Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrew 10:19-25, NIV
One of the beautiful aspects of Christ’s Church is the relationships that form between all of its members. Living a life of faith is difficult, and Jesus even promises that it will be challenging to be His follower.¹ However, with the support of our brothers and sisters in the Church, we can all find the support we need to persevere in those difficulties.
This is what the author of Hebrews is getting at in the passage quoted above. As they continue to discuss how Christ made a way to God for us that was not previously there, they then encourage their audience to hold firmly to their hope in Christ, to remain faithful to Christ as He is faithful to them. However, staying faithful on your own is impossible because Christ did not save us to merely be in relationship one-on-one with Him. Christ saved us to bring us into relationship with Him and all of His people. By remaining connected to the body of Christ we can be supported and encouraged in our faith when we face difficulties, and we can also support others in their faith when they also face difficulties.
This is one of our core values here at LoveINC, the connectedness of our movement and the local churches. We know that we cannot transform our community all on our own, so thus, we work through a network of local churches, as many as we can bring together, and mobilize their people to go out and transform their community. Our focus is on uniting and then mobilizing local churches because we know that when the church is united, the love of Christ is more clearly seen in the community and our neighbors see a more full picture of Christ and His love for them.
We also know that we cannot do this work of mobilizing local churches alone. This is where our connectedness to other LoveINC affiliates is vital. By supporting and being supported by other LoveINC affiliates, both in our area and across the nation, we are able to pool our collective knowledge and experiences to better steward our resources and relationships to see communities transformed across the nation.
May this serve as a reminder for all of us, that we need each other. We cannot survive all of the ups and downs of life and ministry alone, we need the support, wisdom, and resources of our brothers and sisters. Let us continue to unite across differences and find our strength in our unity as followers of Christ.
We can’t run together
If we’re lost from the start
Wait on me, brother
Run at my pace
If we’re not together
We’ll be lost in the dark
Walking on water
Falling in faith
Same Blood, by Kings Kaleidoscope
¹John 15:18-20 for example, also Matthew 10:16, Mark 13:9.