24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
In the first century, going to church was dangerous. Persecution was increasing, and the Jewish believers were tempted to return to the synagogue and reject Jesus. It seems that many of the lukewarm Christians began to skip church, possibly for fear of being associated with the offensive gospel. The author of the letter denounced that practice and we do today. People need community and followers of Christ have a great opportunity to display the great community we share.
Today with social distancing however, we are not meeting together physically at all, by executive order. How can we be obedient to Scripture and maintain community? When the Apostle Paul was in prison, he could not meet together with the churches, but he could encourage them. He wrote letters to the church in Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae, and to Philemon, in whose home the Colossian church met. He used state of the art technology, papyrus, pen and ink, to encourage the believers even when chained to a wall.
We are not chained to a wall. We are in our homes with our state of the art technology, phones, computers, social media etc. We have the opportunity to be a community while in isolation. Our Prayer Outreach Team is praying for people in the community who send requests through Facebook and Instagram as we ask, “How can we pray for you?”. You can call, text, or email each other, asking how you can pray for each other. You can encourage each other, as Paul encouraged Timothy with his last letter that, even though we may feel alone, we are never alone. Jesus said so in Matthew 28:20.
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
God Bless,
Pastor Brad