Hebrews 10:24-25
24-and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds 25-,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.
There is a growing trend of professing Christians who are leaving churches for one reason or another. Some with very good reasons, false doctrine, lack of leadership, lack of church discipline etc. Some, for physical reasons can not attend a local congregation.
But, there are some who simply say, I CHOOSE not to go to church or assemble with the saints any longer. They say it is a privilege to go to church and not a command.
Well, it is a privilege afforded to us by God. To that I say amen! But is it a command? I mean if you COMMAND me to do something won't I just resent it? NO!
As a Christian there is something to be said for being OBEDIENT to Gods commands in scripture. We are obedient to God because we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to love God.
1 John 5:1-4
(1)Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.(2) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments(3)For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments and His commandments are not burdensome.(4) For whatever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith.
Some would look at the verses in Hebrews 10:25 as simply a suggestion by God. Is that what it really is, just a suggestion? There is something really wrong under the hood of the professing Christian who looks at these verses just simply as a suggestion. As if they know what is best for them and not God. If a person has a problem submitting to the CLEAR teaching of God's word then something is seriously amiss.
This is not a cookies on the top shelf theological issue. It only becomes problematic when an individual tries to explain it away.
It pains me to no end when we see someone like Harold Camping and the like, try and persuade people to forsake the assembly of the saints. What is even worse is to see the success rate they have. I will admit that the state of what we call evangelicalism has been under attack by the enemy since the beginning of the New Testament Church. Satan has been trying since Adam and Eve to divide the husband and the bride. So now he is trying to divide Christ from his bride the church. Which in God's sovereign plan he is allowing to happen.
Anyone who tells or encourages someone to depart from the visible Church, or you do not need to assemble together with other believers is against scripture.
They are teaching things that are false. They are false teachers plain and simple.
