PODCAST TRANSCRIPT | EPISODE 273: God Loves Togethering, Part 3
LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell
EPISODE 273: God Loves Togethering, Part 3
We discover more today of how much God loves the togethering and assembling of His people. He doesn't want anyone to miss out.
Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.
Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies! Well, since I shared my last podcast with you, my husband and I have been on a wonderful trip to Scotland. We were so blessed. Actually, it was Serene and Sam who were going on a trip to celebrate their 26th wedding anniversary. Allison and Daniel Hartman, who put on the Above Rubies Family retreats for us down in Florida, they heard about it. They said to Serene and Sam, “Well, you’re not going without us! We’re coming too!”
Sam and Serene and Daniel and Allison are very special friends. Of course, now, their children are marrying into this family. Cedar, Serene and Sam’s son, is married to Halle, their daughter. They are expecting a little baby very, very soon. Now their other son, Vison, is engaged to another of their daughters, Eden! So, they are really getting tied up together.
But then, they decided that they would bless Colin and I, and take us with them, and even pay for our trip! We felt so blessed. It was an amazing time. Great time to go back and check out our heritage.
A couple of years ago, our son, for Christmas, got our DNA checked out. Both Colin and I were exactly one-quarter English, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. We are very, very UK.
We thought when we went back, we’d be able to check out some of the Campbell castles. We have been to Scotland many times before with ministry and haven’t really gone on a holiday. We’ve had the opportunity to see a few things. We have been to Castle Campbell a number of times. This was the summer castle of the Campbells.
But we had never ever been to the main castle out in Argyle, near the west coast. This time we were able to do it. It was so great! Actually the 14th Earl of Argyle, this guy Campbell, he and his wife and family currently live in and own the castle. They are the direct descendants of the first owners of the castle. They live in one private part, but the rest is open to the public.
Before we went, my sister-in-law, Colin’s sister, said, “Hey, you’ve got to check out Auntie Anne’s picture on the wall!” Because we actually come from the Argyle Campbells. There was a reunion of these Campbells in New Zealand down in the city of Dunedin. Colin’s aunty went to that. She was pictured with all the others and this picture is on the wall in one of the towers of the castle.
So, we actually found the picture. I found the photograph of Auntie Anne in the picture. We felt quite great that our family was actually pictured in this castle.
Then we stayed in lots of other wonderful places. Sam had booked us into a different place every single night for two weeks! We would cart our cases in in the evening and then we would cart them out in the morning. He wanted to stay in a castle, so we stayed in what was called Stonefield Castle. When we got there, we actually found that that was originally owned by the Campbells also. Then we stayed in another place that was like a castle. It was originally owned by the Campbells. That was rather fun.
But one of the most incredible things that we were able to do, and something Colin and I have longed to do for so many years. We have read over the years about the wonderful revival that took place in the Hebrides of Scotland. That’s the outer islands of Scotland. We were able to go to the Isle of Lewis, one of the outer islands where the revival of 1949-1953 actually started. It was such a blessing.
Now, as I said, Sam had booked us in at one place every night. So, he, not knowing anything about Scotland, in fact, he didn’t know a thing about Scotland, and yet he organized this most amazing tour. It turned out incredible! He didn’t realize what would be entailed in this getting out to the island. We were so late in booking that we couldn’t even get our car on.
So, we went over on the ferry, a three-hour trip on the ferry, and landed there on foot. Here we are, we have no car, and we don’t know where, actually, this revival started. How are we going to find it? We’ve got one night and have to be back on the ferry the next day at one o’clock. How are we going to do it?
Well, we thought, “What can we do?” We couldn’t even get a hired car. “Let’s just get on the public bus!” We get on the public bus and drove up to the north of the island. Then we just drove back! We stopped about halfway, where the Airbnb is, where we’ll stay the night.
Next morning we get up and get out onto the road waiting for the public bus to come past. On we hopped and we go on until we think this is about where this church would be, where the revival started in a little village of Barvas. We got out, and yes, we could see the church! I had my book, which is called “The Sounds of Revival.” It’s worth getting and reading if you can get it.
There was the picture of the church, and there was the church. Wow! We’ve found it! How wonderful! So, we walked over, but it was shut. We thought, “OK, we’ll go to the little house behind, obviously the manse.” And we asked the lady if she would mind letting us go in. She was kind enough to do that and we were able to go in and kneel down and pray for revival to come to Scotland again, for revival in our own lives, and for revival here in the USA. It was such a wonderful time. We were so blessed to do that.
Having read the book and read of how wondrously God came down, it was a revival that was nothing of man. It was only God. Even when people began to cry out in repentance (because it was a revival of repentance, people becoming aware of their sins). They didn’t even counsel the people. They never had any appeals They just left them with God, that God would come through, and they would be gloriously saved.
And then they would not want to go to bed. They just wanted more and more of God, so they would have a meeting every night. But that wasn’t enough. After the meeting was over, they’d go to a home and there they would pray and fellowship and receive more of the Word of God. Then, when that was ended, that was not enough! They’d go to another home, and they’d be up all night!
Sometimes they’d get home, back to their homes at four in the morning, even later, have breakfast, and go out to work. The miraculous thing was that no one got tired. It was just a miraculous move of the Holy Spirit. They were so under the presence and awesomeness of God that no one even got tired. It was so special to go to that place. We were very, very blessed.
Scotland was once known as “The Land of the Book.” That means it was the land of the Bible. But unfortunately, that is no longer so. It has become a very woke, liberal country. We were amazed. Going around all these places we saw so few babies and children. The number of children per family in Scotland is only 1.5. Well, we’re only 1.8 or 1.9 here in the USA, so we’re not much better! But it’s getting pretty low. In fact, I read the statistics that in the last few years, there have been more people dying each year in Scotland than there have been born! That’s a sad state of affairs for a nation. They certainly need another mighty revival, as we all do, don’t we?
Let’s get back to our series. We are talking about how GOD LOVES TOGETHERING. We’re up to Part 3, and this is podcast 273.
Dear ladies, I hope that as I share these podcasts with you on this subject that you can really get a feel of how God feels. You see, we can only feel like God feels, we can only begin to think like God thinks when we read His Word. That’s why we have to be Word people. We’ve got to have His Word filling our hearts.
I am so amazed as I read the Word to see how much God speaks about togethering. I think I told you on podcast 271 that I found 12 different Hebrew words in the Old Testament that are all to do with togethering and assembling. But since then, I’ve actually found two more!
So, now I’ve found 14 different Hebrew words to describe how God loves the assembling of His people, and the gathering of His people, and the fellowship of His people. The words “assembly, congregation, convocation, together, gathering, fellowship,” oh, they don’t occur just a few times. They occur over and over and over again!
And then we go to the New Testament, and we continue to read the words “gathering, together, assembly, and church.” Yes, the word “church.” When you say the word “church,” sometimes you think of a building. Yes, a church is where we go to meet together in a building, but as we know, the church is God’s people.
The word “church” in the New Testament occurs 120 times. It is the Greek word ecclesia. It literally means:
“a gathering of people called out from their homes into a public place,
an assembly,
an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting,
a calling out,
a religious congregation, which can be a Jewish synagogue, or a Christian community.”
It can also talk about faith in heaven too.
So, this is Ecclesia. It means “calling out, a gathering of people coming together.” It actually means to come out of our homes and meet together. There are some folks who don’t go to church. They think, “Oh, well, I can’t really find a church that is suitable to me. They’ve all got this wrong with them and that wrong with them.” Well, that’s true. No church is perfect because it is filled with imperfect people. Once we go to it, it’s going to be imperfect, isn’t it? But even in all our imperfections, God so wants us to meet together.
Yes, that’s what this word is. Ecclesia. It’s coming out of our homes to meet together! Now, of course, if someone is living in some isolated place and they can’t get with other saints, well, yes, meet together as a family. Amen! But when we have saints around us, God wants us to meet with them. You see, we’re with our family all throughout the week, but on one day a week at least, He longs for us to come together.
We were talking last podcast about all the set times that God has given, where He wants to gather us. He loves gatherings! Yes, we’ve got to get it, ladies! God loves the gathering of His people.
I must mention a few Scriptures again, but before I do, let’s go to the Lord’s Prayer. I wonder if you’ve ever noticed this. We read the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. This is in the Sermon on the Mount. The disciples asked Jesus if He would teach them how to pray.
He says: “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name.” Do you notice how this prayer starts? It doesn’t say, “Oh, my Father.” No, “our Father.”
Yes, even in our prayers, in fact, it's great to pray personally, but God loves us to come together to pray. He loves the corporate prayers of His people. But even in our personal prayer, we’re still praying “Our Father,” because it’s not only me and God, it is me and all God’s people.
“Our Father which art in heaven, thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.” We’re not only praying for ourselves. “Oh, God, please give me my daily bread.” No, He wants us to see beyond ourselves, beyond just little me, and how the world is revolving around me. No, it’s “give us our daily bread.” We’re praying not only for ourselves, but for others, and all the saints.
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” Do you see it, lovely ladies, that even the Lord’s Prayer is a corporate prayer that includes all of us? Isn’t that amazing? Yes! So, let’s be reminded of Scriptures you know so well. But let’s look at them again and see what they’re really saying.
Hebrews 10:23-25: “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;)” That can also be translated: “Let us hold fast the confession of our faith.” The word in the Greek is homologio. It means “to say the same thing that another is saying.” In other words, “to be in line with what God says, to be in line with what His Word says.”
What His Word says, that is what I will confess. I’ll hold fast to that confession no matter what anybody says, no matter what anybody thinks. I will hold fast to my confession of the Word of God.
“And let us consider one another . . .” Oh, do you notice that, again, “let us”? Us? Plural? Yes, God wants us to think in the plural of our being together with all the saints. “And let us,” not just me.
“Consider one another.” That word is also translated “our mutual faith.” It’s a one-another faith. Not just me and God, but me and you and God.
“Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling . . .” Assembling. Yes. That’s a word that means “to get together.” It’s not isolated. It’s assembling. The word in the Greek is episunagoge. I think I’ve pronounced it correctly. But it comes from the word “synagogue,” and it means “the place where they meet; a complete collection.” That’s interesting, isn’t it? Not anybody left out. “A complete collection.” Everybody meeting! “Especially a Christian meeting; assembling or gathering together.”
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.” Together. It doesn’t mean isolated. It doesn’t mean on your own. It means “together” with the other saints. “. . . as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
We can’t really get away from those words, and yet there are still those today who think they can just have me and God. “Yes, I believe in God. I can do it on my own. I don’t need to be with others.” Well, it’s not only the fact that you actually do need to be with others; we do need one another because our faith is strengthened as we meet with one another. But also, when you don’t turn up, and you are missing, you are depriving the other saints. You’re depriving them of the blessing that you can give.
You see, church, which is the people of God assembling, it’s not just a building. It’s the assembling of the people. It’s not just coming to hear a message, not just coming to worship. They’re important parts. But it’s coming TOGETHER. It’s coming TO BRING YOUR PRESENCE.
ARE YOU STRENGTHENING THE BODY?
Did you know that even coming, just your presence, and especially when it’s all your family, do you understand what that means? Your family added to the others brings more strength. It brings something more into that body. When you are missing, there’s a weakness. When you come, there’s more strengthening. It’s more exciting.
In fact, sometimes when we’re meeting together, we’re assembling together as the body of Christ, and I look around. I see those who are missing. My heart is so sad! I’m missing them. There’s something missing. There’s a weakness because they are not there! If only people could realize they are missed! Yes, there is such strengthening of the body when they come.
It’s more exciting, more strengthening, more building up, and more opportunity for the blessing of the Lord, because as we each come with a smile on our face, to give to everyone we see a blessing and a word of cheer and encouragement. The more people who are doing this and giving it, the more the body is strengthened and built up! That’s God’s heart. That’s what He longs for.
Let’s look at a few other Scriptures.
Act 2:42: “And they continued steadfastly . . .” This was the new converts. They’d all been saved, 3,000 of them, “And they continued steadfastly” in four things. Now, dear ones, this is the foundation of the church. This was the early church. These are the four things that they did, and the four things that we should be continuing to do today. What are they? OK. “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
Firstly, THE APOSTLE’S DOCTRINE
That is the teaching from the elders of the church and the apostles. How can we get that if we don’t come? We think, “Oh, well, maybe I could just listen to a message on Zoom.” So many began to do that when the plandemic came. But it is a counterfeit. Oh, yes, you can get a good message, that’s true. But you’re not assembling. You’re not together. You’re not doing what the Word says. There’s something about being there. Oh, yes! Because that’s what God says. Anyway. I’m just trying to reiterate what God says in His Word.
Secondly, FELLOWOSHIP
We come, and we hear the message. But that’s not all. Oh, and fellowship! We can only have fellowship when we’re together! You see, FELLOWSHIP IS TOGETHERING. Fellowship is part of church life. I think that’s why, when the plandemic came, so many thought they could do just as well watching a Zoom meeting. But you see, they weren’t having fellowship, and many people didn’t miss it because their church doesn’t have fellowship. They come, they worship, they hear a message, and they go home. But no, there has to be fellowship in some way or another.
At our church fellowship here, we have a fellowship meal. Every Sunday, everybody brings a dish, and we all sit and eat together and fellowship. We can encourage one another, pray for one another, bless one another, find out where one another is in their life. We can laugh with one another. Oh, it’s one-anothering! One-anothering is not some little thing you do if you want to. It is part of church life. In the New Testament there are over 41 different one-anothers that God has specifically given us to do to one another. We can’t do it if we don’t meet together.
Thirdly, THE BREAKING OF BREAD
The breaking of bread. Well, yes, they had communion together but many times in the early church, the communion was part of the fellowship meal. Breaking bread can be just a meal because that’s how they ate. They would break the bread, the flat bread, as they would dip it in the hummus, the baba ghanoush, whatever they were making. That’s how they ate. It was called “the breaking of bread.” That also is fellowship and hospitality.
Fourthly, PRAYERS
Then prayers! Oh, yes, that’s part of church life. And yet many people come to church. They hear the minister pray as he begins the message, or he prays at the end. Sometimes there’s not much more than that. And yet, prayers! That’s a very big part of church life. That should be very much a part of our meetings as we come together.
We see that togethering with fellowship. Acts 20:7: “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them.” Notice, “they came together.”
THE WHOLE CHURCH
Let’s go to 1 Corinthians 14:23: “If therefore the whole church be come together in one place . . .” It goes on to talk about what they were to do when they came together. In this little sentence, we see the whole church.
The word in the Greek is holos, and it means “whole, all, complete, all together, every whit.” In other words, God’s desire and longing is that all His people in a community will come together. All of them, not one missing. I like “every whit.” That’s real King James language, isn’t it? I haven’t checked any modern translations, but I like those words. “Every whit.”
They are used also in John 7:23, when Jesus said to the people, “Are you angry at me because I have made man every whit whole on the Sabbath day?” Jesus didn’t make him half whole, but He made him fully whole. That’s the same concept God wants when we come together. He doesn’t want half the people to come together, or three-quarters of the people, or even 99 percent! He wants all of them to come together. He says when you all come together in one place, we get the spirit of what it was like in the early church. “To come together.” The word there is sunanakeimai, and it means “to convene, to accompany, to assemble with, to come together.”
1 Corinthians 14:26: “How is it then, brethren? when ye come together,” there it is again. “Every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.”
Philippians 1:27: “. . . Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” Now that word in the Greek is sunathleo. It means “to wrestle in company with, to see jointly, to labor together, to strive together.” It comes from the root word athleo, where we get “athlete,” meaning “to contend in competitive games.”
The thought here is that we’re not striving together on our own. No, we can’t strive together on our own because we’re not together. Striving on our own. We’re not meant to strive on our own, dear ones. I need others. You need others. Our faith will become stronger as we fellowship with one another, and as we pray with one another, and as we strive together for the gospel with one another. There is so much more strength. I hope you’re getting this feel of it from the New Testament.
But let’s go back to the Old Testament, shall we, where I found 14 different Hebrew words. I don’t know whether I’ll give them all to you, but I’ll just talk about some thoughts from some of them so we can get the feel of God’s heart for us.
Why am I saying all this to you, as mothers? You’re saying, “Oh, well, this is not a podcast about motherhood.” Oh yes, it is! Because, dear lovely wives and mothers, we are the heart of the home. We cause to make happen what should happen in our home. Unless we have God’s heart, unless we understand the vision that God wants our family to join together with other families so we can strengthen the body of Christ, well, we’re not going to do it. It’s not going to happen.
It’s pretty hard for a husband to get it to happen if he doesn’t have his wife with him, if she doesn’t have the vision. Because to think of even meeting as we meet once a week, OK, maybe on Sabbath if you’re a Sabbath-keeper, on Sunday if you’re a Sunday-keeper. Whatever day. It takes us, the mother of the home, the heart of the home, to get it together.
We’ve got to think about it, not just, “Oh, help! Sunday!” No, we think about it the night before, or even before that. We’re thinking about the family. Are the clothes all ready? Have we got all the clothes ready for Sunday? Or if children are looking for socks and this and that at the last minute on Sunday morning, or Saturday morning, you’re not even going to get to church on time.
Darling ladies, can we get God’s heart? Can we go beyond just, “OK, church. Oh, well, I guess we’d better go.” And we sort of get ready and go. We haven’t really got our heart in it. If our heart is in it, we’ll be preparing the night before. We won’t be staying up late watching some movie. No, we’ll be preparing our hearts. We’ll be preparing the household, and what time we’re going to get up, and how we’re going to have breakfast. We’ll make sure all the clothes are ready, and we’re going to be able to get there on time.
Because our heart beats like God’s heart. We want to do what God wants us to do. That is to be a togethering people, to gather with the saints, to help build up the body, to help strengthen the body, to bring life, and smiles, and love, and cheer, and blessing to all the others who are there. We’re not going to be missing, because when you’re missing, it brings a heartache for those who are waiting for you. It really does.
OK, Old Testament words. There are many different words for “assembly, congregation, convocation, together, gathering, fellowship.”
Here’s one word: YACHAD
Psalm 34:3: “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together.”
Dear ladies, oh, you know that Scripture, off by heart, I am sure. It’s a basic Scripture, but how true. God wants us to exalt and worship His Name together. Yes, we can do it personally, but He wants us to come together to do it.
We’ll continue next podcast, OK? The Lord bless you.
“Oh, dear precious Father, we love You. We love Your Word. Help us, dear Father, to let Your words fill our hearts, Lord, that we will live by Your Word, not the way we want to live, and what we think, but Your Word and Your heart. We’ll get in sync with You.
“Lord, we’re only just looking at the very, very tip of the iceberg of what You talk about, gathering together. Lord, there’s so much more. It’s so much Your heart. I pray, Lord, that You’ll help us all to be faithful, and that You will help every precious wife and mother and family to be committed to the gathering of Your people, to the assembling of your people with others, Lord. Oh, Lord God, You want us to join together with the other saints. Lord, help us to be faithful to You. In Jesus’s Name. Amen.”
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
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You can order this book from Amazon:
Sounds from Heaven: The Revival on the Isle of Lewis, 1949-1952 (Biography)
by Colin Peckham