The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were under great pressure to reject their faith in Christ as the Messiah. In the heart of this great epistle are the inspired words, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Heb. 10:23-25). This command was needed in the days of the early church because Jewish Christians were particular targets of the same sort of animosity that was displayed against Christ Himself by their kinsmen. We are not Jews, but as Christians in our day, we have much opposition coming at us in various forms. All of this is under the purpose of God to test us, mold us, purify us, and mature us. The same admonition that was written to Jewish Christians is timeless and relevant for us today. There are many lessons in these three verses.

The idea of holding fast the confession of our hope without wavering should first strike us as amazingly insightful. God knows that in every age this is an issue. Time, circumstances, and the wiles of Satan have taken their toll on many people who have claimed Christ down through the centuries. Why should we not waver? He tells us, “For He who promised is faithful.” God has not changed. He is absolutely reliable and as He is sovereign and true He cannot be but faithful. The problem is never with God changing, the problem is with us who can be caught in the web of wavering. In my Christian experience I have observed those who were once stable become unsteady in their commitment of faith. This vacillation often leads to a practical abandonment of a Christian lifestyle and an increasing hardness towards God. The casualties are many.

The writer doesn’t just leave us with a statement of concern and warning, but clearly advises us on how we are to conduct ourselves in fighting our personal battles against wavering. He brings in the responsibility we have for one another. He says, “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.” The method to keep us on track is to aid one another in actions that are consistent with our Lord. Love and good deeds are essentials which reveal the fruit of a transformed life. If we are about our Lord’s work of loving God and one another, the beneficial deeds will follow. This is another way of saying we are to walk worthy of our calling. The idea of stimulating one another is a powerful action of which all Christians are to be engaged. It means to rouse to action or effort. We must ask ourselves, “Are we doing this with our brothers and sisters in Christ? In the interactions and conversations of which we all engage and share our battles of living, are we doing this?” Among us are those struggling and needing our encouragement. Our eyes are often taken away from God to become consumed in the trials. Our role is to aid those wavering by emphasizing the Person and promises of God. This is a most important ministry.

The writer also says, “Not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Heb. 10:25). Attendance at worship services is shown by command as an essential. Our world, which is not a friend to the truth of God, is a place that is consumed with opposition to God. The world’s influential thinking will fill the vacuum we have if we are not continuously feeding on God’s Word through teaching, preaching, and interaction with other Christians.  All of us know of those who for their stated reasons have stopped attending church. They have convinced themselves it is not necessary. Certainly, there are those with health issues or who are shut-ins, but that is not what we are addressing here. From personal experience with those who of their own will have stopped attending church, they will often over time demonstrate a practical abandonment of the faith. If our salvation is real, it is dangerous to relegate worship attendance to a low priority.

Beloved, the most important issue of our lives is the fostering of our relationship to our Lord. We are His bond slaves! We are to be about His work and doing His will. Of high importance is our own praise to God and growth through corporate worship. God’s Word appropriately expounded should be at the core of worship. It is our necessary spiritual food that is more important than our physical food. Peter says that we are, “Like newborn babies, to long for the pure milk of the Word, so that by it we may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet. 2:2). The picture of a baby longing for milk should mirror our attitude of longing for and settling for nothing less than God’s truth. We are privileged to meet each week and have our spiritual lives renewed that we might grow in our love to God and one another and be equipped to live out our life of faith. Lord, thank You for granting us the privilege of freedom to meet in Your name, and for giving us Your Word!