LET US NOT NEGLECT OUR MEETING TOGETHER

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.” -Hebrews 10:24-25

Jesus Christ is God incarnate, God in the flesh. Think about that—A society in the first century was blessed and fortunate to walk, talk, eat, and live with Jesus.

When Jesus called His first followers to follow Him, He included that they come “be with Him” (Mark 3:13-14). This implies personal proximity, but most of all, firsthand fellowship, so they could learn everything they can from a firsthand experience.

When we read about the first few weeks of the first church in Acts chapters 1 and 2, we see a community of Christ followers who were all together in one place (Acts 2:1). Ekklesia is a Greek word from which we get our word “gathering”, “assembly”, and later on the word “church.” Koinonia is the Greek word from which we get our word for fellowship. Koinonia describes an intimate, personal, and spiritual relationship.

We may belong to a church or an assembly by attending or through membership, but our belonging is spiritual and more personal than attendance. When we believed in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we became children of God (John 1:12), and we belong to the family of God (Galatians 6:10; Ephesians 2:19). We don’t belong to an activity or an organization, (even though we have to be organized and function as such in our modern context) as much as, we belong to a relationship, a family, a personal and loving community that has been born and formed by the blood of Christ and faith in Him.

Just like God came to us in the flesh, God intends that we live together in the flesh, in an incarnational community—personal, face-to-face fellowship.

We can’t even begin to apply Hebrews 10:24-25 if we don’t dwell in fellowship as a church. We don’t need to think about ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good deeds if we’re not going to meet and be together. And if we do meet together, a church service won’t cut it! The settings we have created in the modern church do not provide quality time to listen, care, share, and love one another. We have to do what they did in the first church; they met together both in their churches and in their homes to break bread and fellowship (Acts 2:42-47).

We should meet for church every Sunday for public worship; this was common in the first church. But we shouldn’t stop short of what it truly means to belong to the spiritual fellowship or what "koinonia” implies and what God’s Word commands us not to neglect.

We’re meant to be together to provide a life-giving community where we express love, carry each other’s burdens, spur one another on towards love and good deeds that will glorify God. We’re meant to be generous to one another, pray, and encourage each other. We’re meant to watch each other’s backs (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) and bring back those who have wandered from the faith (James 5:19-20).

I often say, “We belong to the family of God spiritually, but we need to feel it physically, too.” The day of Christ’s return is drawing near; the devil is like a lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). We must stick together, we must not neglect our meeting together… The digital, online church is great for being sick, or stuck at home for long-term medical reasons, or while on vacation, but for the everyday believer and disciple, it isn’t enough. We need to hear and be close in the incarnational community God has so graciously put us in. We need to utilize our gifts and encouragement so we can spur and inspire one another to be faithful to God, faithful to His Word, and faithful to one another.

Perhaps, the first step to applying and obeying this scripture is for you to get together with other believers, and a great second step is going to your church that is faithfully present and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Most importantly, the next best step is to BE the church with other followers and create the spiritual fellowship that Jesus intended for us to nurture and be nurtured by.

If you’re looking for fellowship and Biblical community, let us help here!

With Love,

Pastor Ryan

Revised July 17th, 2025