Once we become born again believers we are already joined the church which is the Lord's body not just a church in a building like most Baptist churches do
I've been going to church and I like it, but it's hard sometimes for me since I had a really negative experience when I was younger, but I started going to church again and now I have a different mindset. One of the things I struggled with was what you mentioned at the end about being a work in progress. I didn't think was good enough because I wasn't a perfect Christian, but now I know that's ok because God wants us to come as we are. I also had trouble having fellowship with other Christians and Im still struggling with that, but Im not letting it discourage me like it did before.
Thank you for this! I really only started to grow as a Christian when I started attending church every Sunday and I cannot fathom not having my brothers and sisters in my life to love and support each other and worship together.
Debby Boltman Going To A Building Called A "Church" On Sunday, Is Not Scriptural Nor Biblical. The So-called Modern "Church", Is Not The "Household Of God/Household Of Faith/Body Of Yeshua". Shalom
Dorothy Vailes - Acts 2:42 could be considered a purpose statement for the church: “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” According to this verse, the purposes/activities of the church should be 1) teaching biblical doctrine, 2) providing a place of fellowship for believers, 3) observing the Lord’s supper, and 4) praying.
Debby Boltman In Acts, God Increased His Congregation By The Thousands Daily. What Building Did They Go To Worship Him Together? Evidently You Have Not Read All Of My Comments. Early Believers Met In Homes, Not Separate Buildings Called A "Church". When Philip Ministered To The Eunuch And Explained The Scriptures To The Eunuch And Baptized Him, He Wasn't In A Building With Other Believers. Once When Paul Was In Jail, He Ministered To The Jailer. You Have Been Indoctrinated And Taught The Word Of Man, By The Using Of Scripture Erroneously And Taking The Scriptures Out Of Context. You Need To Come To The Knowledge Of The Truth Of What IS Truly Stated In God's Word. Shalom
What if you haven't found the right church for you? Is it possible to attend/ fellowship regularly at a church,help out/serve, make connections, etc. But not join per se? I personally don't have a problem with fellowshipping, serving, etc. But I don't want to join a church again until I know it's the right church for me and God gives me CLEAR confirmation that He wants me to be there long term.
A lot of churches are welcoming, but have a bit of a hard shell in reality. Those who have been there a long time are a tight group, like a club. They will look at you as a potential volunteer so you need to be up front with how much you are willing to commit.
I’m an introvert and I feel most connected to anything (the presence of god, myself) when I am alone. And I’m not “Christian” to live in its little ideologies of brotherhood and other subjective matters but because I believe in the word. I feel church has its place but I am most connected to God alone.
I don't agree with your comment by saying it's a sin not to fellowship with other believers. You can do that outside of church. If going to church was that important why didn't Jesus mention it in the sermon on the mount?
I'm not going to say that a person should participate and I go to church but I'm also not going to say that they shouldn't. I'm not knocking down the local congregations and buildings because they're good. Even though I'm not really that much of a church building type of person but at the same time I'd rather see people in a local congregation then out here on these streets doing Sunday ain't got no business doing. The church is not perfect that is a very unfortunate truth that even I myself have to accept but I will say this when you go to church be the change that you want to see and I have to tell myself the same thing, because I have dealt with multiple problems with the people in the church. Now I will say this for me, if I'm being very blunt and direct the reason why I don't like going to church it's not because of me being hurt nor the hypocrisy of the people, I just don't like going to church cuz a lot of that stuff just be so dagged on dry and boring and I don't like it when preachers take one scripture and make a whole sermon out of it and and take the scripture completely out of context. That gets to me a lot because you're misleading the people in the congregation. Don't get it wrong I know they mean well because I've been there too. I used to do the same thing. Also for the individuals who find fault in the church, why not start your own church? 🤷🏿♂️ If you are a believer who has nothing but pure desire to just want to be God's work than nine times of 10 you're probably called to go into full-time ministry.
If you neglect the gathering together, with exhortation, encouragement, the teaching/preaching of the Word of God, the communion table administered properly, church discipline. Oh yes and the COMMAND to submit to your elders(who are established officially per Paul's instructions), giving generously and surrounding yourself with mature counsel, then you are in perpetual disobedience. Be free! and join a true Biblical church, even if you have to sell your house and move across the world. Don't waste your life.
Now another thing when it comes to the hole everybody being broken in the church because yes there are broken people in the church even the pastor's bishops and elders they all have darkness in them but however that could be taken to the extreme because when we sitting up there telling people that nobody is perfect and constantly just teaching that that right there can cripple the body of Christ and enable them to become perfect but do you have the other side of the church where people teach that because we have Jesus we could live a simplest perfect life and that's an extreme right there because of the simple fact that even though that we are born again and save but we do still have thorns in our flesh. Being saved does not make us indestructible. So the key thing is is that weird that has to be a balance when it comes to this whole matter. And the key source is God's Love, Mercy, & Grace. That is how we restore our brothers and sisters in Christ to perfection. Not a self-motivational speech but not a speech of combination either but simply the love of Jesus Christ dying on the cross for that person sins. The sins of the past the sins of the present and the sins of the future.
Church - what is the Church anyway ? Is it a place where you go to listen to one man speak for a couple of hours every Sunday and then drink coffee and go Home to come back and repeat the process next week ? Is Church a place where you pay minimum 10% of your incone into , where the moneyflow only goes one Way INTO the “Church” - it never goes from the Church to a member who is in need - many times those believers in need are told to “believe” in God for their money while at the same time commanded to give tithes and offerings ( why doesn’t the pastors believe for their own money too when they tell the Church goers that they should ???) If this is what Church is - I pass I have enough rulers in my life dealing with the governments so Thank you but NO
Dorothy Vailes Yeah unfortunately you’re right. I just want to see people walk and talk like Jesus. And it turns out that most hate the teachings of Jesus, they just want to power of Jesus (as in the gifts of the Spirit) and what they don’t understand is that the power of Jesus is the love of Him. And the love of Jesus looks like being a witness everywhere you go.
Nigel Murillo A Building With People In It, With A Sign With A Name On It, IS Not The "Church". There Are Thousands Of Churches Of Different Denominations, Calling Themselves, "The Church". Study The Scriptures For Yourself. Shalom
The saints of God are members of the body of Christ...The saints of God are not members of a church organization...Church members have a zeal for their organization...Gang members have a zeal for their organization...If you are already a member of the body of Christ, you don't need church membership from any church organization...Church membership is a man made doctrine...If God didn't call you to be a member of any church organization, why join any church organization ? True fellowship is with the Father and the Son...Jesus said where 2 or 3 gathered in my name there I am in the midst...If you join a church organization, and they make you a member of the organization, you sign your liberty away.
The very word Church was not even in Jesus' vocabulary and was not even added to the canonized scriptures until the fairly recent in the human timeline. Jesus died for his ecclesia (Greek): the called out people. Find out the background of the word church first and then question if we should be sending people to one. If you belong to Christ and the Body of believers that's all you need. Meeting at a building once a week is, possibly, not enough nor is mandated. Putting up above you (preacher, etc.) is not ever what Christ envisioned and can be detrimental. Only the blood of Christ can make one a member of the Body. One Body many parts.
I'm Not A Christian. I Am A Child Of God, A Disciple Of Yeshua, A Born Again Believer, A Saint. Paul Never Addressed Anyone With The Name "Christian" And That Should Be A Clue. The Scripture States, Not To Forsake Assembling With Other Believers. God Said, "Where There Are Two Or Three Gathered In My Name, There I Am In The Midst Of Them". Paul Did Not Belong To Any Of The Assemblies (Churches) He Established. The Man Made Church System Is Not Like The Early Assemblies. The "Christian" Church Is A Man Made System And Not God Inspired. Joining A "Christian" Church Is Not In Scripture, Nor Does It Line Up With Scripture. People Wear A Worldly Derogatory Greek Name, Given By Non Believers As A Badge Of Honor To A "Christ". Anyhew, The Majority Of "Christian" Churches Are A Mockery To The Early Assemblies. The "Christian" Churches Are Set Up With Many Rituals And Practices From The Pagan Church Of Rome (Catholic Church). Yet, They Profess To Be Followers Of The Jewish Messiah By A Greek Title Of "Christ". Not Joining A "Christian" Church Is Not A Sin. So Many People That Don't Know And Understand "All" Of Scripture, Need To Truly Study Scripture And Ask The Holy Spirit For Clarity Of The Scriptures. Shalom
Dorothy Vailes - The church is to teach biblical doctrine so we can be grounded in our faith. Ephesians 4:14 tells us, “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.” The church is to be a place of fellowship, where Christians can be devoted to one another and honor one another (Romans 12:10), instruct one another (Romans 15:14), be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32), encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11), and most importantly, love one another (1 John 3:11).
Debby Boltman , she's just being deliberately picky, like cw. In fact, these are exactly the kind of people the Christian faithful are admonished to avoid, because they only look to cause division.
Bob Taylor "Christian" Is Mentioned Only Twice In Scripture. "Christians" Is Mentioned Only Once In Scripture. Paul Never Addresses Anyone As A "Christian", Nor Does He State, "Christian Faith/Christian Faithful". Christ Is A English Word Translated From The Greek Word "Christos/Chrestos For Anointed One/Anointed. Christ Is A Title The Greeks Used To Reverence Their gods. Roman Emperor Constantine And The Church Of Rome Have Passed Down Through The Centuries This "Christian Faith/Christianity", Which Is Not Scriptural Nor Biblical. This Is Well Documented For You To Research. The Scriptured Were Written In Hebrew/Aramaic By Hebrew (Jewish) Men, Before Being Translated Into Greek, Latin And English. When Studying The Scriptures You Must Understand The Language And Translation And Meaning Of Words. The Believers In Messiah, Were First "Called" Christian By Non Believers At Antioch. The Early Believers Did Not "Call" Themselves "Christians". Christian Is A Worldly Name Which Is A Derogatory Name. The "Christian Faithful/Church", Has Thousands Of Denominations With Different Beliefs, "Traditions, Doctrines And Commandments Of Men. Christians Are So Indoctrinated With Erroneous Teachings Of Scripture, They Can't Discern The Knowledge Of The Truth. Study The Scriptures For Yourself And Ask The Holy Spirit For Clarity And Stop Following A Man Made Church System. Shalom
Dorothy Vailes You’re awesome! I can tell you have a relationship with Yahweh himself. It’s sad that most people read the scriptures in the flesh so they only see what they want to see. It’s always refreshing to see true followers of Christ. May God richly bless you!
Once we become born again believers we are already joined the church which is the Lord's body not just a church in a building like most Baptist churches do
I've been going to church and I like it, but it's hard sometimes for me since I had a really negative experience when I was younger, but I started going to church again and now I have a different mindset. One of the things I struggled with was what you mentioned at the end about being a work in progress. I didn't think was good enough because I wasn't a perfect Christian, but now I know that's ok because God wants us to come as we are. I also had trouble having fellowship with other Christians and Im still struggling with that, but Im not letting it discourage me like it did before.
Thank you for this! I really only started to grow as a Christian when I started attending church every Sunday and I cannot fathom not having my brothers and sisters in my life to love and support each other and worship together.
Debby Boltman Going To A Building Called A "Church" On Sunday, Is Not Scriptural Nor Biblical. The So-called Modern "Church", Is Not The "Household Of God/Household Of Faith/Body Of Yeshua". Shalom
Dorothy Vailes - Acts 2:42 could be considered a purpose statement for the church: “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” According to this verse, the purposes/activities of the church should be 1) teaching biblical doctrine, 2) providing a place of fellowship for believers, 3) observing the Lord’s supper, and 4) praying.
Debby Boltman , you are well taught!
Debby Boltman In Acts, God Increased His Congregation By The Thousands Daily. What Building Did They Go To Worship Him Together? Evidently You Have Not Read All Of My Comments. Early Believers Met In Homes, Not Separate Buildings Called A "Church". When Philip Ministered To The Eunuch And Explained The Scriptures To The Eunuch And Baptized Him, He Wasn't In A Building With Other Believers. Once When Paul Was In Jail, He Ministered To The Jailer. You Have Been Indoctrinated And Taught The Word Of Man, By The Using Of Scripture Erroneously And Taking The Scriptures Out Of Context. You Need To Come To The Knowledge Of The Truth Of What IS Truly Stated In God's Word. Shalom
What if you haven't found the right church for you? Is it possible to attend/ fellowship regularly at a church,help out/serve, make connections, etc. But not join per se? I personally don't have a problem with fellowshipping, serving, etc. But I don't want to join a church again until I know it's the right church for me and God gives me CLEAR confirmation that He wants me to be there long term.
A lot of churches are welcoming, but have a bit of a hard shell in reality. Those who have been there a long time are a tight group, like a club. They will look at you as a potential volunteer so you need to be up front with how much you are willing to commit.
Depends what is meant by "Church" as based on the comments below people use that word in different ways
Very well said
I’m an introvert and I feel most connected to anything (the presence of god, myself) when I am alone. And I’m not “Christian” to live in its little ideologies of brotherhood and other subjective matters but because I believe in the word. I feel church has its place but I am most connected to God alone.
Very well said sir
What so you say about the holy spirit and speaking in tongues
Follow the scriptures
I don't agree with your comment by saying it's a sin not to fellowship with other believers. You can do that outside of church. If going to church was that important why didn't Jesus mention it in the sermon on the mount?
Read the letters of Paul. The Bible is complete in its entirety.
I'm not going to say that a person should participate and I go to church but I'm also not going to say that they shouldn't.
I'm not knocking down the local congregations and buildings because they're good. Even though I'm not really that much of a church building type of person but at the same time I'd rather see people in a local congregation then out here on these streets doing Sunday ain't got no business doing.
The church is not perfect that is a very unfortunate truth that even I myself have to accept but I will say this when you go to church be the change that you want to see and I have to tell myself the same thing, because I have dealt with multiple problems with the people in the church. Now I will say this for me, if I'm being very blunt and direct the reason why I don't like going to church it's not because of me being hurt nor the hypocrisy of the people, I just don't like going to church cuz a lot of that stuff just be so dagged on dry and boring and I don't like it when preachers take one scripture and make a whole sermon out of it and and take the scripture completely out of context. That gets to me a lot because you're misleading the people in the congregation. Don't get it wrong I know they mean well because I've been there too. I used to do the same thing.
Also for the individuals who find fault in the church, why not start your own church? 🤷🏿♂️
If you are a believer who has nothing but pure desire to just want to be God's work than nine times of 10 you're probably called to go into full-time ministry.
That’s exactly what I feel churches do and are. They’re just teams that feel the other teams aren’t TRULY saved/(winners)
If you neglect the gathering together, with exhortation, encouragement, the teaching/preaching of the Word of God, the communion table administered properly, church discipline. Oh yes and the COMMAND to submit to your elders(who are established officially per Paul's instructions), giving generously and surrounding yourself with mature counsel, then you are in perpetual disobedience.
Be free! and join a true Biblical church, even if you have to sell your house and move across the world. Don't waste your life.
Now another thing when it comes to the hole everybody being broken in the church because yes there are broken people in the church even the pastor's bishops and elders they all have darkness in them but however that could be taken to the extreme because when we sitting up there telling people that nobody is perfect and constantly just teaching that that right there can cripple the body of Christ and enable them to become perfect but do you have the other side of the church where people teach that because we have Jesus we could live a simplest perfect life and that's an extreme right there because of the simple fact that even though that we are born again and save but we do still have thorns in our flesh. Being saved does not make us indestructible.
So the key thing is is that weird that has to be a balance when it comes to this whole matter.
And the key source is God's Love, Mercy, & Grace. That is how we restore our brothers and sisters in Christ to perfection.
Not a self-motivational speech but not a speech of combination either but simply the love of Jesus Christ dying on the cross for that person sins.
The sins of the past the sins of the present and the sins of the future.
S
Church - what is the Church anyway ?
Is it a place where you go to listen to one man speak for a couple of hours every Sunday and then drink coffee and go Home to come back and repeat the process next week ?
Is Church a place where you pay minimum 10% of your incone into , where the moneyflow only goes one Way INTO the “Church” - it never goes from the Church to a member who is in need - many times those believers in need are told to “believe” in God for their money while at the same time commanded to give tithes and offerings ( why doesn’t the pastors believe for their own money too when they tell the Church goers that they should ???)
If this is what Church is - I pass
I have enough rulers in my life dealing with the governments so Thank you but NO
We don’t go to church. We are the church. Jesus didn’t go to church. He fellowshipped with other believers.
c w Fellowshipping with other believers IS church.
Nigel Murillo Exactly! And that’s WHY you don’t go to church. You are the Church. Jesus fellowshipped with people. Never “went” to church.
c w Many "Christians", Don't Understand What You Said. Shalom
Dorothy Vailes Yeah unfortunately you’re right. I just want to see people walk and talk like Jesus. And it turns out that most hate the teachings of Jesus, they just want to power of Jesus (as in the gifts of the Spirit) and what they don’t understand is that the power of Jesus is the love of Him. And the love of Jesus looks like being a witness everywhere you go.
Nigel Murillo A Building With People In It, With A Sign With A Name On It, IS Not The "Church". There Are Thousands Of Churches Of Different Denominations, Calling Themselves, "The Church". Study The Scriptures For Yourself. Shalom
The saints of God are members of the body of Christ...The saints of God are not members of a church organization...Church members have a zeal for their organization...Gang members have a zeal for their organization...If you are already a member of the body of Christ, you don't need church membership from any church organization...Church membership is a man made doctrine...If God didn't call you to be a member of any church organization, why join any church organization ? True fellowship is with the Father and the Son...Jesus said where 2 or 3 gathered in my name there I am in the midst...If you join a church organization, and they make you a member of the organization, you sign your liberty away.
We don't need church membership at some building because we are the church, but it is important to have fellowship with other Christians.
LIES!
The very word Church was not even in Jesus' vocabulary and was not even added to the canonized scriptures until the fairly recent in the human timeline. Jesus died for his ecclesia (Greek): the called out people. Find out the background of the word church first and then question if we should be sending people to one. If you belong to Christ and the Body of believers that's all you need. Meeting at a building once a week is, possibly, not enough nor is mandated. Putting up above you (preacher, etc.) is not ever what Christ envisioned and can be detrimental. Only the blood of Christ can make one a member of the Body. One Body many parts.
I'm Not A Christian. I Am A Child Of God, A Disciple Of Yeshua, A Born Again Believer, A Saint. Paul Never Addressed Anyone With The Name "Christian" And That Should Be A Clue. The Scripture States, Not To Forsake Assembling With Other Believers. God Said, "Where There Are Two Or Three Gathered In My Name, There I Am In The Midst Of Them". Paul Did Not Belong To Any Of The Assemblies (Churches) He Established. The Man Made Church System Is Not Like The Early Assemblies. The "Christian" Church Is A Man Made System And Not God Inspired. Joining A "Christian" Church Is Not In Scripture, Nor Does It Line Up With Scripture. People Wear A Worldly Derogatory Greek Name, Given By Non Believers As A Badge Of Honor To A "Christ". Anyhew, The Majority Of "Christian" Churches Are A Mockery To The Early Assemblies. The "Christian" Churches Are Set Up With Many Rituals And Practices From The Pagan Church Of Rome (Catholic Church). Yet, They Profess To Be Followers Of The Jewish Messiah By A Greek Title Of "Christ". Not Joining A "Christian" Church Is Not A Sin. So Many People That Don't Know And Understand "All" Of Scripture, Need To Truly Study Scripture And Ask The Holy Spirit For Clarity Of The Scriptures. Shalom
Dorothy Vailes - The church is to teach biblical doctrine so we can be grounded in our faith. Ephesians 4:14 tells us, “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.” The church is to be a place of fellowship, where Christians can be devoted to one another and honor one another (Romans 12:10), instruct one another (Romans 15:14), be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32), encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11), and most importantly, love one another (1 John 3:11).
Debby Boltman , she's just being deliberately picky, like cw. In fact, these are exactly the kind of people the Christian faithful are admonished to avoid, because they only look to cause division.
Bob Taylor "Christian" Is Mentioned Only Twice In Scripture. "Christians" Is Mentioned Only Once In Scripture. Paul Never Addresses Anyone As A "Christian", Nor Does He State, "Christian Faith/Christian Faithful". Christ Is A English Word Translated From The Greek Word "Christos/Chrestos For Anointed One/Anointed. Christ Is A Title The Greeks Used To Reverence Their gods. Roman Emperor Constantine And The Church Of Rome Have Passed Down Through The Centuries This "Christian Faith/Christianity", Which Is Not Scriptural Nor Biblical. This Is Well Documented For You To Research. The Scriptured Were Written In Hebrew/Aramaic By Hebrew (Jewish) Men, Before Being Translated Into Greek, Latin And English. When Studying The Scriptures You Must Understand The Language And Translation And Meaning Of Words. The Believers In Messiah, Were First "Called" Christian By Non Believers At Antioch. The Early Believers Did Not "Call" Themselves "Christians". Christian Is A Worldly Name Which Is A Derogatory Name. The "Christian Faithful/Church", Has Thousands Of Denominations With Different Beliefs, "Traditions, Doctrines And Commandments Of Men. Christians Are So Indoctrinated With Erroneous Teachings Of Scripture, They Can't Discern The Knowledge Of The Truth. Study The Scriptures For Yourself And Ask The Holy Spirit For Clarity And Stop Following A Man Made Church System. Shalom
But if you suffer as a *Christian,* do not be ashamed, but *glorify God that you bear this name.* 1 Peter 4:16
Dorothy Vailes You’re awesome! I can tell you have a relationship with Yahweh himself. It’s sad that most people read the scriptures in the flesh so they only see what they want to see. It’s always refreshing to see true followers of Christ. May God richly bless you!