It Starts Small

No Christian has ever been called to “go it alone” in their walk of faith.

“And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Hebrews 10:25 makes it very clear that as brothers and sisters in Christ we should not stop meeting with one another. God wants us to regularly meet. We gather on Sunday mornings, not for a social hour, but we are encouraged and commanded to gather to come together and worship our God and Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but we do not take this seriously.

While worship is part of the reason we gather Sunday mornings. If we only gather to worship, we can do that at home. If the only reason to gather is to hear the Word of God, we can turn on the radio or live stream of services. Anything we do at church, we can do at home these days.

So why are we commanded to meet? Why go to church?

The writer of Hebrews says it is to safeguard our walk from the drift. When we gather together and do what is natural to the Christian life, we learn to do it forever. We learn to join together in His presence. We make up the church and together we provide strength for one another through prayer, fellowship and encouragement.

The enemy never sleeps and never rests. It is seeking relentlessly to blow us off course. Individual commitment is not enough to keep us in line. E need the presence and accountability of other believers and they need us. When we are surrendered to Christ, He uses us in countless ways we may never know.

Accountability and encouragement is the anchor that holds us against the tides and rip currents that seek to wash us away. To neglect regular assembly of believers is to miss out on the essential element, accountability and encouragement, in the development of our faith. Regular church attendance is not something you do to gain God’s merit. It is His catalyst for spiritual growth.

When you put a bunch of humans together, even if they are all believers, you’re going to have conflict. We can not escape it. We all fall short and when we gather, it exercises the mercy, grace , and forgiveness of God. If you have been hurt by members of a certain gathering of believers, find forgiveness. Move on and trust in God to lead you to a body of believers that do not compromise truth and demonstrates His love, grace, and forgiveness of all.

I know I used things from past church experiences to lie to myself and believe I did not need church. I did not need other people. I was going to go it alone, but this is not the will of God. We need each other.

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭20‬ ‭CSB‬‬