HoHum:
Mary Saunders, a missionary’s helper in Africa, described a regular meeting she had with a new Christian in Somalia. The regular appointment was secret because the area was Muslim and did not tolerate other religions. On this particular evening, Mary reviewed the memory verse the young Somali had been learning. “This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24 KJV). After discussing the verse, Mary sang the familiar chorus based on that verse. The young man was delighted. The idea of singing raised a question for him: “When there is more than one Christian, what other things do you do?” We can and should experience the presence of God alone, but special things are experienced and happen when Christians gather together. Think of the things we would miss if there was just one of us?
WBTU:
In 9 days we will celebrate our country’s Independence Day. We need to be thankful that we live in a place where we can worship God freely and without the fear of persecution. Can we image how we would feel about freedom of worship if it were ever denied us?
In this section of Scripture we see several things, but the one thing I want us to see is connectivity. The writer of Hebrews is not just exhorting believers in Jesus Christ to worship together like we do today in church buildings. Yes, the writer is saying that worship attendance isn’t an option for Christians. However, if we take a closer look at the first generation of Christians, we see that it meant more than that. According to Acts those first Christians assembled in two ways: publicly and privately.
Publicly- Acts 2:46: Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. Privately- Acts 2:46: They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts
Thesis: Consider what happens when we become a part of each other’s lives.
For instances:
We promote love (Vs. 24- And let us consider how we may spur (or stir up- English Standard Version) one another on toward love)
The New Testament is a “one another” book, not something written for the hermit in the wilderness. The writer of Hebrews wants to remind us that coming together keeps us connected by Christian love.
Togetherness is one of the main ingredients of love- so simple we almost miss it. If we neglect to gather together, we drift apart from one another and become disconnected. Being together reminds us of the needs we each have. We share out concerns, we laugh and eat together, we worship at the throne of grace side by side, and God knits our hearts in love.
Faith, hope and love grow within us as we come to church and interact together: faith in Christ, hope in the future, and love for each other as our hearts intertwine into a true family. That’s something we all long for in this world. Deep in our souls, we don’t want to sit anonymously in the pews. We are unsatisfied by coming, hearing a sermon, and going home. We want to know and be known, not only by God but by His children. We have to put ourselves forward and that comes with risks, but there is a deep need, to stir up the love that God has given us to share.
The baseball player Reggie Jackson referred to himself as “the straw that stirs the drink.” Cocky and outspoken, he had a knack for keeping the adrenaline flowing among his teammates. Hebrews is telling each of us to be the straw that stirs the drink in fellowship together as we stir up love among God’s people.
We need a church that is stir crazy- a place where we stir each other up in love.
Some people come out of the worship service and think, “I got nothing out of that.” Let me say that there are times when that will be the case. Nothing stirred us. This is called a worship service, not an inspirational or entertaining show. This is a service. Maybe the Lord wants us to think about how we can serve others instead of how the church can serve us. Maybe we should consider others more than ourselves.
I love it at the end of the worship times here. People standing around talking. Reminds me of the first church where I preached. Went there as a bachelor and for the first year didn’t have many friends except in the church. I longed to see my friends at church.
2 studies found that over the last 20 years, the number of people reporting that they had no one with whom they could really share important issues had tripled. Nearly half of all Americans, claimed the studies, had either one intimate friend or none at all.
We provoke good works (Vs. 24- let us consider how we may spur (or provoke- Darby’s New Translation) one another on toward love and good deeds)
We are better together. Together we can do more for Christ that we could do by ourselves.
Why do we have announcements and prayer needs in the bulletin? For the most part to spur us on to good works. Look at the prayer needs. Pray for these people and if there is a way we can help, then help. Brandon and Amber Kittle, Long term and nursing homes, military. Last weeks bulletin had the benefit walk for Hunter Smith and encouraged us to volunteer. Collection box for this. It’s today. If not come to church good chance not hear about it.
Hearing what God is doing overseas should stir us up. Melissa Strimboulis is coming with the Mercy Ship on July 13, Wednesday night. Michael Tafamombe is coming for our Vacation Bible School. He is from Zimbabwe and the African Mission of Denford Chizanga. He is a student at Cincinnati Christian University.
The church should be provocative- not a retreat from the world but an order to advance!
Throughout its history, the church has blessed the surrounding world.
This week we sent some medical supplies to Dr. Bungu at the Mashoko Hospital, Zimbabwe.
We provide encouragement (Vs. 25- Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another)
If we are discouraged with life- out of a job, worried about health concerns, or simply stressed out- church activity should encourage us rather than give us more stress.
Ted Engstrom tells about a literary group that once gathered at the University of Wisconsin. The members wanted to be poets, novelists, essayists and authors- and they had the talent to be successful. These young men met regularly to read and critique each other’s work. After a while, they began calling themselves the Stranglers because they were very tough in their evaluations. At the same time, a group of women formed a sister group and called themselves not the Stranglers but the Wranglers. When they read their works aloud, something much different occurred. They offered constructive suggestions tinged with positive encouragement. They erred on the side of motivation rather than mutilation. 20 years later, an alumnus studied the careers of his classmates and made a surprising discovery. Not one of the gifted male Stranglers had made a significant literary accomplishment. But at least 6 successful authors were former Wranglers.
To encourage is to “pour courage” into someone who needs it. While John Newton is best-known as the author of the famous hymn, “Amazing Grace,” his life teemed with spiritual fruit. A new biography on his life by Jonathan Aitken gives us a peek into the legacy of the man who described himself with one simple sentence: “I am a great sinner, but Christ is a great Savior.” Though Newton was an author, preacher, and hymn-writer, perhaps his most profound legacy is the fruit of his friendships. In his lifetime, many referred to Newton as the friend of William Cowper. Cowper suffered throughout his life from terrible depression. But the window of his most productive years opened when his friendship with Newton began. During this time he produced such works as, “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood.” As one biographer noted, “Cowper, throughout [his] life, lacked personal initiative.” The encouragement from Newton, however, was enough to spur Cowper to produce some 60 hymns. And when Cowper later sunk into such a depression that he nearly took his own life, it was his friendship with Newton stopped him. Newton also played a vital role as friend and mentor in the life of William Wilberforce. Wilberforce led the charge to abolish the British slave trade and ultimately slavery itself in England. When Wilberforce came to faith, he turned to Newton for advice. It was Newton who encouraged him not to abandon politics but to use his political skills for good. It was Newton who encouraged him to take up the cause of abolishing the slave-trade. And it was Newton who encouraged him to persevere when Wilberforce considered giving up the fight in 1796. Well into his later years, Newton continued to bear fruit in his friendships. He helped bring a young writer by the name of Hannah More to faith. She went on to start the modern Sunday School movement. And he met for breakfast frequently with a young man by the name of William Carey, who would become a missionary to India and a pioneer for the modern mission’s movement. Newton would not have considered himself a great saint, but a great sinner used by God. His life reminds us all of the profound impact that deep spiritual friendships can have. And it encourages us
In our time, the world has all the Stranglers it needs. “Pour courage” into others.
Conclusion and invitation:
Vs. 25- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that our faithfulness in church attendance should increase as we are increasingly aware of His return. It’s been over 2,000 years. It can’t be much longer.
As we see the Day approaching, we should take fewer Sundays off and be more faithful to our church. 1 John 2:28: when he appears we may be confident and unashamed.
