the building, the stage, the pastor, the number of people attending, or the structure of the service.

But what if those things aren't the root problem?

What if the deeper problem is that we have confused going to church with being the Church?

The gathering was never supposed to replace the Christian life.

The gathering is where believers come together to worship, learn, encourage one another, correct one another, strengthen one another, and become equipped for the work God has called us to do.

Paul explains that Christ gave leaders to the Church:

“For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:”— Ephesians 4:12 KJV

Notice who is supposed to do the work of ministry.

The saints.

The gathering equips us.

Then we go live it.

That means the sermon isn't supposed to end when the pastor stops preaching.

The sermon should continue through the lives of the people who heard it.

What Happens After the Gathering?

Maybe this is the question we should be asking.

Not simply:

How did church go Sunday?

But:

What happened Monday?

Did we forgive someone?

Did we serve someone?

Did we control our tongue?

Did we love our enemy?

Did we help someone hurting?

Did we resist temptation?

Did we reconcile with someone?

Did we share Christ?

Did we become more patient, humble, generous, and obedient?

Because if we gather around the teachings of Jesus but refuse to live the teachings of Jesus, we are repeating the very problem Jesus confronted.

We are hearing without becoming.

A Smaller Gathering Doesn't Automatically Mean a Healthier Church

This is why I don't believe the answer to the problems in the Church is simply making churches smaller.

There can be pride in a congregation of 5,000.

There can also be pride in a living room of twelve.

There can be hypocrisy behind a pulpit.

There can also be hypocrisy sitting around a kitchen table.

There can be controlling leadership in a large church.

There can be controlling leadership in a house church.

The location doesn't sanctify the people.

Jesus does.

And surrender to Him is what transforms us.

If we take the same judgment, pride, bitterness, selfishness, consumerism, and unwillingness to surrender out of a large church and place it inside a house church, we haven't reformed the Church.

We've just changed its address.

The Gathering Matters

None of this means the gathering doesn't matter.

It absolutely does.

Scripture tells believers not to forsake assembling together. We need one another. We need encouragement. We need teaching. We need correction. We need fellowship. We need opportunities to serve one another.

But the gathering is not the finish line.

It prepares us for the race.

We gather so that we can be strengthened to live as followers of Christ when we scatter.

We gather to hear truth.

Then we leave to live truth.

We gather to encourage one another.

Then we leave to encourage the world around us.

We gather to be equipped.

Then we leave to do the work of ministry.

The Church Doesn't Need a New Address. It Needs Surrendered Hearts.

Maybe the greatest reform needed in the Church today isn't architectural.

Maybe it isn't about pews versus couches.

Stages versus living rooms.

Large churches versus small churches.

Traditional worship versus contemporary worship.

Maybe the reform God desires begins somewhere much more difficult to change:

inside us.

Jesus confronted people who could teach truth without allowing that truth to transform them.

We should make sure we don't do the same.

Before we tear apart the gathering, maybe we should ask whether we are actually living what we already hear there.

Because the gathering of the saints isn't the enemy.

The problem begins when we hear the teachings of Christ, agree with them, discuss them, teach them—and then refuse to live them.

The Church will not be transformed merely by changing how we gather.

The Church will be transformed when the people who gather surrender to Christ and become what He has called them to be.

Pastor Scott