The Solemn Assembly: The Ecclesia in its proper role
“His house are we” – but the Church has many faces. “His house are we” – but the Church and its members are busy and occupied with many things. “His house are we” – The people of God are brought together for Heavenly purposes.
The Solemn Assembly is brought together for His purposes, it stands as a redemptive community. The Solemn Assembly gathers as God’s emergency instrument in crisis hours. In its fellowship a testimony rests which leads to the Cross of Christ. It is community brought to a point where the burden of the Lord, the controversy of the Lord, is given attention and is handled appropriately. The Solemn Assembly is Church, is Ecclesia, in its proper role.
The House, the house of God, is never brought forth for formation except for heavenly purposes – and the builder is Christ, Jesus Christ alone. The House stands according to purpose, and is in itself a blueprint unto heavenliness. The House of the Lord is built according to protocol and is protocol, it carries the Law of Life to be seen among the nations. Its testimony is formulated as a redemptive imperative. “Show the House to the House” – words to a prophet, but also words to the solemn community gathered as an emergency instrument in crisis hours.
The Solemn Assembly – a gathering of maturing saints, among whom solemnity equals authenticity. Its focus is absolute spiritual reality for the sake of serving with prophetic efficiency. Its reason for existence is revealed in most simplified terms: “I have chosen”. The Apostle adds a similarly simplified statement: “Proving what is acceptable to the Lord”. The Solemn Assembly is conducted and directed by explicit, corporate wisdom unto the purposes of God. The Assembly – a setting in which apostolic patterns for Church and life in the Spirit is revealed and expressed according to purpose. Show the House to the House.
The Solemn Assembly – Church realizing its position as having come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, to the general assembly. . . and to a blood of sprinkling that speaks better things. . . This Assembly is to be regarded as a priestly gathering, a redemptive fellowship under the blood of Christ, therefore able to operate as peacemakers. Its presence in any society, larger or smaller, speaks spiritually in the same measure as the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ speaks. Its role must be taken on in solemnity to have redeeming influence and peacemaking function. A Solemn Assembly speaks spiritual reality, its role is other than rosy religiosity.
The Solemn Assembly is a warring unit – it stands as a city on a hill, as light in darkness. Its influence is a salty one. Its combat method may be reflected in opposites: the world is haughty – to be overcome by meekness, the world is deceptive – to be overcome by veracity, the world adulterous – to be overcome by faithfulness, the world trusts in strength – to be overcome by weakness. The overcomers are gathered as a combat unit, solemnly serious in its intentions to allow God’s wisdom to be solidified as testimony against the world, decidedly determined to allow the Cross of Christ to find its fullest expression in the face of the powers of the air in a peaceful declaration of their powerlessness and annihilation.
Ours is the role to show the House to the House. Ours is the opportunity to become a redemptive community under the hand of God. Ours is the possibility to become peace makers. Ours is a mandate to gather as a community of overcomers in the face of the powers of this world. Ours is the joy of the hope of the coming King and of his rule in righteousness. Ours is the role of demonstrating the kingdom while yet distant. Ours is the role of testifying to spiritual realities soon to be seen in fullness. The Solemn Assembly awaits the fullness of our hope in the return of Jesus Christ.
Lars Widerberg
Reading: Hebr 3:6, Isa 2:3, Rom 8:1, Ez 43:10, Isa 58:6, Eph5:10, Hebr 12:22-24.
An excerpt from the notes to a Church in the City, the Big Apple – to Bronx, one of the five Burroughs of New York City.
