Fellowship: "Avoid this bad habit!"
| And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another---and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews10:24-25) |
When taking a "step-back" and perceiving the fuller text, one comes to find that Paul is calling to his readers -- both the original readers and those of us reading this text today -- to be faithful to God and to draw closer to Him. Paul goes one step further in the text. He tells his readers, not only, how we are able to draw closer to God, but so too, why we should draw closer to God. The reason that Paul gives, as to how we are to draw closer to God, places the focus on Jesus Christ.
In other words, because of Jesus Christ -- His death and resurrection -- we as the followers of Jesus (those who proclaim Him to be their Lord and Saviour) are able to draw closer to God through Jesus' death and resurrection, a new and living way opened for us. A way that, not only, reveals God to us even further, but so too, a way that allows us to draw closer to God. The interesting thing about this new and living way is the fact that when we indeed draw closer to God, we come to discover how He, essentially, is our hope -- and this hope is unswerving and faithful.
There is, however, a bad habit that we as the children of God have come to form -- and this is where our text comes in. We have formed a habit of thinking that our "faith" in -- and so too our "faithfulness" to -- God is an individual task. We tend to forget that we form part of the Body of Christ. Being part of the Body of Christ, essentially means persevering in faith together; drawing closer to God together. We are to live in unity and peace, encouraging one another, to live in faith and faithfulness to God. Through living in faith and faithfulness to God, we as a unit become stronger.
As the slogan of South African rugby (and our UPCSA Moderator) goes: "Stronger Together."
In ending-off, I leave you with something to think about. There is a chorus of an old favourite hymn that goes, "just a closer walk with Thee. Grant it Jesus is my plea. Daily walking close to Thee. Let it be dear Lord. Let it be." The time has come to join hands with our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. The time has come to live in unity and peace with one another. The time has come to draw closer to God, however, we need to do this together.
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Written by: Amber-Leigh Gordon. Daughter to Rev. John and Mrs. Rita Gordon. Lover of music, art and all things theology. Serving at Mount Faith Presbyterian Church, Krugersdorp.
