how can i go back to my church after staying away for 6 months?

Answer 1

Never Back Slide Again
If your Christian walk has been a series of one backsliding incident
after another, I have some scary news for you. You probably aren't a
Christian. Let's settle the issue once and for all, are you saved or
aren't you? Naturally, the Bible can help.
I John 5: 13 says, "I write these things that you might know you are
saved." What things? In the five previous chapters, John gives ten
markers to help you know if you are truly saved or not. Would you like
to take the test? Would you like to know if you are saved? Here we go.
1. I John 1:7 says, "If we are living in the light of God's presence (i.e.,
if we are saved), then we have fellowship with one another."
Friend, if you are saved, you like to fellowship with other believers.
You like hanging out with them. I don't mean that you exclusively
spend time with Christians, but you prefer it and you enjoy it.
2. I John 1:8 say, “If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling
ourselves and the truth is not in us."
Do you think you are a pretty good person, I mean, compared to some
people? If you do not recognize how utterly sinful you are, John says
that you are only fooling yourself and the truth is not in you.
3. I John 2:3-4 say, "How can we be sure that we belong to Him, by
obeying His commandments. If someone says, 'I belong to God,' but
doesn't obey God's commandments, that person is a liar and doesn't
have the truth."
Pretty straight forward stuff, do you strive to keep his
commandments?
4. I John 2:15 reads, "Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers
you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the
love of the Father in you."
Do you love the world? Do you spend all your time, energy and talents
pursuing worldly things? Uh oh
5. I John 2:23 say, "Anyone who denies the Son doesn't have the
Father either."
When was the last time you shared your faith? Do you fail to open
your mouth because you are ashamed? Do you whisper in public when
you say the name of Jesus? Jesus has something really terrifying to
tell you, "Whoever is ashamed of me before man, I will be ashamed of
before my Father in heaven." (Matt.10:32) Gulp.
6. I John 3:2 "Yes, dear friends, we are already God's children, and we
can't even imagine what it will be like when Christ returns."
Can you wait to see Jesus face to face? Do you long for His return? Do
you anxiously look forward to the day you get to be with Him in
heaven? Not because you are weary and just want to clock out of this
old house, but because you adore Him? Then you are God's child.
7. I John 3:7-8 have these scary words for you, "When people do what
is right, it is because they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.
But when people keep on sinning, it shows they belong to the devil."
Well, do you willfully continue to sin? Do you plot and plan your sins
and carry them out with no fear. Except the fear of being caught,
are you living a lifestyle that is marked by un-godliness?
Then you are indeed un-godly.
8. I John 3:14 "If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves
that we have passed from death to eternal life."
If you are saved, you not only like to hang with other Christians, you
LOVE them. And it shows.
9. I John 4:6 "We belong to God: that is why those who know God
listen to us."
Those who belong to God listen to their teacher. They like to learn
about God. They read their Bibles. They love doctrine. Do you?
10. I John 5:1 "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a
child of God."
Is Jesus your king? Does He rule your life? Is He the center of your
attention? He is if you believe that Jesus is the Christ.
Perhaps you are panicking right now. "I don't even come close to
scoring a ten." Then please read these words carefully. You will never
be a ten while you are living on this planet. Nobody human will ever be
a ten. This test is about DIRECTION and not PERFECTION. You will
never be perfect, but you definitely should be moving in that direction.
Every year you walk with Jesus, you should be able to look back and
say, "I am doing better than last year. I sin less, I love Christians
more and I hate sin a lot." If you are moving in that direction, you are
saved. If you are not (and only you and God know. Don’t fool
yourself), then you are simply not saved.
If you are not moving in the right direction, would you like to be
changed? Would you like to be saved and know for sure you are going
to spend eternity with Him? Then read on.
I want to tell you about three men who were changed forever. These
three guys were NOT moving in the right direction. They were not
believers, until something incredible happened to them. Let me
introduce you to James, Jude and Joseph of Aramathea.
James and Jude were Jesus half brothers and the Bible tells us they
were not believers. Imagine that, two guys who lived with Jesus didn't
believe in Him. In a way, it is easy to understand. Have you ever
pondered what it would have been like to be the brother of the Son of
God? I can imagine at times it was a challenge.
Do you have a brother or sister who is a standout at something and
you fail by comparison? It is a drag to be compared to a superstar
sibling. Imagine what it was like for Jesus' little brothers.
"Hey Mom, I got a B+ at Temple today."
"That's nice, dear. Jesus fed 5000 people today."
Aargh, you can imagine how James and Jude felt and we can
understand why they did not believe their brother was Messiah. But
then something happened. One event changed all that. The Bible tells
us that James and Jude were not believers until the crucifixion and
resurrection of Jesus. After Easter, James and Jude became sold-out
Christians.
Once James and Jude became believers, they each wrote a book in the
New Testament and each book begins the same way, "James, a
BONDSERVANT of Jesus Christ." "Jude, a BONDSERVANT of Jesus
Christ."
Wow. They went from bitter brothers to bondservants because of the
crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Why?
Before we answer that, let's take a look at another fellow who
changed. Joseph of Aramathea was a "secret follower" of Jesus. He
was a man of honor and he sat on the religious council and the Bible
tells us he followed Jesus in private. You can't really blame the guy, if
he would publicly confess his faith in Jesus; he could potentially lose a
lot. He could lose his reputation, his place of honor at with the
religious council and the community. He might lose perks, bennies and
maybe income.
But something changed him. The Bible says that Joseph sat on the
council that witnessed the trial of Jesus. He saw Jesus stand before his
accusers and He didn’t' utter a word. Joseph saw Jesus beaten, flogged
and crucified, and that changed him. When Jesus died, Joseph went to
Pilate and asked if he could have Jesus body for burial. The crucifixion
forced Joseph out of the closet and he was willing to risk it all by
publicly proclaiming, "I want to bury Jesus."
It was the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus that moved them from
unbelief to rock solid faith. The crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord
pushed them from skeptics to servants. The questions are, "Why?"
You see, James, Jude and Joseph were good Jewish men. They knew
their Bible and they knew how God felt about sin. When they saw
Jesus crucified and rise from the dead, a light bulb went on and it
changed them.
Perhaps you have heard you are a sinner and Jesus died for your sins.
Most of us have. The problem is that most of us have not heard why.
Why did Jesus die for our sins? The answer is critical to having a
saving faith.
God hates sin. I mean, He really hates sin. Do you have any idea how
much God hates sin? Specifically, do you realize how much God hates
your sin? Let me help you get a sense of appreciation for God's
revulsion toward sin.
Hosea 13 says this to the children of Israel. "I am the Lord your God,
who rescued you from slavery in Egypt. You have no God but me, for
there is no other savior. I took care of you in the wilderness in that dry
and thirsty land. But when you had eaten and were satisfied, then you
became proud and forgot me. So now I will attack you like a lion, or
like a leopard that lurks along the road. I will rip you to pieces like a
bear whose cubs have been taken away. I will tear you apart and
devour you like a hungry lion. O death, bring forth your terrors. O
grave bring forth your plagues, for I will not relent."
Gulp. God hates sin.
In the Old Testament, the high priest annually entered the Holy of
Holies to atone for the sins of the people. The Holy of Holies was the
place where God dwelt on that day and the high priest would purify
himself before entering into God's presence. If the high priest did not
cleanse himself completely, God killed him. God didn't just let him die,
God killed him. God cannot have anything sinful in his presence.
Do you see how this applies to you and your eternity? Because you are
a sinner, you cannot be in God's presence and you cannot be with Him
in heaven. If you are thinking that maybe you are not such bad
people. At least compared to some people, Romans 7:7 says that you
will know the exceeding sinfulness of your sin if you know the law. The
law is the Ten Commandments. Let's see how you are doing. Let's see
just how good you are.
Have you always honored God above all things? Have you ever used
His name as a curse word? Have you always kept Sunday a holy day?
Have you ever disobeyed your parents? Have you ever thought a
hateful thought about someone? Have you ever lusted after anyone?
Have you ever stolen anything? Even a postage stamp, have you ever
told a lie? Have you ever desired anything that belonged to your
neighbor?
If you are honest, by your own admission, you have failed God's test
for holiness. That is why the Bible says that all of us fall short of His
glorious standard. Here is the rub. Some day, you must stand before
God and give an account of every word, thought and action of your
life. Because you are sinful and God can't stand to be in the presence
of sin, he cannot have you in His presence and you are going to spend
eternity in a place called hell.
Jesus Himself describes hell as a horrible place filled with suffering. It
is a place filled with weeping and gnashing of teeth. Thirst is
unbearable. It is a lake of sulfur and you are going to have a lake-side
cabin.
That is your destiny because you are guilty of breaking God's holy
Law.
How much does God hate your sin? Picture Jesus on the cross, He had
been beaten with a stick and with fists. He was so disfigured from the
beating He received; the Bible says he didn't even look like a man. He
had been flogged with a whip that had lead balls on the end and nails
and pottery woven in its strands. His back and legs were shredded.
They looked like hamburger.
7 inch nails were pounded through His wrists and through His Achilles
to hold Him on a gnarly piece of wood. To catch His breath, He slid His
chewed back up and down the scratchy wood. He suffocated to death.
In the midst of that, the Bible says something to awesome to ponder,
"It pleased God to bruise His only Son." (Is. 53:10)
Do you understand that? In the midst of that brutal scene, the Bible
says that God was pleased with what He saw. How can that be? Why
would God be happy that His beloved Son endured hell on earth?
God hates sin.
God hates sin so much; He was pleased that Jesus was the ultimate
sacrificial lamb for the sin of the entire world. He was the sacrificial
lamb for you. "He was handed over to die because of our sins and He
was raised from the dead to make us right with God." (Romans 4:25)
"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and
died for us sinners. Now, no one dies likely to die for a good person,
though some might be willing to die for a person who is especially
good. But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die
for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right
in God's sight by the blood of Jesus, He will certainly save us from
God's judgment. For since we were restored to friendship with god by
the death of His son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly
be delivered from eternal punishment by His life. So now we can
rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God-all because of what
our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us." Romans 5:6-11
That is the truth that will save you. That is the truth that changed
James, Jude and Joseph. They were good Jews who knew that God
hated sin. They knew that Jesus was sinless. They understood that He
died so they did not have to go to hell. Instead, because of Jesus
suffering, death and resurrection, they get to be with God in Heaven
because Jesus wiped their sins away.
A lie has been sold by modern day evangelism. It is the lie that says,
"God has a wonderful plan for your life. If you just believe in Him, your
marriage will be better and your life will be happier."
That is wrong. God does not promise that. God never says that your
life will magically get better if you simply believe in Him. The only
thing that changes when you repent and follow Jesus is that you will
be able to deal with the ickeyness of life because you know you are
going to Heaven. "Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have
troubles or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in
danger or threatened with death? No, despite all these things,
overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us." (Rom.
8:35-37)
Please follow this analogy that my friend Ray Comfort uses to illustrate
the lie that many people have bought that causes them to continually
backslide.
A man boards an airplane. The flight attendant hands him a parachute
and says, "Put this on, it will make your flight better."
The man gets to his seat, looks around, and notices a few people are
wearing a parachute. He decides to give it a go in hopes that the
parachute will make his flight better. Why not? What does he have to
lose? After all, that flight attendant seemed sincere enough.
About an hour into the flight, the man's back starts to hurt from the
weight of the parachute. The weight forces him to lean forward
causing the seatbelt to cut into his middle. Worse than that, other
passengers are starting to point and laugh at him. The man takes off
the parachute in disgust and stuffs it under his seat, promising never
to trust anyone who tells him that lie again.
That is the lie that modern day evangelism has propagated. They
promise that if you put Jesus on, your flight will be better. The
problem is, when the inevitable hard times of life hit, we take off Jesus
because the flight is not better.
Contrast this to the man who boarded an airplane and the flight
attendant said "Put this parachute on because at 30,000 feet, this
plane is going down and this will save you from going down with it."
The man doesn't even wait to get to his seat before he straps that
parachute on. Despite the fact that the parachute hurts his back, the
seat belt cuts his middle and passengers are pointing and laughing, he
refuses to take off the parachute. Why should he? He didn't put the
parachute on to make His life better, he put the parachute on because
it is going to save him from the wrath that is to come.
If you have put on Jesus because you were promised that He is going
to make your flight better, I am sorry. You have been told a lie.
Because of that you have probably struggled with your faith and your
relationship with God. You don't want to read your Bible, praying to
Him is hard and you aren't growing in holiness. If that is you, you are
not saved.
Jesus did not die to make your life better. He died to save you from
the wrath that is to come.
Do it now. Put on Jesus because He is the Savior of your soul. If you
repent and confess and acknowledge and ask Him to be the Lord of
your life, you will backslide no more. You won't be able to because the
Holy Spirit will dwell in you and He will make you holier. He will
increase your desire to read your Bible and pray.
Make Jesus the Savior of your soul. Repent. Apologize for your
exceeding sinfulness. Ask God to forgive you. Promise to make Him
the Lord of your life.
He will forgive you. He will save you. He will give you the strength to
endure hardships. He will give you an eternal perspective. He will keep
you from backsliding.
Don't be a fool. Do it now.

Answer 2

Just go. Remember, churches aren't made for perfect people. They're for people who want to make improvements, to get closer to God. Sure, a few people may give you a disdainful look, or ask where you've been since last year, but you can say something polite, like you've missed the peaceful feeling, or yes, why was I gone for so long? You want to be there to improve your relationship with God. The good people in the congregation will smile and welcome you back.

Answer 3

Boy can I relate! I stayed away from my church for years, constantly going back and forth and disappointing the members. I am back at church now and have been there for over a year. It's great. When you go you go for God and God alone. Seek him for your place in your church and get in it. Let go of shame, the devil will try to condemn you and make you feel "less than" those who have been there for years. God is no respecter of persons. It is great that you want to return and God is all smiles too. God bless and much joy as you follow his leading.

Answer 4

Just go and don't worry about what people will say. The bible says something like 'a lamb returning to the fold will be valued higher than 99 sheep that have never gone astray'. Metaphorically, this means that those in the church won't mind your absence, they will rejoice in your return.
Psy out.

Answer 5

I know this is a "hard pill to swallow" but you just have to go. Making the decision to go is the hardest part. Once you walk through the doors you will have relief. You belong at church. It is your family.
Yes they may stair. But it is because they are happy you are home. IF you've had a fall out with a certain person... Try hard to be the better person.

Answer 6

Your church should welcome you with open arms. If they don't, something is wrong. Remember, the church isn't a hotel for saints but a hospital for sinners. We are all sinners and need church on a regular basis. It's good that you want to get started back.

Answer 7

Don't ever feel guilty about going to church if the people in the church don't like it that is too bad you aren't going for them(at least i hope not) you are going for God. You do what your heart is telling you, your heart doesn't lie! Best of luck on your endeavors

Answer 8

i went back to mine after over a year. It was really hard but i know i need to resolve some things that hurt me there. I just have to do what i believe God is asking me to do. Whatever your reason for staying away is, with prayer and a humble heart God will honor your decision to be obedient. The word does say do not forsake the fellowship of the saints.

Answer 9

You just go. It's not a crime nor a SIN! Showing up at church weekly isn't what makes a person a Christian.

Answer 10

Take a deep breath and just go. Or you could try and catch up with a friend before church so you can go together. They have no right to judge remember.

Answer 11

Well, if it's any kind of decent Christian church just show up and expect people to welcome you back. If they ask where you've been just say that you went out in the world but decided to come home again.