concerns...help?

[Guest krista_aus]

HI there,

Recently my fiance and I left our local church because we found that the people who attended were hypocrites, rightous and judgemental - they really believed (and preached) that they were better then other people (because they were christians) and turned people away from the church when they questioned things that were said in sermans etc. They were gossipy and spoke about members behind thier backs. We could not handle that they banned people from church!

We have visited a couple of other churches and have found that some of behaviour is common to quite a few - and we are thinking now that we don't want to attend church at all...

What can we do? Does anyone have any suggestions?

[ladypeartree]

Lots of people are like that, just calling yourself a Christian and going to church doesnt make you a true follower of Christ.

You do have several choices but also a lot depends on where you are, there may be worthy folk living near you that can point you in the direction of a Christ like church but it does depend on where in the world you are

Hope you find what you need, dont give up cos maybe you are where God needs you to be to show His love to those people

[LadyRaven]

I wrote this a while ago, and I think it is pertinent to this discussion. The original is located on my blog.

10 July 2006

Alone with God?

I'm an unashamed member of a subculture, and as such I sometimes am "blessed" by the scorn of fellow believers. I am often only accepted after lengthy associations during which fellow believers watch me and determine both that I am not an athiest or satanist due to my links to gothicism...and that I actually do have a working knowledge of my beliefs.

When I meet with fellow Christian goths, I notice that we all have similar experiences. It is so heartbreaking for some that they decide not to attend church at all. It's so much easier for them to seek a "me and Jesus got our own thing goin'" approach. Sometimes the process of finding a doctrinally sound church is bad enough, without the added tension of my rather strange method of dress and household decoration thrown in. But I do think that seeking and ultimately finding the "best" option available is what I am expected by God to do...as opposed to throwing up my hands in disgust and giving up completely.

"Church" as an institution, as a governing body of believers and as a fellowship of the same was thought up by God and not by men. Sure the presence of denominations as opposed to a universal and connected network of congregations is the result of mankind's inability to completely understand, interpret and agree on the contents of scripture... However, this does not mean that regular fellowship with believers and placing yourself under the authority of godly teachers is not expected. It just means you have to be selective.

Worship was commanded and expected by God from the very beginning. When God chose a people as opposed to the individuals from whence those people came, he not only expected corporate worship, but He went into detail as to how it was supposed to be done. There were elements of worship which were described which could never be accomplished by an individual on his or her own. (IOW, if you happen to be alone on a desert island, that is one thing, but feeling isolated in suburbia is no excuse). God required His people to assemble for both praise and the hearing of His word.(Deut. 12:5-12; 31:11-12/I Chron. 16:29; Ps. 96:8-9). Additionally there were things required which extended into the home (ie sabbath ordinances).

In the New Testament, the believers themselves are the temple of God (1 Cor 3:16-17; Eph 2:20-22). While the structure has changed, the moral obligation to meet together still stands. The apostles went to the temple until they were sent packing. Later believers met for corporate worship on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor 16:2) (though at first they did meet daily). The pattern of doing worship in a group did not.

Proper worship in the NT Consists of Praise (Heb 13:15), prayers ( 1 Tim 2:8, phil 4:6), hymns (Eph 5:19), scripture reading (1 Thess 5:27, 1 Tim 4:13), Preaching/Teaching (Acts 20:7-9)and Communion (Acts 2;42). This is the pattern modeled by scripture and it cannot be accomplished alone in your second story studio apartment alone. It must be done with fellow believers (Do not forsake the assembling...)

Various passages indicate that if you are a believer your heart will desire to assemble with believers in worship of God. When we are tuned in to the Holy Spirit, we will want to do what God prefers. When we are in line with God, we will want to learn his statutes from a respected and knowledgeable teacher while being amongst other believers. I realise that perhaps we have wounds which came from the ineptitude of other imperfect people in God's house, but we can never allow those wounds to be an excuse to keep us from God's will. In fact, submitting to God's will, in spite of these factors, will make us stronger and more able to deal with pressures and unpleasantness out in the world.

[sierra21]

If you aren't happy with your choices in churches perhaps you should start your own. Get together with your christian friends on sunday (or whatever day works out for you), read the bible, discuss it, listen (or sing) to christian music....believe it or not there were no such thing as Churches back in the day...this is how the first christians did it.

sierra

[MAYBEBREE]

First of all you need to have fellowship with other believers and you have to worship together if you want to grow spiritually.

If you're looking for the perfect church, you'll never find it and people in my church have made me mad plenty.

I don't always agree with them either but they are my family.

[speckles]

There is no perfect church, but you do need to fellowship and I do NOT recommend going it alone with a few friends. You can fall into massive doctrinal error that way.

[Guest Theology_Professor]

There is such a thing as church discipline and some people do need to be banned from church according to matthew 18.

Gossip is wrong.... hypocrisity wrong.

Sometimes, though, it is that one does not have all the information behind what is going on. The congregation members are not told everything that happens and is decided on at the leadership level. You should ask the pastor directly about any concerns you have.

Because you find certain things you don't like does not mean skip church. That would probably mean when you have children, you will also not take them.... in the long run, if we all do that, Christianity will end. The bible says not to forsake gathering together for corporate worship and fellowship.

Churches are made up of humans. There will be problems.

What you need to compare is doctrine.

Can you talk with the pastor.

[sierra21]

There is no perfect church, but you do need to fellowship and I do NOT recommend going it alone with a few friends. You can fall into massive doctrinal error that way.

Perhaps this is true for some, but deffinitly not for all.