In the first two chapters of 1 Peter we find seven important reasons to read and study God’s word. You will: follow the example of the Old Testament prophets (1:10-11), enter into the ministry of the apostles who preached Christ first (1:12), be encouraged to pursue holiness (1:15-16), be stirred up to love your brothers and sisters in Christ (1:22), gain and appreciation for your eternal salvation (1:23-25), grow in the grace of God (2:1-3), and come to appreciate Christ as the foundation of his spiritual house, the church (2:4-8). Those are all good reasons to read the Bible for yourself, but they do not really explain why it is a good idea to read the Bible in company with the rest of the congregation.
This week we have been reading in the book of Hebrews, and yesterday morning we read this: “And let us think about how to stir one another up to love and good works, not abandoning our meeting together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging each other, and by so much more as you see the day drawing near” (10:24-25). Now when we read these verses, especially verse 25, I think we often apply them to the subject of regular church attendance. Why should we gather with God’s people in the church? Because it says not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. This is certainly true, and it is a good reason to make the church gatherings a priority in your life and calendar. But there is more in view here than just church attendance, as important as that is for your spiritual health.
First of all, in v.24 the writer says, “let us think about.” This is the command we are to obey. In light of what Jesus Christ has done, offering himself up as the sacrifice for sin and making a way for us to enter the very presence of God the Father, we should think. This word think means literally “to direct one’s whole mind to an object.” This is something that will require intentional effort, planning, forethought, discipline, and determination.
And what exactly are we supposed to think about with such intensity and focus? The writer says “how to stir one another up to love and good works.” This is one of my favorite phrases in the NT, because the words “to stir…up” speak of contention, provocation, and irritation – three of the things I happen to be best at. But rather than stirring up strife and conflict, we are to think long and hard about how we can provoke others in the church body to show love and do good works. This implies that showing love and doing good works are not things that just happen, they are the fruit of forethought and purposeful action.
Now this is where the writer of Hebrews says that we must not forsake the assembly of the saints. And in light of the diligent thinking and careful planning that we are supposed to have done, it makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? Why would we neglect to meet with our brothers and sisters in Christ about whom we have been thinking and strategizing how to stir them up to show love and do good works? That would mean we had wasted all that effort and planning! No, we must not neglect the assembly, so that we may put into practice the things we have thought about and planned to do to and for each other.
And then the writer explains even further what this involves. He says that rather than neglecting the gathering, we are to encourage each other more and more as we grow closer to the day of Christ’s appearing. This word encourage means “to come alongside,” and you can’t do that without meeting together! It includes the ideas of giving comfort, pleading with, praying with and for, and advising or giving important counsel to one another.
This is where the Bible reading part comes into play. What are you going to say to your brothers and sisters in the church when we gather together throughout 2021 and beyond? How are you going to stir them up to show love when they have been hurt or offended and do not want to show love? How are you going to stir them up to show love to those who are really quite unlovely and who make things difficult? How are you going to stir them up to do good works when they are tired or frustrated or feel like a failure? How are you going to stir them up to do good works when they feel as though they have exhausted every spiritual resource? What will you say to them? What encouragement will you give?
How about sharing with them the word of God which you and they have been reading? When you and she have been reading the same texts each day, and you gather together, the word which God has laid on your heart will have already been in her mind and heart, laying the foundation for your own ministry of encouragement and spiritual provocation.
Could you still offer a word of exhortation and counsel if you were not reading the same texts? Of course. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But that doesn’t negate the convenience of having the same texts of Scripture in mind when you gather each week on Sunday for worship, or on Wednesday for prayer and Bible study, or even on Friday for a cup of coffee and some conversation. This may not be the only way for us to fulfill the commands of Hebrews 10:24-25, but I think it could help.
After all, if you are reading the Bible each day and thinking not just about how it applies to you but also about how you might use it to encourage your brother, knowing that he was reading the same passage that day, you might not wait until a church gathering to reach out with a word of exhortation. How great would it be if we all spent 2021 sharing words of encouragement and hope received as fruit of meditating on the word of God? This is one potential benefit of reading the Bible in tandem with the rest of the church.