Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus. As I write this article my heart is heavy with the burden my dear friend and brother in Christ Pastor Mike Belcher is bearing even now. I write this article with him in mind. God bless and our prayers are with Pastor Mike and his wonderful family as well as the Lakeview Baptist Church.

1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. Hebrews 13:1-3

Verse 1

The writer of Hebrews is not telling us here that we are to generate love but that we are to simply let it continue. We have within us the perfect love of God as it has been shed abroad in our heart by the Holy Ghost which is given to us. (Romans 5:5) This brotherly love is simply an outworking of the fruit of the Spirit who indwells each and every born again believer in Christ Jesus. We are incapable of generating this love as that is the work of God in our hearts but we are very capable of stifling this love. Thus the encouragement to let brotherly love continue. There are no exceptions to this rule given. We are commanded to love the brethren without exception.

Verse 2

We are exhorted not to neglect our Christian duty to show compassion to strangers or those outside of our immediate circles. R.C. Sproul said, The pressure of suffering can drive the fundamental responsibilities of love from our minds. We are to be careful to never allow this to happen in our own lives. Thus we are reminded not to be negligent in our treatment of strangers. Treat everyone the way you would treat an angel if you knew you were entertaining one.

Verse 3

The exhortation here is for those at liberty to remember those who are imprisoned for the cause of Christ. Paul commends a fellow laborer (Onesiphorus) for not being ashamed of his bonds but ministering to him and encouraging him while in prison. (II Timothy 1:16-18) Not only are we to remember them but we are to do so as if we were imprisoned along side them. The writer of Hebrews goes on to exhort us to remember those who are mistreated because we are all part of the same body that being the body of Christ. Matthew Henry said regarding this, It would be unnatural in Christians not to bear each other’s burdens.

It is easy to get so caught up in our own lives that we forget these exhortations by the writer of Hebrews. We live in a self-centered world where too many seek their own gain and advancement. However, this is not a Scriptural concept and thus it is not a Christian concept. It is so sad that this exhortation had to be given but the evidence shows that it was indeed a necessary one. Paul encouraged us to esteem others as better than ourselves. (Philippians 2:3) Sadly this exhortation is needed now more than ever as this selfish ideal is stronger than ever and brotherly love is lacking in our fellowships today. Let us ask God by His grace to break the congestion that is preventing our letting brotherly love continue in our own hearts.

I love each of you who read this in the Lord and pray that the blessings that you have been given by our gracious Lord and Savior will be shared with others.