Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
– Hebrews 10:25
Some medical equipment uses radioactive elements to diagnose problems in the human body, but such is the short half-life of the elements that the machine that makes them and the patient under observation must be in close proximity to one another. Commentator Louis H. Evans, Jr. draws an analogy with the believer and worship. “Worship is the event in which we become radioactive for God. When we are not in the collective worship with God’s people, we have missed exposure to God and, having missed it, we lose our radiance.”
The writer of Hebrews exhorts the new believers to not neglect meeting together. Drawn together in love around the person of Christ, this community helps to strengthen the faith of each member. It is there to warn one another of sin and the danger of backsliding, to watch over one another and to persevere in difficult times, and to encourage each other to be steadfast in their faith. Commentator Warren Wiersbe states that the emphasis “is not on what a believer gets from the assembly, but rather on what he can contribute to the assembly.” Faithfulness in attendance is an encouragement in itself.
God’s people need each other and need to be in fellowship with each other. The pressures of the days to come will likely increase and followers of Christ will have to stand together more and more. The strength of God’s love radiates through the lives of fellow believers. Pray for this nation, especially for legislators who need the encouragement fellow Christians can give.
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