Spurring One Another On

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

 

Dear Friends and Members of IBC,

In Hebrews 10:24, the writer of Hebrews exhorts the early Christians to be faithful in meeting up together. It would seem that some people had gotten out of the habit. They had let their ‘house church’ attendance slip from every day to every week, or from every week to every three weeks. Why might this have been the case? Well, maybe for the same reason we can still struggle to regularly meet up today. It often takes a bit of effort.

When we consider whether we should attend some kind of Christian gathering, whether it is a regular Sunday service or with a smaller group of Christians, it seems natural to think about whether we ‘feel’ like going or if we have the time. We doubtlessly have many other competing interests. But Jesus tells us that following Him means we are to deny our own needs and wants. For us to obey these verses and ‘not giving up meeting together’, might require us to sometimes put aside what we think we will get out of the meeting, whether we will profit from the discussion or enjoy the company. I mean, how often do we really consider attending a meeting simply because we know that others might benefit from our attendance?

Like a car whose battery is dying, like a sailboat that needs a gust of wind, like a propeller plane that needs a push, we may need to sometimes spur one another on to simply show up. Just a gentle reminder that we encourage one another through our presence.

These verses in Hebrews are the Scriptural pillar for our Life Groups ministry. On Sunday, we heard about the different Life Groups that operate around Hamburg, as well as the IBC Central Bible Study group that regularly meets on Thursday evenings, both in the IBC office and on Zoom. Please be in pray for these groups, and consider whether you might may be able to encourage them through your attendance and contribution.

God bless you
James