We often look to Hebrews 10 for guidance regarding our attendance in the assembly with special emphasis placed on this phrase in verse 25 - "...not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together..." An inspired writer instructing God's people to do something ought to be the end of the matter, but a look around the church building from Sunday Morning to Sunday Afternoon to any other planned meeting time will reveal this to not to be the case. It would appear that some have decided that God is pleased (or at best indifferent) with lackluster attendance in the assembly, but have these Christians considered how their brethren feel about their absence? If you are one of these people, I won't presume to know how God feels about your attendance specifically, but I'd like to share some thoughts that your brethren have when they see your empty pew.

Your brethren feel alone. When Elijah felt alone, he felt despair. After fleeing to the wilderness from the wicked Jezebel, Elijah confessed to God that he felt alone. In the case of Elijah, God spoke to him directly and informed him of the many others who were serving God as a means to edify and encourage him. Since we don't have this direct line of communication from God today, we find edification and encouragement from being in the presence our brethren. If your presence in the assembly is uplifting, which it is (Hebrews 10:24), you can certainly understand that the opposite is true when your pew sits empty.

Your brethren feel unimportant. American writer Dale Carnegie wrote, "Don't ask a man what is important to him. Watch how he spends his time." Your brethren cannot see your heart, that's God's business, but they can see how you spend your time. There are 168 hours in a week. In a normal week, a local congregation might meet for 4.5 hours. This means the assembly represents roughly 2.6% of your week. Meetings, singings, and other congregational outings might bring that number up a bit every once in a while, but it still represents a rather small percentage of your week. Manifesting excuses to skip what is already such a small amount of time sure seems foolish when it's broken down to this level.

Perhaps you're wondering why your brethren would even care so much. Maybe you think it's just a matter between you and God and it's no one else's business. If that's the case, I'd urge you to consider the preparation time spent by those who serve in the assembly. Consider the time spent by the preacher to prepare a lesson from God's Word that is understandable, applicable, well-organized, and directly tailored to the needs of one whose pew sits empty. Consider the time spent by a member speaking at the Lord's table to prepare a message that helps focus the minds of the entire congregation on the cross and assists members in partaking of the supper in a worthy manner. Consider the time spent by a Bible class teacher to prepare a craft or activity that will help cause your child to love the Word of God and the feeling he or she experiences when your child's seat in class is empty, that craft constructed in vain. We need to consider the time spent by our brethren in service to God and to His Church and show that it is important to us by being there to support the fruits of that time. Your empty pew tells your brethren what is important to you, and it's certainly not them.

Your brethren feel incomplete. When you identified yourself as a member of a local church, you became a member of what God has called the "Body of Christ" (1 Cor 12:12-14). In Ephesians 4:16, we read of the importance of each and every part of that body, "...the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love." Each and every member supplies something that the body needs. Each and every member has a share in the work of the Church. Each and every member helps the body grow. If you believe you are not missed when your pew is empty, I assure you that you are missed as one misses a limb.

There are many other factors to consider when it comes to poor attendance in the assembly; not subjecting to the Elders, the inconsistent example displayed to our neighbors, an unwillingness to sacrifice our personal desires, a weak love for Christ, etc. This list focuses on the phrase preceding that well known verse in Hebrews 10 - "...let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works" (v. 24). Let's keep our brethren in mind when we consider forsaking the assembly of God's people. Your attendance matters, and not only to God.