November 27, 2024 FORSAKE NOT
Hebrews 10:23-25 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.”
In the early church, believers getting together was a common practice. Today, people, including believers, or more independently minded and for the most part, getting together with other believers is an option rather than a necessity. In the above passage we are instructed not to ‘forsake assembling together.’ Assemble is defined as ‘to gather together in one place for a common purpose.’ The fact is that God designed us in such a way that we need to assemble with other believers for the common good. As we assemble together, we are blessed when we encourage one another to love and good deeds, when we benefit from the spiritual gifts of other believers being exercised, when we bear one another’s burdens, etc. There are some issues we must address as we talk about assembling together. Assembling together could be at a church building or it could be at a coffee shop or in a home. The traditional place for believers to assemble together is at a church building. Here is a real problem we face today regarding the assembling together; not all, but many church services are carried out in such a way that there is little ‘stimulating one another.’ (What I am saying here is certainly not said with a critical spirit of the church.) For the most part, many churches are pastor centered and program centered. Sadly, for many, it’s a matter of attending ‘church’ for sixty minutes, then going back to their routines. Also sad is that there is a lot of religious activity talking place, yet missing the dynamics of body life as we see depicted in the scriptures. So, I have hit on some serious problems we face today. Are there answers or solutions? Yes. There are times when we need to make adjustments in how we view things including how we view church. The church is not a building-the church is the body of believers. For our part, let us learn about the church and how God designed it to function. Then, whether in the church we attend or in small groups, let us move toward ‘stimulating one another to love and good deeds.’ When the people of God assemble together and be about body-life, people are blessed and they find encouragement. It is reported that many of the younger generation are forsaking church attendance. Before we criticize them, we should be asking why that is true. I fear that to a great extent, the church has failed to be the light. Again, we can be a part of the solution. The main point of this message is that whether we realize it or not, believers need each other. Let us not be guilty of not assembling together; let us find other believers to share the life of Christ with. I know that God works through His church. I am just trying to say that we need to examine our ‘church life’ and see if it lines up with how God designed the church to function. A book could be written on this subject, but I trust you get the heart of what is said in this blog. (One more note: Be aware of ‘religion.’ Dudley Hall wrote a book titled “Going To Church Can Be Hazardous To Your Health” with the point being that one can wear themselves out doing religious church work and miss the blessing of experiencing genuine church life.)
Ephesians 4:15-16 “but speaking the truth in love, we grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causing the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
Blessings, Buddy
Hebrews 10:23-25 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.”
In the early church, believers getting together was a common practice. Today, people, including believers, or more independently minded and for the most part, getting together with other believers is an option rather than a necessity. In the above passage we are instructed not to ‘forsake assembling together.’ Assemble is defined as ‘to gather together in one place for a common purpose.’ The fact is that God designed us in such a way that we need to assemble with other believers for the common good. As we assemble together, we are blessed when we encourage one another to love and good deeds, when we benefit from the spiritual gifts of other believers being exercised, when we bear one another’s burdens, etc. There are some issues we must address as we talk about assembling together. Assembling together could be at a church building or it could be at a coffee shop or in a home. The traditional place for believers to assemble together is at a church building. Here is a real problem we face today regarding the assembling together; not all, but many church services are carried out in such a way that there is little ‘stimulating one another.’ (What I am saying here is certainly not said with a critical spirit of the church.) For the most part, many churches are pastor centered and program centered. Sadly, for many, it’s a matter of attending ‘church’ for sixty minutes, then going back to their routines. Also sad is that there is a lot of religious activity talking place, yet missing the dynamics of body life as we see depicted in the scriptures. So, I have hit on some serious problems we face today. Are there answers or solutions? Yes. There are times when we need to make adjustments in how we view things including how we view church. The church is not a building-the church is the body of believers. For our part, let us learn about the church and how God designed it to function. Then, whether in the church we attend or in small groups, let us move toward ‘stimulating one another to love and good deeds.’ When the people of God assemble together and be about body-life, people are blessed and they find encouragement. It is reported that many of the younger generation are forsaking church attendance. Before we criticize them, we should be asking why that is true. I fear that to a great extent, the church has failed to be the light. Again, we can be a part of the solution. The main point of this message is that whether we realize it or not, believers need each other. Let us not be guilty of not assembling together; let us find other believers to share the life of Christ with. I know that God works through His church. I am just trying to say that we need to examine our ‘church life’ and see if it lines up with how God designed the church to function. A book could be written on this subject, but I trust you get the heart of what is said in this blog. (One more note: Be aware of ‘religion.’ Dudley Hall wrote a book titled “Going To Church Can Be Hazardous To Your Health” with the point being that one can wear themselves out doing religious church work and miss the blessing of experiencing genuine church life.)
Ephesians 4:15-16 “but speaking the truth in love, we grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causing the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
Blessings, Buddy
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