Scripture

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another– and all the more as we see the Day coming.

Observation

Priests offer sacrifices over and over, but Christ our High Priest offered the one perfect sacrifice and then sat down at God’s right hand. This one sacrifice atoned for all sin and so there is no longer any need for sacrifices.

Therefore we have confidence to enter the Holy Place knowing that our hearts and consciences have been made clean. We should spur one another on to good deeds, continuing to meet together to encourage one another.

Application

There is a wrong belief amongst some people that we don’t need church to walk with Jesus. Apparently that belief was there from the beginning, but in our increasingly individualistic and fragmented society it is becoming more common.

On the one hand, the New Testament reassures us that we have the Holy Spirit and don’t need anyone to teach us the ways of the Lord. On the other hand, the New Testament also emphasises frequently the corporate nature of the church which is described as the Body of Christ,

We need each other to ensure that we keep growing in Christ. We need each other to complement one another’s spiritual gifts. When we are left to our own devices it is easy to be deceived into believing that we are doing well. When we meet together the exuberance of others might encourage us to go deeper in Christ. Seeing others grow in the Lord can encourage us to see that we have more to learn, more to repent, more to grow.

Prayer

Thank you Jesus for the church, the Body of Christ in the world. Help me to be an encourager to my fellow christians and to be encouraged by them. Amen.