Meeting together

Hebrews 10:24-25 - "...let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some..."

We probably tend to hear this verse as a call to church attendance. It may be that, in part, but these comments from authors Hugh Halter and Matt Smay can be instructive, too.

"Church gatherings were never the intended goal; they were the natural result of people finding others who were living their alternative Kingdom story. The goal of our missional life is not to grow churches. The goal of church is to grow missionaries. The goal of the gospel is not to get people to church. The result of the gospel is that people will find each other and gather because of the deep meaning of a common experience."

They go on to note that, while Heb.10:24-25 is a direct encouragement for people to gather, that wasn't a plea for people to get out of bed on Sunday mornings and "go to church." Rather, "it was an encouragement for early Christians who feared for their lives... It was a plea for people to defy their fears and draw together with others who were living life in the margins of society, who were on a common mission, and who were in desperate need of being encouraged by the stories of others whose lives were in peril because of the gospel. People were naturally dispersed because of mission, and the gathering was their way to hear the faithful stories of others."
-- Halter and Smay, The Tangible Kingdom, Jossey-Bass, 2008.