Do not give up - by Ben Bonython

Hebrews 10:24-25 says 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.

We pick on this passage when we think about being together. And while a Church building and a Church service is not THE CHURCH, it is how we tend to go about gathering together. The habit of the Sunday Service is so important. The scriptures assume that we assemble together saying:

1 Corinthians 5:4 - In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus….

Acts 20:7 - On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.

Colossians 3:16 - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 - Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

1 Corinthians 14:26 When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

Romans 12:16 - Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

Acts 13:44 - The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.

Yet if you consider those same passages above, none of them require a building. My point is that the objective is that we gather together and we remain committed to be together in the name of the Lord. The practical logistics of how we gather is now where we must be creative and find new and old ways to encourage one another.

Our hope is to maintain a sense of unity - Ephesians 4:3 says that we ought to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Unity is not passive, it is active. Do not wait for unity to be maintained waiting in a passive posture, rather be part of the active effort of the body of Christ in being proactive in cultivating and encouraging the bond the peace we have together in Christ.

You can check out some ways we are encouraging one another to keep meeting together on our Elvanto Page.