COLLEEN TINKER
The last two years of lockdowns and restrictions, of swiftly-changing mandates and ultimatums have impacted me with the preciousness of believers being together. Our 2022 FAF Conference held in Loma Linda, California, was glorious in many ways—but the impact of being with people who shared a background and a love of the Lord caused my memories of last year’s conference to pale.
Don’t get me wrong; the 2021 conference was wonderful in so many ways, not the least of which was having Phil Johnson from Grace To You as our guest speaker and of meeting so many international “formers” in the Zoom breakout sessions. Yet this year, in the words of my friend Debbie Buffone from Texas, it was “so good to see friends in person and hug their necks!”
Having more people physically attending the conference this year (besides the local people who attended and helped produce the weekend) has made me think about Hebrews 10:19–25:
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 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.
It’s so interesting to me that the reminder to believers not to neglect meeting together is in the specific context of being reminded that we now have a new and living way opened to the presence of God through the body of Jesus. This passage reminds us that now, as new covenant believers, we come directly into the presence of God by means of the blood of Christ. Because we have believed in Him, we are washed and cleansed from our evil consciences—and all of us who know Jesus are in His presence now!
This fact of our being spiritually in the presence of God because of Jesus’ blood unites us. This phenomenon of faith is what makes us His family—and it makes us brothers and sisters in Him. We have a new identity—children of God (Rom 8:14–17)—and a new position: citizens of the kingdom of the Beloved Son instead of the domain of darkness (Col 1:13). We are Christ’s body and His brothers and sisters, and we are not only individuals who share a hope and a faith, but we are literally a body that functions when we are together. First Corinthians 12 explains that if one member of the body suffers, all suffer. Similarly if one member takes himself away from the body, the body as well as the member suffers.
The command to meet together to encourage one another as we see “the day drawing near” has new meaning for me now. The separation we endured during the conference last year which was enforced by travel restrictions numbed me. I didn’t even realize I was numb until I was able to be with my fellow believers again—and I began to feel the joy of sharing worship and talking together.
Along with the joy of fellowship, I also began to feel a certain kind of delayed grief—the grief of feeling isolated by circumstances out of my control. In fact, this grief was not only a letting down of my guard behind which I had hidden, but I realized there were still people I missed—people from locations which were still restricting travel.
Now, I’m the first to acknowledge the unexpected blessing of Zoom meetings by which the Lord expanded the attendance of Bible studies and conferences. In fact, even though we can meet together locally, we continue to include Zoom participation in our weekly FAF meetings. The people who regularly meet with us via Zoom are part of our family now, and we can’t imagine meeting without them.
Yet where people can meet together, as we experienced this weekend, the ability to encourage one another and to “stimulate one another to love and good deeds” is greater. In fact, the desire to meet in person was so strong for some that one person drove straight through from Tennessee, and another family drove from Washington to be with other formers.
Because we are individually in the presence of God through faith in the Lord Jesus, our interactions with each other when we are together have depth and perception and love that flows from the presence of God. Of course, God blesses us even in online interactions, but where it is possible to be together in person, that assembly is blessed by the Lord Jesus.
This assembling is not like assembling in the world; it is sharing the presence of our Savior in person with each other, ministering to each other’s needs and sharing joy. Singing together to our Savior is moving in a way individual singing is not, and by being together, we see more clearly our own place in the body of Christ. We are reassured that in Christ we are loved and cherished, and our worth is not based on our accomplishments but on our Lord Jesus.
When I consider that the book of Hebrews was written to believing Jews who not only were facing persecution for both being Jews and being Christians—and that on top of this political persecution they were being pressured by their Jewish community to return to the law—I realize that we former Adventists have certain experiences that parallel them. Increasingly, even among the larger Christian community, taking a firm position of submitting to Scripture and clinging to the blood of Jesus alone for eternal security is an unpopular position. Our Adventist loved ones try to persuade us to come back to the law, and many Christians do not understand our inability to see Adventism as part of apostolic Christianity.
When we trust Jesus and leave all compromises of the gospel behind, we become part of a minority. This passage from Hebrews shows me that the Lord knew we would be tempted to isolate—especially when we faced pressure or opposition. He made sure that we had His reminder that assembling would bless us. We would gain courage from one another. We would be able to look forward to His return together, confident that the troubles we faced were inevitable, and they were signs that He would come for us.
Moreover, we can assemble together with hope because our Lord who promised is faithful; His word cannot fail! He Himself blesses us through each other, and we are stronger when we are together.
This passage from Hebrews reminds me of a remarkable insight from Paul to the Philippians:
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God (Philippians 1:27–28).
When believers stand together for the gospel of the Lord Jesus, encouraging one another and not being frightened by opposition, this united defense of the gospel is a sign to unbelievers. In other words, when we are faced with rudeness, arrogant arguments, slander, and attempts to squash our witness of Christ, we can know that this reaction flows from their deep conviction of their own unbelief.
Concurrently, when we stand together, defending the gospel side by side, encouraging and praying for one another, loving one another in Christ, this unity is a sign to us of our own salvation—a security that is from God!
The FAF Conference this weekend reminded me of the unique blessing God has given those who are born again when we meet together. I was encouraged and blessed by seeing the work of the Lord Jesus in my brothers and sisters. I was moved by singing with others who knew what it meant to be brought from death into life. I learned new things from God’s word that increased my trust and faith, and, like my friend Debbie, I was so happy to see my friends in person and be able to “hug their necks”!
I thank God for revealing Himself among us at the 2022 FAF Conference! †
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