We are Called to be Irritating
Erik Raymond
Are you an irritating Christian? I hope so.
Let me explain. In Hebrews chapter 10 we read of the priority of Christians to gather together. This is a staple of the New Covenant life. We cannot and must not neglect it (Heb.10.25).
But there is something very important that is said in conjunction with this. We read the previous verse in Hebrews:
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,” (Hebrews 10:24)
Christians are commanded to consider (pay attention to, be concerned for, look after, etc) someone and something. We are to be concerned for one another. This is a church directive for body life. And, we are to be concerned with stirring each other up.
What does this mean? It is an interesting word that means to irritate, provoke, or even exasperate. It’s actually used most frequently in a negative sense as in provoking someone to anger or irritation.
But, this is not what we are talking about here. Instead, the writer of Hebrews is emphasizing an intentional provoking or promoting of “love and good works”. This is another way of saying “godliness”.