Do you go to church?

[Word of Life]

Nope. I worship Him through the Son of God, in my heart, every day

Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Unfortunately, most buildings have a certain amount truth, just get the attention of the public, but you will know them by their fruits.

Mat 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

There is a lot of truth in that scripture.

Until then, I will wait on God, until He leads me to the correct place, as being in fellowship with others, is extemely important.

 

[jiggyfly]

You should still fellowship and serve with a local church. I'm a Maverick but I still minister in and through a local church.

How would you difine "local church"? Do you define it as all the other believers in the same community?

 

[jiggyfly]

Nope. I worship Him through the Son of God, in my heart, every day

Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Unfortunately, most buildings have a certain amount truth, just get the attention of the public, but you will know them by their fruits.

Mat 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

There is a lot of truth in that scripture.

Until then, I will wait on God, until He leads me to the correct place, as being in fellowship with others, is extemely important.

Very good points WoL, I was reading your post and this scripture came to mind.
Philippians 4:19
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

This scripture says "all your needs" and it's according to His riches not our likes and dislikes. Most people I have talked with about this topic generally fail to allow God to lead them to whom they are to fellowship with. They usually pick out the place or people themselves and then say God led them. Typically when we pick out those we want to be surrounded with, it is usually those who have very simular behavior, goals, likes, dislikes and even religious doctrines and traditons and we find safety within the group. They all think jiggy is just great and there's no challenge for me to deny self and no cross for me to take up. So it will remain a very carnal and self-centered group, all "in the name of Jesus" ofcourse.

You are doing well to wait and be led by HolySpirit. Most will be quick to quote Hebrews 10:25 @ you and inform you that it is rebellious if you don't join a "local church", all because of one verse of scripture.

I have found that many of the religious folk are very prejudice and believe that obedience to Hebrews 10:25 is only accomplished by gathering together in a building with others of like mind in a liturgical way within the religious system. The pharisees of Jesus' day employed this same narrow-minded way of thinking and just look at what Jesus had to say about them, it wasn't pretty. "Blind leading the blind and both end up in the ditch", just to mention one of many.

May God help us all to understand that "deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me" is more than a cute cliche to be memorized but rather an experiential reality for Christ's disciples.

 

[rizen1]

Word of Life and Jiggyfly, you both make great points.

At times, I want to pick up and go to the nearest church and become a member.
( To avoid being judge by other believers )
But God had me visiting churches, I'm currently building a network
within the spanish and italian community.
Its fun waking up and saying, God where shall I go today.

God took me to a Haitian church, it was so uplifting didnt understand
all the creole but God presence was there.

Until then, I will wait on God, until He leads me to the correct place

AMEN

 

[Ann]

I never read this thread before because I don't attend a local church and I thought you guys would think it strange that I don't.

So - I am very surprised at all the posts that I've read.

I don't feel welcome in my local church but I believe the problem lies within me not the people in the church. They have always been friendly and welcomed me with open arms.

I have Christian friends, read Christian books, listen to Christian music and preachings and have fellowship here on TJ.

I will head the advice of jiggyfly and wait for the Holy Spirit to lead me to when, where and how.

Blessings!

 

[nzdaughter]

I go to a large-ish church service sometimes twice on every Sunday, and about once a month for one day during the week for a women's group.

 

[abigya]

I used to go to my church on Tuesday, Friday, saturday and Sunday ,

for some reason i had to stop joining the worship team, so now i go on Saturday after noon and Sundays .

I love my Church

abigya

 

[MavMin]

Heb 10:24-25

24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. KJV

A local church is a Body of believers gathering together to do the above. Ideally, they should be close to where you live. Sometimes that is hard and I have traveled 40 miles one way to belong to a good Body but each Body should minister to its locality or neighborhood. You can't have your head in California and feet in Florida.

TV Church is all shutins can do but ablebodied saints should be in the local Body learning and serving out of that local Body. The Church of 1 "in spirit and in truth" is unscriptural. You go for your own edification, yes, but primarily for the sake of others.

Eph 4:11-16

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. KJV

I can't train a Body that is not there and yet I am called to be a pastor-teacher and this tells my job as well as the job of the members.

The invisible Church or the anti-established Church, anti-denomination movement is not biblical. Indeed, if you look at Scripture there was only ONE Church per city. They may have met in houses but somewhere they were also united for work and ultimately for services as they could come out of hiding and openly build meeting places.

I keep hearing cries for unity but then the same people start fifty splinter groups that ultimately become a denomination in some form.

You want unity then work towards having one Church of your faith in a town not fifty. The smaller a group the less impact it really has and the greater the chance of it turning into a cult.

In my local area, there should be no more than 4 IFB church buildings and they would all be under the same Body. Local branches, if you please. There would just be one in the N, S, W and E sections of the town to cut down on the argument of being too far to drive though people around here drive 50 miles or more to work on a daily basis.

I have worked on trying to merge some churches but old things die hard and then you get into sentimentality and near building worship as well as the overabundance of preachers wanting their own Church.

One church of 400 can do more than ten churches of 40. That is just a simple fact. While I have no problem with cell groups that are extensions of the local church many people still think those things are cultic. I once worked with a church in a strip mall and many of the negihbors thought we were a cult. More came when we got a "real" building.

Vanilla names do not help either. Grace Community Fellowship can mean anything from far Left to far Right and everything in between. In the end, almost all of these generic churches are in essence of the same belief and polity of the old denominations since their leaders came out of the those various schools. All you did was change names. All the major doctrinal issues have been decided centuries ago. What we have now is much like Mars Hills with people of itching ears seeking some new thing and men coming up with a gimmick to reel them in.

The only "unty" that will come about is when the False Prophet lures the Lost into the one world Church and that will be a union from Hell.

Jer 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. KJV

Welcome to the 21st Century church. What many see as a revival is actually the apostasy that was predicted. We are less unified and nearly powerless against the spirit of the age pointing to wealth as proof of God's blessing when the only Church with money in Revelation was the dead church. It is time to wake up. Maranatha!

 

[MavMin]

Ann, if the problem is you then you need to obey the command of God and assemble with your local church and they may be able to help you with your problem. Staying at home is like self-diagnosing insteadof going to a doctor. The Holy Spirit leads through the word and He would not tell you to stay home. Find a church somewhere. God has not called us to be Lone Rangers.

 

[Ronda]

amen I totally agree. We should be part of a body. I do understand physical limitations. Often I hear the excuse that I went once and was hurt. Do they think Jesus wasnt hurt when He went to the synagogue to see what the pharisees and saducees were making it?

 

[MavMin]

I will qualify my statement just a bit in that IF you have nothing around you but apostate churches then it will be of no value to attend. In that case, you will need to try and contact some folks about sending a church planting evangelist to that area and pray for a solid work to be built.

 

[MavMin]

By the way, if you want to compare scars from being hurt in Church I might be number 1 in that area. Being hurt one place or more is not an excuse to stop seeking the right place.

 

[jiggyfly]

It seems that today that the majority of christians concern themselves about going to church and very few about being the church. I haven't participated in the christian religous systems liturgy in several years now. I have grown and matured spiritually much more away from the system and know it could not happen within the system. I simply have no need for it.

 

[Cody]

I got saved in a Good Ol' Baptist "system" and I've yet to regret going to church. The preaching, singing and fellowship in church helps me spiritually. I thank God for a church I can worship with Christian people freely.

 

[jiggyfly]

I got saved in a Good Ol' Baptist "system" and I've yet to regret going to church. The preaching, singing and fellowship in church helps me spiritually. I thank God for a church I can worship with Christian people freely.

I was born-again in my parents livingroom. I have never regreted that livingroom and I thank Father for the Ekklesia.

 

[Cody]

I was born-again in my parents livingroom.

Praise God, brother.

 

[MavMin]

The subject of the message is "do you go to church" not a discussion of ekklesia and us being the church 24/7. A good discussion but off topic for this thread.

Jiggy if you aren't careful you are going to sound a bit arrogant and nearly cultic. That you did your own self study bringing about growth is good but that is not an indictment of the "system." I learned more in my own self study in the college library than I did in the classroom and learned far more in the trenches than anywhere else but being an active member of a local church is still a requirement and has been beneficial.

The problem is that most people think that the 4-5 hours a week in the meeting place is all they need to grow and all they need to do as service. If people ate physical food the way they eat spiritual food there would be a lot more anorexics among us. It takes both the corporate worship and teaching as well as private worship and study to make a Christian whole and fruitful.

Half is not enough no matter which half you are doing. Bubba, for all your growth you are disobeying a direct command, and the easiest one to obey, by not being a part of a local body of believers and exercising your gift with them and through them. Unless you have attained far more than all other mortals there is a group out there you can fellowship with and share your vast wisdom so that the system may be made better.

Abdication is not sanctification or edification but rather self-glorification and pontification.

 

[jiggyfly]

The subject of the message is "do you go to church" not a discussion of ekklesia and us being the church 24/7. A good discussion but off topic for this thread.

Jiggy if you aren't careful you are going to sound a bit arrogant and nearly cultic. That you did your own self study bringing about growth is good but that is not an indictment of the "system." I learned more in my own self study in the college library than I did in the classroom and learned far more in the trenches than anywhere else but being an active member of a local church is still a requirement and has been beneficial.

The problem is that most people think that the 4-5 hours a week in the meeting place is all they need to grow and all they need to do as service. If people ate physical food the way they eat spiritual food there would be a lot more anorexics among us. It takes both the corporate worship and teaching as well as private worship and study to make a Christian whole and fruitful.

Half is not enough no matter which half you are doing. Bubba, for all your growth you are disobeying a direct command, and the easiest one to obey, by not being a part of a local body of believers and exercising your gift with them and through them. Unless you have attained far more than all other mortals there is a group out there you can fellowship with and share your vast wisdom so that the system may be made better.

Abdication is not sanctification or edification but rather self-glorification and pontification.

You are right about one thing this is off topic so I will start a thread and we can discuss your theology of the body of Christ and my disobedience to scripture.

This thread is about attending religious liturgy meetings.

 

[abigya]

It seems that today that the majority of christians concern themselves about going to church and very few about being the church. I haven't participated in the christian religous systems liturgy in several years now. I have grown and matured spiritually much more away from the system and know it could not happen within the system. I simply have no need for it.

Dear brother Jigyfly
I have been following this tread but didn’t want to replay with out careful thought and prayers.


God’s truth stands as truth regardless what peoples religious action are .

Romans 3:4
“Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar.


As I posted earlier “ I love my church” not because it is the perfect church ever. Every church has its own weakness and strength but that shouldn’t make us to despise going to church. in fact i think my church one of the most corrupted, unfaithful elders and full of hypocrite people. But dose this Nullify the biblical truth and give me the freedom to do what ever I feel to do or be? Not at any means!

What dose God say about the Church ?


1 Corinthians 12:4-31
4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
12 ¶ For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body––whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free––and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.
15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?
18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.
19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be?
20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."
22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.
23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,
24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,
25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
27 ¶ Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?
30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
31 But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

Christ is the head and we all make body together (the church), personally I look at my self as the hand, the eye or the leg of the body of Christ.

What do we mean by church?

27 ¶ Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.


Can some one be the body of Christ as an individual?

I would say a person can worship God regardless whether he is going to church or not but it is not complete.

Brother Jygifly , you have a gift of the holy spirit , could be prophesy, teaching or doing miracle.


as the word says and God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.

God has put those gifts in you for you to use it to edify the body of Christ, if not you are making the body of Christ incomplete or HANDICAP. Yes handicap that’s what happens if a person looses his hand, leg or eye. At the same time you are harming your self by cutting of your self from the body (the church).

I can give you an example
Some time back , after coming back from work I wanted to cook a diner for me and my brother……but I didn’t want to take much of my time on cooking so that I could go back and read the book I started earlier. I was chopping onions very fast at the end I cuted my finger and started bleeding immediately.

Now both my hands are a part of my body but my left hand did not insist of departing from the rest of my body because my right hand hurts him. My left hand knew if he cut of him self from my body, the blood vessels will be cut off and there is no chance for my hand to get fresh blood to keep him alive. at least i admit it is dangerous for me to separate my self from the church.

Some of the people admitted in this thread some reason they don’t go to church at all , but I have a question why do they come to Talk Jesus (online church), is in it for the same reason (the biblical truth, how God designed) because they can not function as an individual Christian?

is it not true that our Brother Chad is the pastor of this online church and the moderators the elders,and us the members of the online body of Christ (the church)?


I think I have to make correction on my post here because I said I go to church on Saturday and Sundays only…….I should say I go to church every day because I come to Talk Jesus Monday to Friday too.

This is how God designed the body of Christ, and it’s his principle that no man can change or nullify. If some one is trying to change this truth Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar.


may God help us to put the Church (body of Christ) in harmony with patience and love.


Blessings

abigya

 

[jiggyfly]

abigya, in your opinion is church something you go to physically or is it something you are a part of spiritually?

I believe in living out the reality that I am part of the body of Christ because I am born of His Seed and Spirit and I abide in Him regardless of attending any kind of religious liturgy or not. While attending religious liturgy might make you a baptist or presbyterian it does not make you part of the body of Christ.