Let's pick up where we left off last time—with our hope in God: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23). If you recall, that hope is made visible by the effect it has on your life and the effect it has on others through you. That effect is given in verse 24 and is what fellowship is all about. In fact, as I said, verse 24 defines koinonia: “Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.”
The word “consider” is hard to translate into English. “Let us consider…” is used one other time in Hebrews. In Hebrews 3:1, the writer says, “Consider Jesus.” In other words, look at Him; think about Him; focus on Him; study Him; let your mind be occupied with Him; get to know Him. “Jesus” is the direct object of the verb “consider.” Consider what? Consider Jesus!
In Hebrews 10:24 the grammar is the same: the direct object of the verb “consider” is “one another.” Literally, the text says, “Consider… one another,” just as most translations render it. Consider what? Consider one another! Look at your brother in Christ; think about him; focus on him; study him; let your mind be occupied with him; get to know him, and then you can be used by God to “stir up” in him “love and good works” (v. 24).
This is the only place in Hebrews where you will find the expression “one another” (vs. 24-25). We are to stir up each other in our walk of faith. It’s not a picture of a leader directing everyone else in what they are to do. We are all involved. We are all to “consider one another” and “to stir up love and good works” (v. 24) in each other.
This is what koinonia—dynamic, explosive fellowship—is all about; stimulating each other to love one another with the love of Christ and to do the good works “God prepared beforehand” for you to do (Eph. 2:10). Notice that this is not what you might expect. It is not: “consider how to love each other and do good deeds.” That would be Biblical and right. We should certainly do that, but this is different: “Consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24, NASB).
The focus is on helping others to become loving people. We are to stir up others to do good works. Of course, the implication is that if others need help and stirring, we do too! This kind of dynamic, explosive fellowship cuts both ways. We look for ways to stir up others, just as they look for ways to stir us up to love and good works. The aim of Christian fellowship isn’t just loving and doing good works, but helping to stir up others to love and good works.
Just as verse 24 gives the focus and aim of Christian fellowship, so verse 25 gives the “how to.” It explains how to go about living such a dynamic, explosive fellowship. It gives us very specific instructions: “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (v. 25). It gives two directions: First, do not neglect to gather together or assemble, and second, encourage one another.
As for the first instruction, to assemble refers to more than just coming to the worship service to hear the Word preached. That is an important part of this assembling together, but there is more to it than that. Note the second instruction, “encouraging one another.” In this context, the kind of assembling together in view seems to be one where the members are encouraging each other. The “one another” implies that there is something mutual going on. One is encouraging another and another is encouraging one. Get the picture? Everyone is doing or saying something that encourages.
As for the second instruction, “encouraging one another,” both the New Testament, and especially the book of Hebrews, calls us again and again to a kind of mutual ministry that involves all believers encouraging others. So we come together for worship and to hear the Word preached on Sunday mornings. We come together in Sunday school to be taught and to discuss the Word together. We come together on Sunday evenings to study the Word and to encourage each other. We come together on Wednesday nights to pray together. It was through prayer that Peter was rescued from his chains and restored to the fellowship (Acts 12:12).
The early church encouraged each other in love and they experienced a fellowship that was dynamic. They experienced an explosive fellowship. That is why every opportunity to join together in fellowship should be explored and taken advantage of. Fellowship meals are great for encouraging one another. Men’s breakfasts and women’s luncheons are also opportunities to encourage one another. The same is true for church Bible conferences and coming together for special holidays, such as a New Year’s Eve fellowship time and communion service.
Biblically, the key to encouraging others to love and good works is given in verse 23: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” The key to love in the New Testament—the kind of love that magnifies God and not man—is hope rooted in the faithfulness of God. Embrace your hope! Cherish your hope! God is faithful. He keeps his promises.
Without this kind of hope sustaining you day by day through all the disheartening frustrations and crushing disappointments, you would not have any strength, or energy, or joy to stir up anybody to love and good works. But if you bank on God, not yourself, if you hold fast your confession of hope in Him, you always have something encouraging and hope-giving to say—namely, that God can be trusted.
Take advantage of every opportunity. Be there for your fellow saints, and let God use you to stimulate them to love and good works. Be there for each other, and let God use you to encourage one another, “and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (v. 25b). Jesus is coming soon! Do not neglect the assembling together of the saints. Fellowship takes place in the assembly. God has called us to experience dynamic, explosive fellowship, which can only happen when we come together for all the right reasons. Amen.
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