“And let us
consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day
approaching.” – Hebrews
10:24-25 (KJV)
Summarize in a Word:
Cultivating Godliness
Key Principle: Church
is necessary for all believers
Key Application: Never
abandon the church
Main point of the Passage: We provoke
one another to godliness in the church.
Illustration: Pastor John MacArthur urging a struggling
woman to join a church.
Exhortation: Make friendship with more godly people. Talk,
listen, and pray for one another.
Our Lord
has called us into the church, which is his body. However, we do have a local
church, a fellowship of believers. It is the institution build by Christ with a
promise that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” There is no lone
Christian outside the church. I remember listening to MacArthur urging a
struggling woman to join the club (church) for sanctification and godliness.
Where could we go than the church to cultivate godliness in our lives?
In Hebrews 10:24-25, we are instructed to provoke one another to godliness, which is characterized by love and good works. The context here is an instruction to draw confidence not from ritualistic sacrifices of Jews, but through the blood of Christ. Thus, cultivating godliness is no longer through the practices of Jewish laws and sacrifices, but through fellowship in the church. For our fellowship is not only with the believers but also with the Son, and the Father (cf. 1John1:3).
In Hebrews 10:24-25, we are instructed to provoke one another to godliness, which is characterized by love and good works. The context here is an instruction to draw confidence not from ritualistic sacrifices of Jews, but through the blood of Christ. Thus, cultivating godliness is no longer through the practices of Jewish laws and sacrifices, but through fellowship in the church. For our fellowship is not only with the believers but also with the Son, and the Father (cf. 1John1:3).
Verse 25
tells us how to motivate one another unto godliness. It is by coming to the
church regularly, and to exhort one another. Fellowship in the church is not
just listening to the sermon (which by the way, is the chief means of
sanctification), but it is also getting along with mature people for our own
growth. Is church boring? Perhaps, it is high time for you to make friends with more godly people.
Church
is not a place for perfect people. Each has each own struggle. We are to
benefit from each other’s gift (cf. 1 Cor. 12:12, 25). Talk and listen to one
another. Pray for one another.