Encouraging One Another

We cannot overstate the importance of time spent together in fellowship.

Perfection in Hebrews. The letter to the Hebrews marvelously expounds Christ’s supremacy over the angels and the new covenant’s superiority to Moses’. It describes our Lord as a great high priest, sympathetic to our challenges because he had our nature and experienced the same. Jesus learned obedience and was perfected (5:9), and Hebrews calls on us to similarly “go on to perfection” (6:1).¹

Under the old covenant, the high priest entered the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle once yearly, bearing the sacrificial blood of bulls and goats. Those offerings could never make people perfect (9:9). By contrast, our high priest Jesus is now in the very presence of God, abiding there forever. He entered the Most Holy Place bearing his own blood, which cleanses our consciences from dead works to serve the living God. His offering “has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” (10:14).

He is seated at God’s right hand (1:3, 8:1, 10:12, 12:2) where he continually intercedes for the salvation of those who draw near; he can save us “to the uttermost” (7:25)—the word has the same root as “perfect” that occurs with such frequency in Hebrews.² Our God does nothing by halves! We are urged, therefore, to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (4:16).

Our reasonable service. These are heady thoughts, exhilarating and inspiring. But they are not simply to inspire our minds: the writer to the Hebrews says they must inspire action.

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith…Let us hold fast the confession of our hope…And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting [encouraging, ESV] one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:19–25).

“Let us!” Three exhortations follow as logical consequences of the boldness our faith inspires.

One is reminded of Romans 12, where after eleven chapters expounding the workings of God’s grace, His dealings with Israel and the grafting in of Gentiles, Paul says “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1). Our convictions have logical consequences. The love of Christ constrains us.

Special Issue. The three exhortations of Hebrews 10:19-25 are about faith, hope, and love: “full assurance of faith…the confession of our hope…stir up love and good works.” This year, our special issue of The Tidings takes its theme from the third of these. The topic seems particularly appropriate given the urgency implied by the last part of verse 25, “and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”³

For the original readers of Hebrews, a day was approaching when many would lose their lives for their faith. Hebrews 12:4 ominously says, “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (ESV). Many would, under the persecutions of the madman Nero. For many of us in the Western world today, the threat we face is quite different, and best described by Jesus in Matthew 24:12: “Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” In an increasingly godless society, one which celebrates tolerance as the chiefest virtue, it is possible that we might lose our first love, our first enthusiasm. It is possible for us to be like Demas, and to love the present age (2 Timothy 4:10). No man can serve two masters.

Paul describes “perilous times”⁴ in the last days, with perils arising from people being

Lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. (2 Timothy 3:2-5).

We don’t want to have a form (the outward appearance) of godliness while denying its power— the power to change lives, to perfect us, to pattern us after our Master.

With the Day approaching, it is time for us to work together, to encourage one another, and to recognize the incredible privilege of our high calling in Christ. It is a time of need, and we should come boldly to the throne of grace, knowing it is our Father’s will to perfect us. In His wisdom, He has put us together in ecclesias, so we can strengthen one another.

So, how can we do it?

In this issue, we have advice from a dozen brothers and sisters on encouraging one another through music and exhortations, and lessons learned through challenging experiences. We hope these articles will encourage you and inspire you to encourage others, so that our Lord will find us ready and waiting for him at his return. “Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.” (Luke 12:43).

Assembling ourselves together. One key to encouraging one another to love and good works is so simple and obvious as to almost go without saying: “Let us…stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.”

The time we spend together is crucial. Most of us take attendance at the Memorial Service and Sunday School for granted. It’s what we do. We would no sooner skip these than forget to eat or sleep. Sunday worship is part of our regular rhythm, and frames our weekly schedule, refreshing us and refocusing us on the “things which are above.” (Colossians 3:1-2).

Sunday afternoon lectures were at one time a consistent part of our schedule, but the practice seems to be less common. “They all with one accord began to make excuses.” We might say: “But we get no visitors,” or “Nobody learns from lectures anymore.” Or “It makes Sunday too long…and after all, we have little children to care for.” Long Sundays can indeed be difficult, especially with small children. But, these kinds of Sundays can also present opportunities for us to teach our children—we can talk to them about why we have lectures, or preach the gospel.

Maybe we’re not trying hard enough to get visitors! A regular lecture series is a great resource if we actively seek to share our faith with the folks we contact daily. Besides, we all benefit from reviewing the foundations of our faith, especially our young people, even if there are no visitors.

And if our lectures are dry as toast—well, perhaps we need to revamp our system. Brothers’ weekends and workshops provide an opportunity for innovation and encouragement; let’s work together across ecclesias to achieve service excellence. And let the brothers not forget to seek the wise counsel of sisters about what works.

Midweek Bible class can be a huge benefit. If our only contact with the Word of God is through the Memorial Service or perfunctory daily readings, we will most likely struggle to grow in the gracious knowledge of the Scriptures. Our mindset should be “I am Your servant, give me understanding that I may know Your testimonies.” (Psalm 119:125); our prayer should be “Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things from Your law.” (Psalm 119:18).

The challenge we face may be that we’re just too busy. For some, attending midweek Bible class may be impossible because of circumstances beyond our control. For others, it might just be a matter of priority. There is a saying that “No one on his or her deathbed ever said, ‘I wish I’d spent more time at the office.’” Meditating on what it means to be “bought with a price” and what it means to press on toward perfection (Hebrews 6:1 RV) may help us to sort out what is of greatest importance.

Most ecclesias acknowledge that the COVID experience diminished the “assembling of ourselves together.” Zoom was a timely blessing, allowing us to gather virtually when we couldn’t meet face to face. It still is a blessing, especially for those who, through the infirmities of the flesh, aren’t able to attend in person. But if we use Zoom simply to save the time of traveling, or the time we spend visiting before and after our service, we need to evaluate whether we’re giving God and the Lord Jesus scant measure.

In addition to our formal worship and study services, it is worthwhile to spend time together socially, ensuring we keep the Truth at the center; doing the readings, building one another up, and reinforcing our commitment to the Lord. And we should remember the words of our Lord, that when we give a feast, we should invite “the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed; because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14:12-14). The same thinking should prompt us in all our assemblies to take time with the less popular or more needy members of our body. Remember, “inasmuch…” (Matthew 25:31-45)!

We cannot overstate the importance of time spent together in fellowship. If we ever find ourselves saying we didn’t get much out of this or that service, we must change our thinking! What did we contribute to making the service beneficial for others? Let us encourage one another to go on toward perfection, and so much the more because we see the Day is approaching.

We hope this special issue of The Tidings will encourage you and your ecclesia through you!  

Bill Link,
Special Issue Editor,
Baltimore Ecclesia, MD