Someone asked me why I have forsaken “the assembling of ourselves together” (Hebrews 10:25) all these years because I have stopped attending local churches. More than once, I have been woefully reproached by other Christians who quoted this verse when I told them I have not been attending local churches for a long time. What does Hebrews 10:25 actually tells us?
Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
Notice that verse 24 is the prelude to verse 25 as denoted by the colon sign (':'). The reason why we assemble ourselves together is to provoke one another unto love and good works, and the latter part of verse 25 goes on to explain what that means by the words “exhorting one another.” That is to say, if you are not there to provoke one another unto love and good works: if you are not there to exhort one another, you have no business of gathering yourselves together as an assembly of people. What is “exhorting one another?”
Luke 3:18 "And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people."
Exhortation is the preaching of the word of God. In an assembly of people, the word of God must be faithfully preached so as to provoke one another unto love and to good works. That is the purpose of “not forsaking the assembling ourselves together.” Where else did the bible speaks of the assembling of ourselves together? Do we have a picture of that in the bible?
Ezra 10:1 "Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore."
We have a picture of that in this passage of scripture, where Ezra the ready scribe was there with a very great assembly of men and women and children before the house of God. Notice what they were doing: “the people wept very sore.” The reason why the people wept sore was because of the faithful preaching of the word of God by Ezra the ready scribe in the previous chapter. When the law of God is faithfully preached, it will convict people’s heart and provoke them unto love and good works, causing them to weep in repentance, just like what Paul tells us in:
2 Corinthians 7:10 "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death."
The word of God when received in the heart will result in godly sorrow that worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of. A key phrase to note here is “not to be repented of.” That signifies a genuine conversion of the heart by the law of God, as opposed to the sorrow of the world that worketh death, which is temporary and does not last. That was what happened to the very great assembly of men, women and children with Ezra the ready scribe before the house of God who were provoked unto love, which caused them to weep very sore. For specific details, please refer to Ezra 9. Then, verse 2 goes on to say:
Ezra 10:2 "And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing."
The keywords to note here are “we have trespassed against our God.” That was the realization that caused the people to weep very sore. Therefore, if the purpose of the assembly is not to provoke people unto love and good works, to get them convicted by the faithful preaching of the law of God, if the people are not there to hear the truth of the word of God that will cause them to weep sore for realizing their trespass against God, if the people are just there for entertainment or for some ritualistic gathering that must happen on every Sunday, that is not a church, but something else. John calls it a “synagogue of Satan.”
Revelation 2:9 "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."
A synagogue of Satan according to this verse, is a gathering of people who say that they are “Jews,” and are not. Paul tells us in Romans 2:28-29 that “he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly… but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Therefore, a synagogue of Satan includes those who call themselves “Christians,” but were never really born again to begin with. We have a picture of that in:
Matthew 6:5 "¶ And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."
Matthew 23:14 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation."
Unlike Ezra the ready scribe, the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ days were hypocrites who loved to make long prayers standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, for to be seen of men. They were pretenders who drew nigh unto God with their mouths, and honoured God with the lips, but their hearts were far from the law of God, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. In fact, they also had celebrity statuses, as evidenced by the greetings in the markets they received, and people calling them “Rabbi, Rabbi.” (Matthew 23:7) They are like the celebrity pastors of modern times in the leadership of churches. This brings to question: Can a born again believer attend a local church and selectively ignore the possibility that he might be attending a “synagogue of Satan” just to satisfy his conscience for not forsaking “the assembling of ourselves together” (Hebrews 10:25)? Paul goes on to say:
2 Corinthians 6:16-18 "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."
There is to be no agreement between the temple of God and the temple of idols. Moreover, Paul also exhorts us to “come out from among them, and be ye separate.” We are to separate ourselves from the synagogues of Satan, so as to say. We are to separate ourselves from the assembly of people who call themselves “Christians,” but were never really born again to begin with, and are comfortable sitting under the teachings of false teachers.
Ephesians 5:11 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."
Born again believers are to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. We are not to have any fellowship with the synagogues of Satan, but rather, to reprove their works with the 66 books of the Holy Bible by the Spirit of God. What else did the bible tells us about the synagogue of Satan? The bible also warns us in these verses:
Matthew 7:15 "¶ Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."
Acts 20:29 "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock."
Ravening wolves are not part of the church of the living God, but the synagogues of Satan who pretend to be sheep among the flock. These are false prophets who infiltrated the church, not sparing the flock, and we are not to be ignorant lest Satan should get an advantage of us according to Paul in 2 Corinthians 2:11. Paul further tells us in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 that there will be false apostles and deceitful workers entering in, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ and ministers of righteousness whose end shall be according to their works.
Galatians 2:4-5 "And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: 5 To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you."
There will be “false brethren” who come in among the flock to privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us back into bondage. They want to replace the true doctrines of the word of God with their false teachings so that they might bring us into bondage. These are the scribes and the Pharisees who want to shut up the kingdom of heaven against other men: for they neither go in themselves, nor will they suffer them that are entering to go in.
Romans 16:17 "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them."
Notice that Paul will not even continue an hour with those false brethren that we read in Galatians 2:5. Similarly, a born again believer is to mark and avoid those people, so that the truth of the gospel might continue in him. It is the 66 books of the Holy Bible that must determine what the church should be preaching, and not the other way round. The word of God must be first and foremost to a born again believer, and if any church were to preach things which cause divisions and offences contrary to the word of God, we are to mark and void them.
Titus 1:12-14 "One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. 13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; 14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth."
False prophets will enter in, not sparing the flock. If the pastor of a church is not rebuking them sharply by the word of God which is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, but is comfortably doing his “job” and getting paid by the end of the month, he is not an enemy of the wolves in sheep clothing, but a friend. Jesus warns us in these verses:
John 10:12-13 "But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep."
He is just a hireling, and not a shepherd. When the wolves come, he will flee the sheepfold and allow the wolves to enter in and slaughter the flock. He will flee, because he is just a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. A hireling means he is paid a wage or salary, just to be there, pretending to care for the sheep. A true pastor is as what the bible shows us in this passage of scripture, in the life of David:
1 Samuel 17:34-35 "And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: 35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him."
David was not a hireling, but a picture of a true pastor who cared for his father’s sheep. He even fought a lion and a bear to save that little lamb which they came and took out of the flock. That’s what a true pastor is about. It is not about his “career” or getting paid by the end of the month. His job is to ensure the flock’s safety when Satan’s false prophets enter in as ravening wolves not sparing the flock. He will even fight a lion or a bear. He will rebuke sharply any false doctrine or any form of false teachings that enter in by the sword of the word of God so as to keep his flock from getting into bondage by those things. He knows that the truth cannot be compromised, not even by one jot or one tittle. He careth for the sheep that God the Father has entrusted him. That is the heart of a true pastor.
Jeremiah 3:15 "And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding."
A true pastor is a man after God’s heart, even as David was (1 Samuel 13:14). His job is to feed the church with knowledge and understanding of the word of God for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the body of Christ. It was never about “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,” but the feeding of the flock with knowledge and understanding. It is the spiritual food that the children of God are after, when they assemble themselves before the house of God, not the ritualistic keeping of a law which many Christians presume to do as proof of their salvation. When food is given, the sheep will automatically gather. They don’t gather for no reason.
Going to church does not make you a Christian in the eyes of the Lord, and if you think you are keeping a law by “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,” you have not understood the meaning of grace.
Colossians 2:18 "Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,"
Remember: the goal of the Devil is to “shut up the kingdom of heaven against men.” (Matthew 23:13) In order to accomplish this goal, he will have his false prophets pretend to be “ministers of righteousness.” (2 Corinthians 11:15) They will form churches that men could see with their fleshly eyes, and preach a “Jesus” that the great majority could relate with their fleshly minds. Paul warns us in Colossians 2:18 “let no man beguile you.” If you have been beguiled into this mode of thinking, that every visible church is a church of the living God, be sure it was implanted by the false brethren who entered in, whose aim is to bring you into bondage by perverting Hebrews 10:25 and using it as an excuse to hold you accountable.
2 Corinthians 11:3 "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."
Their hidden agenda is to corrupt your minds from the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus, so that you will lose your reward of eternal life in the voluntary humility and worshipping of devils, intruding into those things which you hath not seen, vainly puffed up by your fleshly mind. There will be spiritual consequences, even as Eve was beguiled by the serpent and brought the fall of mankind. Of course, the true children of God will always go back to the word of God for doctrine, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. However, that does not stop the Devil from trying. We also read that in the book of Job, how the Devil tried to make Job “curse God and die.” Jesus tells us in:
John 10:8 "All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them."
Notice the sheep did not hear them. Born again believers will only hear the voice of their Shepherd, Jesus Christ. They will not hear the voice of the thieves and the robbers who want to shut up the kingdom of God against them. Pretend as they might, the sheep know the voice of their Shepherd. Jesus said in John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” The “honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15) of a born again believer has no room for any other voice, except for the voice of the Lord, their Shepherd. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (Romans 8:14)
Matthew 16:18 "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
More than once, I've been asked the question: “What is your criteria of a good church?” Contrary to the prevalent Christian view today, a good church is not defined by the people in the congregation. A congregation of seemingly nice, harmless and friendly people does not make it a good church because the faithful preaching of the law of God is not there. The church is comprised of people, but it is not the people who will come together to build the church. God must be the one who builds it, just like what we read in this verse:
Psalms 127:1 "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."
Except the LORD build the house, it will not last. This verse is not talking about a physical building that many Christians today call a church, but the temple of God, the body of Christ. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 that we are the temple of God, and what the LORD has built, it will last. Not even the gates of hell shall prevail against it. That is the church of the living God made up of born again believers, the body of Christ.
1 Timothy 3:15 "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
The church of the living God is the pillar and ground of the truth. So, if the church that you are attending is not standing on “the truth” and the truth alone, every word of God in the 66 books of the Holy Bible, it is not a church of the living God, but a synagogue of Satan pretending to be the church. The living God is the spiritual form of the written Word, and the written Word is the physical form of the living God. One cannot be decoupled from the other. The church of the living God is the handiwork of God. While the church is a congregation of born again believers, the word of God is the “seed” that produced these believers. However, not every Christian is a born again believer. Jesus likened himself to the true vine, and every man and woman who profess to believe in him as individual branches in the vine.
John 15:1-2 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."
Grafting is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. One of the most important factors for a successful graft is that the scion and the stock must be genetically compatible. As a general rule, the closer two plants are genetically, the more likely the graft union will form. Almonds and apricots graft well onto peach rootstocks, but an apricot scion is not compatible with almond stock nor is an almond scion with apricot stock.
Romans 11:17 "And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;"
The genes that are in the branches must be compatible with the genes in the true vine (Jesus Christ) so that the branches can continue to live off the life that is in the vine. The branches in the vine may not be the same individually, just like the tree of life which bare 12 manner of fruits.
Revelation 22:2 "In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."
God has gifted each and every believer differently, but they are born again by the same Spirit of God. Brethren in the body of Christ means “brothers and sisters” related by the “seed” which is the word of God (Luke 8:11). “Seed” is a DNA term, if I may put it this way. It contains the specific genetic information of how an embryo would develop and grow into adulthood. In the case of a born again believer, the “seed” contains the genetic information of how our “new man” would develop into the image of Jesus Christ. Therefore, every member of the body of Christ is given the title “son of God,” even as Jesus Christ himself is the “Son of God.” When we address someone as “brethren,” that means that he or she is of a common faith along with us.
John 1:14 "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
There is something common in every born again believer, that is, the Word made flesh dwelling in the earthen vessel of every born again believer. There is a new man birthed by the same word of God sown in the honest and good heart of every brethren, and the “body of Christ” is the gathering together of every born again believer into one body, the church of the living God. It is from the church of the living God that the gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed to the whole world. While Jesus Christ is the true vine, not everyone who profess to believe in him is genetically compatible with the life that is in him. Not everyone who profess to believe in Jesus Christ believe in the word of God. That is a mystery for now, until the time of the harvest. Until then, the tares will grow together with the wheat, but the time will come when the church will be ready for the coming of the Lord:
Revelation 19:7-8 "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."
The marriage of the Lamb will come, and the church will be ready for her bridegroom, but until then, the church of the living God will continue to shine in this world as “the light of the world” according to Matthew 5:14.
I've had this banner on my facebook profile for several years, and it serves as a stern warning to myself, keeping me in subjection to my profession as a born again believer. It says in verse 14 “Ye are the light of the world” referring to born again believers. What does light do in darkness? It shines right? In fact, the darker it is, the more it will stand out, like a city set on a hill which cannot be hid. Who are these Christians and pastors? Where are the churches standing out in these dark times, shining brightly as a light in this world? “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” according to Jesus in Matthew 7:20. Those would be the ones that the true sheep of Jesus Christ will be drawn to, because they are the ones who will feed them with spiritual food from the word of God. Similarly, refusing to sit in the synagogues of Satan preaching a false gospel and teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, being entertained by false teachers and wolves, is not forsaking “the assembling of ourselves together.” Verse 13 compares Christians to “the salt of the earth,” and it continues to say that “if the salt have lost his savour…” that means that the salt was savoury to begin with, but it has lost its savour somewhere down the road. Jesus calls those Christians “good for nothing” in the same verse. Why good for nothing? Because John 15:2 tells us “every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away.” Those would be the Christians who bear no fruits in their lives, preferring to sit under the instruction of hireling pastors who careth not for the sheep.
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