Jump Start # 2913

Hebrews 10:25 “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.”

NOTE: Monday is a holiday. There will not be a Jump Start that day.

The other day I read a short piece about Gus Nichols, a long ago preacher from generations past. Gus was baptized in 1901. In the article he said that in fifty years as a Christian, he had only missed four Sunday morning worships, and that was because he was ill. He went on to say that he didn’t decide to attend last Sunday, nor the Sunday before. He said that decision was made fifty years ago.

Those thoughts bring us to our verse today. There was a time when preachers talked about attendance. That isn’t done much today. I hope we are just not getting more and more lax about things like this. Assembling with the saints is important and it needs to be stressed to our children and taught to our new converts. Good things happen when we attend. Fellowship, encouragement and instruction are just a few of the upsides to attending. We certainly need those things.

It could be that through the years we just have not talked enough about the value of attending. The covid pandemic has led many to stay in and possibly stay in much longer than they should. One can watch a video but what’s missing is the fellowship and the encouragement. You can’t get that through a screen. You need faces. You need touches. You need smiles. You need deep conversations. You need face to face.

The issue that the Hebrew writer address is more than one missing a few Wednesday nights. Some had quit. They were not assembling at all, period. The layers of trouble that followed the Christians wasn’t worth it. Being a Jew was much easier. Life was good as a Jew. In their twisted thinking, they could still follow God, love Him and be devoted to Him, but under the Jewish way of doing things. Back to the Sabbath. Back to Jerusalem. Back to animals sacrifices. Why not? It worked before. It worked for their parents.

The answer to all of that is the book of Hebrews. Going backwards is just that. Back to a hopeless life. Back to a life without forgiveness. Back to living without a Savior. Back to the law. And everything connected to Jesus was superior.

So the warning from the text is, don’t forsake assembling together. You need to come and worship God. You need it. The church needs you. All of my life I have assembled with saints on Sunday. When a student at a state university, I had to get rides to the church building. For decades and decades, Sunday has always been special. I always know how many days it is to Sunday. But that’s me. Not everyone is like that. Why is it hard for some to assemble on Sunday?

First, they may not have been shown the upside value of worshipping together. Some view assembling for worship as if there is nothing else going on, then we might show up. This doesn’t bother them. They haven’t understood the commitment that comes with being a N.T. Christian. They are still in the mode of receiving things, never realizing that their presence is an encouragement to others.

Second, some are just too tired on Sunday. It’s the only day they have to sleep in, so that’s what they do. They sleep. But a little arranging of the schedule and priorities will change much of that. Get to be early on Saturday and one won’t be so tired on Sunday. The thoughts of Sunday begin as early as Friday and Saturday. As weekend plans are made, they ought to be shaped around worshipping God. Where are we going to worship on Sunday. From that, as family and friends get together over the weekend, one must know when to recognize the time and head to bed. Saturday Night live generally leads to Sunday morning dead. Put some effort into this. Work on this.

Third, get up early on Sunday. Again, this is hard for some. You’ll see some dragging in late to worship, half asleep and the worship period is nearly over before they are with it. God deserves better than that. This may come from not understanding what worship is. It’s not sit and be entertained. It’s not a show to watch. You are there to honor, praise and worship God. What have you brought to do that? You may sit on a pew, but that does not mean that you have worshipped God. You come to give something to God. You need to give Him your best. Thinking about that and preparing for that ahead of time will help you so much as you worship the Lord. Get up early. Get down to the church house early. Get your mind rolling with thoughts about the Lord and His love for you. Read some passages. Say a few prayers.

Fourth, from our verse we learn that habits are established. Our texts tells us that some were in the habit of forsaking. They missed more than they were there. But we can do just the opposite. We can develop the habit of attending. Every Sunday, we are there. Not to be in worship, feels strange and odd. Our heads tell us that something is just not right. These good habits help us. We become closer to the people of God. The hymns, though not inspired, sure encourage, remind and teach us. Those hymns can help us as we sing them to ourselves as we are away from each other. You’ll hear passages in worship that you have not thought about. Those might be the very things you need to answer questions that you have had.

Get up and get going. Sunday is coming. Be thinking about that, today.

See you Sunday!

Roger

Jump Start # 2001

Hebrews 10:25 “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

This verse has often been used to shame folks who skipped a service. This was not what was happening to the Hebrew brethren. Some had quit. They had given up altogether. They were done. Too much persecution, and too many hardships since they became Christians. Life wasn’t this way as Jews. Go back and simply be a Jew and life would be better. This is what they thought. This is the “habit” of those who were forsaking the assembling.

But I want to spin this around. Many of us have been in the habit of assembling for a long, long time. We are always there. Rain, snow, holidays, we never miss. Even when we are out of town, we find a place to worship. It is so engrained into our spiritual DNA that it just wouldn’t be us to not worship with the saints three times a week. We do so, not out of habit, but out of love. It has become a habit, but in a good sense. Our schedules are built around the times we will be at services. We’ll turn down chances to go to shows, concerts and community events, because they conflict with worshipping with God’s family. It has become a priority for us. It’s hard to understand why others don’t do the same.

Years and years of this worshipping weekly, what has it accomplished? What has it done for you? Have you ever given any thought to that?

First, it has kept us close to the Lord. It’s taken our minds to a spiritual depth many times. We’ve become a people who pray and pray often. We have learned hymns and can sing them by memory and often do. We have come to know the Lord. We understand Him. We love Him. Years and years of praising and listening to His word being taught has brought us close to the Lord.

Second, it has given us a greater spiritual depth. We know the Bible. We understand the Bible. We get how it is laid out in our English translations. We know the theme of it. We know the stories. We know the Lord. The Bible has become a dear, dear companion of ours. Many of us can turn to certain books in our Bible without even looking. Our Bibles are marked with notes. There are words that are underlined and circled. We have taped things and written things on the blank pages in the back. All of this has given us a spiritual confidence that now shapes our decisions, attitudes and words. We are a better people because of that.

Third, we have come to know and love our church family. For many of us, we see our church family more than we do our physical family. We understand each other and have a precious memories of things we have done together. Friendships that run deep have been forged from these relationships with our church family. We have shared our victories and our defeats with one another. We have laughed and cried together. We know each other’s children and grandchildren. We’ve been to weddings together and we have sat together at funerals. Years and years of worshipping together has bonded our hearts. We couldn’t think of anyone else that we’d rather be with, than our church family.

Fourth, years and years of worshipping has given us a great appreciation for the plan and will of God. There are reasons God tells us to do what we are to do. There is a purpose to the Bible. Worshipping God’s way has given us a great respect for God’s pattern. We are not only accustomed to these things we see that they are right. We can now easily recognize things that are not right. We frown in displeasure at those who do not respect the word of God. There are those who are never satisfied with God’s way and are always wanting to change things. Often the changes are not Biblical, helpful, nor necessary. We recognize the selfish and carnal motives behind many of these changes. It’s simply not right. So, we turn aside from them and continue to walk with the Lord and His people.

Fifth, worshipping year after year has opened our eyes to the many times God has answered prayers, supplied growth and mended broken hearts. We’ve prayed with the rest of our church for those who had serious problems. We’ve seen those problems conquered and we recognize God’s hand in all of this. These things have encouraged us and helped us to realize that God is good and that He is among us.

Sixth, worshipping year after year has thrilled our hearts even more to be with God. Death is nothing to be feared. It’s the passage way to be with God. What lies ahead is so amazing for all of us. Worship has reminded us of these things. It has strengthened our resolve to continue on, even when it has been hard. We have seen that in our own lives. After funerals, we are among God’s people in worship. Sometimes the tears come. After struggles, such as the loss of jobs, feeling lonely because the kids have moved away, the process of aging, we are still among God’s people, worshipping. I see some walking in slowly with canes and walkers, realizing these people once assembled with babies in their arms. Now, years later, they are moving slowly, yet they are still moving with the Lord. Amazing!

Worship has been good for us. It has put Jesus before our eyes. It has reminded us that we are not alone. It has shown us opportunities to serve others. It has changed our attitudes, our behavior and even our will. We understand that we are the people of God. What an honor that is. What a blessing to worship.

Worship has been good to us!

Roger