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. – Hebrews 10:25 (NIV)
One of the big dangers in today’s world is isolation. As the world connects more through technology and economics, countries are now starting to think of ways to go it alone to protect themselves from what they perceive as the damages caused by connecting too much. They want to be self-reliant and not work with others to gain a better outcome for themselves.
Although it is true that self-reliance can be a good thing, it can also be said that it can be a bad thing if you have too much of it. Countries need other countries to expand markets, to grow knowledge and to support each other in times of need. Isolation from the rest of the world can have long-term consequences not just for a country but for the people as well.
For people, isolating yourself can have bad effects. In the beginning, we stay away from people on purpose as we believe that it is good to spend some time on own away from the hustle and bustle of life to re-charge our batteries. As time progresses, it soon becomes a way of life, and we forget what it is like to be with others in an atmosphere of encouragement and love.
Some Christians are also in the habit of being isolationists. They believe they don’t need to go to church to build their faith. Staying at home, listening to, or watching sermons online or on TV and doing bible studies by themselves is all they need. Connecting with other fellow believers is the last thing on their mind.
The Bible tells us in several verses that connecting to other believers is necessary in order to grow our faith. We all need each other to admonish and to encourage. It is something that you can’t do on your own – you have to connect with others. God doesn’t want us to give up making connections and start doing things on our own.
Jesus, our ultimate example, had times where He went away on His own for short periods but even, He came back and fellowshipped with others. Making connections was important to Jesus as it was through relationships that He was able to spread His message. Jesus was not an isolationist, and we shouldn’t be either.
The next time you are considering stepping back it should only be for a short time. You need to remember that you need to stay connected to others so that you can receive the things you need to build your faith and be all that you can be for God. Staying connected will also enable you to bless and help others during their times of need.
Being connected means that you are part of a bigger picture. If you pull away and isolate yourself, you will be missed not only by those who you had connected with but by God as well.
Originally published March 2019