Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Thursday, 3 July 2014 "Meeting together to encourage one another"

Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Thursday, 3 July 2014 "Meeting together to encourage one another"
Daily Scripture:  Hebrews 10:19 Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 and having a great priest over God’s house, 22 let’s draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and having our body washed with pure water, 23 let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering; for he who promised is faithful.
24 Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as you see the Day approaching.
Reflection Questions:
It was tough to be a Christian in the first-century Roman Empire, as it was for John Wesley, Methodism's founder, and the early Methodists. The early Christians needed each other's support and strength to stay spiritually on track. And Wesley echoed Hebrews in stressing the importance of living our faith in community—we are to encourage one another, "sparking love and good deeds."
We all need encouragement to keep us going at times. That's what the writer to the Hebrews had in mind: "let us consider each other carefully for the purpose of sparking love and good deeds" (verse 24). What factors in the world you live in make you want to seek out fellow Christians? When have you needed someone you trust to give you a boost in your life of faith? When have you done that for someone else?
"Let's draw near," in verse 22, was a common early Christian expression related to worship. That's why one of Resurrection's membership expectations is that you be in worship each week unless you are sick or out of town (and if you're ill or away, you can watch worship any weekday at www.rezonline.org). This isn't a burden, but a blessing. If someone asked you, "Give me one good reason for going to worship," what would you say?
Today's Prayer:
Lord, thank you for inviting me to draw near to you. And thank you for giving me the community of believers who can encourage and support me as we draw near to you together. Amen.
Insight from Stewart Curtright
Stewart Curtright provides oversight and leadership of Resurrection’s mission entry point ministries, including Backpacks for Hunger, Reach & Restore, FaithWork, and JOY in Serving.
I greatly prefer Christianity in isolation. After all, it is all about me and my understanding of God, creation, the human condition, what wrongs that need to be righted, etc…right? The only problem with this preference is that I have found no sanctification in isolation, just narcissistic gratification.
Hebrews 10:24 (“And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together…”) reinforces for me the necessity of the mutual support and accountability within the Christian community. I need that in order to have a faithful journey of knowing, loving and serving God…a sanctified life.
The biggest challenge for me are the Christians that are simply “provoking me.” If they would just mature in their faith a little bit I would probably enjoy being around them. Then again, if I were a little more mature in my faith they probably wouldn’t “provoke” me so much. Being a member and participant in the Christian community is not always easy. But a life lived without being provoked to love and good deeds ends up void of meaning and purpose. At the end of the day, I guess I truly desire Christian fellowship, because without it I miss out on so much of life’s mission or purpose.
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