The church (ekklēsia – assembly, gathering) as a filling station

We live down the road from a couple of gas stations. I frequent them several times a week and have developed a good relationship with the workers there. As I was thinking today, I thought of the comparison of the assembly of the church to that of a filling station. The following are ten thoughts that I quickly jotted down:

(1) The assembly is a place for a spiritual fill-up – when you are about out of fuel, its time for a fill-up

(2) You get what you put into it – if you don’t contribute anything, you won’t get anything in return

(3) The assembly is a place where you can get an spiritual oil change – you can empty yourself and be filled with the Spirit of God

(4) You stop in when it’s necessary – when you’re feeling low on fuel, you know its time for another visit

(5) The assembly is a place where you meet people with similar needs – all are there for a specific purpose and all have specific needs

(6) The place of assembly is multi-functional – it has more to offer then just fuel

(7) The assembly is a place of diversity – no two cars are the same and no two saints are the same. All are unique and special

(8) A place to make a phone call – If you need to talk to God, you can do it at an assembly meeting as well as at your home

(9) The assembly is a place you can have your vision made clear – The squeegee and wiper fluid are free, but it takes effort on your part

(10) The assembly is not a place where you should park your car permanently – once you get filled up, it is time to take off and live the life away from the filling station.

Can you think of other comparisons? Feel free to leave a comment.