"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."
(Hebrews 10:25).

Assembling today has taken on various forms and meanings. To some, it is as

sacred as the blood of Jesus, while with others, there is no value at all in
assembling. The above verse would seem so simple that a child would not err
therein, yet I believe many miss its intended mark by a country mile.

There are fundamental truths and topics we would think everyone who professes
Christ Jesus as Lord should know. This is not, however, always the case. Some
things go overlooked with little thought attended to them. ‘Forsaking not the
assembling of yourselves together’ is a good example. One factor that causes some
to withdraw from fellowship is what John wrote. With his words in the foreground
of their thinking, they refuse to hear what other’s have to say. The verse below is
often misunderstanding, but this is not the whole story. We have noticed a common
thread in more than a few of these separatists — there is a spirit of pride and/or
bitterness sewn with the misunderstanding. With this combination, it is almost
impossible to reach them or point out where they may have taken the wrong turn.
Nevertheless, we hope to touch not only their hearts today, but also anyone who
reads these few pages. The verse in question is found in John’s first epistle:

YE NEED NOT THAT ANY MAN TEACH YOU

The apostle wrote, "But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in
you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth
you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall
abide in Him." (1 John 2:27). John, of course, was not saying that God does not call
prophets, apostles, evangelists, pastors, and teachers as Paul drew out in Ephesians
4:10. If that were his implication, he would have been very much in conflict with
Paul, the other apostles, and with himself as well.

If there were no need of men and women to preach the Word of God, it is unlikely
Paul would have written: "...How shall they hear without a preacher? And how
shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet
of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"
(Rom 10:14-15).

You see, the problem does not reside in hearing someone preach, teach, or
prophesy, as a few have taken John’s words to mean. According to the scriptures
— men are the primary dispatchers of truth, and very little would be heard without
them. If He chooses to do so, God could divinely inspire the souls of every human
being, and with one sweep of His hand miraculously save them all. That, however,
is not His general plan. He has saved people in this manner, I was one of them, but
it is not His general rule. He finds great pleasure in taking His time, and working
through Christ’s body of many members. That is the primary means He uses to call
His creation back home.

Let us never for a moment think that we should cease from hearing others speak.
There is nothing wrong with giving your ear to the vessels of His calling. Much life
can be had in their words. The issue is not in hearing others, but comes in not
hearing properly. Jesus mentioned this in Luke 8:18, saying, "Take heed therefore
how ye hear."

If the messenger speaks, and the word he speaks is heard by the Spirit — it is then
by the Spirit that abides within that teaches the individual. Although a man or
woman presents the word of truth, it does nothing until the Spirit within breaks it
open and teaches the person. If the Spirit does not teach it, the best possible
scenario is mental ascension and carnal reasoning. This, of course, would be the
letter that kills. And we know — there is no life in the letter alone, never has been,
and never will be.

When people isolate themselves with hopes of escaping the influence and doctrinal
pollution of men, they may be in for a surprise. I am not saying our Lord does not
draw us away and unto Himself at various times, for He does. There are also
occasions when He may separate us from fellowship, from listening to tapes, or
reading anyone’s publications. Many today know by their own experiences this is
true. Some, however, separate themselves from the body when it is not the Lord
doing it at all.

As an illustration we will go back and look at myself in this error. More than
twenty-five years ago ‘I’ withdrew ‘myself’ from any sort of hearing what others in
the body of Christ had to say. My unlearned intentions were good — but I was way
off the target. Other than learning by my mistake, nothing was gained. I was off
target by a mile. After reading the apostle’s words, that ‘there was no need of any
man to teach me’ — I quit going to meetings in the attempt of ‘receiving from no
man’. It was my intention to get the Word straight from God, from the Source, right
from the throne, from Christ Himself, with no outside influence whatsoever. My
conviction was that the Anointing abiding within would teach me all things, that
the word I heard would be pure, unpolluted, and undefiled. In my mind I believed
that once this ‘pure word’ was received, I would have a ‘pure word’ to impart. But
it didn’t happen that way, and I even had a scripture to back me. This was one of
my first lessons in the dangers of building upon an unstable foundation of a
presumed truth.

I suppose the first mistake I made was in not knowing I was just as polluted as the
men and women I felt I no longer needed to hear. My own mind had a cunning way
of sewing adamic thoughts, cherubim if you will, into the veil with those of
Christ’s. I was sadly surprised when the small amount of word I had been receiving
stopped flowing altogether. If it had continued, I would have no doubt brewed an
apothecary’s mixture. The very thing I tried to escape from followed me into the
wilderness where I had fled. Try as I may, it was impossible to outdistance myself.
I could not get away from my greatest and most deceptive enemy — myself.

Praise God, this proud deception lasted only a month or two before I realized by the
prompting of the Spirit what was happening. Since I had willingly severed myself
from hearing God’s anointed men and women, God severed His word from me.
Once I realized where the responsibility lay — which was in me and by the
anointing of Christ — not only was I able to hear and receive from all the members
of Christ’s Body, but that inner word began to flow again. It is now a true pleasure
to hear the Voice of my Father in every vessel of His wonderful body. It is good to
know that those of His household are not useless utensils, but they stand as vital
parts in my life. Each one will help us all along if we let them. They are not here to
slow us down.

We have many hindrances in the land, this is sure, but most of them cannot
compare to ourselves. Although the leader of our nation and a multitude of supports
are killing our babies on a mass scale — as it was in the days of Moses and Jesus
— we must come to know they are not our worst enemies. It is not the president,
the liberals or conservatives; it is not drugs, alcohol, or the tobacco industry; it is
not the so-called antichrist, or the hoard of false prophets and teachers; it is not
Babylon, nor even the devil who is our worst enemy. Our worst and foremost
enemy is OUR OWN SELVES. All those other factions are merely fragments of
the evil that is sufficient unto the day thereof (Mat 6:34).

Those who choose of themselves to walk alone are destined to stagnation. Their
journey back home will be slowed considerably. While God is assembling the
Body, they are busy working contrary to Him. In their sincere, but sincerely
misguided venture, they are disassembling themselves from Christ’s body. When
they should be re-membering the body from whence they came, they are dis-
membering it.

Although most Christians do not fit the willful act of refusing to fellowship with
others, they too may be dismembering the body of Christ. This can come in failing
to understand the difference between assembling, and gathering. The two terms
appear the same, but there is quite a difference, as we will see.

ARE WE GATHERING OR ASSEMBLING?

I believe a good example of being assembled is the 120 in the upper room at
Pentecost. They were certainly assembled; for as our friend Louise Slay related:
"They met in one accord and were filled with the Holy Spirit--And now the Holy
Spirit really isn't welcome in the mainline gatherings and there is no such thing as
'one accord.'"
I do not believe we are wrong by saying that most Sunday morning church services
are gatherings rather than assemblies where everyone is in one accord. For
example, let us compare the many members of Christ’s body to an automobile that
has many members, or parts. We can have all the parts of a beautiful, new
Mercedes Benz gathered in a pile — but I challenge anyone to hop on top of that
pile of new parts and drive them to the market for a quart of milk. Those parts
would be more akin to a junk-pile than an automobile, and the supposed driver
would get nowhere. However, when all those parts are properly assembled by a
team of assemblers who are in one accord — you can zip across the country at
breakneck speed if you so desire.

Have you ever bought a present for your child, and when you opened the box it was
full of parts with a notice that read — "Some assembly required?" We have all been
there, haven’t we? Well, dear "gatherers," some "assembly" is required with us.
We want to be portions of Christ’s manifested Body, this is good; but before the
members can come forth and work, we must be assembled together.

It is possible to be on the back side of the desert, as where Margit and I live in
southern New Mexico, and still be joined to the corporate body of Christ. It is not
unusual to be void of regular church meetings, as we generally are; but this does
not stop us from being assembled. Although we would choose to gather on a
regular basis with like-minded believers, we are content to be without it. It is easy
to be content when it is known that we are in our proper places of Christ’s Body
and doing exactly what our Father bids. We know many saints in similar situations.
They are physically isolated from the Body, but they are spiritually connected.
They may not be gathered, but they are assembled.

Others may sit every Sunday morning in churches of 100 members, or in cathedrals
of 5,000 and not be assembled. They may sing in their choirs, teach Sunday-school
classes, preach firebrand sermons, and still not be assembled, only gathered. What
a difference! Just being there does not constitute a true assembly. Those who are
active in their churches may feel they are assembled, but this does not do it either.
Men and women can be full of "good works" but totally void of the assembled
Spirit and Godly works of Christ.

It is not uncommon to see people gather here and there for special meetings.
Wherever a convention, ingathering, or out-of-town guest is speaking, they are
there to eat. After being filled they go away and never put into practice what the
received. It is good to attend these meetings; but the purpose of coming together
can be wrong. What is the motive? Is it to enrich their lives and grow in the Lord,
or simply to eat and get fat?

I like what one flame of fire in God’s Kingdom wrote recently. Bob Torango gave
this analogy about people who are hears of the word only and not doers. In essence
he said: They are like the one-celled amoeba, which is of the simplest life form.
Their entire lives revolve around receiving but never giving. Never being full, they
are on a relentless search of food, and more food.

Like the amoeba, they flow through the corporate Body of Christ, engulfing and
consuming all they can. They may be eating a rich diet of the word, but they still
may not be members of that body, and they are not necessarily assembled in it.
There is more to being a manifested son of God than consuming and believing
present-day truths. It is wonderful to believe God’s eternal truths. We have heard,
however, that demons also believe, but it does them no good. James put it this way:
"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and
tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (James
2:19-20).

The apostle did not say in detail that the devils believe God’s truths, only that they
believe there is one God. Even so, we can conclude as much. For we know people
who believe many things we believe; but they are devils in the flesh.

We do well to have the believing parts of the body gathered around us in fellowship
and meetings, yet without being assembled we can lack a great deal. When we are
void of assembly, we are void of manifestation that Paul said the world is waiting
for. Please know, brethren, creation is not standing on tiptoe looking for people
with a new doctrine, or even the ‘right’ doctrine. They couldn’t care less about a
blueprint of Christ’s body, or detailed instructions of how it is supposed to work.
They want to see it working.

As profound as Jesus’ words were about His impending death and resurrection,
they could not be compared to the actual event. Likewise today. Creation is not
asking us to tell them about the appearing of the Sons of God — they are waiting to
see it! That is their hope of being delivered from the bondage of corruption, not
spine-tingling doctrines about the manifestation. True doctrines are good, and they
are good to know; but what the world wants is the substance the doctrines points to.
The people want a taste of reality, not teaching to muse over and consider if it is
true or not. They want a worthy vessel that can sail to God’s celestial shores, not a
polished surfboard to merely ride the waves. There is a lot of surfing today, and it
may be fun and exciting, but you won’t get far with that mode of travel.

Another wrote concerning the world waiting to see the manifestation, saying: "May
God indeed impart to us that faith to believe His Word, and then go on to see it
incorporated into a people who BECOME LIVING MANIFESTATIONS of what
He has said, and done. The world waits for something far more than a superficial
‘believe what I say, not what I do,’ type of message. They are weary of religious
profession without a possession. But when they ‘SEE His children, the work of
Mine hands,’ they will ‘sanctify My name,’ they will glorify God, and in turn
seek Him for themselves."
Another way of looking at the difference of being assembled and gathered is a
baseball game. I’ll borrow a thought from Kelly Varner. From what I remember,
he said it something like this: After your favorite team has won the game, have you
ever jumped up and declared? — "WE won! WE won! Bless God, WE won!" Well
the fact is, ‘WE’ didn’t win anything — THE TEAM WON! WE WATCHED
while THE TEAM WON.

In this picture, all the spectators were GATHERED in the stands watching the
ASSEMBLED team working together as ONE BODY. It is much the same with
many Christians today. They gather and assume they are assembled. The sad point
is, they stand proudly and condemn those who are truly assembled. Large crowds
and the roar of cheers are not necessarily an assembly. Believing in your team, the
Baptists, Anabaptists, Assemblies of God, Sons of God, etc., will not be the ticket to
glory. Embracing their doctrines, as good as they may or may not be, will not give
you a home-run to paradise. Home-runs come when you are a player on the team.
You are then an assembled member of Christ’s Body. You are not just showing up
and shouting "Hallelujah, praise God," and saying "Amen" to everything preached.

It is good to encourage those running the race, the ones fighting the good fight in
this harrowing war; but we see there is more to it than being cheering spectators.
There is a participation on our part if we expect to finish the race and claim the
prize of the high calling.

In this race let us never be intimidated by those who fail to realize what true
assembling and participation is. Let it also be far from our own minds to feel we
need to make excuses for not gathering ourselves inside the walled cities of
Babylon. And please, we should never be pressured into joining Saul’s army who
seek to destroy God’s anointed. Rather than thinking we must be busy about
religion’s business, let us be about our Father’s business. In this, the caves of
Adullam will serve us for the time, as they did for David and his men.

THE CAVE OF ADULLAM

"David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his
brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. And
every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that
was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over
them: and there were with him about four hundred men." (1 Sam 22:1-2).

Have you ever felt that your flight from Saul’s guardianship in the church was a
mistake — especially when you found that your only place of safety was in
obscurity? This is where many of us are today, but rest assured — it was not a
mistake. Although we find ourselves in the depths of the earth — we are in the
heavens. We may be in obscurity, unseen, and detached from the crowds — but we
are ever assembled with our Lord in the cave of Adullam. No, brethren, although
we have made mistakes in the past, this has been no mistake! We are where we
belong for the moment.

Let us briefly take note of the word, Adullam. It means justice of the people and
comes from the root word Adlay, meaning justice of God (Gesenius' Hebrew-
Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament). Therefore, let us all be encouraged who
are in the cave of Adullam, for we are being prepared to be God’s justice in the
earth. Creation is anxiously waiting our exit from the obscurity, and thereby
delivered from the bondage of corruption, and made free in the same glorious
liberty of the children of God (Rom 8:19-21).

In the days of Jesus, before His crucifixion, He, like David, found Himself more in
the wilderness ministering to the people than in the cities and meeting halls of the
church. Neither He nor David was welcome in the "honorable" places of the
kingdom, so the seashores, hillsides, and caves had to suffice for the time.

It was therein, outside the camp, where the people in distress, (matsowq, a narrow
place, i.e. confinement or disability (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.) and every
one that was in debt, (nasha', through the idea of imposition; to lend on interest;
by impl. to dun for debt; to lead astray, i.e. (mentally) to delude, or (morally) to
seduce. (Strong’s) and every one that was discontented (mar, bitter (lit. or fig.);
also (as noun) bitterness, or (adv.) bitterly, (Strong’s) sought out Jesus and David.
And so it is with us.

While under the rule of Saul in the church system, we were in distress — narrowed
down to fit their church mold, confined to their dogmas and thereby Spiritually
disabled. We were made to believe we were indebted to them. We were led astray,
deluded, and seduced by their harlotry. In such servitude, the diet of vile doctrines
and unending religious ceremonies became the norm. The heavy burden of
discontentment set bitterly upon our spirits. Oh, but praise God! When we left and
were gathered together, assembled, with our Lord, it mattered not in what city,
wilderness, or cave our physical bodies abode — all was well.

Isn’t it good to be free? Our lives are no longer squeezed from us. We are not
seduced, and the sweetness of our Lord has replaced the bitterness of Saul’s reign.
Secular Christianity may see us as misfits, as Ray Prinzing said he is, but we are
God’s justified misfits, and we shall soon bring the same justice to the world.

The Hebrew word for gathered does not carry the thought of "gathering" in the
sense we are noticing in this study — such as, "gathering" parts into a pile, or
people ‘grouped’ in a congregation to hear a message. The Hebrew word means to
grasp, and it is often used to describe an assembled army that is exercising great
power as a working body of soldiers. One example is: "That they GATHERED
themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, WITH ONE ACCORD"
(Josh 9:2). You see, their purpose was not to merely come together to be
encouraged for another day by their drill sergeant. They came together IN ONE
ACCORD — as an ASSEMBLED WAR-MACHINE. It was a mechanized,
assembled army, which could crush the enemy and bring victorious justice to the
people.

FOUR HUNDRED MEN

The term four hundred who joined David in the cave has some significance for us
today. According to E.W. Bullinger in his book, Numbers in Scripture, four
hundred (400) carries the thought of a divinely perfect period. For David and those
assembled with him, the period they dwelled in caves probably seemed like 400
years. Nevertheless, it was the perfect period appointed of God that would prepare
them to reign with David. What they endured is not unlike our own lives. We too
have had long days and dark nights.

There were times when we wondered if the call of being manifested in Christ’s
glory was only a dream. Could we have only imagined we would someday rule and
reign with the Captain of our salvation? Will these hard and lonely times ever end?
Oh, yes, dearly beloved brothers and sojourners in Christ, it will end! What we are
enduring is working an eternal weight of glory that is not comparable to the birth
pains we are presently suffering. Like those in Adullam’s caves, we are being
prepared to reign openly with Him in His Kingdom.

HEBREWS 10:25 — A CLOSER LOOK

I would be slack if our text verse was not looked into more closely: "Not forsaking
the assembling of ourselves together...and so much the more, as ye see the day
approaching" (Heb 10:25). Most of the readers of THE PATHFINDER probably
agree with me up to this point, for the Spirit of this Word is sound. Nevertheless, in
all truth we cannot dismiss what this verse is saying. What has been brought out is
true, for there is a difference between gathering and assembling. Both are
important, but different. When the captain says, "Gather around boys, I’ve got
something to tell you about fighting a war," is not quite the same as when he says,
"Get you weapons and Fall in men (assemble yourselves), for we are marching off
to war." Much can be learned in gatherings, but it is the assemblies that are the
working products.

Nevertheless, if we used Hebrews 10:25 as a foundation for this study, it would not
remain stable. Due of its popularity in the church, and people’s constant misuse of
it, is what caused me to cite it in this publication. It is the most often used and
abused verse when provoking people to go to ‘church’. It is also used to condemn
them for not going. The horrible mind-set for so many is that if a person is a
Christian they must attend a ‘church’ of some kind or another. Any ‘church’ will
do as long as it carries corporate papers, is sanctioned by mainstream religion, or it
is at least a place where people gather on a weekly basis to listen to one person tell
his or her view of the Bible. It is in their misguided thinking that everyone has to
have a ‘church’ to ‘cover’ them.

Those who do not attend such organized gatherings are suspect in whether they are
really Christians or not. They ask, "How could anyone who claims to be a
Christian not go to church?" The fact is, they have somewhat of a legitimate
question, especially when we consider their perspective. Of course, there is no
place in scripture that says the only way a person can be a Christian is to belong to
or go to a certain church. Such thoughts are manmade.

However, in noticing in more detail, we see Hebrews 10:25 speaks of merely

gathering together for the sake of instruction and encouragement. In all truth, I can
see no evidence that it speaks otherwise.

The context of the verse and the meaning of the Greek word speaks of a gathering
of people, rather assembling an army. It points out the necessity of exhorting one
another where sin is involved, and speaks of preventing believers from sinning
willfully after they have known the truth. The writer tells of the severe punishment
that awaits those who esteem Jesus as unworthy to be their Savior. In their willful
sin they trod under foot the Son of God. They have counted the blood of the
covenant, wherewith He was sanctified, an unholy thing, and have done despite
unto the Spirit of grace (Heb 10:29).

Believers who give way to the lusts of their flesh are in dire need of a body of
believers who can, and who will, exhort them in Godly love. The exhorters are to
exercise such wisdom in these situations that will correct the problem. If it is not
done with Godly compassion and understanding, however, more harm than good
can be done, which is commonly the case.

There are a lot of overseers in churches that are more often scourgers than true
exhorters. It is customary to beat the wayfarers with the letter of the law. If this
doesn’t work, an example of them will be made by placing them in humiliating
stocks before the people. The last resort is to cast the offenders out completely.
Rather than administering Godly counsel that will set the hapless souls back on the
narrow way of Christ, they often destroy them. Religion can be cruel, oh, so cruel.
The face of religion may be beautifully painted, but her heart is pure evil.

Again, we can see some additional things if we look a little more closely at
Hebrews 10:25 and the verses following it. It is certainly good to help the young
and inexperienced to grow strong in the Lord. It appears, however, that those who
sin wilfully are not those who sin because of the weakness of the flesh. Those who
sin willfully in this sense have "...trod under foot the Son of God, and have counted
the blood of the covenant, wherewith He was sanctified, an unholy thing, and have
done despite unto the Spirit of grace" (vrs 29).
You see, this type of person is not one who is trying their best but has a hard time
hitting the mark every day. He is not one who feels deep remorse because of his
sin. Those who sin willfully know what they are doing, and count what they want
more sacred than the atoning blood by which their sins were covered. With these, it
is more like an insurrection rather than a miscalculation, or missing the mark due to
ignorance, or the weakness of the flesh. If the latter were true, even Paul would
have been in dire straits with God (rf Rom 7:14-24). Nothing would have been left
for him but God’s vengeance, the fearful prospect of falling into the hands of the
living God (Heb 10:30-31).

Newborn Christians need nurturing. This is common sense. Young girls and boys
with driving passions can use good counsel at times from Godly role models. And
there are others who simply desire wholesome fellowship with the saints. Should
we tell them all to stay home and forsake the assembling of themselves together?
Absolutely not! For such gatherings are indispensable.

However, with the spirit of the world with which the church system has clothed
herself, and coupled with so many erroneous teachings, I am reluctant to encourage
anyone to join themselves to that which is engaging in such spiritual adultery.
Therefore, rather than sending innocent people into such misguided places, I would
suggest the high calling for them. Let the 400 in the caves of Adullam prepare
yourselves to receive, nurture, encourage, and exhort those in need.

It is time to turn the question on those in the religious system. Can we not ask —
"How can you remain in the cities, or churches, of Saul, and under his high-taxing
rule where there is no justice for the people?" I believe the question is just as
legitimate as when it is asked of us by those in the church system, even more so.
For so long, those in organized religion have warned us about the dangers of
separating ourselves from their guardianship, yet it is time to turn it around.

The 400 who have assembled with Jesus, the unseen King, could easily warn those
who are at ease in Zion. They could be alerted to the impending fall of that
religious system by saying: "Come out of her My people, and be not partakers of
her sins and plagues. Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together with us,
and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."

You see, righteous assembling lies in the eyes of the beholder. What is right for one
is not for the other. I will hasten to tell you — not everyone is called to the caves of
Adullam, and neither is everyone called to subject themselves to the rule of Saul.
We all have our own unique calling in this life, and each person should abide
wherein they are called. If you make a good church citizen, and you are excited
about the word being preached, then stay where you are. The time for you to leave
will come when it is hit with God’s judgment. It will then fall, and you will have no
choice of the matter. But please know, this is not for your hurt but for your good.
Since God loves you, everything that comes between Him and you will eventually
be brought down.

However, if you are not one of those who are at peace in those places, you might
examine your calling. If you are in distress, feel indebted, and are discontented —
it may be time to leave and head for the cave of Adullam. If you are hearing the
Father saying to come out — fear not, and be quick to do move. You will not face
starvation, and there is no need to be afraid of the devil. He is not waiting behind
every bush and corner for you, and the only shadows you find him lurking will be
in the shadows of your own mind. When you leave the confines of your home-
church, you will be joined to the Lord and His other 400. Whether you find
yourselves in a crowd of people or alone in a desert place, be sure to know — you
are God’s workmanship and He will place you in the body where you fit (1 Cor
12:18). Furthermore, you will remain there for the appointed period necessary for
maturity. You will not be forsaken, and neither will you be forsaking the
assembling of yourselves together. Not at all — for you will be assembled with
those who shall come forth as the manifested Sons of God!