[And do] not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:25
I was reminded recently of the importance of regularly meeting together with the saints. The old saying goes that “distance makes the heart grow fonder”. While this might be true in matters of this world, it does not hold true for Christian fellowship. In fact the opposite is warned about in this verse. Absence from the flock makes the heart grow colder. When you exclude yourself from regularly gathering your commitment wains, the voices of criticism grow, discontentment can take root, and then a prejudiced view of either the church or your place in it can grow. Soon emotions are aroused and excuses are found to justify the now cool or negative feeling towards the fellowship you’ve selected out of. It’s then almost inevitable that the distant one finds an unwarranted justification to excuse themselves from any further participation in the church.
If I can be frank, this is nothing less than a form of spiritual robbery. By opting for absence rather than participation you rob your church of the gift of your presence and the gift of your spiritual gifts. An empty seat in a pew is not inconsequential. We grow together and so by separating you deny your church the opportunity to watch your spiritual development and rejoice along with you as you grow. Your testimony which could have been used to spur others on, is now impotent because you’ve withdrawn it. Whatever rewards there were supposed to be for pastors and leaders is now denied them, and far from making it a joy for them to provide oversight for your soul, the habitually absent church member becomes an anxious burden.
Habitual church absence is symptom of spiritual myopathy that grows as your soul is cut off from the regular and normative contact with the Christian community. How do you presume to make a good decision about a life altering issue when you are spiritually weak and without the counsel of the spiritually strong? Such activity smacks of spiritual arrogance communicating a cheap commitment to the community you are opting not to participate in and a lack of awareness about the urgency and value of fellowship in these fleeting last days.
In the end selecting to not participate and making a habit of it is the same thing as holding your breath hoping to stay alive, refusing to drink water and expecting to live. Fellowship is as fundamental and essential to your spiritual health as these things, so why would you deny that to yourself? There is no good thing to expect from spiritual anorexia. And if a man will starve his own soul, why should he presume it saved to begin with. If he understands the cost with which his soul was purchased he would never treat it that way. Poor soul care shows poor soul value, and a poorly valued soul is not one that has been redeemed by the great price of Christ’s blood. For once you see the value paid to secure your soul, you would never want to mistreat its care ever again. Why? Because you know your life is no longer your own, it belongs to Christ.