I heard a preacher on the radio say that John Wesley had made the observation that the word saint never appears in the singular form anywhere in the Bible. I do not remember running across this in Wesley's writings, but I did check "Bible Gateway" on line. It is true that the word saint does not appear even once in the Bible. The word saints appears at least 69 times, however. There is no such thing as a solitary saint. We cannot be all that God calls us to be without the support of a caring Christian fellowship.
In the tenth chapter of Hebrews, we read, "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works; Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye can see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:234, 25 KJV).
We Christians need one another. We need to come together. As Hebrews tells us, we need to do more than look at the back of someone's head and listen to the preacher's sermon. We need to encourage each other and challenge each other. We need to share one another's burdens.
Exactly this sort of sharing was the centerpiece of Methodism in the beginning. Methodism was a renewal movement within the Church of England. It provided those who attended highly structured worship on Sunday another place to gather and share openly with other believers. Initially, Methodists gathered not as churches but as bands, classes, and societies.
If we are going to know the holiness and the power which the first Methodists knew, we are going to need to come together for study, fellowship and prayer. If we are going to live victorious lives, we are going to have to have one anothers' support. If we are going to bring the world to Christ, we are going to have to challenge one another to be witnesses.
Hebrews 10:24 and 25 is often quoted by people who tell us that we need to go to church on Sundays. If we look closely at what these verses are telling us, however, we will find that one hour of worship is not all that we need. We need the fellowship and support that we can find in a Disciple Bible Study or a covenant discipleship group. We need to gather in a setting in which we can share openly. If your church does not already offer such a setting, perhaps you could help to start group which will help its members to grow in Christlikeness. You need it, and so does everyone else.
Rev. Mark Flynn
Greenbrier District Superintendent
Used with Mark's permission from the Greenbrier Greetings
Newsletter of the Greenbrier District.
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