“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us 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, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:23–25, ESV)
In 1973, I entered the United States’ Army Ranger School in Fort Benning Georgia. It was one of the most grueling courses the Army had to offer. I had heard the rumors about people failing the course or dropping out because they could not take it. In fact, the night I left from home, I was taking to my dad about it. In the discussion, I made this statement. “I guess they can’t kill me; can they.”
After graduation, I came back home and sat down with my dad and talked about what I went through. Dad reminded me, “Do you remember what you said before you left?” He went on, “You said, ‘I guess they can’t kill me; can they.” To that I replied, “Yes, but I didn’t know they were going to try so hard.” Out of our class of 290 soldiers, only 178 graduated. It was tough.
The amazing thing was that thought the attrition rate for the class was nearly 40%, only one man in our 36-soldier platoon did not graduate. Why did we beat the odds? It was because we worked together as a team. We trained together and went through the course together. When one was down the others picked him up. When there was a task to be done, we worked together to provide mutual success.
It is the same for believers in the church. We must remember that the church is not a building, it is the people of God joined together by one Spirit into the body of Christ. The church is a fitness center, but it is not like a gymnasium, a place we join training. It is joining with other believers in a vital relationship by which we work together for mutual spiritual wellness. The writer of Hebrews dealt with this stating the following.
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us 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, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:23–25, ESV)
Here we see three things that the church, the body of believers, are to do for one another in building one another up in spiritual wellness. First, we are to mutually help one another to understand and stand firm in the truths of God’s word.
Second, we are to “stir up one another to love and good works.” This word stir refers to an inciting or an irritation. We are to incite one another in a good way to love and good works.
Last, we are to encourage one another. We all need encouragement in life. Life with throw many obstacles and temptations at us, which will create stress and discouragement. Often these can get us off track with the ways of God. We need others to come along side to encourage us and pick us up in these times of need.
Obviously, this ties in with the exhortation, “not neglecting to meet together.” It is that we must meet together in accomplishing these key aspects of a spiritual fitness center. A group of people that stop meeting together cease being a church and cease being part of the church that is there to keep us in peak spiritual wellness. So, the moral of the story. Truly get engaged with the people of the church.
Renewing the Heart 