Stir up!
It’s officially the New Year! Many of you have probably made a New Year’s Resolution. And many, I myself included, have probably already broken that resolution. New Year’s Resolutions are a great time to do a little self-examination of who we are and what we would like to change about each other. Myself, I would love to spend even more time in God’s word, memorizing God’s word, and selfishly probably get back into good physical shape (the dad bod is in full swing!). One resolution that I personally love to hear is taking the year to plug back into church. While church attendance is a great goal to have, we have to remember that gathering together as a church every week, and throughout the midweek, is not just a goal to set, it’s a command in God’s word.
The author of Hebrews reminds us of the importance of staying in fellowship with one another,
“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 10:24-25
There are two important things to note in this passage. The first is the commandment to “stir up” one another to love and good works. You have probably heard me overstate in the past the importance of being in fellowship with other believers in our own personal faith. When we are left to our own devices, we will almost always revert back to our pre-conversion state, AKA sin. That’s why it’s important to have fellow believers in our lives so that we may remind each other to live like Christ. Our job as believers in Jesus Christ is to encourage each other in faith and to keep each other accountable in our walks with Jesus.
The second thing to note in this passage is the commandment to meet together. I’ll be the first one to admit when I’ve had a long week in the office one of my favorite things to do is to lock myself in my house and have some “Me” time. That’s easy to do. What’s not easy to do is to get myself ready and head over to my Growth Group. However, my wife and I know the importance of having fellowship with other believers and so we’ll make an effort every week to make sure we remain in the fellowship of other believers. And I will be the first to say, when we make ourselves go, we’re always glad we did. Maybe for you Sunday morning might be the challenging time to get up and go to church. I’m not a morning person either so I get it. But do this, think back to the last time you didn’t want to go to church. Or maybe think back to a night when you didn’t want to leave your house to go to your Growth Group but you ended up going anyways. Do you remember how you felt after? I bet most of the time you felt refreshed and encouraged. You felt that because that’s the way God designed us. My encouragement to you this year is make an effort to be present in the body. Find someone you know who will call you bright and early to remind you about church. Maybe take this next season to get involved in a Growth Group. Make this year the year you draw closer to God and His church.