Not Cool

Few things are more relaxing than sitting by a warm fire on a chilly evening, as when Wendi and I visited some longtime friends recently. On a beautiful evening, we enjoyed sitting around an impressively large, bowl-shaped fire pit created by our host. He was also an expert at building a great fire, using a unique kind of wood (I forget the type, but I loved the smell), and stirring it regularly as the same pile of embers burned for hours. They didn’t just barely burn. They were exceedingly hot!

But no matter how hot those coals burned, pluck one out, set it aside, and it would cool long before the rest of the fire went out. That’s the nature of fires. They take concentrated heat to keep burning. It’s also the nature of the church. It takes the concentrated fire of the Holy Spirit in the form of believers gathered for work and worship to kindle the accomplishment of Christ’s work on earth.

On an individual level, avoiding gathering with believers guarantees a cooling of our identity and effectiveness for Christ. People say, “Oh yeah, I’m a Christian. I’m just not part of an organized church.” I want to say, “Are you part of a disorganized church?”

What does it mean to be a Christian and not part of a fellowship of believers? How does one say they embrace Christ but reject His body on earth? It is oxymoronic to be a Christian unassociated with the Body of Christ.

So you don’t want to separate yourself from gathering with the body and risk cooling off. There are several reasons for this. They include loss of passion, lack of growth, broken fellowship, stifled ministry, and even a shipwrecked faith.

Passion is contagious. When one believes he can cultivate a passion for his faith without the benefit of like-minded believers around him, he deludes himself. We all need the help of fellow believers to fan the flame of spiritual passion.

Regarding spiritual growth, it is evident in Scripture that God designed growth to take place through relationships. Discipleship doesn’t happen without personal interaction. We all receive a level of development from spending time alone with God. However, true discipleship is impossible to accomplish all by ourselves. As Paul wrote:

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. —Colossians 3:16

Of course, fellowship does not happen without the presence of others. Speaking of oxymorons, “solitary fellowship” would be one. The New Testament is replete with the “one anothers” of fellowship. In fellowship, we “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2), “love one another” (John 15:17), “build up one another” (1 Thessalonians 5:11), and so on.

We are all expected to minister in various ways within the body of Christ. Some serve well in crowds of people and others in more individual contexts. Some feel gifted to work while surrounded by numbers of people, others sitting behind a computer. But they should always be connected to a body of believers. No matter the context in which they find fruitful ministry, the larger gathering helps them stoke the fire they need to serve effectively.

Finally, the most distressing aspect of separation from the body of believers is the loss of faith. It happens to those who believe they can effectively practice their faith apart from the church. We often call it the “Lone Ranger” syndrome. But unfortunately, there are no Lone Ranger Christians.

The heartbreaking loss of faith also happens in young students who go off to a secular university, surrounded by worldly philosophies and faith-averse people. Immersed in the deceptions of darkness, their faith grows cold, and they embrace the world’s false values.

Let’s be intentional about staying close to Christ’s body. Gather with believers regularly. It’s essential to the strength of our faith and the church’s health. We risk our faith cooling down when we step away for too long. A “cool faith” is not necessarily a good thing.

“And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

—Hebrews 10:24-25