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.  – Hebrews 10:25

Some medical equipment uses radioactive elements to diagnose problems in the human body, but the short half-life of the elements means that the machine that makes them and the patient under observation must be in close proximity to one another. Commentator Louis H. Evans, Jr. made this analogy with the believer and worship: “Worship is the event in which we become radioactive for God. When we are not in the collective worship with God’s people, we have missed an exposure to God and, having missed it, we lose our radiance.” 

The writer of Hebrews exhorts believers not to neglect meeting together. Drawn together in love around the person of Christ, this community helps to strengthen the faith of each member. It is there to encourage one another to be steadfast in the faith, to watch over each other and to persevere in difficult times, and to warn of sin and the danger of falling away. Commentator Warren Wiersbe states that the emphasis “is not on what a believer gets from the assembly, but rather on what he can contribute to the
assembly.” Faithfulness in attendance is an encouragement in itself. 

God’s people need each other and also need to be in fellowship with each other. As the pressures of life in this world increase, followers of Christ will need to stand together more and more. The strength of the love of God radiates through caring interactions with fellow believers. Pray for this nation, and for the body of Christ to encourage legislators in faith and hope in the Lord Jesus.