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“Not Forsaking the Assembling Of Ourselves Together” By Jim McDonald “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” Heb.10:23-25. There is perhaps no passage more familiar from Hebrews than the one just quoted. It was evident that the exhortation was needed then, just as it is needed today. The gravity of the problem is seen in the warning which followed: “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries” Heb.10:26-27. Frequently the questio n is asked, “Do I have to attend every service of the church.” This is a question which produces great sadness to God. To those who love God, who are conscious of His love and care for people; who realize that one’s personal salvation can never come on the basis that one has earned it; to one who is conscious of his own sins and shortcomings; attending services is never a matter of “have to” or “punching my time card for one more week.” Attending services is a privilege and joy. How wonderful it would be to God if all His children would see attendance in that light. “Not forsaking…as the manner of some” Heb.10:25. When concern is shown and voiced to perpetual absentees their reply most frequent is, “I haven’t quit the church.” No? Many are hanging on by the “skin of their teeth.” They miss more than they attend. The slightest excuse makes them decide to “not attend today.” Maybe they feel like just staying in bed all day. Or else they’re just not “in the mood.” Or perhaps they stayed up so late the night before watching TV or, worse still (God forbid) hanging out at some club, that they’re too sleepy to come, and after all, what good will it do to come and sleep through the whole service? When will we wake up to the fact that our excuses are transparent to God? He sees through them and knows the real reasons why we are not present. And He does not regard it as a slight offense when we prefer not to assemble with His saints. He knows that the real reason is because they have no real commitment to God, nor love for Him. This is a shame! “As you see the day approaching” Heb.10:25. What day? Different answers are offered. Some say=2 0“the Sunday assembly.” Read the text again: “The assembling of ourselves together.” Yes, it does include the first day assembly, Acts 20:7, but not that exclusively. The “assembling of ourselves together” is the assembling of ourselves together! When is that? Whenever we assemble ourselves together! The day approaching of Heb.10:25 is not “the first day of the week.” Some think “the day approaching” was the day of the destruction of Jerusalem. Jesus had given signs for that day Matt.24:14-15. When this letter was written to the Hebrews the clock was ticking toward the lateness of the hour. Its reception by the Hebrews could not have been much more than seven or eight years before the destruction of Jerusalem. The apostle warned “For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come” Heb.13:14. Some say “the judgment day.” And for sure, the judgment day is coming and it ought to provoke concern and care in us all. And the apostle does call up visions of judgment with his words, “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries” Heb.10:26-27. Jesus warned, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” Matt.24:36-39. He added, “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming” Matt.24:42. Wake up Christians! Wake up to the consequences of what our neglect will bring to our souls. “When Jesus comes to reward His servants, whether it be noon or night. Say, will he find us watching, with our lamps all trimmed and bright?” It is a very serious matter to consider! – via North Jackson Street Journal, Houston MS. & You Are Important By J. F. Dancer, Jr. You cannot qualify to serve as an elder (maybe because you are a woman, maybe for some other reason). You cannot lead singing. You can't teach a Bible class or preach a sermon. What good are you to the Lord and to the people of God? Has this ever entered your mind?? It has mine and from what Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 12:12-17, I am sure God knew we would have such thoughts. YOU ARE IMPORTANT to God! Jesus died for you (Heb. 2:9) just as he died for those who have more ability. YOU CAN SUPPLY SOMETHING to the strength of the church! Paul taught this in Eph. 4:16 as well as in 1 Cor. 12:12-27. You can pray for others. The prayer of righteous people is priceless (Jas. 5:16). You can help others without their even knowing it by praying for them and doing what you can to help bring to pass what you prayed. Mt. 25:35,36 shows you will be rewarded by God because of your effort to help others. Being friendly and hospitable, aiding the sick and helping to bear the burdens of others is a work of God! Meeting with the saints to worship God and to encourage each other (Heb. 10:23-25) is something even babes in Christ can do. Yes, you are important to God and to the church! No saint has the right to become depressed or feel they are unimportant! We belong to God! We are the salt of t he earth and the light of the world (Mt. 5:13-16). We need to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and do what we can. & (Scripture Studies, Volume 2, Number 1) Two Gates and Two Ways By Bob Myhan There are only two choices that one can make in the matter of religion. One may choose either that which is offered by God or that which is offered by uninspired men. That which is offered by God originated in the mind of God but that which is offered by uninspired men originated in the minds of mere men. Jesus implied this when He asked “the chief priests and the elders of the people,” “The baptism of John--where was it from? From heaven or from men?" (Matt. 21:23-25). Jesus described these choices figuratively as two gates, two ways and two irrevocable destinations. "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matt. 7:13-14). While one can choose to enter either gate he must keep in mind that only one of the gates puts him on the way that leads to life; the other puts him on the way that leads to destruction. Those who “go in by” the wide gate are many but those who “enter by the narrow gate” are few. Strangely, it seems to be the case that those who refuse to enter by the narrow gate do so precisely because there are only a few who have entered in by it already. This is like people in Noah’s day refusing to board the ark simply because there were only eight people on board. The “wide…gate” allows an individual to keep his preconceived ideas of religion and puts him on the “broad…way” which allows him to engage in every practice with which he sees nothing wrong.
The “narrow gate,” however, requires an individual to “lay
aside every weight” (Heb. 12:1) and puts him on the “difficult…way”
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