# Hebrews 10:25



## Scott Bushey (Oct 31, 2004)

Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is;..........

Chapter XXVI.
Of the Communion of the Saints. 

I. All saints, that are united to Jesus Christ their Head by His Spirit and by faith, have fellowship with Him in His grace, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glorya) and, being united to one another in love, they have communion in each other's gifts and graces,(b) and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man.(c)

(a) John 1:3; Eph. 3:16, 17, 18, 19; John 1:16; Eph. 2:5, 6; Phil. 3:10; Rom. 6:5, 6; II Tim. 2:12.
(b) Eph. 4:15, 16; I Cor. 12:7; I Cor. 3:21, 22, 23; Col. 2:19.
(c) I Thess. 5:11, 14; Rom. 1:11, 12, 14; I John 3:16, 17, 18; Gal. 6:10.

II. Saints by profession are bound to maintain a holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God; and in performing such other spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification;(d) as also in relieving each other in outward things, according to their several abilities, and necessities. Which communion, as God offereth opportunity, is to be extended unto all those who, in every place, call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.(e)

How do you interpret this passage in regards to your church and it's 'gathering' together. When would you feel as if you are breaking this doctrine officially? In other words, outside of the normal Lords day gathering, if additionally your church gathers for Lords day Sunday school, do you feel as if you are obligated to be there under the pretense of this passage? Monthly church community forum? Prayer meeting? Evening service?




[Edited on 10-31-2004 by Scott Bushey]


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## Puritan Sailor (Oct 31, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Scott Bushey_
> How do you interpret this passage in regards to your church and it's 'gathering' together. When would you feel as if you are breaking this doctrine officially? In other words, outside of the normal Lords day gathering, if additionally your church gathers for Lords day Sunday school, do you feel as if you are obligated to be there under the pretense of this passage? Monthly church community forum? Prayer meeting? Evening service?


Obligated? Perhaps not. Highly Recommended (i.e. the way it is for military functions  ) Yes. We live in a trying and hostile world. We need to take every advantage of edifying fellowship that we can. I know I feel worn down alot more when I haven't spent more time with the people of God throughout the week.


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## Scott Bushey (Oct 31, 2004)

Pat,
Let me clearify; _obligated_ in that if you are not 'assembling', you are sinning.


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## Me Died Blue (Oct 31, 2004)

It's also interesting to note how section II uses the word "bound," and definitely speaks of things that would be outside the worship service. The question is, can those additions be supported from Hebrews 10:25 as being "binding" in addition to the worship service?

[Edited on 31-10-2004 by Me Died Blue]


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## Craig (Oct 31, 2004)

I would say that forsaking worship on the Lord's Day would be sin. I am not sure about evening worship, but I think it might apply then too as that is the Lord's Day.

Anything beyond that isn't binding, though getting together with believers at other times should be recommended and the avoidance of it should be frowned upon.


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## ChristianasJourney (Oct 31, 2004)

Must the "assembling of ourselves" only occur as a church body, or can/does it also include meeting with likeminded believers in the normal course of our social lives? Like for dinner, dessert, fellowship, etc.?


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## Scott Bushey (Oct 31, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Craig_
> I would say that forsaking worship on the Lord's Day would be sin. I am not sure about evening worship, but I think it might apply then too as that is the Lord's Day.
> 
> Anything beyond that isn't binding, though getting together with believers at other times should be recommended and the avoidance of it should be frowned upon.



Craig,
If it is sin to miss the morning Lords day service, why would it not be sin to miss the evening. If a person missed the morning service because of providential hinderence, and assuming he was not providentially hindered to attend the evening service, would it be sin for him to forsake the evening gathering?


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## Scott Bushey (Oct 31, 2004)

> _Originally posted by ChristianasJourney_
> Must the "assembling of ourselves" only occur as a church body, or can/does it also include meeting with likeminded believers in the normal course of our social lives? Like for dinner, dessert, fellowship, etc.?



Janice,
The issue is whether or not the _forsaking_ is sin, and what can be considered as 'assembling'.


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## Me Died Blue (Oct 31, 2004)

Well, the Confession speaks of "communion in each other's gifts and graces, and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private," which certainly seems to point toward fellowship outside the worship service. Furthermore, it speaks of "holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God; and in performing such other spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification," distinguishing the latter from "communion in the worship of God," which seems to point to the same interpretation.


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## Craig (Oct 31, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Scott_
> Craig,
> If it is sin to miss the morning Lords day service, why would it not be sin to miss the evening.


That's what I'm trying to think through. I know in the old covenant believers assembled in the morning and the evening...I'm just trying to think if that was part of new covenant worship. As it is, I would tend to think forsaking evening worship is sin, especially if one was unable for some Providential reason to meet during morning worship.

But, here's another issue: Let's assume it is sin to forsake evening worship...what about churches that don't offer evening worship, or decide to cancel it during the summers? If it's sin to forsake that, then it must be sin to not offer it.

[Edited on 31-10-2004 by Craig]


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## fredtgreco (Oct 31, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Craig_
> 
> 
> > _Originally posted by Scott_
> ...



I don't think it is sin for a Church to not offer an evening service. That is left to the wisdom of the Session, as long as God's people do corporately gather for worship on the Lord's Day. It is there that the means of grace are found.

But I do think that it is sin to abandon an instituted corporate worship service. That is why we must be careful of non-regulative worship services (such as Christmas), because they bind the consciences of men where the Bible does not. We must remember that there are all knds of sins that we commit that do not immediately merit discipline - else we would always be under discipline for something. So with this issue, the Church must balance pastoral exhortation with discipline.


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## Scott Bushey (Oct 31, 2004)

Fred,
So then, should the evening service be compulsory?


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## fredtgreco (Oct 31, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Scott Bushey_
> Fred,
> So then, should the evening service be compulsory?



Yes. I can see the obvious problem - average attendance is abominably low. One of the most refreshing things about our church in Clinton is that the evening attendance is excellent - maybe 75% of morning attendance.

This is a classic example of having to balance instruction, exhortation and discipline.


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## Scott Bushey (Oct 31, 2004)

How do you support this scripturally? The passage does not mention frequency.


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## Craig (Oct 31, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Fred_
> But I do think that it is sin to abandon an instituted corporate worship service. That is why we must be careful of non-regulative worship services


Instituted by whom? Scripture, or the session? If a church has freedom to not have an evening service, then isn't the Christian's conscience not bound in regards to attending? That's what I'm trying to figure out. Either/Or scenarios aren't my favorite, but I think that's what this comes down to: either evening worship is something taught by Scripture, and is binding, or it's a good thing to have, but not necessarily binding...I think, at least.

[Edited on 31-10-2004 by Craig]


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## Craig (Oct 31, 2004)

On that note, my wife and I are off for evening worship!


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## fredtgreco (Oct 31, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Scott Bushey_
> How do you support this scripturally? The passage does not mention frequency.



No, it does not mention frequency. BUt it does say not to forsake the assembling of the saints. The saints assemble as a corporate group when the church assembles. When does the church assemble? When they are called together to corporate worship by their officers, who act in Christ's stead.

If a church wants the evening service to be optional, they can do that by not having a called corporate worship service (i.e. a Bible study).


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## Howard (Oct 31, 2004)

How would Moses explain the suspension of the evening sacrifice??


From A.W. Pink's Gleaning in Exodus: 'Nor should sight of the practical teaching for our own souls in this morning and evening continual burnt-offering. God would encourage us to renew in our affections continually the terms on which He is with us. He would have every day to begin and end with a fresh sense of being with God and having God with us, in the sweet odor and acceptance of Christ.'

Exodus 29:42 'This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.'


Unfortunately, my local Church has suspended evening service due to lack of support and I see it as a huge hurdle in trying to reinstitute it.

Fred has hit it right: balanced instruction, exhortation, and discipline.


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## Scott Bushey (Oct 31, 2004)

'Forsaking' would mean a consistant turning away from that assembling. I don't see how one could bind the conscience in regards to an evening service if the member was consistantly meeting the assembling on the morn.


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