“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.” Hebrews 10:23 – 25 NKJ
Let me ask you a question. Have you ever gotten out of bed on the day your church has set apart as a day of worship, and felt like falling back into bed and sleeping a few more hours? Or have you ever had an event scheduled at the same time as the worship service and chose to attend it, but then felt guilty because you did? Over the years I have met many people who feel guilty over such thoughts or actions and they beat themselves up because of it. They have read this Scripture or heard it taught and believe they are doing something wrong if they forsake the assembling together with fellow believers. After today’s devotional my prayer is that will have a better understanding of this passage and not feel guilty again over such thoughts or actions.
In rightly dividing the Word spoken here in Hebrews 10:23 – 25, another meaning to this verse is revealed than what has traditionally been taught. What disturbed the writer of Hebrews at the time was that some Christians were branching out on their own and refused to be unified in propelling the message of Christianity as a corporate body of believers. They would rather have their own independent ways of teaching and not be accountable to anyone for what they taught. The writer of Hebrews knew that this action of branching out would cause division, confusion, and disunity. And so a warning had to be given to subvert such actions.
While it is vitally important to meet together with other believers to encourage, train, and build one another up in the faith, this verse is not referring to a geographical location of meeting. On any day of the week you can find a church that is having a service. If this verse were a literal instruction to the body of Christ then we would be disobeying God’s instructions every time we chose to stay home from a service. Therefore, it is evident that the writer of Hebrews is not telling us we need to go to a geographical location every time an assembly of believers is gathered together. What he is telling the church is much greater than that! The real instruction here is that the body of Christ needs to be unified, undivided, and single minded, forsaking their own agendas, especially as the Day of Christ’s return is approaching.
If you look at today’s church you will see a fragmented body of believers who have all branched out on their own, just like in the day this passage of Scripture was written. There are thousands of denominations, groups, and sects, who all claim to have “The TRUE Gospel message”. For a new convert to Christianity this kind of division and disunity in the body of Christ is sure to bring confusion and puzzlement. They are forced to investigate the doctrine of churches to determine which doctrine best fits their natural bent, instead of investigating the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are robbed of the experience of going to a meeting place to fellowship and worship with like minded believers for the sole purpose of glorifying God, and encouraging each other in the faith.
As the day of Christ’s return draws nearer God is calling the church to become integrated and single-minded as a unified body. Just as a physical body whose parts are all detached and separated cannot function, neither can the church. We are all members of Christ’s body, with Christ being the head. In order to have even-flow in the body of Christ we must come together being unified in Christ, forsaking our own agendas and man-made doctrines. If we will do this a transformation will take place in Christianity!
I want to encourage you to investigate your own beliefs in regards to church and ask God to reveal if you are functioning as a member of Christ’s body, unified and single minded, in the teachings of the one true Gospel, Jesus Christ. Or if you are a fragmented member being pulled in the direction of following the doctrines of man. Begin to pray for all believers in the faith to come to the place of unity in the body of Christ, so the function of the church can propel the Gospel through stirring up love and good works with its members. Allow the Holy Spirit to teach you the truth about the function of the body of Christ and its purpose. Begin to express love for fellow believers whose doctrinal views are different than yours, and pray that one day we will all mature out of our own branches of doctrinal division, and come together as one in Jesus Christ.
Prayer: I believe that You are the One True Gospel and that Your desire is for Your body to function in unity. I believe by faith that as I release my own doctrinal beliefs You will give me wisdom so I know how to stir up love and good works, in my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I believe by faith that as I do this I will stop judging Your people based on their doctrinal standards, but rather, pray for them to come to the same place of unity in Jesus Christ. Amen
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