Articles
God in His Great Wisdom
God in His Great Wisdom
Brent Newton
God in His great wisdom put together this thing we call worship. I’m speaking of the worship of the body of Jesus Christ. That time when those in fellowship with God come together as God, as their Father, and Jesus their Savior to honor and thank Him for the benefit done by His death, burial and resurrection. Many refer to it as “going to church.” The Scriptures never call it that! The idea of “going to” has the notion of a ballgame or some concert, something we are entertained by. Nothing is offered in those settings. God calls it the assembly of the saints!
The Jews that were converted to Jesus were finding their way back into Judaism. They were returning to the teachings of the Old Testament sacrifices which they had been grounded in from birth. Unaware that these OT teachings were not the reality but only a shadow (Hebrews 8:5). A shadow is not reality. A shadow only reflects the reality and that reality was Jesus!
These Christians were reminded that it is by the blood of Christ that one can enter into the presence of a Holy God (Hebrews 10:19). Not some physical temple they were wanting to go back to. In that physical temple they had to remain outside of the presence of God to offer their sacrifices of thanksgiving. Only the blood of Jesus could bring them before a holy God. These Christians were called to “draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22). The faithless have little concern about drawing near and little assurance in their life.
These Christians were called to hold fast their confession of hope holding to the promises of God (Hebrews 10:23). They began their relationship to God through Jesus and they openly confessed that He was their only hope. If they went back, they were giving up the promises of God and would lose Jesus their hope.
These Christians were taught to consider “how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24). How can one do that if they aren’t assembling together? The emphasis isn’t the “how” but on “one another.” The “one another” consideration is what will stimulate each brother or sister. It speaks to helping us love one another and doing good toward one another. It’s this idea that leads to the following verse: “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25) The word “forsake” literally means to abandon! Too many in the church have taught this saying if someone misses the assembly they are doomed. That’s not what this says. These Christians were going back to the shadow system and they were abandoning (forsaking) the assembly of the saints! This had become their habit.
What do we gain? The assembly of the saints is to honor our Father because of the blood of His Son on our behalf. The assembly to worship is vital for spiritual growth as that’s how we consider one another to encourage one another to hold on to Jesus! When people see little benefit and put little faith in Jesus, the worship of God in the assembly of the saints will mean little. It can slowly erode faith and then one will eventually completely abandon the assembly. God has so composed His body, the church, to assembly in love and honor of Him for paying our price and encouraging one another. One cannot grow without worshipping God! And worship encompasses your spirit and His truth to find the proper benefit. (John 4:24)
