Written by Rianna Elmshaeuser, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Colorado
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. (Heb 10:23-25 NIV)
The New Testament has five verses that mention “good deeds,” and four of those are in 1 Timothy. Paul instructs women to be more concerned about adorning themselves with good deeds than the latest fashions (2:9-10), the rich to be rich in good deeds rather than trusting in their material wealth (6:18), and that good deeds, like sins, will be found out eventually, both the obvious and not (5:25). First Timothy 5:10 provides some examples of good deeds: bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble, and being devoted to all kinds of good deeds.
Verses 24-25 in Hebrews 10 grammatically suggest that the opposite of spurring one another on toward love and good deeds is giving up on meeting together. Anyone who has gone to the same church for more than a few years knows that where there are people, there are problems. None of us is perfect, so we sometimes hurt each other accidentally or out of selfishness, or because we ourselves have been hurt. Hebrews is a call to not give up on each other, but to continue in good deeds and to love one another as Christ loved us.
Some of the most bonding experiences with my fellow saints have been when we were out in the world doing good deeds and working for the Lord. We did not have time to squabble about someone getting in someone else’s lane or how so-and-so should have done things this way instead. There was simply such an overwhelming amount of work to be done and people to serve that no one got in each other’s way.
Perhaps the author of Hebrews is instructing the church not to lose the mission of seeking and saving the lost. In America, it is easy to become consumers within our congregations instead of serving others. The list in 1 Timothy covers serving the Lord’s people and those in trouble. Who is in more trouble than the lost? We also tend to hide our own troubles, hurts, and problems from each other. If we only knew the pain and suffering going on within our congregations, suddenly the arrangement of classroom chairs wouldn’t seem as big of a deal. I have a friend who runs a shoe-shining business. Her business has been successful for many years, and she says it’s because she trains her employees to listen to the customers while they are shining their shoes. Her customers are CEOs and high-powered people who frequently find themselves in tears because someone has taken the time to listen to them and care about their day.
The list of deeds does not include handing someone money. When we are doing good deeds for the Lord’s people and the lost—washing their feet, helping to bring up their children, and showing hospitality—these things take time. Even when you get hurt, rather than quitting and finding another church, it is so important to keep doing good deeds and loving each other. We need to keep spending that time, taking time to listen to each other’s needs, and working out our problems.
The message of the world when someone hurts you or offends you is to say, “I deserve to be treated better,” and to leave that relationship, job, or whatever. We, as aliens and strangers in this world, are called to a different response. Do not leave, do not give up meeting together. Instead, awkward as it may be, keep meeting together, keep encouraging each other, and keep doing good deeds together or for each other. It is when we give up that the enemy wins. What is sweeter than the restoration of a friendship when you thought you had lost a friend forever because you messed up? So often Christians focus on commitment in a marital context, but commitments to friendships, to family, and to the brothers and sisters in Christ’s church are just as necessary if the work of God’s Kingdom is to continue. It is not an easy path. Commitment rarely is. But Jesus called us to be set apart for Him— to be different than the world. Continuing to encourage each other and love each other makes us radically different than the world. I pray that we will all make this commitment.