NJR DIGITAL June 2023 MAGAZINE

FROM THE PASTOR'S DESK
A person can be a church member
without being a Christian, yet a
Christian cannot be a healthy,
growing, fruitful Christian without
active participation in a local church.
Hebrews 10:24-25 gives four biblical
reasons why Christian assembly is a
requirement for every follower of Jesus
Christ.
Hebrews 10:24–25 (ESV) And let us
consider how to stir up one another to
love and good works, not neglecting to
meet together,
as is the habit of some, but encouraging
one another, and all the more as you
see the Day drawing near.
The Epistle of Hebrews was written to a
group of at-risk Jewish Christians who
were tempted to turn away from Christ
because of severe persecution. The
anonymous author of Hebrews wrote
this letter to challenge them to
persevere in their faith. He does this by
emphasizing one word: BETTER.
He wants them to know that what they
have in the Lord Jesus Christ is better
than what they had in the religious
system of Judaism.
In Hebrews 10:19-21, the writer
summarizes the argument he has been
making since chapter three; Hebrews
10:19–21 (ESV) Therefore, brothers,
since we have confidence to enter the
holy places by the blood of Jesus,
by the new and living way that he
opened for us through the curtain, that
is, through his flesh, and since we have a
great priest over the house of God.
Then, on the basis of the Person and
Work of Christ, he calls the readers to
hold fast to Christ with three (3)
commands that begin with words “Let
us.”
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NJR DIGITAL MAGAZINE