Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, according as the custom of some is, but entreating, and so much rather as you are observing the day drawing near
To the Hebrews 10; 25, Concordant New Testament
Back in my church days, it was assumed that your place should be in that church each and every Sunday. If you were to miss a week of services, people would wonder why. Most of the people I encountered were good intentioned and honestly wanted to know if you were doing ok. They would ask if you needed prayer for whatever it was that had kept you from the gathering. I always appreciated that. But, on those occasions where someone would miss more than one Sunday, that was often an issue which needed to be dealt with. For this, the church would often call in the whipper snappers to attempt to bring you back to the flock. The whipper snappers were usually those who had been in the congregation for some time and were well known and respected. Sometimes they were retired members who were serving the congregation, while other times members of the pastoral team were assigned to crack that whip. In those times where I was absent from the gathering for an extended time, I could often expect to get a call from one or more of these whipper snappers whose job it was to bring the lost sheep back into the fold. After all, wasn't it the duty of the congregation to gather each and every Sunday no matter what? I would often wonder if the pastoral staff would receive calls from the whipper snappers whenever they would venture off on vacation. Or, was it just those in the congregation who were seemingly going astray who the whipper snappers would focus on? One poll revealed that in the last 25 years around 40 million Americans have forsaken the gathering of one church or another. That's a lot of calls for the whipper snappers to make isn't it? Of course, it's no secret that church attendance has taken a nose dive in the past few years, myself included. Funny thing, after a short while being absent from the church I had attended for so many years, I stopped getting calls from the whipper snappers altogether. Did they consider me one of the lost sheep?
I must admit that even I was recruited a few times to join the ranks of the whipper snappers. I would be tasked with contacting one or more members whom I was familiar with in order to see if they were doing ok. These welfare checks often ended with the other party assuring me that everything was good and that they would soon be back among the ranks of the gathering. Honestly, it was never my intention to be overbearing or snoopy, I was simply adhering to the suggestions of the whipper snappers to check in on those who may have wandered from the flock. But, is this one of the contributing reasons why so many people have been leaving the mainstream church? I would think so. Those within the church all too often recite that passage found in Hebrews which speaks to "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves {To the Hebrews 10:25}. Therefore, many are told that the assembling of the congregation is pretty much of a requirement within Christianity. But the context of this passage tells a different story altogether. See, back in the time in which it was written, those who followed Jesus were often persecuted by the governing Roman authorities. There were many who, in order to avoid this persecution, would refrain from being seen gathering among those associated with the Christians of the day. Therefore, the author of Hebrews encouraged these followers of Jesus not to fear the persecution, but to continue to gather in His name. Are those who are refraining from gathering today fearing persecution? Or, are they simply seeking something which they're not finding within the church? In my case, it was more along the lines of my search to know Jesus more intimately in my life. The words Jesus spoke to those seeking that same thing continue to resonate with us today, come and see {Johns Account 1:39-41}. For those seeking a relationship with Jesus, there will be no follow up calls from church whipper snappers, but His invitation to all to come and see.
He is saying to them, "Come and see." They came, then, and perceive where He is remaining, and they remain with Him that day. It was about the tenth hour
Johns Account 1: 39-41, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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