Christian Living

Forsaking the Assembling

by paul hoffmaster
07/22/25
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One of the most misunderstood Scriptures among Christians is Hebrews 10:25.  It is basically the public cry of every pastor to fill their building with the physical and financial commitment of the people.  Their “holy mount” is where they summon people to come and worship through praise and adoration.  It is in the building where people spend between 60 and 90 minutes a week in religious exercises.  God is not as interested in a structured ceremony as He is in seeing one’s obedience outside the confines of the building.   Just because one “punches” his religious time card every Sunday does not mean he has fulfilled his weekly worship experience.  Worship is a constant act of adoration that is exhibited through physical and mental actions. 

The writer of Hebrews instructs people to come together to exhort one another, to “stir up love and good works.”  He urges people to assemble not just for one day, but daily as a means of encouraging one another as the challenges of life present themselves.  Pastors want to fill their building, while God wants to fill the streets with the Gospel message.  People sit in lined rows facing the shepherd as he shares a brief soliloquy to soothe the ears of the sheep.  Sadly, some pastors stand on an elevated platform, teaching once a week instead of being a living example the rest of the week.  When people become isolated from one another, they become vulnerable to the world's enticements.  When sheep become separated from the flock, they become easy prey to wild animals.  When Christians separate themselves from other Believers, they are susceptible to worldly enticements.  Just showing up in a building once a week and then failing to stay engaged with others the rest of the week opens one’s vulnerability to Satan’s attacks.

When the Scriptures state that Christians are not to forsake the assembling of themselves together (Hebrews 10:25), it is a call for daily involvement with each other.  If one looks at this Scripture as a passport to church attendance, he has missed the intent of that verse.  Many pastors use the passage in Hebrews as a guilt device to get people to attend regularly and faithfully.  It is stressed that if one fails to attend regularly, he is in violation of the Word.

I do not believe that the Scriptures intended to promote “holy hills” as the places to worship.  There were limited venues where large groups of Believers could assemble.  The Church was to be everywhere: homes, marketplaces, fields, anyplace where two or three could gather to worship and encourage each other.

Instead of building multimillion-dollar structures to accommodate a brief occupancy once a week, why not use the “Greenbacks” to help those in financial need?   God would rather see built-up Christians than built-up structures.  The church seems to be more introverted than extroverted.  The spiritual leadership seems more concerned with getting people into the building than commissioning Believers to go out.  We need Pastors/Teachers to guide people on their journey of Faith, but instead of making the people come to them, they need to put the “Go” in the Gospel and reach out.  Let us not limit the church to a physical location, but let the true Church be the Church God called it to be!

Let the church move from 60/90 minutes once a week, to 24-7, 365 days a year.  It is not about going to church; it is being the church!