Michael37 Posted October 29, 2021 Group: Servant Followers: 21 Topic Count: 245 Topics Per Day: 0.11 Content Count: 7,029 Content Per Day: 3.28 Reputation: 4,941 Days Won: 2 Joined: 07/05/2018 Status: Offline Birthday: 09/23/1954 Share Posted October 29, 2021 8 hours ago, Starise said: A church can be- A few people gathering in a house or anywhere else. A bunch of people gathering in a dedicated building. His church is all over in many different forms. Individuals with titles like deacon, elder, pastor etc. are not all the same. I believe some negativity is inferred in other posts about these individuals. I would only say please do not judge the library by only one book cover. Church attendance was by law compulsory at one time in England. Those who broke this law were fined, or imprisoned if unable to pay. The term "heathen" came about as a reference to non-attenders who chose to roam the heaths intead of attend church services. COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE AT CHURCH. (Hansard, 11 February 1842) (parliament.uk) Quote: The penalty for non-attendance on religious worship was imposed in the clause of the act of Elizabeth, called the Act of Uniformity, which says:— Whosoever, having no lawful or reasonable excuse to be absent, shall forbear to resort to his parish church or chapel accustomed, or upon reasonable let thereof to some usual place where common prayer and such service of God shall be used in such time of let upon every Sunday and other days ordained and used to be kept as holy days, and then and there abide orderly and soberly during the time of the common prayer, preaching, or other service, shall incur the penalties of a Popish recusant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Patriot21 Posted October 29, 2021 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 27 Topic Count: 338 Topics Per Day: 0.05 Content Count: 15,715 Content Per Day: 2.45 Reputation: 8,535 Days Won: 39 Joined: 10/25/2006 Status: Offline Birthday: 02/27/1985 Author Share Posted October 29, 2021 18 hours ago, Marilyn C said: YOU are the CHURCH. Where 2 or 3 are gathered in the Lord`s name there He is in their midst. The church is NOT a building or a meeting run by an organisation, though the believers can go there. The church, which is His Body are the called out ones - PEOPLE. It seems to me that some people assume just because public meetings are closed or limited that the Lord the HEAD of His Body which He has been building and maturing over the centuries and across the world, in incapable of gathering people in small groups and then go out and meet in other small groups. The Body of Christ is a great network of believers SET in the Body by the Holy Spirit. Yes we the Body of Christ need each other and need to hold fast to the Head, not man. Also it seems to me that many people who go to church public meetings think that those who do not go to that format are sitting at home watching TV etc. The Holy Spirit is in His Body and is drawing believers more and more to real relationships where they can exercise their gifts and help each other reach out to the lost and hurting. Marilyn. Indeed, but sitting at home watching a tv preacher isnt even gathering with one or two...and face it the vast majority of people who dont go to church, dont even do that. Or if they do they meet up with one person for coffee every so often, read a verse or two and then go about their day....they arnt doing church anymore then the people in the larger congregations they claim arnt "holy enough" for them for whatever reason they can come up with. The Bible doesnt say it has to be a big building with lots of people...it doesnt say it cant either. God can move in both environments if He is allowed. But either way it demands people get off their butts, gather with other believers and let God work through them. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starise Posted October 30, 2021 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 13 Topic Count: 279 Topics Per Day: 0.21 Content Count: 13,126 Content Per Day: 9.66 Reputation: 13,667 Days Won: 149 Joined: 08/26/2020 Status: Offline Share Posted October 30, 2021 In my own experience I have noticed many smaller congregations want to remain small and sometimes even pride themselves on being smaller. A person can get lost in some larger congregations. I once looked for the smaller churches because I'm a bit of an introvert and can't make too many friends in an effective way. I now believe I hurt myself and my family by intentionally seeking out narrow churches with narrow views that were not scriptural. Priding oneself on a narrow view tends to turn some people away, therefore a smaller congregation. One of the chief motivators for me at my present church is the welcome and accepted feeling I have there. I am one of the brothers there, not an outsider. I felt that way from day one. It is a larger church. We just took in 29 new members last week at an already larger church. I would classify it as a larger country church. This is the thing I thought I would never see. Closeness and community at a larger church. It IS possible to make friendships and even have more opportunities at some larger churches. So if you're like me, don't let LARGE scare you away. It can be very beneficial. I don't think we can put a trait on a body of believers based on their location or size. You have to feel things out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray12614 Posted October 30, 2021 Group: Senior Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 9 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 670 Content Per Day: 0.43 Reputation: 753 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/22/2020 Status: Offline Share Posted October 30, 2021 13 hours ago, The_Patriot21 said: Indeed, but sitting at home watching a tv preacher isnt even gathering with one or two...and face it the vast majority of people who dont go to church, dont even do that. Or if they do they meet up with one person for coffee every so often, read a verse or two and then go about their day....they arnt doing church anymore then the people in the larger congregations they claim arnt "holy enough" for them for whatever reason they can come up with. The Bible doesnt say it has to be a big building with lots of people...it doesnt say it cant either. God can move in both environments if He is allowed. But either way it demands people get off their butts, gather with other believers and let God work through them. Well said Patriot! In addition to this, I would like to add that I hear a lot (summarizing here . . . ) "I AM the church, so I don't need assembling with other Christians, because, after all, I AM the church". Technically, they are correct, because they are part of the universal church world-wide. But, that truth is half true. The other half is that I am NOT the church . . . but . . I am PART of the church expressed locally when I assemble together with my brothers and sisters in Christ (wherever that might be). Years ago, there was a Army recruiter commercial that said "I am an army of One" that always made me chuckle. The army was attempting to recruit individuals by capitalizing on their individuality and 'Me, Myself, and I' world view. Well, I am sure that many recruits realized in basic training that their individuality went out the window as they were trained how to function with their peers together as an army. As part of the Body of Christ, it is normal for us to assemble together as we are able to (parable of the Talents). Some cannot due to absence of alive local assemblies, or, for physical reasons, transportation issues, etc. But for the rest of us who are able to go, Jesus expects us to 'be there' so He can teach and train us how to live our lives for Him, Give and receive edification/exhortation, and find our place in our local body, and participate in activities to reach people outside of our assemblies, and generally BE part of the Body of Christ local (see Corinthians expose on the parts of the Body). 40+ years of being saved experience tells me I am right . . . I have done it all . . . being an 'I AM the Church, army of one' , to, 'I hate churches because I am superior to those hypocrites' , to, 'finding my place in my local church and loving it'. Hope this helps somebody reading this . . . Grace and Peace . . . Ray . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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