FORSAKING  THE  ASSEMBLY

Someone recently chided me for having a substitute "church service", called by me a fellowship/gathering/assembly, they went on to say that I was missing what the Lord had in mind when the Hebrew writer penned Heb. 10:24-25...."And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works; not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the manner of some". In the minds of many, there is a separation between two portions of this verse, but in my mind the two parts are integral in that the reason for our assembling together is, "to provoke unto love and good works", not easy to achieve in the formalistic and cold ritualistic manner in which our modern church services are held. Where participation is limited and discouraged by the format of the meeting, everything is to be done by the numbers, by the old clock on the wall. The attitude of most leaders of the public church function is, "If you don't like the way we do things around here, you go somewhere else." As though edification of the body of Christ can only be accomplished their way. Also with reference to this passage, this is the only N.T. admonition to assemble together....Surely the Apostles missed the mark by not putting more instructions in their letters concerning together action. Some ridicule you, if you miss one of these appointed times to come to the Church House for some more doctrine, peculiar to their own denomination. Souls!  Not buildings, not traditions and rituals are of any concern to our Father in Heaven, but each and every sheep in His flock. It is damaging for our youth growing up in these institutions to see all the hypocrisy and emptiness in "keeping the letter of the law", so to speak, but neglecting the spirit behind that law! Either fortunately, or unfortunately, as the case may be, the youth of today see through our cold formal memorized prayers and rigid agendas that have little or no feeling. They are looking for something that's real, vital, and meaningful to put their energies into. What a shame as well as a crime for Gods' most effective functioning unit, the individual, to be lost and even ignored in the institutionalization of Christians. We are nothing but slaves to a task master that has the propagation of itself as the main goal in life...  ie...more members and more money!

Did Christ die for the spectator-sport which we attend today. Is it any wonder that the youth, even so seemingly enjoy the fun, food and frolic of the lite-diet of softball, basketball, ping pong, and all the trappings of Churchanity to keep their interest in the "Church", little emphasis is on the Christ! What ever you dangle before the lost to win them to the Lord, you will have to keep it up in order to keep their interest. Why don't we just offer people Christ, nothing more and nothing less, and when they come to Him, they are hooked on the only thing that is worth living and dying for; JESUS, Gods' anointed savior for all mankind.

Yours for Truth and Freedom.....Horace Hooper