Hebrews 10:25 | Genesis 2:18a | Romans 1:11-12 | Romans 12:4-5 | Matthew 18:20
Please fight the urge to sanitize your hands while reading this.
And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
Hebrews 10:25 NLT
The Apostle Paul urged his Christian brothers and sisters to keep meeting together regularly, and to encourage each other by doing so. He also said the day of Jesus’s return was drawing near–which seems much more appropriate today than 2,000 years ago. It is almost like he was writing to us.
Why is it so important for the Body of Christ to keep meeting together?
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”
Genesis 2:18a NLT
First of all, it is not good for people to be alone in general. God made us for hanging out with each other, and for hanging out with him.
Second, as believers and followers of Christ, we are all part of the same body.
Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
Romans 12:4-5 NLT
What happens when a body comes apart? Bad things. We need to get together and stay together to function as Christ’s body.
God himself–as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit–is never alone, and wants us to experience his same Joy. And when we come together to worship him, he promises to make that happen.
“For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”
Matthew 18:20 NLT
Be safe. Pass germs around only when you have to.
But whatever you do, don’t stay a member of Bedside Baptist, Pillow Presbyterian, or First Church of Just Me & Christ any longer. Get yourself together with two (or more) other believers and experience the presence of God.
Questions for Group Discussion
- Is there a difference between meeting with other believers in person versus online? Even though scripture doesn’t speak to virtual meetings directly, how do you think God feels about them?
- Why do you personally think it is so important for Christians to be in the habit of meeting together?
- Do you think it ‘counts’ if Christians meet together without reading scripture, singing songs, or doing other traditional ‘church’ things? Let’s say a group of believers goes bowling together. Is that checking the box? Is the goal to check the box?
Challenge: Log Some Time
How regularly are you meeting with fellow believers?
That is our question at the moment. Here is the answer: keep a log of every time you meet with other members of the body of Christ–formally or informally.
When you meet with other believers, make a record of the following:
- A brief description of what you did, and with whom.
- Date and time
This exercise only needs to last as long as it takes for you to answer the question of how regularly you are coming together with the Body of Christ.
