More than friends - Christian Fellowship

By Faith Burnside

Hebrews 10:23-25
“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

That last verse is most frequently used to encourage people to attend church regularly, and is certainly applicable for that. However, when connected with the two verses ahead, it also speaks to a much broader need.  Not only are we supposed to attend church, but it is also, and perhaps even equally important to fellowship regularly with the Body of Christ in many ways, whether that be attending a Bible study, meeting with some friends for coffee, inviting a family from church for dinner or just making sure to text a Christian friend.  We need to be assembling together, we need to be fellowshipping with other Christians.  As it says in Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” 
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In Christ, we are a family, we are told in Galatians 6:2, that we are to bear one another’s burdens, in Romans 1:12, Paul said we are to encourage each other, because we are a family and all members of one body like it says in Romans 12:4-5 “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.”. 

We need other Christians. I have different gifts than you have, and you have different gifts than other people, and that is why it is important for us to gather and fellowship together so that together we can encourage and serve in greater ways than one person individually could.  The last part of Hebrews 10:25 not only urges us to encourage each other, but it adds an important reason, “but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching”. 
As times keep getting harder, with the return of Christ drawing nearer, we will continue to need our Christian family more and more.  Proverbs 17:17 puts it this way “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity”.

I hope you can see why it is important to gather together and encourage each other, we need each other to grow, and we will need each other when times get tough, so I encourage you to take the steps to begin building the body up.  Invite a Christian friend over for dinner, ask someone at church to coffee, encourage with a Bible verse or song.  Take a moment and go out of your way at least once a week to build up a Christian brother or sister.