| Yesterday Afternoon's Bible Study |
"Every week, people and churches around the world gather together in rooms, buildings, storefronts, and many other places, for the opportunity to have fellowship together. We gather as people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures, and histories to join together with one purpose, and that is to collectively worship the one true God of the universe.
Part of that time is spent in worship through song and the ministry of God's Word. The writer of Hebrews tells us that we should also exhort one another as well.
Exhorting, which means to encourage one another, was extremely important to the first-century church. They not only faced extreme persecution for their beliefs but often were shunned by family and friends who did not share their beliefs.
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Because many believers we read about in the Bible came from other religions or beliefs of the time and area, they often worshiped in private and bravely sought out other believers who shared in their new faith in Christ.
Today, the call to encourage each other is no less important than it was in New Testament times. And though most of us don't face the type of persecution as people did in the first century, for Christians in the 21st century, encouraging others is just as important as sharing our faith.
The Church is called to encourage in faith and life, and it all begins with us.
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