Am I wrong for this?

Question

I have skipped church for the past 2 Sundays because I just haven't found a church where I fit in. The churches that I do visit I feel so uncomfortable and the people don't associate with me. I am ready to give up, quit church and pray at home.

I feel distressed about this because in the Ten Commandments, God says, "Honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy," and Hebrews 10:25 says, "Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together..."

Is it a sin not to go to church? Should I ignore my inadequacy and/or emotional discomfort and go to the house of the Lord because it is the right thing to do?

Any advice would be helpful. Thank you.

Answer 1

I had my own church ,,but left it..now I teach one on one...so if you dont feel comfortable...leave, and may God bless you.

Answer 2

It is definatly not a sin if you don't go to church. God knows what is in your heart and it sounds to me that your heart is filled with love for him. As far as finding a church, that is hard to do. So many churches now a days are filled with people who like to judge you for anything they can think of. It's extreamly hard to find a church where the majority cares more with learning about God, rather than worring about who is attending "their" church. In most churches, the people don't seem to eccept you, if you haven't gone there your whole life. I recently found a church where nobody cares about anything but God and Jesus, and it was very hard for me to find. This chruch is filled with a wide verity of people. A lot of bikers go to this church and some of them are even decans. The pastor is even a biker. I don't know how long this has been going on, but once a year they have a blessing of the bikes. I would say that they get at least 500 bikers that come from all over the state(Pennsylvania), to have their bikes blessed. The pastor is so loveing and understanding, as is everyone else that goes there. I knew from the first time I attended, that it was the right church for me. It took me 29 years to find this church so please don't give up hope. Pray that God will lead you to a church that you'll feel comfortable in. Also pray that he gives you strenght not to give up hope. But if you don't want to go to church that's OK too. You can worship God at home just as much as you can worship him in church. He is not limited to church only, even though a lot of Christians might tell you that it's a must that you go. Listen to your heart sweetie, because that's where you can hear and feel Gods presence the most. I hope this has helped you and good luck.

God Bless

Answer 3

Spirituality is a very personal quest for your own personal salvation. If you don't feel comfortable at a church it may not be the church for you. However, it takes some time for most people to feel comfortable in any new surroundings. If you know some one personally outside of church it would go a long way to feeling more comfortable at church as well.

I would suggest that instead of trying new "churches" try talking to a pastor, reverend, or priest (depending) and tell them what you want out of coming to their established place of worship. They should give you a good idea of the happenings as well as help you get acclimated. I have never met a priest who didn't want to help someone new.

I wouldn't call it a sin not to go to church, because its not not my place to judge. It seems to me that you know what the scripture says, and that of course there are many interpretations of alot of people too. I would add that there are many ways to honor the Sabbath and keep it holy, and the prayer whether in church or home is always a good idea.

The benefit of having a church is that there is someone to guide you on your spiritual quest which will always be an asset to you especially in times when your faith might be tested the most.

Good luck.

Answer 4

Well there are many false prophets,, or teachers, so there are many false churches....Examine what the bible says like ...be no part of the world,,,, Do your churches participate in elections, holidays that involve drinking, adulterly and so on... Does the churches you are or have attended follow what the bible says a church should be operated by.... Are you elders in your church qualified men as stated in the bible book of Timothy ?? and one more,, is there love among the congergations and are they united in one ( baptism ).

It is not that it is a sin, but it is for your protection both physically and spiritually. As this world continues to go away from Gods teachings, You need to find the truth, The above things are only a hint of what you need to look for. It is part of Gods arrangement to meet with other christians.. you should be encouraged by them and thus strengthed so that you stay close to God. So it is more that just the right thing to do.. it is Gods will and it pleases him when his servants make the effort to prove Satan a liar and be a student of his word and learn about him. Also Study what is Gods will and What is Gods name.. As you find out preaching and teaching is what you should be involved with because you will be seeking first the Kingdom of Heaven... or in other words putting spiritural things first and helping others. Using Gods name ... By putting Gods name in the bible instread of LORD you may make an important discovery.

Answer 5

As I see it, you are worried that if you don't go to church, you'll go to hell right? I had this same problem, but I figured it out. In my opinion, what you think about God matters, not how Christian you seem. Though going to church isn't such a bad thing. In my religion (Greek Orthodox), we beleive that during a liturgy, we are in heaven for those few hours. We are even closer to God than when we pray at home.

But since you can't find a church that you can relate to, look for a church that supports every kind of Christianity (I forget exactly what it's called...) Or if that doesn't work, you could go to Tree of Life, which is a community of people of every faith imaginable, from Christian to Jewish to Neo-Pagan. I don't know the exact details, but it seems like a very friendly community from what some of my friends who go there told me.

But if you don't feel comfortable not being around Christians, and you still can't find a church, you could just pray at home. What is important is your personal relationship with God, not how Christian you seem. Hope this helps!

Sailor Star Fighter, out!

Answer 6

First, quit feeling guilty. God doesn't want you condemned about something like this. Lighten up on yourself.

I had to move a couple years ago because my dad was sick, and I haven't found a church I feel comfortable in either. But I haven't tried that hard. I miss my old church where I used to live, and I'm moving back there in a couple months, so I haven't gotten involved in a church.

I go to church occasionally, but I usually end up watching Ed Young and Joel Osteen. I'd love to go to one of their churches.

Pray that God sends you to the church you need to be at. And, don't just visit. Get involved and start meeting some people. If you like the preacher and the music, then give the people a chance. Most people aren't friendly to us until we are friendly to them. Good luck.

Answer 7

You need to feel happy where you worship. Visit other churches in your denomination. If that doesn't work, perhaps you need to analyze your beliefs and a conversion is in order?
Funny thing happened to me. I joined a church in the same denomination I was born into in a new neighborhood. My husband and I had both our kids baptized there. Real nice church, great pastor, lots of money to keep the church running, unlike other churches in our denomination, people were nice, but after 6 years, we still felt like, "the new people." Eventually, my kids wound up not going to Sunday School for over a year because we just couldn't get ourselves into going there on Sundays. It was easier to sleep in and felt more comfortable. And who doesn't want to feel comfortable on the weekend? For that year, I looked into different denominations here and there. I thought, "who says I'm really this denomination? Just because I was raised in it, what does that mean?" After a year of none of my research feeling right, I was sitting on my couch watching TV when a PSA came on. It asked, "Do you believe this.....? Do you feel that....? Would you like to belong to a church that......?" I tell you...I was on the edge of my seat! My answers, were "yes" to everything! I wanted to know what religion/denomination this was! At the end of the PSA, it turned out to be sponsored by MY denomination! There it was! I was in the right mindset.....just not the right place. I tried a new church that I had avoided because it was rumored to have a small, dying congregation. Now my family feels like a part of something in less than 6 months! It is a small congregation. But it is full of life, and very welcoming, very caring (and has the best most awesome apple pie, but that's besides the point!).
So, the point is.....find a mix that is good for you. And pray on it.
He answers. You just have to keep your eyes and ears open.
Good luck!

Answer 8

You find, all your life, that there will be individuals who will attempt to get you to do what they want, what they feel is best for you, and what might in some way benefit them. They will use certain things such as the Bible. But is the Bible the inspired word of God? Rent The Da Vinci Code and then decide. There were other gospels and documents that did not make it into the current version of the Bible. And who decided which gospels were to go into the Bible? Emporer Constantine, a pagan, that's who. And this is what you fashion your entire life around? I am an adherent of skepticism. One characteristic of skeptics is that they do not arrive at conclusions because there is simply not enough information or it doesn't exist. Think about being a skeptic and who it might offend. Then, look that person in the eye and say, "I have freedom of choice. You, nor anyone else, will ever control me."

Answer 9

First,
You're never gonna find a church that you are 100% in aggreement with.
Second,
God isn't gonna strike you down for missing a few days of church, now if you were going out partying instead, ok, he might look down upon that. lol

An idea:
If you can't find a church where you feel comfortable, start having bible study, even if it's just you and a friend. Talk about God, and what he's all about.
I have church every night with my parents. (My parents are disabled, and both my father and I have really bad agoraphobia, or fear of public places)

As long as you believe, God will love you.

If you can go to church, by all means, DO!
But God will understand if you don't feel comfortable at a certian church.
My last church told my mother that she had seizures and lost her hand, because she's POSSESED!
Needless to say, it took a while to go back to any church.

Hope this helps!
Sheena

Answer 10

Hello!

Don't feel discourage. I mean the way you feel is normal, but don't let it keep you away from the Lord. You know nobody is perfect.

The Bible says we should gather because we, people, are social beings. That's the way God created us. It's very important to have your personal devotions with Jesus; nothing can replace that. But you should also look for friendship in church, and worshiping along with your brothers and sisters in Christ. If you skip church, you can deal with it for some days, weeks, even months; but how much time can one hold on without cooling down in our spiritual life?

Let's put it like this, I know it's not such a good example though: some people may agree with me that it's easier to go to a gym than to exercise at home. At least it happens to me. I can do weights, push-ups, etc, at home for some time, but it doesn't last too long until I quit. But if I go to a gym, then things change. I can attend a month, then another month, and another one, and another one, and so on (until I don't have any money to keep paying). What makes the difference? Some people likes it better to exersice along with other people than to do it alone. Excercising along with other people somehow encourages you. Besides, you feel more compromise when you're involved in a excersice program than if you excercise by yourself.

It's not such a good example, but somehow it happens in church too. You may skip church and worship by yourself at home, but sooner or later you may cool down and quit worshiping.

For more information, check up this webpage: http://www.amazingfacts.org/media/radio/question_archive.asp?tName=Church

Am glad you mentioned the Ten Commandments and the Sabbath day.

Try http://www.sabbathtruth.com/

http://www.amazingfacts.org/items/study_guides.asp?tTitle=New%20Revelation

If you would like to talk, please trust me and send me an email.

God bless you, my sister!

Answer 11

I believe what you are having is what Christian's term, "a dry period" in your religious life. You need to find a house of God that you can pray in that you feel a connection. If you have tried and can't seem to identify with any church you have attended, don't give up. I would suggest you pray about it, ask God to show you where you should attend. He knows you honor him by praying, and obviously you know your Bible, and the most important thing, God knows your heart. Continue to try to seek a place, a gathering, whether it is a weekly Bible study group, another church you never thought about, don't give up, he won't give up on you, and no, you are not committing a sin by not attending if you keep God close to your heart and seek his will.