THE BLESSINGS OF WORSHIP
By: Daniel McMillin
The Christian assembly is one of the most edifying and encouraging times of our week. It is a time of fellowship and worship. Sadly, the benefits and beauty of engaging with God through worship can be overlooked. In the Book of Hebrews, there were Christians who were drifting away and departing from the faith. The author exhorts them to “consider one another in order to stir up love and good works” (Heb. 10:24). As we gather each week, we are meant to create an atmosphere that exhibits the character and activity of Christ by being selfless in our love and good deeds. We are to be mindful of our brethren when we assemble and not be so preoccupied with ourselves but, instead, are to be concerned about others.
One of the issues that arose in the first century was that there were some who had the habit of neglecting the assembly. That is why the author encourages his brethren not to forsake the sanctity of Christian assembly (Heb. 10:25). But why is it important to assemble for corporate worship? It is because our love and good works for one another are impossible if we do not assemble. There are no opportunities to strengthen, comfort, or encourage one another when we cease to worship together. The Christian assembly is an atmosphere of mutual edification and exhortation. As we assemble to encourage one another, we, in effect, follow the example of the author of Hebrews, who wrote a letter of “exhortation” (Heb. 13:22).
Often, this verse is used as a proof text to say, “Attend every worship service.” While that may be an important issue, I believe these verses are about more than attendance. There appears to be something more profound here that the author is addressing. As Neil Lightfoot notes, the author “saw that neglect of the assembly would in time lead to the utter desertion of the faith.”[1] Neglecting to assemble and forsaking Christ leads to apostasy. Our spiritual health and inheritance are on the line. Thus, we must assemble since, as Thomas Schreiner notes, “encouragement is vital for perseverance.”[2] That is why we assemble every opportunity we have to worship, namely, to avoid apostasy and grow closer together with our Christian community as we worship God. And so, as we gather, we are following the advice of the author and “exhorting one another” (Heb. 10:25). When we assemble, we ought to expect an atmosphere of love and encouragement. In fact, every time we assemble, we need to be encouraged and encourage one another.
As New Testament Christians, we have the greatest reason to encourage one another in light of the day of the Lord approaching (Heb. 10:25). The nearness of the Lord’s return highlights the importance of God’s people worshipping together. That is the beauty of assembly. We gather to worship as if the next time we will worship again is in the heavenly sanctuary with our holy God. It is a joy to assemble each week and be blessed by the presence of our God and His people. May we never take the opportunity to assemble lightly nor run the risk of forsaking the assembly.
WORKS CITED
[1] Neil R. Lightfoot, Jesus Christ Today: A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews (Abilene, TX: Bible Guides, 1976), 191.
[2] Thomas R. Schreiner, Hebrews, EBTC (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020), 321.
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