I awakened in a hotel in Burbank, just north of LA this morning. There’s a funny thing happening in my heart. I cannot WAIT to see my sons today! I am excited to see Tommas’s handsome face in-person & to tag along on the many adventures I’m sure Oliver has in store.
I also have a betwixt missing of my church family at the same time. You might think, “You’re just gonna miss one Sunday”, but the past few months of hard would’ve felt impossible without the Body of Believers walking with us through it.
Paul exhorts Believers to, “not neglect meeting together as some have done, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.”
He’s not referring to the church building, but rather the assembling together of Believers.
When we are in close community with others, we are there to support each other during the hard & rejoice during the good! Life becomes lonely & obedience becomes lackluster when we travel The Way alone.
The path of backsliding might begin with a dusty Bible, but it becomes hard to make a u-turn when we travel it by ourselves.
I’ve written it before, but it bears repeating. Jesus is the Head & we comprise The Body of the church. When we don’t assemble together to worship, we miss essential parts!
One might have a word of encouragement, someone else might have a discerning ear & yet another may have eyes to see to speak warning...we all have a part, but none has all the parts. We need each other & to be frank, there’s power in numbers!
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus proclaims that the powers of hell will not prevail against the church! He’s not talking about a building, but of a people who are called out of this world into relationship with Him as the Head & with each other in The Body!
Father, thank you when Jesus ascended into Heaven, that He left us the Holy Spirit to counsel, comfort & guide us. Each Believer is a walking Temple of the Spirit! When we meet together, we experience all the benefits of the Body! We are comforted, corrected, instructed, & perfected into your image. Let us not neglect meeting together, but find a local Body of Believers who’ll encourage one another as we wait for Your return!
EZEKIEL 23:1-49
HEBREWS 10:18-39
PSALM 109:1-31
PROVERBS 27:13
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