(The following is the October 26 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read Hebrews 10 and pay close attention to verses 19-25.)

Throughout the Old and New Testaments, God expects believers to have a personal faith in God that they live out within a broader faith community. The author of Hebrews reminded recipients of the need to be together: “Let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching” (vv. 24-25).
The church, as the body of Christ, needs all the parts present. We aren’t physically with one another all the time, nor should we be. Still, if we neglect our role in regularly being together with the church, we harm the rest of the body. Our self-amputation from the faith community prevents the church from being what God intends.
One of the consequences of the multi-year COVID pandemic that began in 2020, where many churches ceased in-person gatherings for long periods, was the disappearance of church members from regular attendance even after the pandemic threat was minimal and churches reopened. A Lifeway Research survey in April 2022 revealed that “since the start of the pandemic, the percentage of Christians who say they attend church monthly has dropped seven percentage points: 64% to 57%.” * A March 2022 Pew Research study found that “the average church reported attendance at 74% of their pre-COVID levels.” **
We can’t “watch out for one another to provoke love and good works” if we neglect “to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing.” Commit to being with the saints of God regularly in worship, fellowship, and service. We need each other, and God commands it for his glory and our good.
Next Step:
Do you gather weekly with believers in the church? If not, please return to the practice if you are physically able. Do you know others absent from church gatherings you can encourage to attend?
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* Aaron Earls, “Some Previous Churchgoers Are Still Missing Post-COVID,” Lifeway Research, June 3, 2022, https://research.lifeway.com/2022/06/03/some-previous-churchgoers-are-still-missing-post-covid.
** Ibid.
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