An Unfaithful Example
By Mark Grant
In Hebrews ten we read, “Let us hold fast
the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but
exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching”
(Heb. 10:23-25; NKJV). This passage sets forth the crucial importance of the
local church and the necessity thrust upon every Christian to be faithful when a
local congregation of saints comes together for public worship. To believe in
Jesus and stand “firm to the end” will take determination, because our
faith will be challenged and opposed. This involves overcoming difficulties and
withstanding pressures from the world. One of the ways in which we can overcome
these trials and troubles is to meet God inside his dwelling place, his holy
temple. Going to a church assembly can help us step aside from the busy cares of
this life so we can quietly meditate and pray. The place that Christians are to
find edification and encouragement is not out in the world, but in the prayers,
singing, teaching, and fellowship in the worship of our God. “Let the word
of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your
hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16).
WITHOUT WAVERING
“Let us hold fast the confession of our
hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful…” Just as God has
been faithful in keeping His promises, the church is called upon to be faithful
in holding fast to its confession that our only “hope” is in
Christ.. The real meaning of eternal life is a life that can face anything it
has to face without wavering. Severe trials will sift true Christians from
fair-weather believers. For eternal life in Christ Jesus in not some weak and
pitiful emotion, but is strong and vigorous confidence built on the fact God is
faithful to keep his promises (Tit. 1:2). God ventured His all in Jesus Christ
to save us, and now He wants us to venture our all with total confidence in Him.
Faith in Christ Jesus is the supreme effort of your life, and part of that faith
is “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.”
LET US CONSIDER ONE ANOTHER
“And let us consider one another in order
to stir up love and good works…” We have significant privileges with our
new life in Christ. A new life produces a new hope, which should motivate us to
a new purpose. Notice how the Hebrew writer stresses to “let us consider
one another” which is directly related to the appreciation and
encouragement of the faith of one‘s fellow Christians. As Christians we should
demonstrate the utmost care and concern for every one of the Lord’s disciples.
The apostle wrote, “We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and
of your love for all the saints” (Col 1:3). To “consider one
another” speaks forcefully of the tremendous impact believers can have
on each other. This is why “to stir up love and good works” shows
the importance of mutual encouragement and participation in the body of Christ.
When Christians gather, everyone should give and receive. Our mutual faith gives
us a common language and common purpose for encouraging one another. “Stir
up” comes from the Greek word “paroxysmos” which means, “to
arouse, to excite, to call into action,” and it is used in this sense here to
promote Christians to “stir up” and urge to action “love and
good works” when we come together in the assembly. This enables us to go
further and rise higher in our Christian growth than if we try to go it alone.
To neglect Christian meetings is to give up the encouragement and help of other
Christians. We gather together to share our faith and to strengthen one another
in the Lord. That is why Christians need each other for the assemblage of saints
can create greater spiritual fervor, devotion, and service to God. We help
others to be faithful to Christ by “exhorting” one another when we
regularly attend the assembly. Just as physical food keeps us alive and strong,
so also the spiritual nourishment of teaching and fellowship are necessary for
our survival. It was Jesus who taught, “Do not labor for the food which
perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of
Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him” (John
6:27). A person who went to church regularly wrote a letter to the editor of a
newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. “I’ve
gone for thirty years now,” he wrote, “and in that time I have heard something
like three thousand sermons. But for the life of me, I can’t remember a single
one of them. So, I think I’m wasting my time and the preachers are wasting
theirs by giving sermons at all.” This started a real controversy in the
“Letters to the Editor” column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on
for weeks until someone wrote this clincher: “I’ve been married for 30 years
now. In that time my wife has cooked some thirty two thousand meals. But, for
the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals.
But I do know this… They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to
do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead
today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be
spiritually dead today!” Let us never forget, that it takes an assembly to
make sure that our worship experience is fruitful, our fellowship as believers
is valuable, and our gathering together as Christians is profitable. “And
they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the
breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Ac 2:42).
NOT FORSAKING THE ASSEMBLY
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves
together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the
more as you see the Day approaching…” Evidently some believers had
stopped attending the worship services of the church, perhaps because they
feared persecution (Heb. 12:4). Difficulties no matter how hard they might seem
should never be an excuse for missing church services. Rather, as difficulties
arise, we should make an even greater effort to be faithful in attendance. A
preacher went to visit a Christian whose attendance had slacked off. When the
preacher entered his home they both gathered by the fireplace to talk. The
preacher asked the church member about his absence from services, and the
Christian replied, “I think I can worship God alone as well as at Church.”
After reflecting a moment, the preacher took the fireplace tongs, lifted a live
coal from the fire, and set it down at the side of the grate. As they watched,
its color turned to gray and the heat slowly died. The church member got the
point. After a pause, he said, “I’ll be at the services Sunday.”
If we aren’t actively involved in fellowship and
worship when we are to gather together, our spiritual fervor tends to die and
grow cold. The Greek word for “not forsaking” speaks of desertion
and abandonment. When Christians forsake the assembly, then the glow of
spiritual vitality will gradually disappear for no Christian life can be
sustained in voluntary isolation. When we sense this happening, we must take
action immediately. David said, “I was glad when they said to me, Let us
go into the house of the Lord” (Psa. 122:1). Going to worship God should
never be treated as if we are going to a funeral service. “My soul longs,
yes, even faints For the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for
the living God” (Psa. 84:2). Worship of the true God is intended to
remove human misery, and help us serve God with gladness. The best assurance of
perseverance is to attend the public worship of Almighty God through Christ. It
is only by this constant mutual encouragement that comes in meeting together,
that the Christian can avoid falling away. “Those who are planted in the
house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear
fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing” (Psa. 92:13 -14).
By banding together it will provide the stimulus that will help us grow in the
grace and knowledge of Christ for there is great encouragement in a shared
commitment. Christians should never forsake the assembly of the church; and the
fact that some still do today, as was the case back then, is no permission for
the faithful to follow an unfaithful example.