Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the [most] holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our body washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 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 (Heb. 10:19 −25).
It is important for us to hear what these verses teach. Those of us who have come from a strict Sabbath-keeping background can appreciate one thing about the Sabbath. It made us take time to focus our attention on God. While the new covenant is not concerned with specific times and places, it does, nonetheless, stress the importance of meeting together on a regular basis and taking time to be with the Lord.
It is very easy for those who once kept the Sabbath but now no longer do so, to work seven days a week and to crowd out time for God. I believe this problem stems from the “pendulum effect.” When the legal restrictions were taken away, it was easy to let the pendulum swing too far into personal freedom. It is for this reason that I have included this short chapter which deals with Christian assembly and physical rest.
Christian Assembly/Church Attendance
The passage quoted above gives several admonitions and I believe also tells us how to keep these admonitions. The following may help.
Let us draw near…in full assurance
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope
Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds
(by)
not forsaking our own assembling together
Fellowship needed for faith
All Christians should understand why regular Christian meet- ings and regular time devoted to God are so necessary. In the new covenant we are saved, not by works, but by faith.
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Heb. 11:6).
So faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ (Rom. 10:17).
The early church had a living faith in their Lord. We have this short, but important, description of its activities.
So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer (Acts 2:41, 42).
Christ is present in Christian fellowship
Jesus said that where two or three are gathered together He would be in their midst (Mt. 18:20). And the appearances of the risen Lord, most of which were on the first day of the week, are designed to teach us the reality of His promise. When Christians come together for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper His presence is manifest, especially in the breaking of the bread.
Today we live in a secular culture and are constantly bom- barded with information which is targeted to undermine our faith. In order to combat this we must be careful to regularly feed upon the word of God. It is only when we meet together with other Christians that we are able to follow the admonition of Hebrews 10. It is imperative that Christians meet together on a regular basis to experience the presence of the risen Lord.
Fellowship needed for personal growth
In the new covenant, the Holy Spirit fills the place which the law held in the old.1 It is the Holy Spirit that guides the believer in how to implement the new covenant law of love. Therefore we find Paul’s beautiful exposition on love recorded in 1 Corinthians 13 sandwiched between 1 Corinthians 12 and 1 Corinthians 14, two chapters dealing with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In these chapters Paul shows how all Christians have some gift of the Spirit. In order for these gifts to operate, the church must come together in order to become the “body of Christ.” It is only within the fellowship of believers that the Holy Spirit can lead us to become all that He wants us to be. Each Christian is likened to an organ of the body with every Christian ministering to and receiving ministry from every other “organ” of Christ’s “body.” In His final talk with the disciples before His death, Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you” (Jn. 15:12). Just as the “book of the law” interpreted and applied the “tablets of the law” in the old covenant so the epistles interpret and apply the law of love in the new covenant. One-another ministry is an example of this interpretation and application. One-another ministry is not an option if we are to experience authentic Christianity. Following is a partial list of “one-another” passages in the New Testament which serve to guide us in one-another ministry:
- Greet one another. Rom. 16:16
- Accept one another. Rom. 15:7
- Be kind to one another. Eph. 4:32
- Care for one another. 1 Cor. 12:25
- Be at peace with one another. Mk. 9:50
- Be members of one another. Eph. 4:25
- Be devoted to one another. Rom. 12:10
- Give preference to one another. Rom. 12:10
- Be of the same mind toward one another. Rom. 12:16
- Admonish one another. Rom. 15:14
- Wait for one another. 1 Cor. 11:33
- Bear one another’s burdens. Gal. 6:2
- Show forbearance to one another. Eph. 4:2
- Be subject to one another. Eph. 5:21
- Bear with one another. Col. 3:13
- Teach one another. Col. 3:16
- Comfort one another. 1 Thess. 4:18
- Stimulate one another to love and good deeds. Heb. 10:24
- Confess your sins to one another. Jas. 5:16
- Pray for one another. Jas. 5:16
- Forgive one another. Col. 3:13
- Be hospitable to one another. 1 Pet. 4:9
- Build up one another. 1 Thess. 5:11
- Encourage one another. 1 Thess. 5:11
- Serve one another. Gal. 5:13
While Christians should meet together in weekly worship celebration, “one another” ministry often works best in small home groups where authentic, dynamic Christianity really lives.
Pastoral teaching needed for spiritual growth
Every Christian does not have the skill, time or training to be a thorough Bible student. It is the duty of the pastor to “equip the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12). Thus it is important for the Christian to receive weekly teaching from one who does have the time and training to dig out the precious ore of Bible truth and refine it so that it is relevant for today. This does not mean the Christian is to blindly follow what the pastor says. Nor does it mean that the Christian layperson cannot be individually guided in his Bible study by the Holy Spirit. Rather, the Christian is to examine the
Scriptures to see if the pastor’s teaching is true. (See Acts 17:11.) But a Christian who does not regularly attend Bible study and church is going to be stunted in his personal growth. Our Lord wants us all to experience authentic, dynamic Christianity; therefore, He gives us pastoral leaders.
Fellowship needed for evangelism
The church is commissioned to take the gospel to all the world (Mt. 28:18−20). The fellowship of believers plays an important part in this expansion of the church. It was the church that sent out Paul and Barnabas on their missionary trips (Acts 13:1−3). The Philippian church on several occasions sent money to Paul so he could spend more time in preaching the gospel (Phil. 4:15,16).
The New Testament knows nothing about Christians who are outside of fellowship. Even when they were in jail, the New Testament Christians wrote letters to encourage others to hold fast their faith in Christ (2 Tim. 4). Those who were not in jail visited and encouraged those who were (Phil. 2:25). The underlying dynamic of new covenant life is relationship. And regular fellowship is a prerequisite for this relationship.
Thus, with the fellowship present in New Testament times even Paul’s imprisonment was an asset to the spreading of the gospel.
Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear (Phil. 1:12,13).
Fellowship needed for worship
It is true that the Christian can worship God by himself.
Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased (Heb. 13:15, 16).
It is equally true that the Christian can experience complete, corporate worship only in fellowship with other Christians. In Acts 4:24−30 we have the account of the congregation lifting up “their voices to God with one accord.” After this time of rehearsing God’s power and His work they prayed that they might
…speak Thy word with all confidence…the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness.
Thus, it is imperative that Christians have a regular time for worship. It is imperative that they assemble together in order to strengthen their faith, to meet in Christ’s presence, for personal Christian growth, for the extension of the kingdom, and for corporate worship.
Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the [most] holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our body washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 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 (Heb. 10:19 −25).
Physical Rest
There is little direct teaching in the New Testament regarding physical rest. However, from what is recorded and from basic principles which are clearly stated, the Christian is not left without guidance.
Jesus and physical rest
It appears that for Jesus the Sabbath was not His main time for physical rest and relaxation. Often His Sabbaths were filled with teaching in the synagogue followed by some type of ministry.
…He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read (Lk. 4:16).
And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And He was teaching them on Sabbath days (Lk. 4:31).
And it came about on another Sabbath, that He entered the synagogue and was teaching (Lk. 6:6).
Most pastors will tell you that their hardest day is the day of worship. Preaching, teaching and personal ministry can be exhausting. For Jesus, however, His “work” often did not end when the synagogue service was over. On one occasion, after the conclusion of the synagogue service, Jesus went to the home of Peter and healed Peter’s mother-in-law (Lk. 4:38,39). After sundown, Jesus ministered to the crowd which had gathered (Lk. 4:40,41). On another occasion He was invited to the home of a Pharisee for Sabbath dinner and ended up healing a man with dropsy and having a confrontation with the Pharisees (Lk. 14:1−6).
It is clear, however, that Jesus did take time for rest and relaxation. After a full Sabbath of ministry we find Jesus seeking to get away from the multitudes.
And when day came, He departed and went to a lonely place (Lk. 4:42).
And in the early morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there (Mk. 1:35).
It appears from the gospel record that Jesus had a regular habit of slipping away to some place of solitude for rest, private prayer and meditation.
But He Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray (Lk. 5:16).
And it was at this time He went off to the mountain to pray (Lk. 6:12).
Jesus taught His disciples by example and personal association. Thus, after Jesus and His disciples had been involved in intense times of ministry, He would say to them,
“Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves (Mk. 6:30−32).
After Jesus heard about the death of John the Baptist,
He withdrew from there in a boat, to a lonely place by Himself (Mt. 14:13).
Not only do we have the example of Jesus to guide us, but we also have fundamental principles. The New Testament teaches that our bodies are temples of God.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body (1 Cor. 6:19,20).
In context, Paul is not dealing with physical rest, rather he is addressing the problem of immorality. However, one characteristic of the new covenant is that instead of there being many specific laws to follow, we have a few basic principles which can be applied to differing situations as the need demands. Such is the case here. Because our bodies are temples of God, then it becomes a part of Christian discipline to care for our bodies so that we can be in the best of health and thus give to God the most effective service. Regular times of physical rest are required for sound mental, physical and spiritual health. Not only will the Christian schedule for worship and physical rest, but will also eat, drink, sleep, and exercise for optimal physical, mental and spiritual health.
I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship (Rom. 12:1).
Conclusion
I believe that the day of worship is often an excellent day to devote to the things of God by setting aside one’s regular work. However, the Christian must remember he is not under the old covenant Sabbath laws. Rather, he should be guided by the general principles of the new covenant, including the principles of health, which may be applied differently for different situations, to bring glory to God. While the New Testament gives several admonitions regarding the worship service itself, it has no specific behavior requirements regarding what one should, or should not do, before, or after, the worship service. It does, however, give general principles to guide us. Therefore, the Christian living under the new covenant may experience total rest. True believers will experience the “rest of grace” and find true rest for their souls. They will bring glory to God in all that they do, including getting the physical rest appropriate for their needs.
Chapter Summary
- It is vitally important for Christians to assemble together on a regular basis.
- Fellowship is necessary for faith.
- Christ is present in Christian fellowship.
- Fellowship is needed for “one-another” ministry whereauthentic Christian living takes place.
- Pastoral teaching is needed for spiritual growth.
- Fellowship is needed for the implementation and supportof evangelism.
- Fellowship is needed for complete, corporate worship.
- The New Testament has little direct teaching regarding physical rest.
- From the example of Jesus we learn the following:
- Jesus often taught during the synagogue services onSabbath.
- After the synagogue service was over, Jesus oftencontinued His ministry.
- It was the regular habit of Jesus to go out to a lonelyplace for rest, prayer and meditation. Often theseoccasions came after a busy day of ministry.
- Jesus taught His disciples to take time from their successful ministry and encouraged them to go out to aplace of solitude.
- From basic principles in the new covenant we learn that ourbodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and should be cared for by keeping them in good health.
- The Christian should sleep, eat, drink and exercise foroptimal physical, mental and spiritual health.
- These principles may be applied differently under different situations with the intended result of glorifyingGod.
- While the New Testament gives several admonitionsregarding the worship service itself, it has no specific behavior requirements regarding what one should, or should not do, before, or after, the worship service.
Endnotes
- Review Chapter 21.
- 1. Sliver in the Foot - September 25, 2025
- 28. Does the Letter of Colossians Refer to the Sabbath? - September 18, 2025
- 27. The Testing Truth - September 11, 2025