Let us hold fast the confession of our hope
without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to
stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 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. Hebrews 10:23-25
In the verses 24 and 25 of the passage above, we are
persuaded to encourage other Christians. “And let us
consider how to stimulate (spur) one another to love and good deeds.” Verse 24 begins, “let us consider one another…”.It means “to
observe attentively, or understand, fix one’s eyes or mind upon.” In short,
we are to focus on encouraging one another. It is not to be accidental but intentional.
I like how The Message goes: “Let’s see how inventive we can be…” Let us think of
creative ways of encouraging others.
The emphasis is upon getting to know one another in our
community of faith. There results a
creative interchange that leads to provocative stimulation of both love and
good works. When a person is known for
all he or she is, with all the wrinkles and foibles, and yet is loved, trust is
engendered and creative risking becomes a possibility. We can say, “So what if I fail at a good
attempt? I will be loved. I am confident of that. He or she knows me and still
loves me; I can attempt my idea.” This then makes possible one of the goals of
the Christian life—good works (Ephesians 2:10; James 2:14–18). Such good works do not always come naturally
or automatically. Our exhorter
encourages his readers to both love and good works.
Verse 24 continues, “let us
consider how we may spur one another on…” To spur means “to stir
up, provoke, stimulate or incite someone to do something.” In other words, to create a thirst. A thirst for what? “toward love and
good deeds.” That’s how we measure encouragement. It is not a fuzzy feeling. If someone became a more loving person or a
better person, then we really encouraged him or her.
Church can be a great place to get caught up on the latest
football games, golf scores, family news, health concerns, or just to visit
with friends. A cup of coffee together, a warm handshake, a friendly pat on the
back are all part of the social interaction we need as human beings. All of this is good, but New Testament
fellowship goes much deeper than merely socializing when we get together at
church. It takes place when we consider
how we can lift up, build up, and brighten up our brothers and sisters in
Christ. Christian fellowship takes place
when we offer encouragement to our friends, pray for them, and confess our sins
and weaknesses to one another. These are
the elements that make fellowship genuine.
What about our church? Are we
merely socializing? Or are we practicing
true Christian fellowship? Christian
fellowship builds us up and binds us together.
Now we've all heard SOMEONE COMPLAIN that the people in a
certain church aren't friendly, or that they seem to be lacking in love. Although such criticisms may be true, the one
doing the complaining is often a part of the problem. To feel the love and. friendliness of an
assembly of believers, we may need to pour a little of our own love in first. It was God's love toward us that prompted our
love in return. This principle also
works in our relationship with other Christians. Try it!
Scripture to Claim:
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15
