You Need the Church. The Church Needs You

The last four years have been incredibly challenging for many of us. We’ve been through a global pandemic, seen multiple national-level protests, watched nations divide over two wars (Ukraine/Russia, Israel/Palestine), and witnessed the effects lockdowns have had on church attendance. If the last few years have done anything for us, it’s been to show us that this world cannot provide meaningful hope for broken people. It’s shown us that lasting and meaningful hope cannot be found in our preferred presidential candidate but must be found in our risen Savior.

Many in the church are content with professing faith in Christ while also serving political or social idols. We’re quick to give our opinions on what the church could be doing to reach more of the lost, but we also feel no sense of irony in the radical political posts that plague our social media feeds. So, what do we do? How do we prevent this world's brokenness from destroying our love for all people, both near and far? In Hebrews 10:23-25 we have an answer to this problem.

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 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.

Hold Fast to the Gospel

Verse 23 encourages us to “hold fast” to our hope in Christ. For the Christian, we no longer place our hope in the actions of men. We are not forced to worry ourselves into an early grave over the upcoming election because Jesus has secured eternity for us in His life, death, and resurrection. It is because we know this to be true, that we can hold fast to the Gospel “without wavering.” Holding fast to the Gospel means remembering that it was us who deserved to be on the cross, but God – being good and merciful – freed us from the penalty of sin so that “we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7). So grab onto the gospel and never let it go, or, in other words, “hold fast . . . without wavering.” Remember what Christ did for you and let that encourage you to relate to your brothers and sisters in Christ with love.

When we remember that we are sinners saved by grace, we’ll naturally want to see others come to faith in Jesus and walk alongside other brothers and sisters in encouragement. And this is exactly what the author of Hebrews calls us to do in verses 24 and 25. Let’s turn now to examine those two verses and see how it is we are supposed to relate to our fellow believers.

Serving in Love and Good Works

We’ve been given two gifts from God. First, we’ve been given the church by God, a family of other believers to walk in faith with. We weren’t saved by faith and left to figure it out alone. Instead, the church was established by Jesus and given to His people to love and grow in faith. Since the beginning, there have been incredible acts of love and encouragement shown by church members to one another (Acts 4:32–37). The early church went into action; they didn’t stand around waiting for persecution or screaming at the surrounding Roman culture about its sinfulness. Instead, they focused on loving the people in the church and stirring them up.

Secondly, we’ve been given the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Each church member has been given the gift of the Holy Spirit to build up and encourage one another (1 Cor. 12:7-11). The Spirit gives a plurality of gifts to the people of God, but we need to remember the context in which they should be used. The God of the universe designed these gifts to build up His people, the local church. The Apostle Paul makes it clear that we as the church “are one body” (1 Cor 12:12). When we commit ourselves to Christ, we’re not committing ourselves to an independent faith that rids itself of the need for community. When we’re made new in Christ, we’re born into a family of believers, each unique in their God-given gifts and authority but created to serve one another.

This can be difficult for people like us. It can be hard to put in the time and effort, especially if we don’t agree with that person on aspects of theology or politics. However, the author of Hebrews calls us to an action based faith and not a complacent or lazy faith! That’s the implicit command of the author of Hebrews: “Consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another” (v.24-25).

Practical Application

So, how do we apply this to our lives? What are some practical ways to show up and stir each other up? I have three practical suggestions for you: go to church, join a small group, and start hosting people outside formal church events.

1) Go to Church

First, you should go to church this week for your perseverance and the perseverance of others. Verse 25 explicitly commands us not to neglect meeting together. For many, attending church has become a legalistic requirement for salvation. I want to encourage you; this is not the idea of the church the author of Hebrews has in mind. During the writing of Hebrews, the author is pleading with a church in anguish and in the midst of persecution. And amid this persecution, the author tells the church to continue to gather, not out of a sense of legalism, but because failing to meet with God’s people is often fatal to the faith of many professing Christians. We can see this so plainly in the decline of Christianity in the West. Many start by deconstructing and walking away from the church to worship from home but soon find themselves walking away from the faith altogether. We weren’t meant to worship alone but rather in a community of believers with different gifts to build up the church and encourage one another in various ways.

2) Join a Small Group

Second, you should join a small group. Small groups provide a practical and necessary way to connect with other believers in the church that you might otherwise not have known. By committing to meeting with a small group, you’ll start to see how others think about the sermon preached prior to the small group, and you’ll begin to grow meaningful relationships with people in the church. This last year was the first time my wife and I started going to small groups, and it was incredibly encouraging for two reasons. One, we built friendships with people we otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity to talk to. Life Pointe is filled with people in different stages of life. Sometimes getting to know people in the church is hard . . . Small groups are a great way to connect with others in the church and grow in wisdom through thoughtful discussions.

3) Attend Events Outside of the Church

Finally, start getting together with other believers outside of the formal context of church events. In other words, start doing life with the people you’ve developed friendships with. When I think about this, so many people come to mind. So many barbeques, movie nights, and group dinners are spent getting to know friends deeply. Through these activities, my wife and I have built deep and meaningful relationships out of a mutual love for Jesus and a desire to see His people built up through the context of the local church.  Here at Life Pointe, we want to see people transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the best ways to do that is to get into the trenches of life together.

These three practical ideas are designed to help us grow in our faith and encourage us to live life well as the local body. We see examples of this throughout the New Testament writings. Followers faithfully commit themselves to each other to pursue Jesus more deeply and fully than we could ever dream of doing alone. All while being encouraged to remember that “He who promised is faithful” (v.23), we can look forward to “the Day drawing near” (v.25) when Jesus will return and make all things new. We know that Jesus will return to free His people from the pain of this world (Rev 21:4). Let’s encourage each other in love and good works because we believe this more than anything this ridiculous world has to offer. Let’s continue to labor together in the hope of stirring each other to love and good works as we await the risen Lord to free His bride from the pain of this world.