Yesterday was May 7th. It marked an anniversary of sorts for us, because it was exactly 45 years ago to the day yesterday that we arrived in Phoenix with our JarTran rental truck loaded with our few earthly possessions. Other than God’s love for us, our love for Him, and our mutual love for each other, the most valuable thing Terri and I possessed was hope. As I mentioned in our time in God’s word last week, hope is an absolutely indispensable common grace which God bestows upon mankind. It enables him to cope with the difficulties of life in this fallen world. The total absence of hope is what, to a great extent, makes hell just that, hell. Over the past nearly half-century we have seen the faithfulness of God played out in our lives, and our one true hope ... the Blessed Hope ... our Lord Jesus Christ …has shown Himself more faithful and has become more dear to us with each passing year. 

One of the many ways in which we have seen the powerful working of God in our lives is through our personal interaction with God’s people. That is why I believe that Hebrews 10:25 is such a wonderful verse to memorize. It encourages us to stay connected and involved in our regular weekly worship and underscores the importance of gathering together with God’s people on a regular basis.

For that reason I found chapter 50 in Robert J. Morgan’s book, One Hundred Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart, particularly meaningful and wanted to share it with you this week. Morgan uses primarily the Holman Christian Standard Bible for his Scripture quotations. That version translates Hebrews 10:25 as follows: Not staying away from our meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

The NASB translates this verse as follows: 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.

Here is the account set forth in Morgan’s book with regard to this most significant verse of Scripture.

Hebrews 10:25 is the best church-going verse in the Bible, warning us against missing worship services. Indeed, our attendance should increase as the Lord’s return draws nearer. Why?

1. Because of the rhythm of life God established. In Genesis God rested on the 7thday of creation. It wasn’t that He was tired. He paused to enjoy what He had done the previous 6 days and to transition to the next period of time. He was also establishing a pattern of 1 day in 7 for rest and worship, which was later embodied in the Ten Commandments. When Jesus arose from the dead on the first day of the week, Christians began observing Sunday as their Sabbath, and the pattern was the same – 1 day in 7 for rest and worship. It is built into the rhythm of the universe and into the pace and pulse of our bodies and souls.

2. Because of the pattern of worship Scripture prescribes. Luke 4:16 says of Jesus, “As usual, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day.” Most scholars believe synagogues developed during the Babylonian Captivity so the Jews could gather weekly for worship wherever they were. Three things happened in those meetings: praise, prayer, and precept. The early church, made up almost entirely of Jewish people, met for the same purpose – praise, prayer, and the instruction of Scripture.

3. Because of the family of God Christ has created. Ephesians 1:5 (NLT) says: “God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure.” There is no such thing as a solitary saint. Christianity is about relationships. The phrase “one another” occurs about 50 times in the New Testament.

4. Because of the work of God to which we are called. The local church is the only institution Jesus established on earth [with the exception of the family]. He didn’t found hospitals, civic clubs, mission agencies, Bible colleges, or crisis centers. Many of these other organizations come out of the local church and are sponsored by it. But the local church is Ground Zero for God’s work on this earth. The church is God’s agenda for this world.

We need a weekly counter-cultural experience to counter the culture we are in. We must counteract the popular culture in our lives. When we go to church, we are participating in a global weekly network of people doing the same thing at the same time; we are participating in an ancient practice that goes back to the origins of the church and to the very beginning of the creation and involves all God’s people of every epoch and age; and we are involved in a habit that the Bible says is increasingly vital as time draws to a close.

“There is something wrong with our Christianity when we have to beg most of our crowd to come to church to hear about it.” (Vance Havner) 

Morgan’s account ends there. I find it interesting that the two foundation blocks of our culture are to be our earthly physical family, and our earthly spiritual family (primarily the local church). Families were created by God to enable us to better “do life” together for His glory, and that includes “both” of our families. We are so very thankful that God has allowed us over these past fourteen-and-a-half years to be involved with each one of you at RLBC. YOU are our spiritual family, and we love you dearly. Soli Deo Gloria!

Love,

John & Terri
Heb. 10:25