Hotspots: Hebrews 10:25 Part II

Hebrews 10:25
“and forsake not the assembly/gathering of yourselves together as is the habit of some...”

This may shock you, but Hebrews 10:25 does not talk about mandatory, weekly church attendance, but IF it did, here are some points to consider:

• It didn't say be sure to go to church every Sunday
• It didn't say be sure that you gather in a specially designed building
• It didn't say be sure to join an institution
• It didn't say gather in one place around a primary leader
• It didn't say make sure you hear a 1 hour sermon
• It didn't even say how often to meet

What it does imply:

• To draw near to God
• To experience forgiveness
• To help each other hold fast & not to waiver in our faith
• To spur each other on to love & good deeds
• To encourage each other

Note: These previous points were taken from the following website: (www.alternativechurch.wordpress.com)

People are the Church, the Ekklesia. The Ekklesia is not defined by, confined to or contained in physical buildings, it never was, never will be. The Ekklesia can assemble/gather anywhere, anytime.

Hebrews 10:25 does say meet regularly w/ other Believers for mutual encouragement but:

• it doesn't specify the day in which to meet
• it doesn't specify the frequency in which to meet
• it doesn't specify the manner in which to meet 

Remember, the Early Church met:

• every single day 
• house to house, not one specific house

It's funny how the same people who spout off about verse 25 in chapter 10 completely ignore verse 13 in chapter 3 = exhort one another daily.

So, here's a breakdown of what we have so far:

• there was a physical building where people used to “meet the Lord”, under a priest, assemble/gather together, etc
• at Jesus' crucifixion, the veil was rent in two = access for all, not just the priests
• we are all priests now
• Jesus said there would be an end to location-based worship
• the Early Church met in both the temple courts & in homes (house to house)
• the Early Church met every day 

Most of Jesus' teaching & ministry was in the community, outside of any building. It's basically the complete opposite of that now. For most people, “ministry” takes place:

• inside a certain building
• on a certain day & time
• in a structured format
• under a priest or pastor

Questions:

• Do you attend a weekly meeting/gathering/assembly for the joy of community or out of a sense of religious obligation?
• How can anyone uphold one verse (Heb 10:25) & completely disregard another (Heb 3:13) in the same letter?

In no way, shape or form can verse 25 mean or imply mandatory weekly Church attendance; in fact the word Church or Ekklesia is not found in that verse at all; it's only found twice in the Book of Hebrews (2:12, 12:23). To clarify once again, I'm all for Believers getting together & not isolating themselves for extended periods of time.

Continued in Part III...