Do we have to go to Church?

Question

Our salvation is in our lord Jesus Christ. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6) Once we have salvation, it is not a question of if we have to go to church, but it is a privilege of we get to go to church.

The bible says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:23-25) We are suppose to get together with other believers and encourage each other. The bible says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17) When we became a Christian, we basically told God we couldn’t do anything without him. God wants the church (church means people of God) to assemble together and learn how to use what God’s Word says in their daily lives. Christian’s are to not only read the bible but to live out what the bible says.

Answer 1

Amen, and we do this by going to church both at a building and this can also take place wherever there is an assembly of Believers. Paul and Jesus were in the habit of visiting his family of Believers mainly at their houses and at the synagogues. The Holy Spirit is in the midst wherever there is two or more Believers. Jesus said this, (Matthew 18:20
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. )
Paul states in Acts 20:20
And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,

Remember Jesus found most of his Disciples either at work or at their houses.e.g. (Peter and his brother fishing, Matthew the tax collector was at work, Paul was on his way to capture more Christians to be falsely accused and put to death.) What that means is that the Lord will come for you if you are lost in the world and destined to be his even if you can't find your way to a church.
Matthew 9:9-13
9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. 10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Jesus preached everywhere "both in the Temple and on the mount." Paul and all the Disciples did the same. They were "Living Epistles." And so are we who are in Christ.


It is evident when you lay precept upon precept God is asking for our hearts and to worship him both in a public setting and everywhere he might have you learning God's truth. What is most important is not that you attend a church building but that your Body become a living Temple a Holy sacrifice unto God. 1Corinthians 3:17
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

1Corinthians 6:19
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

We are required to worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth no matter where we are. We are to carry our cross daily and that means live for Jesus. We are many members in the Body of Christ some are called to be preachers, pastors, and evangelist etc. We are all called to spread the Word of the Gospel of Christ to all the world. We do this by faith in the Lord and working out our salvation daily and again by being "Living Epistles" for everyone to read. Our lives are a testament for the Glory of the Lord Jesus Christ if we are in his will. The(Agape) Love of God is the most important thing we live by and share with others and especially with our Lord, Amen.

In Christ,
Alight4JC

Answer 2

Yes. Preaching and teaching are good for our souls, to keep the inner oil purified with the fire of the Holy Spirit; how much better can this be accomplished than through the annointing of God's message through a Pastor at a church, to feed our souls with the proper type of spiritual meat. Our flesh does not want to be corrected by the preaching of the Word of God. So we must strive to overcome the will of the flesh to take what is needed, to stir the up our spirits to act towards the calling that God has appointed for each of us to do.

Great question. May God continue to bless you and your ministry!

Answer 3

Dear needanewstart,

Hebrews 10;25 has been understood and taught by theologians the way you have explained it. However, upon closer examination of the verse, we find that errors have been made.

This agrees with the statement of Hebrews 10:25 where God commands that as Judgment Day approaches, we are not to neglect the assembling of ourselves together. The word "ourselves" surprises us. During the church age, we would expect to see the word "church" or "congregation" rather than the word "ourselves." However, during the latter rain, God does not use an earthly organization such as He had used national Israel or as He used the local congregations throughout the church age. He uses individual believers.

It is true that believers can come together in an organization to facilitate the sending forth of the Gospel into the world. But the organization has no membership. It does not have any spiritual rule over those who support it. It has no Biblical standing as a God-ordained organization. Because we know that it is God who works in the believer to will and to do of His good pleasure, we know that only God can raise up an organization like Family Radio. We must give God all the glory for whatever successes it may have as it sends the Gospel into all the world. But it must be simply looked at as a convenient vehicle by which individual believers can be used of God to accomplish the task of evangelizing the world during the season of the latter rain. By bringing together the resources of a number of believers, radio stations, and other means can be owned and operated to assist with the task of evangelization. This can be done on a scale that would be impossible for a single believer to do.

The truth that during the later rain season the Gospel mandate is strictly carried out by individual believers therefore agrees with the statement of Hebrews 10:25 where God commands that as Judgment Day approaches we are not to neglect the assembling of ourselves together. However during the latter rain season God does not use an earthly organization such as national Israel which He used during the Old Testament or such as the local churches which He used throughout the church age. The vineyard which God had planted and which externally represents the Kingdom of God which was first under the care of national Israel and then under the care of the churches had ceased to exist.

What is the necessary conclusion of this for the believer? If their church is no longer recognized by God, it is no longer Christ’s church, then it must be under the rulership of someone else. This is exactly what II Thessalonians 2 is telling us. The Holy Spirit has been removed. and Satan has taken his seat in the temple. He is now ruling. The believers cannot stay because Satan is now the ruler. This passage is telling us that there will not be left one church recognized by God. Therefore, the believers must leave.

Remember the true believers are instructed in Luke 21:20 to depart out of Jerusalem in our day. Thus, we have learned that the time has now come when we must leave our churches and congregations even though we are to continue to gather together to fellowship with other true believers outside of the church (Hebrews 10:25).

But the question once more must be raised: lf a church earnestly tries to remove all of its wrong doctrines (its spiritual high places), and if it still has true believers within it, why can’t it continue as a viable God-blessed congregation? In answer to this question we must carefully consider what God has said.

We have been learning that God has declared that there is not to be left one stone upon another. God has declared this since it means that God is declaring that it is His intention that there is not to be even one church left to represent God’s kingdom. If a church insists that it is still recognized by God, then it is still trying to have a small part in the temple of God and saying the believers (the stones) in that church are still in place in the temple of God. But that cannot be because God declares there will not be left one stone upon another. This means that God’s usage of the churches and congregations has come to an end.

The fact that the command to depart from the church is to be obeyed by every believer is underscored by the language of Luke 2l:5, 6 where God declares that in the temple there would not be one stone left upon another stone that would not be thrown down. We have already leaned that according to I Corinthians 3 the temple is the corporate church that God has been building for more than 1950 years. This is the temple that Luke 21:5, 6 says that it will not have one stone left upon another that would not be thrown down, Therefore, the believers must leave the church.

The question is: who are you following? It is either the Bible-God's word or the churches.

Answer 4

Jesus came to start the Church. The Apostles mission was to plant churches. The people are the church. We are commanded not to go it alone. We all have unique gifts that complement each other and we are to be the body of Christ. It's hard to justify anything else. Our salvation is not church dependent but we are to be there for each other.

Answer 5

In some countries believers would love to be able to attend a church service. Remember when the Soviet Union use to be closed and had Bibles smuggled in? These Bibles were worth more than gold. In America we take so much for granted and should appreciate what God has given to us.

Answer 6

When people don't go to church and meet with other believers, they will soon lose their strength and temptation gets stronger. If satan can get you by yourself, he halfways won. There is always strength in numbers, and when you are alone, there is really no accountability, is there ???
One starts reasoning about everything and the enemy of our soul can play tricks with out mind.The Word also tells us , that we have overcome by the words of our testamonies, so when you are not around to hear the testamonies of the believers, then you cannot overcome, whatever you are going through.

Answer 7

i believe we must attempt to find faithful friends to fellowship with; I do not believe however it is mandatory to attend any church, that is a work and we are saved from grace apart from works; there may not even be a local church one feels good about attending; but ...we should however always try to find others like-minded if it be in our neighborhoods, on the www, etc. to share the gospel with as well as joys, afflictions, prayer requests, etc.

"As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." - Galatians 6:10.

Answer 8

can you speak outside of using a bible?

one thinks you could come up with something original and not just become a pundit for a religion that has a horrid track record, genocide, land grabs, invasions, and bloody crusades against free will and choosing to not believe

Answer 9

I was going to quote Hebrews 10:25 but then seen you done did it. We are to go to church. The bible also says. Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in that my house might be filled.

Answer 10

We don't have to attend "church" to spur one another to good works. I haven't attended an organized "church" in years, but I, by God's grace and to His glory, do more than most seat warmers in today's sick and doctrinally heretical "churches".

I live in SoCal. Most "churches" here are either the doctrinally heretical and abusive Calvary chapels, or Saddleback clown churches. I'm fine with me and my group apart from all those continual problems.