Going To Church.

[Guest LadyC]

i haven't read through all three pages of responses, although i did read over the first page.

i have lived in vegas for 2.5 years now, and have attended church twice. sometimes i'm embarrassed to admit that for fear of criticism.

but the Bible doesn't tell us we have to go to a brick and mortar church to hear a sermon. NT scriptures indicate that fellowship is an interactive participation with other believers. they also are clear that where two or more are gathered, Christ is in the midst.

christian fellowship does not have to be in a building. it can be in the home of another believer. it can be at a restaurant with christian friends. it can even be on a christian message board or chat room.

fellowship is for our spiritual growth and edification. i am going to quote a segment of an article on christiananswers.net here, to describe what happens if we are not part of a fellowship of other believers, which is the purpose of a church:

Here are some irreplaceable pieces of the Christian that cannot happen when you live in isolation from the church:

USE OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS - I Corinthians 12 makes it clear that God has given spiritual gifts to every Christian. And verse 7 states unmistakably that these abilities are not provided to make you feel good; they are abilities to minister that should be used for the common good! I Peter 4:10 commands us to use spiritual gifts to help each other.

The same passage makes it clear that we meet with other Christians so they can use their gifts to strengthen us. God's gift of a preacher or teacher is wasted if no one comes to hear them speak.

MUTUAL MINISTRY - The church is pictured as a body in I Corinthians 12, and Paul explains that each part of the body exists to meet the needs of other body parts. In the same way, God intends each of us to meet the needs of other believers, using our strengths to help in their areas of weakness. I Corinthians 12:21 expresses it this way: "The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you." Neither can a Christian claim to be self-sufficient today.

The New Testament is full of "one another" commands. We are to comfort one another (I Thessalonians 4:18), build up one another (I Thessalonians 5:11), confess our sins to one another (James 5:16), pray for one another (James 5:16), and many more. How can we obey these directives if we stay away from the gathering of believers?

ACCOUNTABILITY - God designed the church as a place where spiritual leaders could watch out for our welfare, as a shepherd guards the sheep (I Peter 5:1-4; Hebrews 13:17). A Christian who answers only to himself can easily rationalize sinful attitudes or actions; regular contact with other Christians can keep us sharp.

A single verse should actually be sufficient answer for this question: Hebrews 10:25 warns its readers against "forsaking the assembly of yourselves together, as the manner of some is."

note those things are described as what can not happen if you're not part of a "church". yet ALL of those things can occur when you fellowship, for instance, on this message board or in the worthychat bible studies and prayer meetings. so the only thing you are missing by not attending a sunday morning service in a brick and mortar church is the physical proximity with other christians... and while that physical proximity can be very edifying, it is not the only way to worship Him in fellowship.

my personal reasons for not attending church:

we are a one vehicle family. my husband works most sundays. in fact, he has had only one day off in the last 32 days. i'm beginning to feel like a widow, but i'm not lacking in christian fellowship.

last night in chat i was asked if i could not take a bus to church, or catch a ride with someone else. despite having lived here for over two years, i know very few people in my city. there is a church i would like to attend, but am not comfortable riding with the only family i know who attends it, nor would they be comfortable giving me a ride. personal reasons, of course. the father is physically and mentally abusive to his family, whose 19 year old daughter we have given shelter to on a number of occassions when she has been forcibly sent from her home. her father does attend church, but imposes his own will on his daughter claiming it is god's. for example, last time he kicked her out it was because she was dating a colored boy who also attends church there, and is absolutely on fire for Jesus. but her father said she was going against God's will for dating a black man, and if she continued to sin, she would not be allowed in their home. nope, sorry, i won't ride with them.

could i ride a bus? of course. bus service in this city is available. the busses generally display large ads of near-naked women, and take roughly an hour and a half to reach a destination ten minute's drive away.

could my husband drop me off early? sure he could. he could drop me off at 6 a.m. and i could hang out at the church until he gets off work. lately he has worked 16 hour days.

is it necessary to endure those kinds of inconveniences to get spirtual edification through fellowship with other believers? absolutely not. is it necessary to hear a sermon by an ordained minister in a church? God ordains ministers, not man. if i feel led to listen to a real sermon by a real preacher, i can turn on the television and watch services, or log onto the internet and listen and/or view live streaming video and/or audio worship services. do i need to be in a building to learn what scripture has to say? nope, i have a Bible, and have been reading since i was 3 years old.

never let anyone convince you that you are less of a christian if you are not attending church.

[mobile21]

Christ Himself went to Church.

I rest my case.

Actually, he went to Synogogue and Temple. The things that went on there are not the same as what we do now that we call "church."

Hint: Roman Catholic Mass way back when was modled after the way the Romans worshiped in their Temples, not after the ways the Jews worshiped in their Synogogues and in the Temple.

I know He went to the "synagogue".

In the synagogue they sacrificed a lamb.

Now that Christ died for us, lambs aren't sacrificed but Jesus Himself, the Lamb of God.

As for the "structure of the mass", it's funny how the eastern churches also practice the very same structure without ever "borrowing it" from the roman practices.....

[Guest glorytothelord]

My husband and I have been to churches, none of which have been for our Spiritual growth. Some, or most, have delivered "sermonettes" which offer no teaching of any kind. So we now attend a weekly home church, where we have input from others.

[Brad]

The true meaning of Church began at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit filled and indwelled the believers of Jesus Christ. The Church from that time on is and has been the physical body of Jesus Christ on earth.

Jesus said many times that He would return quickly and like a theif in the night but most have been to spiritually blind to see Him in born again believers who walk and abide in the Spirit. The truth is that Jesus returns in part through every believer according to the times that they walk and abide in the Spirit.

When we see Christ in a brother or sister in the Lord we to become like Him for we see Him as He is, and as Christ is now so are we in this world.

Jesus said to Phillip If you seen Me you have seen the Father for the Father and I are one. We as born again believers when abiding in Christ should be able to said if to a person. If you want to see Jesus look at me Jesus and I are one just like Jesus and the Father are one.

Jesus was like a seed that falls to the ground and dies, then in the spring time a plant "church" spring up. Then that plant drops all it's seeds and over a long period of time covers the whole earth along with the tares. The Church age is about to go through a transition period when Jesus Christ will manifest Himself "in part" through His Church as we continue to abide in His Spirit and His word.

The doors of salvation will close to those who reject the Holy Spirit that indwells us. Many who think they are saved will be cast into outer darkness because they will not believe or have the faith to enter in to the Kingdom of God. They will only continue to believe that it will happen someday, they will not enter in by faith. They will continue to wait for God to zap they in by a miracle. But what did Jesus say in Matt. 24? He wandered if He would find faith on the earth.

If Jesus is in heaven and we are in Him then we by faith are in heaven to. Likewise if Jesus is in us and our body was bought with a price and no longer belongs to us, but is a temple for the Holy Spirit to indwell. Then that puts Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit on the earth in a world wide physical body.

Just thought I would put 2 & 2 together and make some sense about some of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God.

[Guest dove2]

never let anyone convince you that you are less of a christian if you are not attending church.

Amen!

[Guest shadow2b]

--I say check your motives. If you are using this as an excuse to not go to church, then I would suggest you find out through seeking God and asking Him to reveal to you if this is the case. God doesn't want your excuses, He wants your obedience.

WeLL, NOW,It is MOST gratifying to finally "see" "one" that has most assuredly been to the"TOP" of

the mount & "received" {the pure-undefiled-word of GOD-}from GOD HIMSELF---"Not" since Moses

have"WE"the church"seen"or been visited with such a visible & direct "word" we may ALL accept &

be secure in the knowledge & purity of GOD'S word that has been inflicted so heavily upon us with

such conviction--truth-& sincerity... I for one am just so overwhelmed with this absolute & pure

word that i must immediately go to my mountain top & "see" if I have been lacking in this church-

attendance requirement so as to proclaim myself to be a"christian"------I would humbly request

that all would be in prayer for me to be able to come down from "my" mountain top experience with

the "same" pure-undefiled word as has been expressed heretofore by "those" much more qualified

than I, to not only "receive" but to disseminate such wisdom from on high---OHHH, sorry--but I

must actually repent of my formerly unscriptural stance{which had been taught to me"erroneously"}

that {the people --the saints are the "church"} I apologize for holding such a heretical position but

i did-so-ignorantly & now do "know" i was in error----Thank all of you{non-church-going people} for

praying for me---uhhhh? can you do that without being in a designated "church"??building???????

Sheeessshhhhhh--i am SO confusticated now-pray--pray--pray folks---Gary--