Together We Stand, Apart We Fall

Shared on February 16, 2025

Introduction

When I think of Black History, it brings a wide range of mixed emotions.  I think of the generations that came before me – my parents, uncles, aunts, and grandparents – went through.  I think of their hurt, pain, and suffering.  Yet, attached to those thoughts are thoughts of their strength, endurance, success, and victory.  I think of how families, friends, and strangers united together to make it.  

Then I think about today, the urgency of today, and I wonder if they would be proud of us.  Today is a day that is calling on us to unite and stand together!  You see, we need to be drawing closer together because together we’ll stand but apart we will fall.

The Urgent Epistle

The Epistle to the Hebrews was written during a time of urgency.  Though an author doesn’t take claim of this epistle, many of us believe that Paul wrote it.  Paul wrote this epistle to his community – the Hebrews.  As Paul shared this message to his community, I desire to share a message with my community today.

As shown in Hebrews 2, Paul felt a sense of urgency because some of the Jews were choosing to neglect salvation.  So, because they were neglecting the salvation found in God’s only begotten Son, Paul understood they were neglecting God as well.  So, Paul wrote with urgency to insist that his people stop doing that.

In Hebrews 10:32-36, we will see that Paul wrote with urgency to a specific part of his community.  Paul addressed this part of his message to those Jews who had been “illuminated”.  These were Jews who had become Christians and walked in the light of Christ.

Paul urgently wrote to them because the Christian Jews were facing a great struggle as their faith was being tested.  You see, there were other Jews who constantly encouraged them to stop walking in the way of Christ.  To add to that struggle, life itself was a battle for them as they also had to deal with the pains and stresses of living.  

In Acts 2, we see the love and faithfulness of the early church that was made up of Christian Jews.  Paul even indicates that when he was suffering in his chains, these Jews had compassion on him (Heb. 10:34).  However, Paul implies that the Christian Jews had begun to cast away the confidence of their faith.  This is why we see Paul say to them, “Do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward (Heb. 10:35).”

Paul understood that his community, firstly, needed God in their life.  Secondly, Paul understood that they need their confidence in God to be able to endure the challenges of life.  So, Paul wrote with great urgency so that his community could endure and make it through life to the great reward.

A Time of Urgency

I reference Hebrews 10:32-36 to all of you today because I write and speak with the same sense of urgency.  Some may disagree with my preaching of such a message but I Iove my community and I desire to preach to them.  

Why we need to stand together

The devil is moving – he is active.  Satan and his army of wicked and evildoers are creating chaos throughout our land.  What are they doing?  They’re working overtime to stir up strife and to create much division.  As Jesus warned, we have to beware of the wolf because the wolf seeks to divide and scatter so that he can capture and destroy (John 10:12).

We are watching today as institutions that bring awareness to the plight of others are being attacked.  We are watching today as institutions that bring help and aid to others are being attacked.  Today, institutions that promote loving neighbors are being attacked, and for what purpose?  For division and isolation with the mindset that this land the people in it are the greatest?

We must work as hard to unite and stand together as a family.  We must be willing to work as hard to unite together as friends, acquaintances, and strangers.  As a community, we must work to unite and stand together in this time of urgency if we are to succeed!  If we don’t stand together today, we will fall.

A time to remember

As Paul told his community to recall the former days, I tell you that we need to also recall the former days.  We need to remember who we are, where we came from, and how we got here today!

The generations that came before us, some of you may be part of it, made it through because of their strong bonds.  Families stood together.  Friends stood together.  Strangers stood with strangers, and a community was with each other.

I know this because, as a child, I witnessed how the generation of my grandparents and parents moved.  You see, they would gather together as often as they could, not just for holidays or for a death in the family.  

For example, Sundays were for church and fellowship where they would come together and see each other!  How many of you remember Sunday dinners?  Again, they would gather together to see each other and be able to talk to each other in person.  When they couldn’t gather together, they would actually pick up the phone to call and check on each other.

We, again, need to remember where we came from!  We come from a people that would support each other in good or bad!  When one came down sick, a call was made to others so that they could know and be able to pray.  We McCrary’s will tell anybody that when you mess with one, you have a whole army to go up against!

Those strong bonds were built off of sincere love!  Not only were those bonds built off of love but they were built off faith in the Lord as well.  Those generations lived by the motto that a family that prayed together, was a family that stayed together.  They set the example that this generation should be following in such times as these.  The question we have to answer today is whether or not we will follow their example.

Have Our Bonds Grown Weak?

I have a great concern about today’s generation when it comes to our bonds.  I have concern for the bond of family, the bond of friendship, the bond of acquaintanceships.  I have a great concern about today’s generation when it comes to our bond with strangers.  I am concerned about the bond of our commnity.

Now, someone will say to me, “Pastor, we’re OK, we still love each other”.  Yet, my concern for today is that our bond is not where it needs to be so that we can make it.  My concern for today is that our bond – faith, love, and support – is growing weak.

Evaluating our love for one another

I feel the need today to remind you of how our bond is supposed to be.  To do this, I must share with you what love is.  

In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, basing his definition of love on the way God moves, defined love for us.  Paul wrote, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; [Love] does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; [Love] does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; [Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Love is the basic fundamental of the Christian faith!  God loves us and with the love that He shows us, we should be moving in that same love towards each other.  How would you evaluate yourself according to this definition of love?  Would you pass your evaluation?

Personally, I feel I wouldn’t get much of a passing grade.  You see, there are moments when I lack patience with those around me.  There are moments when I am rude, whether intentionally or not.  I could do a better job of checking in on my people and being there to support them as well.  So, in my own self-evaluation, I would tell you that I need to improve!

Let’s evaluate ourselves as a family, as friends, as acquaintances, strangers, and as a community.  Are we patient with one another?  Are we kind to each other or are we rude to each other?  Are we selfish and seeking our own or are we selfless?  Are we bearing all things, being hopeful of each other, and supporting one another? 

My concern for today is that we, as a family, friends, acquaintances, strangers, and as a community, fail this test and we don’t even care!  Many of us make excuses as to why we don’t do these things.  As my dad would say, an excuse is nothing but a dressed-up lie, and a lie doesn’t care who tells it!

Rather than getting together, we make the excuse that we’re too busy or we’ll see that we live too far away.  Rather than helping and supporting others, we will only help if it serves our best interests.  We are quick today to tear each other down as others will do!  We act more like strangers and enemies than we do as allies.  If we don’t love and support each other, who will?

We need to do better!  Stop with the excuses of why you can’t love your family, or be there for your friends!  We need to start going the extra mile rather than what we are doing today.  The wicked are united together and even appear to be growing stronger.  Yet, scripture tells us that victory doesn’t belong to the wicked!  So, we need to re-strengthen our bonds today, no more excuses!

How to Strengthen Our Bonds

So, how do we strengthen our bonds to the levels of those who came before us?  What are the steps that we need to take today so that we can stand closer together rather than at a distance?

Consider each other

In Hebrews 10:24, we will see that Paul told his community that they needed to “consider one another”.  If we desire to strengthen our bonds today, this is where we need to begin.  I am calling on us to toss that selfish mindset that the world has bred in us out the door!  I am calling on us to get back to the basic fundamentals of looking out for the needs of others rather than thinking about our own needs.

Paul then told them that when they think of others, they should move to stir up love and good works in each other.  Guess what the next step is for us?  It’s time for us to get back to uplifting family members, friends, and all of those around us.

It upsets me to see how we are so slow to support family members, friends, and those in a local community with what they are trying to build.  Yet, at the same time, we are quick to try to go to high-end places.  For example, local churches used to be filled with family and friends with their family, now only a scattering arrives.  We have people in the community with businesses but we won’t support them because we’re busy supporting others with a “bigger name”.

Today, I call on you to support your family, friends, and your neighbor!  Again, I ask, if we can’t support each other, who will?

Assemble together in-person

Paul then told his community something that I believe is critical and fitting for today.  In my key verse for today, Paul told his community to not forsake the “assembling of ourselves together”.

Paul’s words ring so loudly that I have become an echo chamber in saying the same thing to you.  To my family, I say that we need to not forsake the assembling of ourselves.  To friends, I say to you that we need to not forsake the assembling of ourselves.  To the strangers and community, I say to you that we need to not forsake the assembling of ourselves!

Social media isn’t always enough.  Texting isn’t always enough.  Even when it comes to church, being able to watch service online isn’t always enough!

When we can be with each other, in-person, we can feel one another.  When we can look at each other, in the eyes, we can understand what someone is dealing with.  As wonderful as our technology can be at times, it has also harmed us by keeping us away from each other.  

Jesus said that when two or three are gathered together in His name, He will be in the midst!  As Paul said, when we come together, we can exhort each other.  What does that mean?  That means that when we are in-person, we can advise, teach, encourage, motivate, and lift each other up even more!  

In-person simply hits different!  There is greater joy, in our spirit, when we sing together, pray together, break bread together, and fellowship together!  You see, this is what we need today to strengthen our bonds!  Again, I say to you, cut out the excuses for why you can’t get together and simply do it!  

The time is urgent for us to come together as a family, as friends, as strangers, and as a community.  When we stand together and fight together, our resilience will overpower the wicked and they will relent – history proves this!  We must not leave nor forsake each other in this moment.  

In these times, when love unites, even when it is pressed down on, it will resist – it will push back.  As the generations that came before us succeeded by faith and love, I know that we can do the same.  The thing we must do today is put our minds to it!  Will we do it?  That is the question.