To Live is Christ — in fellowship with others

If I stood in a garage every night that would not make me a car. Why then do so many Christians judge the faith of others by whether or not they go to church? Being in a church for every service does not mean someone is a Christian. The other side is that not being in church isn’t necessarily a reason to say someone is without faith.

I’ve a long list of family and friends who have made professions of faith, but do not attend church. They are missing an important spiritual discipline for their growth and encouragement and I do not recommend staying away. However, one phrase in today’s devotional reading tells me missing church is not necessarily missing out on a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:23–25)

The phrase is “as is the manner of some” which suggests that even in the early church there were attendance dropouts. This passage gives a few clues why this might happen.

First, Christians sometimes waver. They lose sight of the faithfulness of God, perhaps because of unrealistic expectations. They thought God would do whatever they asked and He didn’t. So their faith begins to waver.

Another reason is that their particular church experience was less than “considering one another.” Instead of stirring up love and good works, all they saw was selfish infighting and believers who were disobeying God. This puts off many Christians. Instead of finding a congregation that obeys God and cares for one another, they brand “church” as “full of hypocrites” and stay home.

As this passage says, Christians need encouragement. I need encouragement. Life is not easy apart from the spiritual battles that I fight. The more I walk with Christ, the more my spiritual enemy works to make me feel as if God does not love me, the people of God are all without hearts, and the good that I do has no effect or influence. Why not quit, he suggests.

Yet when I get together with others who fight the same battles and struggle with the same experiences, I not only am encouraged to keep at it, but have opportunity to encourage them. As God produces the fruits of the Spirit in each of us, we are reminded all over again of His love and faithfulness.

I know that all churches are not patterned after biblical models. Some do not even use the Bible any longer. Others are mere social clubs or places where people go to ease their conscience. Many use church as their claim to be right with God, forgetting that salvation is first about faith and a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

Nevertheless, the verses are a positive exhortation. If anyone is a believer and not in regular fellowship with other Christians, their growth is stunted and their ideas get warped. We need, I need, the stirring up I get from being around other believers, even if we don’t agree on things.

My hope is in Jesus Christ and the promises of God, but as part of His body, I know it will never function the way God intends if any body parts are missing, me included.