And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses’ father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel. Numbers 10:29
A friend of mine recited part of this verse – come thou with us, and we will do thee good – as he invited me one day to attend a meeting of the little company of Christians to which he belonged. Although I was just a young Christian, I had a few suspicions about that company, and declined his invitation. But I did start a search to find out if my suspicions were true. They were. That particular company had many fine Christians in it, some of whom I counted as dear friends for years. But several of their key doctrines did not stand the test of the Scriptures. Had I gone with my friend, they would not have done me good, but would have led me astray from the Word of God, and I would not be in God’s Assembly today. What about us today, can we issue that same invitation as we ask them to attend our meetings and consider entering our fellowship?
The greatest good that we can do for those who would meet with us is present them with the Gospel in all of its simplicity and power. For the unsaved, the preaching of the Gospel message can, through the strivings of the Holy Spirit, bring them to repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. For believers, the preaching of the Gospel message will confirm them in their faith and refresh their souls. Yes, we would do them good with the Gospel.
Just as important, we would do them good with obedience to the Word of God. Unlike religious organizations of all kinds and denominations around us, we honour nothing higher than the clear and unencumbered direction found in the Word of God. We take no name other than the One Who has called us to gather to Himself. We recognize Christ alone as the Centre and the purpose for our gathering.
When we meet with young Christians who express a desire to enter into Assembly fellowship, we always remind them that reception to Assembly fellowship comes with both privileges and responsibilities. Those privileges include – but are not limited to – participation in our highest privilege, the Lord’s Supper, participation in Assembly exercises, the development of our spiritual gift and interests, and so forth. The responsibilities include submission to the Lordship of Christ and to the Assembly oversight, dedication to the preservation of the truths of the Word of God, the exercise to participate and share in the work of the Assembly in its commitment to honour the Lord and to proclaim His Gospel.
There are wondrous ways in which we would do good for those who would be gathered with us. How much do we treasure the good that is being done to ourselves? – Jim MacIntosh