The End is Near
(No. 6 in Series)
Some scholars demonstrate a connection in Heb 10:24-25
between the gathering of God’s people now (the church) and the gathering on the
Last Day when Christ returns. The point
may be made based on that connection that, “Those who habitually abandon this
assembly when it is gathered for worship risk exclusion from the community of
the faithful, and thus forfeiture of the ultimate salvation that Christ
provides for his own” (Cockerill, 480).
In simple words, if you are not willing to stand with the church now, will
you stand with the church on the Last Day?
If you will not completely identify with the people of God now, will you
be identified with the saved in the end?
You see, a church sways toward spiritual defeat under the
various pressures of the culture when its members withdraw from one another. Especially in a time of testing, as we are
just now beginning to experience in our own country, we must deepen and
strengthen our Christian fellowship and bond.
This same risk of spiritual defeat, of course, also applies to
individual Christians. If we are going
to stand strong in the faith as individuals, as families, and as churches, then
we are going to need to be equipped, trained, encouraged, and armed for
spiritual warfare. It is the church
community that will provide these necessities for the Christian life. We need one another. We need to teach one another, hold one
another accountable, encourage one another, love one another, support one
another, and so much more. We need to be
together.
The goal is to make it to the finish line. The prize is to receive the fullness of all
the promises that we have in Christ, to receive our eternal inheritance. We must “see” with the “eyes of faith” the
quickly-approaching return of Christ.
This age and your life here will not last forever. Let us hold fast our hope with unswerving
loyalty to Jesus Christ as we see His day drawing near. Considering one another, provoking one
another to loving works, not abandoning the church, and exhorting one another
will all go a long way toward getting us to the finish line. Christ is coming, and we want to be ready.