Attending a 'church' is not neccessary to my faith. Agree?

Question

For 12 years I would call myself a christian - attending an evangelical church every week. I was an On-Air minister. I haven't set foot in a church in 3 years. It has been the most exciting journey with God I could have imagined. My faith is transformed. I'm still shaking off the dross that church indoctrinated within me. For me, church is damaging, limiting, misguiding, cultic, brainwashing and ties up the precious time of family life. God is awesome outside that box.

Many chrurchgoers have thrown that old chestnut at me about 'NOT NEGLECTING TO MEET TOGETHER'. How do they transalte that statement into our modern day church system of 10.30am every sunday, followed by cell group on wednesday and yoof group on Friday? Jesus despised the religious leaders of the day for their manmade religiousity. I do not neglect meeting with likeminded friends - down starbucks, the park, or around at my home. "Where 2 or more are gatherede...." And we don't have to maintain Mr Pastors Salary either, bless'em!

Answer 1

True. God is everywhere and you can pray to Him wherever you want to.

Answer 2

Friend,

Church isn't the building, it's the Body of Christ. If you fellowship with other believers, praise and worship God, and study the Word with others, you are not "forsaking the assembly of yourselves together", and it's okay.

Many churches are apparently corrupt, as you say. There are some good ones left, though. I encourage you to seek one that holds to the truth and will help you grow spiritually.

God doesn't want us to go for it alone. Remember, Jesus sent the disciples out two by two. We can greatly benefit from the support of others; moreover, we can support others with what we know and have experienced. It's about being connected to the other members of the Body; not about the building per se, but about why you're in the building.

Edit: I don't believe that there's anything wrong with "regularizing" your time of meeting to worship God. If you set a schedule, you ensure that you will not, for example, forget, or otherwise neglect to do it. I see your point about it becoming more of a tradition than a heartfelt, "real" action on your part, but the point is, it needs to be done. If it becomes more about words than meaning, perhaps you need to "move up" to a different church.

Edit 2: More to the point of what I think you were actually saying, it's great that you meet with friends. A problem with merely meeting with friends (and I am guilty of this as well) is that we are called not simply to talk amongst ourselves, but to draw others in. Unfortunately, churches today seem to place not enough emphasis on evangelism, but we ought to reach out to others when and where we can.

May God bless you.

Answer 3

Those who love me keep my commandments-Jesus said-
Love your nieghbour as yourself anf love the Lord God with all your Heart. These are the greatest Commandments.

Jesus worshipped and taught in the temple as his custom was.

You seem angry at church people for some reason, i suspect you have experienced some disccord with yor fellow brethren, hence your dislike to church.What would Jesus Do?

Ask yourself two questions: Is my reason for not going to Church a legitimate biblical concept or am I just justifying my own remorse and hatred?
And how do I get invloved in spreading the Gospel and were to I tell people to go for upliftment when they are baby christians, can they really foster faith completly on thier own having no knowledge were to start or will it be easier to fellowship with fellow believers. What dod Jesus mean when he said we should be united and how come the Holy Spirit of God was only poured out at Pentecost when the Disciples were United with one accord.

I pray that the holy spirit will convict you.

try and visit a Seventh day Adventist church-you have nothing to lose but everything to gain.

Mail me if you still need to chat

Answer 4

I'm sorry to say but I strongly disagree. I am a member of the Church of Christ (Iglesia Ni Christo) and all members must attend church twice a week. You would probably wonder how all of us has the patience to bother going to church 8 times a month on a scheduled worship service. We are not just any small group of religous people. Our population which was counted last 1997 was 7 million and we all share a similar feeling once we enter the church. We do not feel burdened by going to church because we know this is one of the smallest things we can offer Him. God is always with us wherever we go and we know sparing an hour 2 times a week for Him is not even enough. It is only inside the church do we truly give time for God and show our appreciation for all his blessings. It is also in church do we learn his will and follow them to lead a life under His guidance. If you feel it is unnecesary to attend your church, then you are not in the right religon. If you have doubts don't be contented where you are be open and discover a religon in where you will and strongly believe in. "Everyone owes it to God and to himself to find the true religon. One may start searching by asking how one religon differs from the other." -from http://www.geocities.com/truthfinder_inc/basicteachings.htm

would it be a loss at your part to be open to something else?

Answer 5

Only problem is that God tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together and so much the more as you see the end of time coming. So the only thing wrong is that it is disobedience to God, and isn't obedience to God really what it is all about? Maybe outside that "box" you have created your own God and have become deceived. I am not saying that eh church is perfect, in fact, the church may very well be the mission field today, but you should be there becasue it is the only God ordained organization on the face of this earth.

Answer 6

There are those who would say that the act and routine of going to church becomes a replacement for rejoicing in faith, placing the focus on the knowable thing which is the church and removing it from the ineffible being which is God.
Also, I tend to believe that attending church limits one to the interpretation of church leaders, sparing a person the effort and philosophy of self study and reflection upon their spirituality.
I guess I agree with you and feel that the average churchgoer is pretty much too lazy to do their own legwork.

Answer 7

God is not confined to a building, God is not only in church. God is omnipresent. I comend you for finding what is true to you. It does not mean if you do not attend church that you are any thing less than a Christian.

But from one Christian to another I would still recommend that you hold fellowship with like minded people in your own home. With people that yearn for the knowledge of God.

Use the gift that God gave you as a minister to minster the truth about God to other people in your own home.

Answer 8

Agreed.
I'm a Catholic (I didn't have much of a say in the matter really, I was baptised as a baby) and I sometimes feel completely ashamed of the actions and opinions of the Church. Like when the Pope goes on about 'Harry Potter' being evil or the hostility that exists towards gay people (Where the bloody hell in the Bible does Jesus hold up a banner saying 'God Hates Fags'?).
God is about so much more than all that.

Answer 9

"Forsake ye not the assembling of yourselves."

Is that a request, or a suggestion.

How can God use you in the Church if you are not there.

"On this rock I will build My Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
Were you intended to be part of that Church"
Or is that just for other people?

Church should be a place of gathering and fellowship of believers, not a hypocritical holier than thou social gathering.
And if that is what you think the Church is, God really needs you there to inspire others to change.

Answer 10

Without knowing what you now follow, it's difficult to say whether I agree with you or not. True, going to church doesn't make one a Christian, any more than going to a garage makes one a mechanic. If you believe in Jesus as God, lord and Saviour, and tell your friends acquaintances that, then you're fulfilling the commission given by Jesus: if you feel it doesn't matter what you believe, so long as you're sincere, then you're in for a very rude awakening should you die unsaved.

Answer 11

...In my Bible I find this Hebrews 10:24-25, which says:
...24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
...25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
...How do you obey this direction from Scripture? The obvious choice for me is to attend and get involved in a good Bible-teaching church, where we worship, are taught God's word, and minister to each other.
...God put the body of Christ together to work together and minister together.
...There is no perfect church in the world, but if you are suggesting we can all be "lone wolves" in the Christian life and keep away from the body of Christ, and if you believe you can obey God by doing this, then you are plain wrong and in violation of God's word.