An Importance of Faithfulness to a Local Church

[not an echo]

10 hours ago, kwikphilly said:

Blessings echo...I read your op & started reading some posts,skipped over to what seems to have turned into a different Topic so I'll just get back to your op ,if thats okay & forgive me if I say what anyone else has already said.....soubnds like you have a very nice congregation going   I too believe its important to be part of a "church" family,theres so much good that comes out of it when you yourself take the best & leave the rest-provided it is a church that preaches the unadulterated Word of God(version isnt critical-most preachers will compare versions & even touch on the Hebrew/Greek origins for better understanding

   The only thing I disagree with is what "Church" actually is and yes indeed,the CHURCH is the Body of Christ but the local church building where the gatherings take place is not "the Church" it is a "church" which unfortunately is not made up of the Body of Christ alone with Jesus as the Head.....

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  But, my experience has been that one is still much better off remaining a part of the body (a local church), than not.  It is tragic when a body is missing a part, but it is even more tragic when a part is missing a body.     echo

I get the notion that you are speaking of the local church" body" ,I'm just not sure all of our readers will understand there is a major difference. So I agree with your analogy yet I just have to add that the Body of Christ is never missing any of her members whether they attend a gathering or not,it is wonderful when the Body members gather but all gatherings at a local church are not all members of the Body of Christ "THE CHURCH"....if they were we would see something  amazing like in the Upper room at Pentecost I am sure & many other works & wonders!!!

 

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Whereas it is not usually a good thing for a body to be missing a part, it is never a good thing for a part to be missing a body.  Now, I know from personal experience that sometimes God performs transplants.  But, we need to make sure that it is God doing the transplanting and not we ourselves.   (echo)

Agree,as far as a local church gathering and yes,many times God Will Have us to go elsewhere to gather    Now if a part of "the Body" is gangrenous it is better to cut it off & throw it in the fire!

 It is so hard to compare todays local churches to what they ought to be,if they were what they ought to be ....ohhhh,that is a dream of mine      Anyway,I attend a church that does suffice,the preaching is sound,many are Brothers & Sister Born Again children of God but many are not   wonderful outreach Ministries ,Bible studies & other good functions I could rattle off what I am not keen about but what is the sense in that<I take what is good,leave the rest and give my best

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  I believe our Heavenly Father has a place for all of His children to go, where they can feel a part and be used in this body that Christ gave His life for and loves so much                                      echo

    & thanks for sharing your experiences with us

                                                                                     With love-in Christ<kwik

Hello kwikpilly,

Hey, I appreciate your response and agree with everything that you said.  Concerning your statement, "I get the notion that you are speaking of the local church "body",  that's exactly what I meant!   I was only speaking colloquially.  I hope you will search the other pages of this thread for other things I have said.  I hope my every response and post (especially in this thread) is always edifying to the Body of Christ and especially those who don't attend a local church, but are praying about "testing the waters" (if you will), either again, or for the first time.

[kwikphilly]

17 minutes ago, not an echo said:

I hope you will search the other pages of this thread for other things I have said.  I hope my every response and post (especially in this thread) is always edifying to the Body of Christ

Blessings echo(not an...lol)

    I sure will,I do read the interesting ones with many pages little at a time......

   Our HOPE is in Christ

[steve morrow]

AND  WHY  CALL  YOU  ME  LORD  LORD  AND  DO  NOT  THE  THINGS  WHICH  I  SAY

 

2 JOHN 1:9  whosoever transgresseth  and abideth not in the doctrine of  CHRIST  ---hath not  GOD---  he that abideth in the doctrine of  CHRIST ---he hath both  THE  FATHER  AND  THE  SON---

--IF-- there come --any-- unto you and bring not this doctrine ---receive him not into your house--- neither bid him  GOD  speed

 

PSALM 26:5  I have not sat with vain persons ---neither will I go in with dissemblers 

PROVERBS 24:1  be not thou envious against evil men ---neither desire to be with them---

--24:2-- for their heart studieth destruction-- and their lips talk of mischief

 

LOVING  THE  LORD  JESUS  CHRIST 

[not an echo]

Hello all,

To all who attended a local congregation of other brothers and sisters in Christ today, I hope that it was an edifying experience.  If it wasn't, I would certainly encourage you to pray concerning that and for the Father's guidance and direction towards a congregation (large or small) that is endeavoring to be faithful to the whole counsel of God.  I believe I may have said it in this thread, but it not, finding the local church of which the Father desires you to be a part can be like (for a man!) finding that "virtuous woman" whose "price is far above rubies" (Pro. 31:10).  She's out there.  And, she's not a dime-a-dozen.  And, she will be worth the search.   Don't forget Proverbs 3:5-6!

As the pastor of a little local congregation, the text for my message today was the following from Luke chapter 4.  Consider...

¹⁶ And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

¹⁷ And there was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written,

¹⁸ The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

¹⁹ To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

²⁰ And He closed the book, and He gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him.

²¹ And He began to say unto them, This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.

²² And all bare Him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?

Wouldn't that have been something to have been one of those who attended that synagogue service that day and to have witnessed Jesus stand and read from God's Word!  Interestingly and tragically, they ended up not accepting Jesus' word (vss. 28-30).  And, we could surmise that if He stood and did the same thing in a Jewish synagogue of our day, the result would be similar.

Annnyway, what I wanted to point out is that Jesus went to the synagogue that day, "as His custom was" (vs. 16).  I certainly believe that if Jesus were walking the earth now, His custom would be to faithfully attend local church services.

Years ago, everywhere we looked, we were seeing WWJD, which we know meant, "What Would Jesus Do?"  I remember in those days, when I might act or react in a way that I began to feel iffy about, I would think on WWJD, and I would sometimes come to the conclusion that He probably wouldn't have done what I just did.   In other words, sometimes I would wonder what Jesus would have done, and though I might not be able to come to a solid conclusion, I was quite sure that He wouldn't have done THAT (that I had just done).  In process of time, as I continued to contemplate what Jesus would do in this or that scenario, a little different take on WWJD came to my mind---Walk With Jesus Daily.  That excited me, especially as a missionary discipler, as I was always teaching the importance of walking with Christ.   So, what would Jesus do?  Walk with Jesus daily, and you will do what Jesus would do.  As is commonly said, with Jesus living in us, we can be His hands and feet.  And, I think of what John said in I John 1...

⁶ He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.

Well, I guess that if Jesus were walking among us today as He did in Luke's day, He might not have walked to church.  Depending on where He went, He might have drove or rode with someone.  But, IMHO, He would have went.  He who gave His life for the Church (Eph. 5:25) would certainly not have forsaken the assembling of Himself together with a local congregation of it.

I would encourage the reading of my opening post for this thread once again...

[steve morrow]

SHOULD  WE  SEEK  GODS  ANSWER  OR  MANS

 

JAMES 1:5  if any of you lack wisdom let him ask  GOD  that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him 

--1:6-- but let him ask in faith ---nothing wavering--- for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed 

--1:7-- for let not that man think that he shall receive anything of  THE  LORD

--1:8--a double minded man --- is unstable in all his ways 

 

PSALM 27:14  wait on  THE  LORD  be of good courage and  HE  shall strengthen thine heart ---wait I say on THE  LORD---

PSALM 37:34   wait I say on  THE  LORD  --  and keep  HIS  way---

PROVERBS 8:20  I lead ---in the way of righteousness--- in the midst of the paths of judgement

PROVERBS 8:8  ---all the words of --MY  MOUTH-- are in righteousness--- there is nothing froward or perverse in them

 

*******AGAIN ---  2 JOHN 1:9  whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of  CHRIST  hath not  GOD--- he that abideth in the dotrine of  CHRIST  he hath both  THE  FATHER  AND  THE  SON 

--1:10--  if -- there come --any-- unto you and bring not this doctrine  ---receive him not into your house neither bid him  GOD  speed *******

 

HEBREWS 7:24  but this man because  HE  continueth ever ---hath an unchangeable priesthood---

 

PROVERBS 28:9  he that turneth away his ear from hearing the law ---even his prayer shall be abomination---

 

LOVING  THE  LORD  JESUS  CHRIST