Encouragement to Fellowship
And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
God has given many members of His Church the wonderful blessing of being able to gather together for worship services and fellowship each Sabbath. Those scattered brethren who aren’t able to meet together regularly tend to recognize how great this blessing is, but those who have the privilege can undervalue it.
Nelson’s NKJV Study Bible’s note on this passage brings out some interesting details. “Consider means ‘to observe,’ ‘to contemplate,’ or ‘to have intelligent insight into.’ Note that love and good works need to be stirred up; they do not just occur. The Greek word translated stir up has come into English as paroxysm, which means a ‘convulsion.’ In this context the Greek word speaks forcefully of the tremendous impact believers can have on each other. …
“Exhorting means coming alongside and inspiring another with the truth.”
Read more about fellowship in our article “Christian Fellowship.”
Certainly “the Day” of Jesus Christ’s return is much closer than it was in the first century. From God’s perspective it has always been imminent, and for each of us it is as close as our last breath. But the signs of our times give real urgency to this exhortation. See “Discerning the Signs of the Times” for more about what God wants us to know about Bible prophecy.
