Why Do We Assemble Together?

Introduction

There are two aspects to worship: vertical which is between the person and God and horizontal which is between the worshipers. Both are a necessary part of our assembly time. Some erroneously believe that the only thing that matters is the vertical. If that were the case, then why would we meet together at all. The vertical is important. But there are too many “one another” passages in the New Testament to either ignore the horizontal or to act as if it is secondary. This morning we are going to look at the importance of the horizontal in our worship. The Hebrew writer calls it encouragement. It is the idea is to build up and to urge to action. Let’s begin with a time of greeting one another. While we have come to express praise to our Father, we have done so together. We are not here to hide from one another, nor are we here to isolate ourselves. We have come together to enter God’s throne room and together to encourage each other. Let’s greet one another.

Why Worship Together?

The Hebrew writer is trying to persuade Jewish Christians not to give up their faith in the sufficiency of Christ to deal with their sin. He has written about the superiority of Jesus to the angels, to Moses, to Aaron as high priest, and the superiority of the new covenant which Christ established to the old covenant which came through Moses. Beginning in 10:19, the writer begins the conclusion of the letter. The “therefore” of verse 19 is a summary word. Based on what he has written, the Christian has the confidence needed to enter God’s throne room. Because of Jesus’s death on the cross, then we can approach God with great confidence and boldness.

What the writer would have us understand is that Jesus’s death on the cross was so that we could have an intimate relationship with God. Jesus himself becomes our mediator. Unlike a high priest whose sin had to be dealt with first, Jesus had no sin. He completely and fully dealt with our sin. Therefore, we can boldly go into the Most Holy Place or the dwelling place of God because Jesus has sufficiently provided that bridge for us.

This letter was written to Jews. It is filled with references to Jewish practices. This section is no different. The basis for the writer is the fellowship offering found in Leviticus chapter 3 and 7. While Jesus is the sacrificial offering to deal with sin, when we approach God in the Most Holy Place we do so because He has extended a covenant of fellowship to us. In this offering the blood of the sacrifice was caught in a basin and was sprinkled on the altar to symbolize atonement, but the body of the animal was roasted on the altar as a fragrant sacrifice to the Lord, and then it was shared with the worshipers at a fellowship meal. It was understood that the meal was hosted by God. The meal symbolized the intimacy of the fellowship with the Lord. It became an occasion for the public confession of God’s covenant faithfulness. This fellowship offering stressed the reality of being set apart for God’s purposes. With this background we can now appreciate what the writer is saying.

Let’s notice the way the author alludes to the peace offering in the next four verses.

Verse 22, we draw near. Drawing near is a way of describing worship. Notice in 10:1 the same phrase is used. Sacrifices alone could not perfect the worshiper who draws near to God in worship. According to verse 22 because of the blood of Jesus we can now draw near to God to worship Him. Our worship is acceptable because of what Jesus has done for us.

Then in verse 23 we are to declare the goodness of God and his covenant love. It was at the fellowship offering that a person declared his complete commitment. He made a vow to remain close to God and the worshiper declared the goodness of God.

Verse 24, the fellowship offering was never made in isolation. The fellowship offering was not just between God and the worshiper. The entire family or a group of families took the meal together. It was a time of thanksgiving and of celebration. It was time to announce God’s goodness and to revel in his love. It was a time to declare one’s unswerving commitment to honoring God with his life.

Surely the similarity between our own worship assembly and the fellowship offering cannot be missed. As the fellowship meal expressed faith, hope and love, so our assembly announces the same things. While one may express faith and hope vertically, the expression of love according to the Hebrew writer is only possible in community. We join together to express thanks to God for his covenant and we gather to mutually encourage one another to faith, hope, and love. This is the reason why the Hebrew writer warns those who are not at the assembly. Worship and mutual encouragement are the responsibility of those who are in covenant with God. To neglect the assembly was to insinuate that God’s covenant and each other were unimportant.

Application

So what are we to do with this information? If our meeting together is to emphasize not only the vertical but the horizontal, then we must make a concerted effort to emphasize both. The first point is that encouragement doesn’t just happen. It must be planned. I know a lot of encouragement takes place after the assembly and that is good and it needs to continue. But during the assembly time we isolate ourselves. We see the back of each other’s heads and rarely find ways to speak to each other during the assembly. The Hebrew writer knew that days of uncertainty were coming. “As you see the day approaching” may simply be a reference to the return of Christ but it could also allude to the destruction of Jerusalem that Jesus foretold in Matthew 24. Either way the point is that the assembly is to provoke us to faith and to doing good because evil and challenging days will come. We need to ask the question, “how can we maximize encouragement in our assemblies?”

This is not an easy question to answer. We do not want our assembly to be chaotic and disruptive. The Hebrew writer says to consider how we may provoke one another to love and good deeds. Look back at Hebrews 3:1. The same word is used to describe how we are to consider Christ — Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. The word “fix” in the NIV is the same word as used in 10:24. If we fix our thoughts on Jesus then we understand it means to pay close attention or concentrate on. Jesus is to be at the center of our thoughts. So is provoking one another. The Hebrew writer makes it plain that encouraging each other is to be intentional. How do we do that?

Let me suggest several things as an observation and then make some practical application:

First, first century meetings took place in houses. No more than 40 typically comprised those early meetings. As such the smaller numbers allowed for less formality than our larger meetings. Meeting in a smaller room usually in a circle allowed for you to see one another as you sang together and certainly as you shared the Lord’s Supper together. Do not idealize that setting. There were obvious problems but it did allow for greater interaction.

Second, because of direct persecution the assemblies often focused on survival and sharing. Members would have shared freely in food and money with those who were hurting. Those things would be shared verbally with the group and the group would have responded. There would have been words to encourage as well as actions to demonstrate love.

Third, we have tried to provide opportunities for less formal gatherings through our small groups. These meet regularly and provide the means to allow us to consider how to encourage and demonstrate love.

So let’s get practical. How during this assembly can we intentionally provoke one another to love and good deeds. This is not exhaustive. There are far greater creative minds in this room.

Speak to each other during the Lord’s Supper or at least look at another person during the Lord’s Supper. I know that we do want to think about what Christ has done for us at the cross. Not trying to eliminate that. But see your brothers and sisters. Be filled with an appreciation for those who are sitting around you. Express your thankfulness to share this meal with each other. Speak softly to another simple words like “I’m glad we can share this together” or “Thankful for you” or “Because of Christ”

Periodically we give an opportunity to greet each other during the assembly. This is to emphasize the importance of expressing our love to each other. It isn’t just a mere greeting and it isn’t a time to talk sports, food, or vacations. It is a time to express warmth, love, a hug and at a minimum to say “I’m glad we are here together.”

Remain after the final prayer for a time to share lives together. We greet each other and need to do that but it is also a time to ask hard questions of each other and to answer those questions honestly. We do not have to rehearse all of physical and mental pains but we can with great clarity say to our family “I am struggling right now with pain” or “I am hurting right now because of….” Give people an opportunity to minister to you and to share with you and to pray with you and to love on you and to encourage you. Stop hiding behind the smile and be real. Here’s what I know — you are not alone. You are not the only person in this room that is hurting. But if you were the only one hurting wouldn’t it be wonderful and encouraging to have a room full of people expressing their love and telling you “don’t give up. Stay true to Jesus. Don’t let Satan have the final word.”

Be a part of one of our small groups. And those who are already in small groups need to move out of the comfort of eating and superficiality and move into the joy of sharing more fully what happens in life so that we can be encouraging one another to love and good deeds.

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