Pastor Eric Moore sent me this message… it was so beautiful I asked him if I could post it on my blog. He said yes, so here it is!
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The Forgotten Spiritual Discipline of the Solemn Assembly
Over the last decade I developed a deep appreciation for the Solemn Assembly. Prior to 2001 I didn’t really even know what a solemn assembly was and the vital role that it played in Biblical theology and in Church history. A solemn assembly is a corporate church discipline that brings a willing, humble church to a moment of repentance and belief in the efficacy of the cross and the mercy of God. The Church uses the discipline of a solemn assembly when she recognizes her sinfulness and the need to repent. Usually the driving force for a solemn assembly is dire circumstances in the community or nation.
The Church needs to reclaimed the solemn as a spiritual discipline. If you are over 30 years old you have watched the Church reclaim the spiritual discipline of fasting. As a child I never heard of anyone doing a fast. I was floored in the late 90’s when a pastor friend of mine in Canton, MI committed to doing a 40 day fast. I thought he was nuts! Our mindset has shifted about fasting. Now I know many people who fast, even doing extended fasts, me included! The same shift is beginning to happen with the forgotten discipline of solemn assemblies.
For a detailed presentation on the theology and history of solemn assemblies go to http://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF09E09.pdf. Dr. Owen Roberts has a outstanding explanation entitled SOLEMN ASSEMBLY: Forgotten Means of God’s Grace;. Hope for the Survival of America. Here is a germaine excerpt…
Not only were Solemn Assemblies a very common aspect in the revivals of the Bible, but they were a very important part of the life of believers in America during all its early years. For verification of this one has only to consult the Sprague Collection of Early American Pamphlets at the Weidener Library at Harvard University. There will be found a large number of sermons that were preached at the Fast Days and Solemn Assemblies which were frequently called and earnestly attended by American believers prior to the general decline of true Christianity which characterizes twentieth-century America.
Our Fathers believed God was offended by sin. They themselves were deeply troubled both by the existence of personal sin in their own lives and by the presence of unconfessed corporate sins in the churches and in the nation. They regarded natural calamities as manifestations of the displeasure of God Almighty against sin and allowed such events as earthquakes, fires, volcanoes, epidemics, floods, and droughts to prompt them to special seeking of God’s face in fasting, prayer, and corporate repentance. They also sought the Lord in Solemn Assemblies in connection with wars, murders, rapes, etc., believing such outbursts of wickedness to be directly related to the general decline of moral and spiritual life in the churches.
The Call Detroit – Investing in Our Community’s Solemn Assembly
With fascination I’m watching leaders of churches come on board with support for the Call. It’s truly supernatural the way God is pulling it together. Historic black denominations like COGIC, Full Gospel Baptist, AME, independent Charismatic and Baptist are seeing God’s hand orchestrating this movement. The bridging between the black and white cultures is flourishing, not just because a new set of relationships is developing but also because the content of the conversations is so much more spiritually substantive!
Make your way to Detroit on 11-11-11 for The Call. Pray with us. Join people all over Detroit that are fasting and praying in preparation for God to do something BIG in our city, nation, and world… NOW. Yes, NOW.
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