This text is related to a portion of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians in which he is teaching about gifts, supernatural experiences and spiritual manifestations among the believers. Some believers were elevating certain gifs and experiences over others, and so Paul is writing to preserve the unity of the church by laying down some basic principles regarding spiritual gifts and their use. The larger argument goes on for three chapters, and you would do well to study it, understand and apply it , but for today, I just want to focus on a couple of principles.
Heb. 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
The Spirit directed the author of Hebrews in chapter 13 to say some things regarding our worship. This makes sense because he has argued in the book that the Old Covenant and its outward forms has been fulfilled in Christ and set outside, so how do we worship now? In verses 7-16, we in fact find some words to us regarding our corporate worship.
What transfers? Contentment. The command to find our security and satisfaction in the Lord rather than in our possessions or our pocketbook. We are content with what we have and what can never be taken from us: God's covenantal presence. That’s what carries over from the Old Covenant to the New. Just as God was with his covenant people then, He is with his covenant people now. Just as he promised to be with them in the face of opposition then, he promises to be with us in our pocketbook persecution now.
Why join a church? The Book of Hebrews draws to a close with a description of the New Covenant Community, and a prescription that those who are called by the Lord be in community with one another in local churches.
