The story deals with a rather old fashioned lady, who was planning a couple of weeks vacation in Florida. She also was quite delicate and elegant with her language. She wrote a letter to a particular campground and asked for reservations. She wanted to make sure the campground was fully equipped but didn’t know quite how to ask about the "toilet" facilities. She just couldn’t bring herself to write the word "toilet" in her letter. After much deliberation, she finally came up with the old fashioned term "Bathroom Commode," but when she wrote that down, she still thought she was being too forward. So she started all over again; rewrote the entire letter and referred to the Bathroom Commode" simply as the "B.C.". Does the campground have its own "B.C.?" is what she actually wrote.
Well, the campground owner wasn’t old fashioned at all, and when he got the letter, he couldn’t figure out what the lady was talking about. That "B.C." really stumped him. After worrying about it for several days, he showed the letter to other campers, but they couldn’t figure out what the lady meant either. The campground owner finally came to the conclusion that the lady was and must be asking about the location of the local Baptist Church. So he sat down and wrote the following reply: "Dear Madam: I regret very much the delay in answering your letter, but I now take pleasure of informing you that the "B.C." is located nine miles north of the camp site and is capable of seating 250 people at one time. I admit it is quite a distance away if you are in the habit of going regularly but no doubt you will be pleased to know that a great number of people take their lunches along, and make a day of it..... They usually arrive early and stay late. The last time my wife and I went was six years ago, and it was so crowded we had to stand up the whole time we were there. It may interest you to know that right now, there is a supper planned to raise money to buy more seats.....They plan to hold the supper in the middle of the B.C., so everyone can watch and talk about this great event.....I would like to say it pains me very much, not to be able to go more regularly, but it is surely not for lack of desire on my part....As we grow older, it seems to be more and more of an effort, particularly in cold weather..... If you decide to come down to the campground, perhaps I could go with you the first time you go...sit with you...and introduce you to all the other folks in the B.C...... This is really a very friendly community.....
As I read that story immediately I could not help but to smile and to chuckle. But the more I thought about how casual, cavalier, and careless we have become toward our state and our standing in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ—the more it began to cause me sadness and spiritual grief. Our attitude and approach to our spiritual experience and relationship to Christ’s church has become nonchalant, flippant, indifferent, blasé, relaxed, laid-back and glib to the extent that if we were called upon the describe and explain our relationship with the church—our spiritual experience IN the church would justifiably and unquestionably be likened to a picnic, charade, a vacation or going to the potty.
However, I believe it is the will of God for the child of God to prioritize the House of God.
Paul states it very clearly in Romans 12:4-5: For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
Paul there likens the church to a living body with Christ as it’s head. We are many members and spiritual organs making up the body of Christ.
Indeed, you and I were formed, fashioned, shaped and created to be a part of God’s very own family. At the moment and the instant that we place our faith in Jesus Christ, God becomes our Father, we become HIS children, other believers become our brothers and sisters, and the church becomes our spiritual family.
In a natural sense—if you are a family member it is important to attend the family reunion and the family meaning. It is mandatory and meaningful because it shows the family and reveals to others that your very existence is beyond just YOU. In a spiritual sense—if you are a child of God you are a part of the family of God to the extent that it is mandatory and meaningful to attend the family meeting and the family reunion on a weekly basis and to participate in the household of faith. Why? Because every believer who has accepted the gift of God’s Son, washed in the blood of the crucified lamb and born and adopted into the family of God—you are called not only to believe; you are called to BELONG.
• You and I were created for community, fashioned for fellowship, and formed for a family—and none of us can fulfill God’s purpose for our lives and our living for the rest of our days—by ourselves.
• For the Bible knows nothing of solitary saints or spiritual hermits isolated from other believers and deprived of fellowship.
The Bible says we are put together, joined together, built together, members together, heirs together, co-heirs together, joint heirs together, fitted together, gnitted together, and held together and will be caught up together.
At the moment and instant you are saved you are not on your own any longer. You are a part of something that is greater than just YOU.
And while your relationship to Christ is was and IS personal, God never intends for it to be private. In God’s family you are connected to every other believer, and we will belong to each other for ETERNITY.
Tell Your Neighbor: You’ve got to deal with me for eternity.
And that is why Paul, if I may reference Romans 12 one more time—stated that being a members of Christ’s church meant being a vital organ of a living body, an indispensable, interconnected part of the Body of Christ. Until we understand that we will never understand that we will never understand the biblical meaning of why every member matters and membership to the body of Christ is so important, relevant and significant.
- The church is a body, not just a building and a budget.
- The church is not an organism, not just an organization.
In order for organs of the body to fulfill their purpose they must be connected to the body. For the body to be healthy all of the organs must be connected and they must be functioning. Any vital organ that is detached from the body will not only fail to fulfill its purpose, but it will die. The same thing is true for Christian believers who refuse to become connected to the church of Jesus Christ.
And that is the context of what the Hebrew writer is dealing with. Let me take just a moment to give you the context. The Epistle to the Hebrews was apparently written to the Hebrew Christians—those who had come out of Judaism into Christianity. The writer of this Hebrew letter sought to deal definitively with these new converts who were in constant danger of relapsing and returning back into Judaism. Chapter speaks of the supremacy and pre-eminence of Christ over the prophets and of angels. Chapter 2 shows Him to be our reconciliation. Chapter 3 He’s our redeemer. Chapter 4 He’s our resting place. And the theme continues to reveal Christ’s redemptive work as the sacrifice and the substitute and Savior of our sins. He becomes the high priest. To encourage them he reminds them to run on with endurance; to calm their fears regarding the future he states that faith is the substance….; to deal with their failures, the mistakes and even the sin—he says lay aside the weights and the sins…The underlying theme of the book of Hebrews can be found in chapter 10:22: Hold fast to your confession of faith. His message is clear: In order to go forward, live victoriously, purposefully and have meaning, significance and spiritual fortitude—you must know WHO you are and WHO’s you are—and it can only be done when you are gathered together with the family, on the team, and in the body.
One of the greatest problems that we face in the church today is meaningless membership. According to the Barna Research Group, 1 in 7 people will look for a new church this year, and 1 in 6 attends two or more churches on a rotating basis. Some call this group, ‘church hoppers’/’bunny believers’. I really don’t think we need to get in the habit of name calling in the church of Jesus Christ. While I do think that there is some truth and validity in the fact that many in the body of Christ have immaturely and pre-maturely leave one church and join another on a basis of selfishness and self-centerdness rather than Christ’s call to self-surrender and self-sacrifice—on the other end of the pendulum I do believe that many hop from church to church because they are saying in their own way, “My membership is not meaningful”.
Our church seeks to to do everything she can to insure that “every member matters”. Not the selfish part of you that refuses to die; but for the sake of you that is in you that Jesus died for and said LIVE. This is going to entail a process; a never ending process that we pray will produce meaningful members who matter to us and ultimately matter in the greater and grander scheme of God’s church—in a process that involves four stages:
• Awareness—this is the stage where we make people aware of our church and Christ’s never ending love for them—and hopefully invite them to HIS church.
• Attendance—this is the stage where we actually get people from outside the church to come inside the church to see what HIS church is all about.
• Activation—This is the stage whereby we hopefully move people from simply being ‘attenders’ to ‘members’, from an audience to an army, from mere spectators to participators.
• Assimilation—this is the stage where we fully develop and disciple these members, families and individuals in the areas of maturity, ministry and mission.
Not forsaking—in the Greek is led to mean ‘do no leave behind’ or ‘…leave in the lurch’. It presents a picture of one who is traveling but forgets to pack the most important item. In the spiritual sense—you may have your eternal ticket. But you have left behind one of the most important items: other people.
Assembling of yourselves together—I believe that every Christian believer who first enters into faith in Jesus Christ should be marked with an official seal: Assembly Required.
Indeed, it is true, that being a Christian believer without being faithful to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is like:
- A student who will not go to school
- A soldier who will not join the army
- A salesman without customers
- An author without readers
- A child without a family
- A citizen who will not vote
- A sports player without a team
I. IT IS A PLACE OF BLESSING!
I read a powerful definition of the church this week that blessed my heart. It read:
"The church is not a refrigerator for preserving personal piety. It is a dynamo for changing human wills with power. The church is not a store to furnish hammocks for the lazy. It is an equipping house that offers well-fitted yokes for drawing life’s load. The church is not a place to dodge life’s difficulties. It is a place that furnishes strength and courage to meet them!"
In Hebrews 10:22, we are exhorted:
"22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."
The writer outlines the first reason for the importance of the fellowship in the family of God by reminding us that the church is a place of blessing. He does so by speaking of our standing with God. Notice, he speaks of:
A. How our Relationship to God is Established!
He speaks, in verse 22, of:
"...having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."
The writer is alluding to something that has already taken place in our lives as believers. He is speaking of the moment of our salvation and conversion. He is speaking of the time when the blood of Jesus Christ cleansed us from our sin.
- Salvation brings us into a right relationship to God. Salvation establishes that relationship to God. Before we were saved we were separated from God by sin. But, when we were saved, we were brought back to God, and now have a relationship to God.
Thus, by understand the importance of the fellowship we not only learn about our relationship to God, but we develop, strengthen and enhance our relationship to God. Secondly, the writer speaks of another great truth.
B. How our Fellowship with God is Enjoyed!
1. I find the first four words of verse 22 to be most interesting.
"22 Let us draw near..."
In the Greek the words, "draw near" carry the idea of intimacy, or fellowship. When we "draw near" to someone we do so because we desire to spend time with, and get close to that person.
We are being exhorted, as Christians, to not only draw near to God and experience His presence, but draw near to God and enjoy His presence. One way that can happen, and one place that can happen is by fellowshipping with the family.
* When I become a part of the body of Jesus Christ I enter into a realization that the church is a place where we meet God in a special way. It is a place where we hear about God. It is a place where we learn about God. It is a place where develop a relationship, and a fellowship with God. It is a place where we worship God, honor God and serve God. It is a place where we come to meet God, and desire for God to meet us.
It is true that a believer does not have to be at church to enjoy the presence of God. We can enjoy the presence of God at home, at work, in the car, as well as many other places outside of the church.
However, the context of the statement would seem to suggest that we are to "draw near" to God as we assemble ourselves together in church. Why? Because the church is a place of blessing and the place where God blesses us in an unusual way! We are able to come and bless the Lord, and the Lord comes to bless us. Secondly, the text exhorts us:
I. IT IS A PLACE OF BLESSING!
II. IT IS A PLACE OF BUILDING!
Notice verse 23.
"23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)"
There is a famous story from ancient Sparta. A Spartan king boasted to a visiting monarch about the walls of Sparta. The visiting monarch looked around, but he could see no walls. He said to the Spartan king, "Where are these walls about which you speak and boast so much?" The Spartan king pointed to his bodyguard of magnificent Spartan troops, and said, "These are the walls of Sparta, and every man of them is a brick!"
When I speak of the church as being a place of building I am not speaking of the edifice, or construction of a facility. I am speaking of a building where Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone and every Christian is a brick.
You see the church is not a material, or physical building; but, a spiritual building. It is a place of spiritual exercise. You could say that it is like a spiritual gymnasium. It is a place where we build, develop and strengthen our spiritual muscles to become strong in the faith. The writer has this in mind in verse 23 as:
A. He Speaks of a Faith to be Defended!
The opening words of verse 23 compel us: "23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith..."
The idea of the words "hold fast" is that of clinging to, or defending something. The word "profession" is better rendered, "confession." Simply put, we are to know what we believe, and why we believe it.
In the little epistle of Jude, verse 3, we are exhorted to:
"...earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."
The church is a place where we are equipped, enlightened, enabled, empowered and energized to "fight the good fight of faith." However, he not only speaks of a faith to be defended; but:
B. He Speaks of a Faith to be Developed!
1. Notice, in verse 23, we are exhorted to:
"23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith WITHOUT WAVERING..."
The word "wavering" speaks of leaning or bending. The writer says that our faith is to be "without wavering." That is, we are to have an "unwavering, or unbending faith."
In other words, we are to be spiritual body builders. We are to "build up ourselves on our most holy faith." [Jude 20] We are to allow muscles of our faith to become strengthened and developed.
One of the places that we do that is at church. The church is the place where one is grounded in the faith. It is where we are introduced to the things of God, and the truths of God. It is, again, a spiritual gymnasium. It is a place where one is matured, and their faith is developed.
You see the church informs us how that God forms us; how that sin deforms us; how that Jesus transforms us; and, how that the Spirit conforms us into the Christian God wants us to be. We learn those things as we are faithful to the house of God, and we allow the truths of the Word of God to develop, strengthen and build our faith. :
I. IT IS A PLACE OF BLESSING!
II. IT IS A PLACE OF BUILDING!
III. IT IS A PLACE OF BONDING!
A. A Place where we Support One Another!
Notice verse 24. The admonition begins by saying, "24 And let us consider one another..."
The word "consider" literally means, "to give attention to, or to fix one’s eyes upon." The word is used, in the context of a church family, to speak of believers caring for one another, helping one another, and sharing with one another. It speaks of the church as being a spiritual support group.
> The church is not to be a place of fighting, feuding and fussing; but, a place of fellowship. It is not to be a place of complaining, but a place of comforting. It is not to be a place of tearing someone down, but a place of building someone up.
The fact of the matter is that, as Christians, we need one another. We need one another’s fellowship, encouragement, love and support. We need to help one another, love one another and pray for one another.
We will encounter a world, tomorrow, that cares nothing about us, nor the God that we serve and love. We hear, and are around things every day that tear us down, and try to draw away from God. However, when we come into the family of faith we come to share with people who have been saved by the same grace, who are standing on the same ground, who are striving to the same goal, and who are serving the same God. Thus, at the house of God, we find support for one another. Finally, at the house of God:
B. A Place Where We Stimulate One Another!
The writer concludes verse 24, by saying:
"24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works."
The word "provoke" is often associated with a negative connotation, or meaning. However, the word here is used to speak of a positive matter. It speaks of stimulating or encouraging one another.
The writer is saying that, as believers, we are stimulate one another to keep on keepin’ on! We are to serve as an encouragement to one another to continue in our walk with the Lord. The people you are around at school don’t inspire you to live for God. The people you work with don’t encourage you to live a Christian life. In fact, they often try to get you to do otherwise.
However, when we come to the house of God, we find a camaraderie of Christian friends who encourage us, inspire us, and stimulate us to be what God wants us to be.
If you will be faithful to God, then you can be fruitful for God.
To know that God thinks so much about the church, how could we think so little about it? To know that Christ died for the church, how could we throw caution to the wind and become so careless, and callous about our attendance to it, and support of it?
The fellowship of Jesus Christ matters because the member matters. And the member matters simply by virtue of the fact that Jesus died and rose again for the church!!!
Just in case you ever doubt whether or not every member matters, just remember this: I read an interesting story about four people in the church. Their names were Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.
The church needed help meeting its financial obligations, and Everybody was asked to participate. Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but you know who stepped up and did it? Nobody. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
When the church grounds needed some work, Somebody was asked to help, but Somebody resented being called upon because Anybody could have done it just as well. After all it was really Everybody’s job. In the end the work was given to Nobody and Nobody got it done.
The process went on and on. Whatever the task that needed to be done, Nobody could be counted on to do it. Nobody visited the sick, Nobody gave liberally, Nobody shared his faith. In short, Nobody was a very faithful member. And as a consequence nothing ever got done.
Finally, the day came when Somebody left the church and took Anybody and Everybody with him. Who was left? NOBODY!
As I read that it dawned on me that everybody needs somebody and nobody doesn’t need anybody.
