Not Forsaking the Gathering of the Body
“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. Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins.” (Heb. 10:24 NLT)
An essential component to the spiritual growth of Christians as individuals requires their corporate gathering. Christianity was never ‘designed’ to operate in a vacuum; rather, it has always existed as a “body consisting of many parts.”
The elders believe that government’s latest decree to restrict prevents us from obeying God’s Word to gather together as a body, where the many parts reassemble on the Lord’s Day to celebrate Him together.
Of course, one may argue that the writer of Hebrews nowhere explicitly commands the believers to “go to church.” He simply says, “Do not neglect meeting together.”
What this argument fails to recognize is that it has reinterpreted this passage through the lens of our individualistic western cultural norms instead of from the letter itself, not to mention the culture and customs of that time.[1]
The letter of Hebrews is most likely something like a written sermon to be orally delivered;[2]and thus, like many of Paul’s letters, it was circulated to be read to churches that were gathered.[3] This was not an email sent to each Christian’s inbox to be read privately or individualistically. Rather, it would have been read publicly to the gathered believers (“the church”) by one of the elders of the church.[4]
Many of the believers, because of persecution from the state, were being tempted to either make their faith a private affair, or to completely apostasize and return back to the comforts of Judaism – most notably their not being persecuted by the Romans. To practice their Christianity publicly brought things like imprisonment and the forfeiture of their jobs and homes (cf. 10:34; 13:3, 13).
At the end of the letter, it is interesting that the author brings “the leaders” of the church into the equation. This makes sense, as they have been called not only to read and teach the contents of the letter, but to model them and encourage others to obedience “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the Word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by strange and diverse teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefitted those devoted to them…Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you…Greet all your leaders and all the saints” (Heb. 13:7-9, 17, 24).
And so, the command in chapter 10 to gather together most likely means more than two or three Christians meeting at a coffee shop now and then; it also is unlikely that the author would have had something like “virtual church” in mind, as so many of the “one anothers” actually require believers to physically gather together.
In fact, gathering together under a defined leadership has characterized the church from her very inception, as we see beginning in Acts 2 and continuing throughout the rest of the book.[5] Though the gatherings in Jerusalem are overseen initially by the apostles, we see that as the church spreads out to the ends of the earth the apostles are slowly being replaced by “the elders” of the church, so much so that by Acts 15, the elders of the church have just as much say in the decisions of the church as the apostles do. With the closing of the canon, and the foundation being laid by the apostles/prophets,[6] the church still continues to gather, but under the leadership and authority of pastors.[7]
By not allowing the church to gather, we are robbing the church of this Godordained structure and leadership, which God has ordained for the safety, health, and witness of the church. This is why we see in the book of Acts[8] and in Paul’s letters that the first thing he did after planting a church was make sure that there were godly, called, and recognized men to oversee, lead, and equip the church, especially when she gathered together for worship and instruction on the Lord’s Day.
Moreover, by restricting the gathering of the church,[9] we go against what Paul repeatedly teaches in 1 Corinthians.[10] That Paul assumes the believers regularly gather together as a church on the Lord’s Day[11] is seen in the following passages:
- 11:17 – “when you come together”
- 11:18 – “when you come together as a church.”
- 11:20 – “when you come together”
- 11:33 – “when you come together to eat [the Lord’s Supper].”[12]
- 11:34 – “so that when you come together”
- 14:23 – “the whole church comes together”
- 14:26 – “when you come together, each one…”
Even Paul’s final words of the letter strengthen this idea that the church is a “gathered body”[13]:
“The churches in the province of Asia send you their greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house,[14] send you their hearty greetings in the Lord.” (16:19)
By not gathering as the NT would have us, it makes Paul’s exhortations for local churches to partake of the “one body of Christ” as “one body” (i.e. the Lord’s Table/Communion) impossible. By not allowing believers to gather to partake of the Table makes it hard for them to “do this in remembrance of [Jesus]” as often as we gather.
It also makes affectionately[15] “greeting one another” when we come together quite difficult, if not impossible. These things are totally absent for “virtual church” where we are spectators,[16] but not participants in a living body.
Speaking of which, by not gathering together as one body, it makes it hard to minister to others with our singing [let alone the other “grace gifts” God has given to each Christian for the good of the body].17 In Ephesians 5:18-19, Paul commands the gathered church18 to be filled with the Spirit and sing to and with[17] another.
By not gathering together, the elders believe that this hinders our witness to the very world we have commissioned to reach with the gospel of Christ.[18] In Ephesians 4, Paul says that the triumphant and ascended Lord Jesus has given the church pastors for the sole purpose of equipping her for the work of the ministry, the building up of the body of Christ (v.12; see also vv. 13-15). According to verse 16, however, this happens only when the body works together as one:
“[Christ] makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts to grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (NLT)
This is not a popular teaching in our culture, but Paul makes it clear that we cannot truly “grow up into Christ our Head” without the rest of the church our body.
The light of Christ shines best as we live out the gospel together, as a city on a hill.[19] We work out our salvation together, not in isolation.[20]
In light of this short study, then, we see that in Hebrews 10:25, the best context by which we as Christ’s people can actively, regularly, and corporately “stir one another up to love and good works” is through regularly gathering together – the very thing the writer says we are to do in the verse.
There is something uniquely supernatural that we cannot fabricate online or in isolation. Even just physically seeing and hearing and interacting with the body we have covenanted with is a great blessing, which is why the shepherds of GCC are “keeping the doors open” on the Lord’s Day, in season and out of season.
Again, we know that not everyone has had the luxury of dwelling on this to the extent the elders have. There is certainly a processing time, as even the elders are at various stages and convictions concerning this decision. However, we do ask you to consider our exhortations from Scripture, and be like the noble Bereans, who searched the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul was teaching was true or not.[21]
Most importantly, we ask that you continue to pray for your pastors and the church; especially that we continue to make every effort to maintain the unity the Spirit has given us, having been bonded together in peace [in Christ].[22]
Finally, the elders are asking you to trust us in these decisions, even if there is not total agreement.[23] We do not want to “be domineering”; [24] however, it must be noted that in this very same passage, Peter commands the elders of the church to “be shepherding the flock that is among you by exercising oversight.” To abdicate our roles to avoid stepping on toes would be tantamount to disobedience, and so we hope it is clear that we take our calling to shepherd the flock of God with the Word of God very seriously. We can only pray that the manner in which we are coming across and being received is from hearts that desire your greatest eternal good and spiritual flourishing. We have prayed for God to “clothe us in humility toward you,” knowing that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”[25]
Dear flock of Christ, purchased by His precious blood, know we love you more than you could possibly know. We trust you have read this letter in this light.
In Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep,
Pastors Ryan, Nathan, and Charles
Footnotes:
[1] The goal of interpretation is to first determine what the text meant to its original authors, and then apply it to our own time and culture and situation.
[2] See 13:22, where the letter is referred to his “brief word of exhortation.” This is sermonic language.
[3] See, for example, Colossians 4:16; Revelation 2-3; cf. 1 Corinthians 1:2. For anyone who has read commentaries on Ephesians, it is quite certain that many of Paul’s letters were “circular” letters; that is, to be read and circulated to other churches in the area. In fact, I would encourage you to read Paul’s letters as if you were gathered with your local church (for almost every single “you” is in the plural, not singular). Try it with, say 1 Thessalonians 5:2528. It really changes how we are to interpret and apply the NT, that is, primarily as a body and not merely as individuals.
[4] This is why one of the qualifications for elders in the local church is that “they must be able to teach.” (see 1 Timothy 3:2).
[5] See, for example, Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2, 4, 6, 22-23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18.
[6] See Ephesians 2:20
[7] See Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-14; Hebrews 13:7, 17.
[8] Acts 14:21-23 – “When they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they believed.” The “for” is what scholars call “a dative of advantage.” That is, the elders are appointed by the apostles are “for the advantage/benefit” of the church. As Ephesians 4:12 makes abundantly clear, qualified and called shepherds (“pastors”) are “grace gifts” to local churches from the risen Christ.
[9] The Greek word ekklesia simply means “the gathering” or “the assembly.” It is taken from the OT word qahal. As fun as it is to say ekklhesia means the “called out ones,” this does not change the meaning of the word. We might say that the church is the “called out-called together ones.”
[10] It is worth noting that Paul’s letter is written not to individuals, but to “the church of God in Corinth,” that is, those who have been “called to be saints together.” (1:2)
[11] Cf. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 – “Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you [plural] are to do. On the first day of every week [that is, the Lord’s Day, Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1;
John 20:1], each of you is to put something aside and store it up.”
[12] This is also a strong argument for a weekly celebration and partaking of the Lord’s Table [i.e. Communion] at the church gathering.
[13] Not to mention Paul’s “body argument,” which take up the entire 12th chapter of the book.
[14] Note that it takes more than “a house” with believers in it to make it a “house church.” Elders, deacons, preaching, corporate singing, the Lord’s Table, etc. are essential to any church gathering, whether in a house or a ‘building.’
[15] I use this word intentionally, contextualizing Paul’s command for the members of the church to greet one another with “a holy kiss.” I have not read one study Bible or commentary that says this is to be taken literally. Rather, in those times, the holy kiss was a special sign of affection for family members. It was not to be shared indiscriminately. Applied in our context, it is a physical sign of inclusion, affection, and affirmation reserved for those who by grace belong to the family of God. Again, this is hard to do “online.” A thumbs up to a comment isn’t quite the same as a hearty handshake, hug, or warm laugh between brethren who haven’t seen each other in a week.
[16] I.e. We watch a performer preach, and then performers sing. 17 See Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4 18 Again, the verbs are plural, not singular.
[17] The dative can be translated as “to” or “with.”
[18] Greg Beale makes this point in his excellent book, “The Temple, the Church, and the Mission of God.” In the OT, God commanded (not suggested) that His people to visit the Temple for the sake of their nourishment. They then could leave, taking the glory of God now being reflected in them, back to their homes and villages. As Beale says, “the Temple was designed [by God] to nourish Israel in her missional identity to spread God’s glorious presence.” The body of Christ – the church – has been designed to do the very same thing.
[19] See Matthew 5:13-16. It is obvious from the context that “you” is again plural. A city (singular) is made up of many members (plural).
[20] Philippians 2:12ff. clearly teaches that our sanctification is a corporate endeavor. Note the cORPORATE Context of 1:27-2:11.
[21] See Acts 17:11-12.
[22] See Ephesians 4:1-6. The “in Christ” is added because of Paul’s extensive use of it in the letter. Our “bond” together is Christ and in Christ.
[23] The way a wife would trust her husband, even if his decision differed from hers.
[24] See 1 Peter 5:3.
[25] See 1 Peter 5:5.