Call Of Duty: Let's Not Give Up Meeting Together

Call of Duty 3

Let's Not Give Up Meeting Together

by Daniel Carandang

written by Ashley Petallano

Do you like being alone?

In school, most of the kids are huddled in groups. This is most obvious during lunch time when people find their friends in the crowd and sit at their tables. Are you the type who loves being in the company of others or prefers the quiet solitude?

Most of us, admittedly or not, love the company of other people. When we go out to the malls, play computer games online or have out-of-town trips, we'd prefer to have friends with us. Yes, we like having me-times but most of the time, we know that we need to be with people. 

Did you know that having people around us can also aid us in our walk with God? For us to be strengthened spiritually, more than it being enjoyable, it is actually a necessity for us to constantly surround ourselves with people who love God.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 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.”

Hebrews 10:23-25

The Book of Hebrews was written to encourage a community of Hebrews who were facing the possibility of intensified persecution because of their faith in Jesus, that tempted them to cast aside their identification with Him.

Have you ever been persecuted for your faith? You might have experienced being mocked for your belief in Christ. People at school laugh at you, maybe even dub you as the religious one for what you believe. Sometimes, even our own family question our judgment and unfortunately, taunt us. 

Christians in Iraq are being persecuted as we speak. Not only are they being ridiculed for their faith, they are being hunted down. The early Christians also suffered cruel persecution. Some were slain with swords, burned with fire, scourged with whips, stabbed with forks of iron, drowned at sea. Others had their skins plucked off, stoned to death, killed with cold, starved with hunger, hands cut-off or decapitated, fed to lions 

The writer of Hebrews is reminding them of Who Jesus is, His Supremacy, what His death on the cross meant—through these, he is encouraging them to hold on their faith. He also reminded us to do another important thing:

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 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.”

Hebrews 10:24-25

During that time, the church had two meetings: a big group that met in the Temple courts and another that went from one house to another. It was there that they worshiped the Lord, studied His word and had fellowship with one another. Nowadays, such meetings take the form of worship services in the church and small group meetings.

God saves us individually but calls us to be part of a community. Yes, it is a personal walk but you shouldn't do the walk alone. Here are two reasons:

1. We need to spur and be spurred towards love and good deeds

 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,”

Hebrews 10:24

No, we are not talking about the recent NBA Champions :) 

A spur is a tool used to irritate a horse's skin for them to continue moving forward- a motivation. Believe it or not, we are called to be each other's spurs. We exist to annoy or to motivate one another towards two things: love and good deeds. 

Love, as used in the verse, express agape love. It's that type of love that is selfless- the very same Christ had for us. Many of us would like to experience this type of love. We are called to share such love to others but since we are born selfish, we do not. It's easy to love when things are a-okay. If not, it's a struggle.

When we are hurt, we struggle to love …and forgive.

When we feel tempted, we struggle to love …and say ‘no’

When there is an opportunity to share the Gospel, we struggle to love …and get out of our comfort zones.

We NEED to be surrounded with people who will spur & irritate us to not give in to our selfishness and even laziness. Many times, it’s a struggle to love God & others so we NEED people who will remind us of His love & to love others. Being spurred may not always be comfortable, but it’s for our good.

2. We need to encourage and be encouraged

We all get discouraged. Failing grades can immediately wipe the smile off our faces. So can people, like our classmates or even our own family. Disappointment is everywhere, and we're not safe from it. That is why we need the encouragement.

”And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 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.”

Hebrews 10:24-25 

What do you do when you're discouraged?

Most times, we do things that will make us forget. Some of us frequent the local bars to drown our sorrows in alcohol, with the occasional cigarette, of course. Others choose to bum out in front of their video games or to watch endless episodes of their favorite sitcoms. But after the nostalgia from all of that ends, we're brought back to reality.

What we should do is not rely on temporary things. We should pray, spend quality time with the Lord and surround ourselves with people who will encourage us. Fellowship is very important because according to 1 Peter 5:8, the devil prowls like a lion, waiting to attack a sheep who wanders alone.

The devil takes advantage of our negative reactions to distort God’s image, character, and promises in our minds and tempt us to turn our backs on Him and forsake our faith. The Christian life was never designed to be lived alone. We need others. 

Don't give up on meeting with one another! :D