Chapter 3: Forsake Not The Assembling of Yourselves Together
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 (Heb. 10:23-25).
Neglect has the ability to present itself in many different forms. Another branch that springs forth from the spirit of neglect is abandonment. We forsake, or abandon ideals, practices, and customs, when we fail to recognize the importance of their influence.
There are several stages of abandonment. The first could be categorized as being unaware; the second, as failing to prioritize; and the third, is when we deem something as unimportant or unnecessary. The first two categories could be attributed to ignorance and immaturity; but the third is a result of personal judgement. All three categories are detrimental to our faith, but the third stage is indicative of a spirit that has taken root in our heart.
When a parent abandons a child they are forsaking their responsibility as a parent, they are abandoning their responsibility for the life that they brought into the world. In this example abandonment is brought about by selfishness, immaturity, and irresponsibility.
Another expression of abandonment is found in the saying, abandon ship. If a ship has suffered catastrophic damage then the only hope of survival for the sailors is to abandon ship. In this context, the word abandon indicates maturity, good judgement, and sacrifice. There are situations in life where the choice to abandon ship is the correct decision. The judgement is determined by the situation.
There are certain responsibilities that should not be abandoned, they are responsibilities that bear the burden of life.
Fellowship
Paul, when speaking to the Greeks in Athens, made the following statement: (God) hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:26-28). The statement, feel after him, used to invoke the image in my mind of a long dark passageway, where you go forward hesitantly, testing each step, hands outstretched, feeling for any sign that indicates we are heading in the right direction. However, I have come to realize that illustration is not the correct image. Feel after him is tied to our feelings. The distance between us and God is determined by the condition of our heart. The tenderness of our heart is what allows God to draw near. He is not far from every one of us.
Our emotional depth and our emotional range determines our capability of feeling after God. Consequently, there is an eternal element that is a factor in all of our relationships. The people that we are closest to are responsible for developing our ability to feel. Our family, spouse, and friends help develop our emotional depth. All the varied experiences that we have in life, and the relationships that we have along our journey, help us to relate to God as a Father and to Jesus as a savior, a brother and a friend. Our depth of feeling helps God draw near to each of us. We are eternally connected and eternally indebted to each person that has helped us feel the expression of love, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, patience, goodness, long suffering, gentleness, meekness and kindness. The development of these feelings help us to know and understand the nature of God. In this context, we can see the eternal effect of fellowship.
Fellowship can be defined as a relationship that exists by sharing mutual ideals, interests, or activities. Paul, when writing to the church at Corinth explained, that when we prophesy, or when we share a thought that has fed our faith, we should: speak unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort (I. Cor. 14:3). Fellowship should build up our faith, encourage our faith, and comfort us in the struggle of keeping faith alive. Solomon wrote in the book of Proverbs, Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend (Pro. 27:17). Fellowship that edifies, exhorts and comforts sharpens our countenance.
We are all susceptible of becoming consumed with our own lives: our problems, our struggles, our thoughts, etc. Fellowship introduces a necessary opposition to I-centered living. Fellowship exposes us to other people’s problems, struggles, and thoughts. It gives us fresh perspectives. Fellowship creates circulation of thought, and circulation of thought encourages us to examine ourselves. Our responsibility is to examine both what we hear and what we think through the lens of sound doctrine. Fellowship sharpens our conscience and that helps keep us spiritually alive.
The Sower and the Seed
The parable of the sower and the seed is a useful illustration that explains how we need to nurture life. Jesus said: Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear (Mt.13:3-9).
Ignorance Loves Company
The seed that fell by the wayside, in the context of this discussion, could be categorized as ignorant abandonment. The soil is hard, it is impenetrable; consequently, the seed stays on the surface of the soil. The birds of the air do not have to work for their meal, they find the seed sitting on top of the soil, readily available for the taking.
Perhaps you have heard the saying, ignorance loves company. Solomon wrote a similar thought in a proverb that states, He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed (Prov. 13:20). The company that we keep is a reflection of our character. The wayside soil is an accurate description of those who have no interest in Truth or God. Every seed that is sown to awaken an awareness of Truth falls on an impenetrable heart and ear. Consequently, any passing thought or interest will swoop down and gobble up the seed. If we have chosen ignorance then our friends will dull our countenance, as opposed to sharpening it like iron sharpening iron.
Prioritize
When Jesus spoke about the thorny soil he described the thorns as the cares of life. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful (Mt. 13:22). Weeds work their way into a garden. To borrow a thought from Agatha Christi, “A weed is simply a plant growing in place where you do not want it to be.” The thorns in this parable do not represent something bad, they represent something necessary overtaking something essential. In this parable, the thorns are described as being overly focused on the cares of life, for example: our job, our responsibilities, or our families. If the cares of life consume all our thoughts then we neglect our soul. The result will be the “care” has become a thorn.
Weeds have to be pulled. They overtake the ground. They rob nutrients and block sunlight from the seeds that have been planted. We must prioritize in order to avoid this from happening. A priority is singular, everything else that follows are cares that we must address, but they are not the priority.
Fellowship with those who are submitted to the Spirit of Truth helps us to see the weeds that are creeping into our life. Fellowship also helps remove weeds from our life, whether it is by example or by a word spoken, fellowship uproots weeds.
In the book of Malachi we read: Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him (Mal. 3:16-17). Every generation needs fellowship. It keeps us accountable, it encourages us in our purpose, it feeds our faith, and as we see through this particular scripture, it is noticed by God. We must remain aware of the thorns that can overtake us.
Unwillingness
The stony soil reveals itself when faith begins to grow in our heart. The seed falls into the ground and a new life emerges. The new life begins extending its roots downward and the stem upward. As life grows it requires more space. The stones are not on the surface, they are in the deeper part of the heart. As the roots continue to extend downward they feel themselves coming on top of something that they cannot penetrate.
Jesus explained: But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended (Mt. 13:20-21). The root withers and dies when it cannot receive the nutrients necessary to sustain life. Stones do not supply nutrients.
One plausible explanation for stones is that they represent unwillingness. When this new life begins to grow it begins to demand more space, and this life requires that we feed it. The task of feeding life presents us with another series of choices. These choices boil down to one simple question: Am I willing for this? If we are willing then we remove these metaphorical stones from our heart. The more this new life grows the more often we will be faced with the question: Am I still willing?
Jesus spoke of tribulation and persecution. Tribulation implies personal struggles that are tied to sheltering and nurturing this new life. Persecution implies outside forces that are ridiculing, or even worse, actively working against our personal efforts to shelter this life of faith. Perhaps we can safely make the comparison that tribulation is dealing with the stones that are in our heart, and persecution is dealing with the stones that are thrown at us. Fellowship is what encourages us to keep dealing with the stones.
I have often appreciated the lesson drawn from going by fields that have stone fences. The stone fences are built from stones taken from the field. The farmers have removed something that prevented healthy growth and then they used it to define the boundaries of their property. A stone wall makes a strong fence. Every time the farmer would look at the fence he would be reminded of all the effort it took to remove the stones, and all the effort it took to build the fence.
Fences serve to keep things out, as well as, keeping something within sheltered. In the context of the seed of Truth and our heart, which is the field, stone fences are necessary. Each stone in the fence will remind us of the effort it took to remove it from our heart. Each stone will remind us that we are choosing to labor for this new life.
When persecution arises, not if but when, the best scenario is that the stone thrown hits the fence and we can say, I have already dealt with that. If the stone of persecution makes it over the fence, then we, by effort, must deal with it. Pick it up, remove it from the field, and add it to the fence. The next time that type of stone is thrown, it will hit the fence.
Historically, stone fences were built by many hands. Family, friends, neighbors, and employees would help the farmer work the field, remove the stones, and place them on the boundary of the property. That is fellowship. That is one way that we can fulfill one of the two commandments given to us by Jesus, Love your neighbor as yourself. We can help our brothers and sisters build their stone fences.
Conclusion
Paul, in his letter to the Hebrews, wrote: 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 (Heb. 10:23-25). Paul worded it as being considerate of one another. Another way we could say that is, think about others, feed and encourage their faith. That is the core purpose of fellowship, and it is what helps each of us to hold fast to our profession of faith.
Fellowship has an eternal effect. We are connected and indebted to those who sharpen our countenance, to those who develop our emotional depth. Fellowship enables us to know the depth of Truth and the depth of feeling that God has for each of us. Fellowship is something that we should neither abandon nor neglect.