Key Verse: Verse 25 – “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
Key Words: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together
Thought: Some people don't go to church because of hypocrites, but they still go to movies, ballgames, and Wal-Mart with them.
A farmer once said to a friend, "I have some delicious apples growing in my orchard. If you come over, I'll give you a bushel." He repeated the offer, but his friend never came. Finally, he asked, “John, why didn't you accept my offer?” “Well, to tell you the truth,” said the other, “I have tasted them. As I went along the road a few weeks ago, I picked one up that had fallen over the wall and frankly, I have never eaten anything so sour!” “Oh,” laughed the farmer. “I thought that might be the case. Those apples around the outside were placed there because we have so many boys in the neighborhood. In order to protect my crop, I selected the sourest varieties to plant around the outer edge of my orchard. When the boys tasted these, they gave up stealing, thinking all the fruit was just as bad. However, if you will come with me, you'll find that I grow a very different quality on the inside. You'll really enjoy them. They're as sweet as honey.”
Those who judge the church by its sour members make the same mistake when they allow the “sour apple hypocrites” to keep them away from the “orchard of fellowship” they might enjoy with God's saints.
Why condemn the church because all its members aren't fine saints? You don't tear down the hospital because not all the patients recover.
Just sayin'!!
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What to do:
✞ Remember, hypocrites need to go to church as well. It may help overcome the hypocrisy.
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