It's Not Worth It: Don't Forsake The Assembly Of The Brethren

Hello my beloved saints, welcome to the month of February. I know you are waxing stronger in the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I will like to remind you that this is our year of Unusual Glory. May the Unusual manifestation of God’s Glory be yours this wondrous month of February in the name of Jesus. .

In this episode, I will like to admonish you not to forsake the assembling of the brethren. In Hebrews 10:25, the Bible says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” The New Living translation says, “And let us not neglect our meetings together as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” The local assembly is where the gospel message is preached, it’s also where the word of God is applied to the circumstances of our lives, hence knowing that Christ return is close, the believers are to encourage one another even more to remain faithful to Him.

Psalms 40:9-10 says, “I have preached righteousness in the great congregation…” in verse 10 it says, “…I have not concealed thy loving kindness and thy truth from the great congregation.” You see, the church is where the word of righteousness, God’s loving kindness and the truth is revealed. It is revealed nowhere else but in church (the gathering of the saints). God by the Holy Spirit is saying to the writer of the book of Hebrews for us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. This was said as a commandment. Our Father knows what happens when we get out of fellowship with one another. I am aware of many cases where people let the cares of this world come first and then they quit coming to church, and the next thing you know they just slide away from God. This is not God’s will for us. 

The church is not an organization or a building. The church is the body of Christ. Anytime Christians gather, we are having fellowship. Something happens when we fellowship. There is a sharing of God’s life when we come together. Fellowship is much more than coming together for a church service. The true fellowship is God’s life flowing from one believer to another. In Ephesians 4:16 the Bible says, “From whom (Jesus) the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in Love.” The living translation states, “He makes the whole body fit together perfectly: As each part does its own special work, it helps the other part grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” You see that the gathering of the saints is a place of the supply of God’s divine life and ability.

Zoe is the greek word for the life of God. When we gather together, we are sharing Zoe. Sharing the very life of God with one another. Have you ever noticed that when we gather together you perceive that life, the weakness is replaced with strength, you get edified and you have the opportunity to edify others? 

Forsaking the assembling means forsaking God (as we don’t obey the command to assemble for church service) There is this wrong idea that we don’t need the church; that we can stay at home, on our own doing our Bible studies and gaining thereby the same kind of knowledge which we might have received by attending church service. This concept is dangerous. To neglect Christian meetings is to give up the encouragement and help of other Christians. We gather together to share faith and to strengthen one another in the Lord.

Difficulties should never be excuses for missing church services. Rather, as difficulties arise, we should make an even greater effort to be faithful in attendance (Acts 4:1-31). There may always be legitimate reason to the human mind for not attending worship services regularly. Reasons such as inconveniences, just not feeling like it, feeling too tired, staying with relatives or friends, persecution, high cost of transportation or distance, as well as the idea that we don’t really need to attend.

Some Christians have replaced personal attendance to church services to staying at home and listening to sermon tapes or live services which are broadcasted over the internet. The means of broadcasting services over the internet was developed for those brethren who are scattered or for those who might be sick. It was never meant to be a replacement for personal attendance. Listening to live internet church services or listening to sermon tapes is not wrong but it does not constitute an equally valuable alternative to personal church attendance. Acts 2 reports that the disciples were all assembled in a room on the day of Pentecost, and that is when they received the Holy Spirit. Would God have given the Holy Spirit to those using modern terms, who had decided to stay at home and listen over the internet, while they could have assembled in person with other disciples? 

Paul’s warning to us today rings loud and clear: We are not to forsake REGULAR PERSONAL church attendance. God will not tell us to do this if it were not His will. We can’t stir up one another if we don’t come together, can we? This is a vital part of fellowship, exhorting one another and stirring up one another. You might be thinking, why is this so important? Because if we don’t we aren’t doing what God is telling us to do. If we are not doing what God is telling us to do, we are not going to fulfill His will. We will lose out on a blessing and others will lose out as well because of our disobedience.

May God bless you. See you next month.