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Church of the Nazarene Harrisonburg
Christ Above All: Hebrews Part 6 – Harrisonburg
Today’s speaker is Brian Charette, a part of our church staff. Brian, his wife Pam and their family have been part of our church for many years.
As we enjoy the afterglow of our Independence Day celebrations, it’s poignant to think of brothers and sisters around the world who don’t have the freedom to meet together as we do. For those dear souls, the risks are significant. Why do they risk it?
Hebrews 10:19-25
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 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.
The imperatives of the Hebrews text:
> Hold tightly to hope
> Consider how we may spur one another on
> Don’t give up meeting together
> Encourage one another
Acts 2:46
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
It wasn’t always easy or comfortable or safe to commit to a life in Christ – to commit to brothers and sisters in the church.
There was pressure to flee, pressure to scatter…to isolate.
And if your enemy has anything to do with it, there will always be pressure to give up the habit of meeting together.
Hebrews 10:32-36
Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
The central problem in the text: As some are in the habit of doing.
Davis, Graham and Burge (2023) The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will it take to Bring Them Back?
The more serious dechurching began in the early 1990s. What happened then? First, When the Soviet Union collapsed and that struggle ended, it became more culturally acceptable to be both American and non-Christian. Second, the rise of the religious right and its involvement in politics alienated some people, but, as is sometimes unsaid, left-wing politics alienated just as many. Finally, third, the internet. People could get what they wanted online without the bother of getting dressed and going to church. But, perhaps most importantly — people who went to church but weren’t really Christians in the biblical sense felt free to stop attending.
There is likely a connection between people giving up the habit of assembling and the increase in loneliness in America. We are the most connected, yet the most isolated generation. But the importance of this lesson goes well beyond that. Consider how Jesus Himself characterized the church.
Matthew 16:18
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
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