by Steven Chan
The Bible encourages to hold fast to our hope with our wavering because God is faithful and He will fulfil His promise:
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 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)
The above exhortation is necessary because many have fallen along the way and have given up their hope. What is that hope? The “hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began…looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” ((Titus 1:2; 2:13). Paul said that “I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust”(Acts 24:15). This is the “one hope of your calling” (Eph 4:4).
Brethren, because of this hope, we are to be actively exhorting or encouraging one another to stir up one another unto love and good works. The Bible says that one form of encouragement requires us not to forsake our assembling together so that we have opportunities to consider one another – in other words, spend time and effort to think of one another – how we may stir up one another for love and good works. Not stir up one another unto anger and strife but unto love and good works.
The assembling of ourselves together is not restricted to just Sunday morning worship hour but whenever we have agreed to be assembled together. In Klang, we have agreed to assemble together on Friday nights and Sunday mornings – and so, it would be discouraging and we would be in violation of the exhortation of Heb 10:24-25 when we neglect our attendance on such occasions. We agreed to assemble together on these days because we wish to “consider one another during these times, to stimulate unto love and good work”.
Brethren, let us hold fast the confession of our hope and exhort one anther DAILY or CONTINUALLY– the Bible warns us:
“Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end”( Heb 3:12-15).
Are you consciously encouraging someone today?
