Forsake Not!
By Mark Baker
Hebrews 10:22-25. 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. Let us hold
fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who
promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order
to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one
another.
God by His Holy Spirit is saying through the writer of the book
of Hebrews for us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves
together. This was said as a commandment. Our Father knows what
happens when we get out of fellowship with other believers. I
know of many cases where people let the cares of this world come
first and then they quit coming to Christian services , and the
next thing you know they just slid away from God. This is not
God's will for us. He wants better for His children. But in
order for us to have better we have to follow His precepts, and
one very important precept is not to forsake the assembling, or
we might say the gathering of ourselves together. This is not
just Sunday morning church service although this is certainly
the beginning of fellowship, us coming together. I think I
should make it clear that the church is not an organization or a
building. The church is the body of Christ. Any time Christians
gather we should have fellowship. Something happens when we
fellowship. We share the very life of God. There is a sharing of
God's life when we come together. Fellowship is much more than
coming together for a church service or function, although there
is nothing wrong with that. True fellowship is God's life
flowing from one believer to another.
Zoë, is the Greek word for the life of God, the life as God has
it, that which the Father has in Himself and has given to the
incarnate Son to have within Himself. We are sharing Zoë.
Sharing the very life of God with one another. Have you ever
noticed that when you are gathered together you can feel that
life, you get edified, and you have the opportunity to edify
others. This is that intimate sharing of the very life of God.
The Word of God tells us not to forsake the assembling of
ourselves together, Our Heavenly Father has very good reasons
for this.
One dictionary definition says that the Greek Word for
fellowship means to make alive, and to give life. We are to be
givers and sharers of God's life. We are to be sharers of the
very life of God. We are suppose to share this life with others.
How are we to do this?
Firstly we can't if we are not coming together, can we? As
Hebrews says; And let us consider one another in order to stir
up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one
another.
God would not tells us to do this if it were not His will. We
can't stir up one another or exhort one another if we don't come
together can we? This is a vital part of fellowship, exhorting
one another and stirring up one another. You might think why is
this so important. Because if we don't, we aren't doing what God
is telling us to do. If we aren't doing what God is telling us
to do, we aren't going to fulfill His will. We will lose out on
a blessing, and others will lose out as well because of our
disobedience.
Acts 2:46- 47. So continuing daily with one accord in the
temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their
food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and
having favor with all the people, and the Lord added to the
church daily those who were being saved.
We see that the disciples were in one accord in the temple or as
we would say today; in church, also they were sharing meals
together in their own houses. It says with a glad heart. The
result of their fellowship together was the Lord added to the
church daily. I do not think this was a coincidence. Having
fellowship allowed God's life to be shared, and gave the Holy
Spirit an opportunity to move amongst the body, and the Lord
added to the church daily.
Col:3:16: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all
wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the
Lord.
Here is another instance where we see that we are to admonish
and teach one another with the Word of God, along with psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs. We also see that the gifts of the
Holy Spirit can come and should come into operation under these
circumstances. We have to give the Holy Spirit an opportunity to
move in and through us.
If we don't, He won't. He will never come in uninvited, only
with our permission.
1Cor:14:26: 26. How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come
together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue,
has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done
for edification.
You will notice it says whenever we come together. Not if we
come together. This is when we as believers come together, this
is not talking about an evangelistic service, where you are
there to share the Gospel to the lost, this is for believers
only. The lost wouldn't understand some the things that go on in
this type of service. This is for the edification of the body of
Christ.
-- New Jerusalem with Apocrypha
Ephesians 4:16 by whom the whole Body is fitted and joined
together, every joint adding its own strength, for each
individual part to work according to its function. So the body
grows until it has built itself up in love.
We have a job to do within the body of Christ. We are suppose to
build one another up first. How are we going to be effective in
the kingdom of God if we are not first effective to one another.
The answer to this is, we can't. We are each a part of the body
of Christ, and each part is necessary for the whole of the body
to work together properly. You might think, what can I do. I'm
not a preacher. The Word doesn't say the preacher will build the
body, it says every joint adding its own strength. In other
words we each contribute to the building up of the body that we
are a part of. We each have God given gifts and talents the Lord
has given to us to be a blessing and to minister to the rest of
the body of Christ. If one person doesn't do his or her job,
that means that someone else will have to do that job for them,
or it won't get done. You don't have to be a Pastor or a teacher
to edify the body. Get before the Lord and find your talents.
Maybe it is in the choir, maybe you are good working with
children, or maybe you are a great organizer. Whatever your part
is, it is necessary for the body of Christ and for the whole
body to function properly. So the body grows until it has built
itself up in love. When we get to the point where we are all
walking in the place God has given for us to walk in, then and
only then will we see maturity within the whole body. The whole
body grows together, and the whole body build itself up together
in the love of God.
It is not supposed to be the work of just some select few. We
all have a vital part to play in this process. It is also vital
that we admonish and teach one another with the Word of God. The
importance of this can't be minimized. If we aren't doing our
job, who will?
1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one and has many members,
but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body,
so also is Christ.
Romans 12:5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and
individually members of one another.
The whole Body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding
its own strength, for each individual part to work according to
its function. I can't tell somebody else what their function is
within the body of Christ, only that it is so important not only
for you individually but for the body as a whole to work
together in fulfilling the call of God individually and
collectively. We are in the last days. Jesus is coming soon, and
He has called us to do a job together. One person can't do it
alone. Our pastors can't and are not supposed to do it alone.
They are there for leadership and guidance, but we are suppose
to do the work of the ministry.
Ephesians 4:11-15 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some
prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for
the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of
the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man,
to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we
should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried
about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in
the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive,
but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into
Him who is the head Christ.
We see here there are 5 main offices within the body of Christ
that help equip the saints. But read on and you will see that
the reason they are there is to equip the saints so that the
saints can do the work of the ministry. The New Revised Standard
with Apocrypha says it like this -- Ephesians 4:12 to equip the
saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of
Christ.
The 5 fold ministry is there to equip you to do the work of
ministry, and this ministry is the building up of the body of
Christ. This is contrary to what many people believe. People say
that is what I pay my pastor to do. NO it's not. I said, NO IT
IS NOT. We are in this together. We have to succeed together.
Let's reach for the high calling in God.
Philippians 3: 14-16. I press toward the goal for the prize of
the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as
many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think
otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to
the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the
same rule, let us be of the same mind.
In other words, let us walk in the things God has shown us to
walk in and not be slack, and if we need direction God will
reveal this to us. Amen
Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Do you want to be a
joint heir with Christ?
If so, I urge you to earnestly pray the following prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your
word says, "and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast
out." (Jn.6:37),
So I know You won't cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank
you for it. You said in your Word, "whoever calls upon the name
of the Lord shall be saved.'' (Ro. 10:13).
I am calling on Your name, So I know You have saved me now, You
also said, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus
and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to
righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to
salvation." (Ro.10:9,10).
I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I
believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I
confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, " with the
heart one believes to righteousness" and I do believe with my
heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2
Cor. 5:21),
And I am saved! Thank You, Lord!
I can now truthfully say, I see myself as a born again child of
God! Glory to God! Amen.
Mark is the webmaster of http://www.olivebranchministries.us
A site dedicated to helping all that are seeking truth to come
into a deeper understanding of what God has done for us through
Christ Jesus.
