When The Saints Get Together

Eastford Baptist Church
January 11, 2007

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

(Heb. 10:23-25)

Regular church attendance seems to be quite a struggle for many people. We’ve all heard some “whoppers” when it comes to excuses for not attending worship service. Some of them just defy logic. If we took the same excuses that people use for not going to church and apply them to other important areas of life we'd realize how inconsistent we can be in our thinking. For example, consider these Reasons not to bathe any longer:

1. I was forced to bathe as a child, and it turned me against wanting to be clean in my adult years.
2. I can’t take the time to bathe - I have to work on the weekends!
3. People who make soap are only after your money.
4. I take a bath on special occasions - like Christmas and Easter.
5. People who wash are hypocrites - they think they are cleaner than everyone else.
6. There are so many different kinds of soap, I just can't decide which one is best – so I don’t wash at all.
7. I used to bathe, but it got so boring that I fell asleep - so I stopped washing.
8. None of my friends bathe anymore.
9. Taking a bath never really made much of a difference in my life.
10. The bathroom is never warm enough in the winter or cool enough in the summer.
11. I'll start bathing when I get older and dirtier. As long as I get a bath before I die, I’ll be fine.
12. I think it’s wise to let my children decide for themselves whether they want to bathe or not. I don’t want to force my ideas about cleanliness upon
them.
13. I can’t take a bath on Sunday – that’s my day off!
14. I lost interest in bathing after I saw a person take a bath on Sunday but later that week he went out and got dirty again. If he was genuinely committed to cleanliness, he’d stay clean.
15. My parents bathe religiously – maybe it’s something that’s important to them but I just don’t see the need for it in my life.
16. You don’t have to go to a bathroom to take a bath – there’s plenty of ways to wash off outside.
17. The last time I bathed, the radio was playing music I didn’t like, so I stopped washing.
18. Someone sprinkled me with water when I was child – that’s clean enough for
me!
19. I think it’s great that my wife and children bathe – but I don’t feel the need for it in my life right now.
(And here’s my favorite)
20. I’ll start taking a bath after I clean myself up.

I guess the list could go on but I’m sure you get the idea. While many have a tendency to rationalize their lack of regular attendance with a local body of believers, the author of the book of Hebrews makes it clear that regular attendance is high on God’s priority list. “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing.” One of the devil’s strategies is to isolate people so they will not experience what God has planned for His church when it gathers together. When the saints get together there is something special that happens that just can’t be experienced anywhere else. In worship together there is a celebration of the faithfulness of our Heavenly Father. We hear what is happening in each of our lives. And as we pray for one another and see the answers to those prayers, we are reminded that the Shepherd of our souls is so much more than faithful. When the saints get together, we hear truth as God’s Word is presented and it reminds and teaches us that “He is faithful to all He has promised.” (Psalm 145:13) When the saints get together, we are reminded of the hope we profess and possess.

The verse above says the saints are to “hang on to that hope.” As you once again see the faithfulness and power and wisdom of God, hopeless situations are turned into anticipated miracles. There is no such thing as a hopeless person or a hopeless situation when the saints get together. When the saints get together, there is a spiritual encouragement that takes place, which the world can’t duplicate. We see each other as brothers and sisters drawn together in one family. We have opportunity to serve one another and encourage one another and meet the needs in each other’s lives. And best of all, when the saints get together, there is the very presence of Christ Himself. “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” (Matt. 18:20) When the saints get together, we are reminded of His radiant beauty and matchless glory – and his amazing ability to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7) No matter how many times we wash the outside, only the blood of Jesus can cleanse that which soap and water can’t touch – the sin-stained soul. And when it comes time for judgment, no excuse will stand when our Heavenly Father asks why you did not chose to bathe in the forgiveness of His love.
I encourage you to make getting together with the saints a non-negotiable part of your weekly schedule. It might take a little effort and a little discipline, but you’ll always find that it’s worth it when the saints get together.

Looking forward to the gathering of the saints this Sunday,
PT