Thoughts on Hebrews 10:23-25

Hebrews 10:23-25(NIV) 23 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 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 you see the Day approaching.
One way we hold unswervingly to the hope we profess is to keep walking with Jesus. Keep looking beyond your problems, your pains and you circumstances to God’s promises. Hold on to, cling to the hope that you have in Jesus Christ. Because God is faithful to do what He said He would do.
We are to spur on each other towards love and good deeds. Spur means to provoke or stimulate each other forward.
It seems as if there has always been a problem with people withdrawing from church fellowship. In fact, the writer calls it a habit. You miss one or two meetings and then you feel weird going back. Then in becomes ingrained to not go to church or small group anymore. That is where the danger lies. It is easy to fall away when you are not in a place where you are being spurred forward and where you are not being encouraged to walk with Jesus. The world will not encourage you to live as a follower of Jesus Christ. Only when you put yourself in a place where you can know others and be known will you experience growth. The enemy is constantly looking for those who wander off from the group to attack.
I have found that it is hard to encourage someone when you don’t see them very often or at all. It is hard to receive encouragement from others when you don’t share what is going on with others. Scripture is clear in that we need to meet together regularly if we are to consider ourselves as followers of Jesus Christ. We are shown that the church exists to share Christ with others and to be Christ to each other. Once we remove ourselves from interacting with others in the body of Christ we are like a branch that has removed itself from the tree and it withers and dies very quickly.
If you consider yourself a follower of Jesus Christ you need to be in regular fellowship where there is teaching, prayer and worship with others in the body of Christ. Maybe the church you were in wasn’t the place for you but there is a place for you somewhere. Find it. Get involved so that you can obey this passage and spur others on as you are spurred onward and get and be encouraged.