Fall 1999
Forsake Not the Assembling of Ourselves Together
Tara Wentworth

Daniel 7:25 contains the phrase, "And he shall wear out the saints of the Most High." This relates to the times in which we presently live, the last days of this present age.

Many cultures have experienced extreme persecution due to their professed faith in the Lord. This “wearing out the saints” is not just the result of persecution, but a deliberate, steady attack on every area of our lives by which the enemy seeks to gradually wear us down until we no longer walk in the victory that is ours in Christ.

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering,
for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one
another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking
the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some,
but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see
the Day approaching." Heb 10:23-25.

From the birthing of the Church until now, meeting together has played a vital part in the spiritual growth of believers. Even under extreme persecution, believers have found ways to gather together to encourage one another in their faith.

Acts 2:42 lists four things which the early Church did that resulted in a strong growing body of believers. (1). Daily teaching, (2). Prayer, (3). Communion, and (4). Fellowship. These caused the new believers to become strong enough that when persecution and the subsequent dispersion came, the Gospel was launched into all the known world.

Many of us have become so occupied with business, recreation, and other interests, that our spirituality has suffered. Individual devotional time is a must. Yet this is not a substitute for the dynamic of our meeting together.

The Lord calls us a ”many membered body” for a reason. We need each other in order to function as an effective witness in the world. Offenses against others in the Church, as well as our busyness, have kept Christians from functioning as they should.

Jealousy, envy, strife, and competitiveness, have separated not only churches, but individuals within churches. This results in not only a poor witness to the world, but also the loss of the weaker members of the body. We need to learn from the elephants, who stand in a circle facing outward, with their young and weak in the center, protecting them from their enemies.

The "Day of the Lord" is fast approaching. The Word of God exhorts us to assemble ourselves together “so much the more” as we see this happening. Daily communion with other believers will encourage us and help us to stand strong against the attacks that weaken us.

Regularly meeting together for times of corporate worship, prayer, teaching, and fellowship will keep us from becoming overwhelmed by our circumstances, as we "stir up love and good works" in one another.