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Church was designed for us.
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24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 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
For a young girl who grew up attending church regularly, I thought this passage was a good idea, but I didn’t realize it’s significance until much later in life. Perhaps the command to “not stop meeting together” was just a ploy to get me to church twice on Sundays. Now, as I’ve moved around and gone off on my own adventures, far away from close family and friends, I’ve experienced the deep longing to find connection and community. And, God has graciously provided kindred spirits from around the world, specifically through the Church and our times of meeting together.
I’ve met and worshiped with brothers and sisters from other nations, some of whom spoke different languages, yet I have felt the deep abiding presence of the one who calls us family. It’s no accident that God’s Word includes a passage like this. God’s words are for our benefit and when we meet together – physically showing up in the same place to corporately call our hearts to worship – we experience something we could never experience on our own. We realize we’re not alone. We feel our burdens lifted. We remember we can trust God again. Our faith rubs off on others. Our hearts fill with an unexplainable joy. We meet together because we need each other. Church was designed for us.
Unfortunately, the author of Hebrews explains why this command is really there. Believers give up on meeting together. He says, “as some are in the habit of doing” (Hebrews 10:25). We give up because it doesn’t always feel like thriving community where our burdens are lifted. It doesn’t always fill like a joyous experience. People are people – just like brothers will be brothers and sisters will be sisters. Meeting together with the family of God is not always an easy thing, but it is designed for our benefit. Church is a gift. Being able to meet together weekly is an opportunity – not to just meet our needs, but to belong to something bigger than ourselves. Even when seasons of meeting together are hard, the commitment to the family will strengthen our bond, grow our character, and be an incredible witness for the world to see. Let’s continue meeting together for our sake and for God’s glory! Join us next Sunday for worship![/vc_column_text][us_separator height=”25px” size=”custom”][vc_column_text]
By Yvonne Biel
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