“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.” — Hebrews 10:24-25 NASB
In my studying and reading lately, I’ve been asking God to point out to me areas that young people struggle with, things I used to or still struggle with. I just want to be able to reach you at home, even from this side on my cell phone or laptop.
One of the major topics that God brought up to me was church attendance. Young adults and teenagers like to rebel and one of the first things they typically drop is church. A friend of mine told me once that he knows many people who view church as an “optional extra.” They say things like “It’s certainly helpful, but not really needed.”
According to this passage in Hebrews 10, we can see that it’s not really true. We are told not to neglect the times we come together as a group of believers.
The writer of Hebrews encourages us to help each other grow and “stimulate one another to love and good deeds”. How can we prod each other to Christ and help each other along if we don’t meet together once in a while? We can’t.
In Acts 2:37-47 is where we see the first church begin gathering. And they didn’t meet just once a week. They met every single given day!
In Matthew 16:18 is where Jesus Christ says “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades (Hell) will not overpower it.” God is still in His church, and it’s an establishment that Satan CANNOT defeat.
Look closely at these verses
Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 2 Corinthians 1:1, Galatians 1:2, Ephesians 1:1, Philippians 1:1, Colossians 1:2, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:1, 2 Peter 1:1, Jude 1.
All these books of our New Testament were written to churches. Why just the churches? Because that’s where the Christians were.
In a conversation with a close friend a while back, I brought up the fact that many people, myself included, can’t think of another verse outside of Hebrews 10 that explicitly tells us to “go to church”. He pointed out that there is not another verse that says that.
The reason why we’re not commanded time and time again to meet with other Christians is because that should be a given. If you truly love the God who saved you, then you’ll truly love any others that God has saved. If you are a true believer who wants to grow in Christ, the best way to do that is to gather together with other believers who also want to grow in Christ. The “iron sharpens iron” happening in Proverbs 27:17 cannot happen if you never get together with other believers.
Church attendance is not and should not be an “optional extra”. It should be a priority. It should be part of your Christian life. So I encourage you to remember and even prioritize to gather together with Christians of like faith and grow closer to God.
0 Comments