What is the church to you?

[JustViv]

Many people these days find it a religious tradition to go to a church to worship once a week. For some, on the other hand, find the church as a place to meet new people or perhaps, a club to fill up their free time. Yet, there are some complains when they see some not so well to do people coming into the church, not wearing clean clothes, looking haggard, so on and so forth - that they even asked them to leave. While some looking at a drug addict or prostitute who just walk into the church and sat on the pew, the church members talk among themselves and some brave enough to tell them to go.

How about you? What is a church to you? As Jesus said in Mark 2:17, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come for the righteous but for the sinners." Hence, a church to me, is a hospital for the broken, wounded, injured, damaged, sick, all those who need healing and redemption from the grace of God.

 

[psychomom]

My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.
For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,”
have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?
Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? (James 2:1-6)

 

[oldthennew]

LUKE 12:...19-20-21.

And, I will say to my soul, Soul, you have much goods laid up for many years,
take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.

But God said unto him, you fool, this night your soul shall be required of you:
then whose shall those things be, which you have provided?

So is he that lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

 

[Alongshorr]

[h=1]What is the church to you?[/h]

The children of God.

 

[Utah]

While some looking at a drug addict or prostitute who just walk into the church and sat on the pew, the church members talk among themselves and some brave enough to tell them to go.

Who here ever witnessed someone being kicked out of their congregation just as worship service was about to begin because the person was disheveled? That nonsense wasn't even a thought in the congregation I grew up in.

 

[atwhatcost]

Who here ever witnessed someone being kicked out of their congregation just as worship service was about to begin because the person was disheveled? That nonsense wasn't even a thought in the congregation I grew up in.

I haven't, however hubby joined a church right after such a talk, and left when talk became action.

He was in on the first wave of the Jesus Movement. Well-established, conservative, middle-class churches began getting an influx of hippies, drug addicts, and very-recently ex-hookers. It shocked the middle-class norm. Many were offended and wanted the riff-raff out. The new folks had no idea what was going on. They had just been saved sometime during the week, and did what seems like the thing to do -- go to church on Sunday morning. They had no idea there was a dress code. Some didn't even yet learn a bath once in a while is a good thing. But God called, and they heeded to learn what he wanted them to know.

Big hullabaloo! Special session of members on Wednesday night. (Who thinks to go to church on Wednesday night, if you didn't even know there was a dress code for church? lol) The pastor was firm on the Word vs. the perception, so he told people either accept it or leave, because these new people needed church as much as the members did. Many members did leave.

A few weeks later a tall, working-class hippie (with a propensity for greasy gunk around his fingernails even after bathing, since he was a heating mechanic) with his wife and little daughter came in and joined. My future-hubby. He was saved a month earlier and still looking for a good church. The pastor liked him.

Within three months, future-hubby became the Youth Minister, knowing he had no clue on what he was doing, but God gave him a soft spot for youth. Really put a spin on Bible class for young people. Suddenly they were being taught the Bible, instead of proper church etiquette.

It got "really weird" for the old-timers in that church. People were being delivered of all sorts of sins, and a few were even delivered from demons. (Future-hubby's then-wife was one of them.) Apparently, the original members had too much to handle. After a short while, they fired the pastor for that nonsense, most of the new people left, (future-hubby and family included), and everything went right back to normal.

I strongly suspect if there were a new revival now, this would be repeated all around the country today. We can't go off and have messy riff-raff invading our churches. What do you think this is -- a place to minister God?

 

[AceMichaels]

Many people these days find it a religious tradition to go to a church to worship once a week. For some, on the other hand, find the church as a place to meet new people or perhaps, a club to fill up their free time. Yet, there are some complains when they see some not so well to do people coming into the church, not wearing clean clothes, looking haggard, so on and so forth - that they even asked them to leave. While some looking at a drug addict or prostitute who just walk into the church and sat on the pew, the church members talk among themselves and some brave enough to tell them to go.

How about you? What is a church to you? As Jesus said in Mark 2:17, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come for the righteous but for the sinners." Hence, a church to me, is a hospital for the broken, wounded, injured, damaged, sick, all those who need healing and redemption from the grace of God.

I'm very sorry for your experience! My church doesn't turn anyone away.

 

[Ugly]

Many people these days find it a religious tradition to go to a church to worship once a week. For some, on the other hand, find the church as a place to meet new people or perhaps, a club to fill up their free time. Yet, there are some complains when they see some not so well to do people coming into the church, not wearing clean clothes, looking haggard, so on and so forth - that they even asked them to leave. While some looking at a drug addict or prostitute who just walk into the church and sat on the pew, the church members talk among themselves and some brave enough to tell them to go.

How about you? What is a church to you? As Jesus said in Mark 2:17, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come for the righteous but for the sinners." Hence, a church to me, is a hospital for the broken, wounded, injured, damaged, sick, all those who need healing and redemption from the grace of God.

I see church as a sanctuary and training grounds. The church should be a place to get away from the world, get refreshed and encouraged as well as encourage. Churches should be equipping Christians to be witnesses and ministers to the world. Not instruct them on how to invite non-Christians to church. Sure, non-Christians should be welcome, but I see it as a place for Christians. Christians should be leading people to Christ, not their church. That should be secondary.

 

[mailmandan]

The church is the body of Christ (Colossians 1:18,24).

 

[PartyOf3]

I see church as a sanctuary and training grounds. The church should be a place to get away from the world, get refreshed and encouraged as well as encourage. Churches should be equipping Christians to be witnesses and ministers to the world. Not instruct them on how to invite non-Christians to church. Sure, non-Christians should be welcome, but I see it as a place for Christians. Christians should be leading people to Christ, not their church. That should be secondary.

Once i I believed that only the pastor could lead someone to Christ, that that was his job, not mine, I was just supposed to get them to church, and one day during my own study my heart and thinking changed, I am a preacher of Christ, I am to lead the lost to Christ, when I began to pray differently and acted on that new way of believing, I really began to notice a difference in my husband, he just recently came to know the Lord...

 

[AceMichaels]

I see church as a sanctuary and training grounds. The church should be a place to get away from the world, get refreshed and encouraged as well as encourage. Churches should be equipping Christians to be witnesses and ministers to the world. Not instruct them on how to invite non-Christians to church. Sure, non-Christians should be welcome, but I see it as a place for Christians. Christians should be leading people to Christ, not their church. That should be secondary.

I tend to agree. Church is a place I can get away from the world and be with like minded people. It is also a place I can recharge my spiritual batteries! And of course where I worship my Lord!

 

[shotgunner]

The Church is the Body of Christ, made up of believers from all denominations.

It would be abhorrent for me to even think anyone would be turned away from a group of believers for their attire or grooming habits.

 

[AceMichaels]

Once i I believed that only the pastor could lead someone to Christ, that that was his job, not mine, I was just supposed to get them to church, and one day during my own study my heart and thinking changed, I am a preacher of Christ, I am to lead the lost to Christ, when I began to pray differently and acted on that new way of believing, I really began to notice a difference in my husband, he just recently came to know the Lord...

Congratulations to you and your husband on that wonderful news!!!!

 

[JustViv]

Who here ever witnessed someone being kicked out of their congregation just as worship service was about to begin because the person was disheveled? That nonsense wasn't even a thought in the congregation I grew up in.

There was in church, many years ago, a beggar came into the church and he was asked to leave.


Well, the people whom are being broken, wounded, in pain, etc. may not be referring to people whom are physically suffering them but including people who suffer spiritually as well. Today, there are many prefer the rich and well to do be among their midst; real sad....

 

[wattie]

The church is the body of Christ.. which is a local assembly of saved, baptised people, covenanted together to carry out the great commission and commandment.

Not universal, invisible... not universal visible.

LOCAL and VISIBLE.

Church at Ephesus.. at Corinth.. at Phillipi.. etc... NO big C church..

Where in scripture is a universal church of all believers?

All I have seen is local churches.. with the universal entities being only the Kingdom and Family of God.

I became a member of the Kingdom and Family at salvation.

I became a member of a body of Christ or 'the' body of Christ in a certain locality.. 11 years after that!

 

[MyLighthouse]

Many people these days find it a religious tradition to go to a church to worship once a week. For some, on the other hand, find the church as a place to meet new people or perhaps, a club to fill up their free time. Yet, there are some complains when they see some not so well to do people coming into the church, not wearing clean clothes, looking haggard, so on and so forth - that they even asked them to leave. While some looking at a drug addict or prostitute who just walk into the church and sat on the pew, the church members talk among themselves and some brave enough to tell them to go.

How about you? What is a church to you? As Jesus said in Mark 2:17, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come for the righteous but for the sinners." Hence, a church to me, is a hospital for the broken, wounded, injured, damaged, sick, all those who need healing and redemption from the grace of God.

I'm am the church, you are the church, we Christians are the church.... (some improvements needed but that's what sanctification and holiness is about)

 

[KennethC]

The Church is the body of believers in Christ all around the world.

Any believers here in the U.S. are part of the Church just like in any other country as well, we are all part of that body.

The local assembly in our towns is only one part of that body, and those parts have different members with different responsibilities. Not everybody is called to do the same jobs in the Church body, the one thing that everybody is called to do is share the gospel message.

 

[KennethC]

The church is the body of Christ.. which is a local assembly of saved, baptised people, covenanted together to carry out the great commission and commandment.

Not universal, invisible... not universal visible.

LOCAL and VISIBLE.

Church at Ephesus.. at Corinth.. at Phillipi.. etc... NO big C church..

Where in scripture is a universal church of all believers?

All I have seen is local churches.. with the universal entities being only the Kingdom and Family of God.

I became a member of the Kingdom and Family at salvation.

I became a member of a body of Christ or 'the' body of Christ in a certain locality.. 11 years after that!

Universal that was used to describe the early Church in the 2nd and 3rd centuries before the Catholic church was even heard of or formed in the 4th century only meant that believers of all nationalities can become believers in Christ.

 

[crossnote]

A place for corporate prayer, corporate worship, corporate teaching, and to refresh our selves in fellowship around the Word.

 

[AceMichaels]

A place for corporate prayer, corporate worship, corporate teaching, and to refresh our selves in fellowship around the Word.

Corporate? Could you please explain this? I think I know what you mean