Neal Pollard
A dear sister in Christ recently spoke candidly about a time in her recent past where she was staying at home and watching the services of a local church rather than assembling with them. She grew convicted that she needed to praise God with His people, and it brought her back to the assemblies. What a righteous response and what a potent truth! Does God want us with His people?
There is the oft-recited, familiar passage in Hebrews 10:24-25 that admonishes us to stimulate one another to love and good deeds by not forsaking the assembling of ourselves. Why the warning?
It’s an unhealthy habit. How do we know? Well, the writer warns us of as much. He ties it to neglecting the assemblies (ESV). Jesus uses that same word to ask the Father, “Why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). Demas and the others deserted Paul when he needed their support (2 Tim. 4:10,16). It can also be translated abandon (Acts 2:27). Some do this with the assemblies. Attending is a habit formed by doing. Neglecting them is a habit formed by doing (or not going). You miss one, a few times, several times, and then you get to the place where you lose the desire to come together. Something else takes its place.
It’s a discouraging decision. How do we know? The writer tells us that through assembling we encourage one another. This connects us to the exhortation in the previous verse. By staying away, I fail to provide that friendly face, that timely word, that listening ear, that singing voice, that minute of interaction that likely makes a difference in encouraging the faithfulness of the recipients. The writer calls it “exhorting” one another, a beautiful word involving encouragement, consolation, comfort, and even pleading.
It’s a shortsighted approach. How do we know? The writer shows us by connecting assembling and eternity. He reminds us there is a great day coming, and all of us will be there! He follows this verse with the idea of judgment (27), punishment (28), the Lord judging His people (30), and falling into the hands of the living God (31). Those who withdraw themselves from God’s people and their meeting times for worship and study are indicating that their hearts, thoughts, priorities, and greater interests lie with the things of this life. A mind set on things above (Col. 3:1) makes plans, decisions, and efforts that leads closer to God and an eternal home with Him.
Oh, that there would be more tender hearts like the dear Christian whose conscience was pricked by God’s truth! She had stayed away, but she could not keeping staying away. She needed to be with God’s people. She knew her Father wanted the whole family together.
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