Do we need to belong to a church?

[iwant2serve]

Many people say I don't go to church, some say God took them away from the church. From what I read this is not sound in the scriptures. Bible says God gave us Pastors after his own heart (Jer 3:15 Other passages that speak about the pastor Jer 10:21, 12:10, 22:22, 23:. In the NT talks about the gifts Christ gave to the church Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist, Pastors, and Teachers Eph 4:10-15. There is scripture relating to the character of the Pastor/church leaders. Yet many do not attend for reasons other than not being physically able to. Or living to far away with no ride to town. There is the argument that a building is not a church but in scripture we will find that the church not only relates to the people but also the place they gather to meet.

I would like to hear your views without bashing each other or having personal debates, just give your view please.

 

[damombomb]

If I had not been invited and heard the word , by the preacher and bless God a good one, I wouldn't be free and know the Lord
as i do today

 

[crossnote]

Church as I understand it is not a place you go to but an assembly of believers gathered for preaching/teaching God's Word, prayers, worship, and the breaking of bread not necesssarily in that order. As an outcome, mutual edification, helping one another and spreading the Gospel should follow.

 

[wdeaton65]

I will just say the people in the N/T would go to a synagogue where the scriptures were kept. I mean no body would say hey I want to check out this $ 50,000 Isa. scroll right. So every Sat. mourning they would go down to there local synagogue listen to a few teachers not just one. Luke 4;16-18 gives us a look at how it works.

All the teachers in the N/T had jobs this might come as a shock to most but it is true.
If the point of this thread is to confirm one guy taking money for teaching the word of GOD and telling people what the word of GOD says. Well that is going to be a tuff job sir. It will be even harder if you are a 501c3 kind of guy but hey have fun most the people here are pretty nice but they do speak bluntly. Some of the people here want truth and they keep acts 17;11 close to there heart. I wonder where this thread will lead and if you will get the answers you were looking for.

 

[Brighthouse]

The Word says hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some. Now to me brother where we assemble and how we assemble matters little. Some meet in homes,others meet in what is called a Church. We do know this. ( matt 18:19-20) The point to gathering together,is to both encourage each other in and through Christ Jesus and become encouraged.

For some church can be termed also like a social event,we go there to show off our attire or gossips about the latest situation going on in that Church.It should be noted that for the most part,not all of course, but for the most part there are fewer young people going. As to the reason why this is,many things can cause such.You can name many, I can, and most all can. But the point to giving an excuse not to assemble, is really there is no excuse! We can make them,but that does not mean our thinking is correct in them.

I judge no one in this,but only know deep within me,that those who stay home and never assemble with anyone hurt only themselves,for in self there is no guidence in either doctrine,or in the view of it. While it is true that if one does not assemble does not mean there salvation comes into question either! It is just better to assemble,so that Jesus in you, and in another may come together to bring life to the body of Christ as a whole,rather then in ones own self. For by withdrawing from others,others can never receive the gifts God has given you to give to another. This above all to me,is what is very sadly missed in many assembly's.Thanks for the subject brother i want to serve.

 

[psychomom]

I will just say the people in the N/T would go to a synagogue where the scriptures were kept. I mean no body would say hey I want to check out this $ 50,000 Isa. scroll right. So every Sat. mourning they would go down to there local synagogue listen to a few teachers not just one. Luke 4;16-18 gives us a look at how it works.

All the teachers in the N/T had jobs this might come as a shock to most but it is true.
If the point of this thread is to confirm one guy taking money for teaching the word of GOD and telling people what the word of GOD says. Well that is going to be a tuff job sir. It will be even harder if you are a 501c3 kind of guy but hey have fun most the people here are pretty nice but they do speak bluntly. Some of the people here want truth and they keep acts 17;11 close to there heart. I wonder where this thread will lead and if you will get the answers you were looking for.

I signed in specifically so I could ' like' your post.
-ellie

 

[zone]

i love my church.
i love the christians in it.
i suffer when i miss assembling.
i would give up everything else before i gave up my church.
(which is a group of families who gather several times per week in a building for sacred readings and the Lord's Supper; weddings; baptisms; the Pastor has an office there for meeting and counselling......our people also meet in homes; socially elsewhere; through mission work)

i was not completely at peace and not receiving the full blessing of being around an actual body of people who have ONE thing in common.

LOVE FOR THE LORD.

now that i have a denom which i can agree with in good conscience, i never have to be without a church again.

thank you Lord for establishing that your people would assemble.

 

[psychomom]

Many people say I don't go to church, some say God took them away from the church. From what I read this is not sound in the scriptures. Bible says God gave us Pastors after his own heart (Jer 3:15 Other passages that speak about the pastor Jer 10:21, 12:10, 22:22, 23:. In the NT talks about the gifts Christ gave to the church Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist, Pastors, and Teachers Eph 4:10-15. There is scripture relating to the character of the Pastor/church leaders. Yet many do not attend for reasons other than not being physically able to. Or living to far away with no ride to town. There is the argument that a building is not a church but in scripture we will find that the church not only relates to the people but also the place they gather to meet.

I would like to hear your views without bashing each other or having personal debates, just give your view please.

Hi there.

I'm wondering of you see the gift of pastor and that of teacher as always being the same guy?

 

[zone]

Hi there.

I'm wondering of you see the gift of pastor and that of teacher as always being the same guy?

You cannot give Reputation to the same post twice.

 

[Abiding]

Yup there is a design to bless and strengthen us that cannot happen without church assembly.
you can cut major roots off a tree and it may live...depends on your definition of living tho.

 

[danschance]

The Word says hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some. Now to me brother where we assemble and how we assemble matters little. Some meet in homes,others meet in what is called a Church. We do know this. ( matt 18:19-20) The point to gathering together,is to both encourage each other in and through Christ Jesus and become encouraged.

For some church can be termed also like a social event,we go there to show off our attire or gossips about the latest situation going on in that Church.It should be noted that for the most part,not all of course, but for the most part there are fewer young people going. As to the reason why this is,many things can cause such.You can name many, I can, and most all can. But the point to giving an excuse not to assemble, is really there is no excuse! We can make them,but that does not mean our thinking is correct in them.

I judge no one in this,but only know deep within me,that those who stay home and never assemble with anyone hurt only themselves,for in self there is no guidence in either doctrine,or in the view of it. While it is true that if one does not assemble does not mean there salvation comes into question either! It is just better to assemble,so that Jesus in you, and in another may come together to bring life to the body of Christ as a whole,rather then in ones own self. For by withdrawing from others,others can never receive the gifts God has given you to give to another. This above all to me,is what is very sadly missed in many assembly's.Thanks for the subject brother i want to serve.

I agree with Brother Brighthouse. The word church in the New Testament comes from the Greek word eklesia which simply means assembly. We are instructed to not forsake the assembly (eklesia) of God's people. However, we certainly do not need to go to a special structure to do so. We as Christians can assemble anywhere, even online and fulfill the instruction to not forsake the assembly of God's people.

 

[danschance]

I would also like to add that I do not attend a traditional church. I voluntarily resigned my membership in the Foursquare denomination because I felt God was telling me to leave. Soon after that they got a new pastor who is doing a very poor job and many others have left that church because of him.

I struggled to find another church. Every Sunday I attended a different church and prayed if it was the one God wanted me to join. I at the same time had a core group of Christian friends and many of them did not attend a church. I asked them if they were forsaking the assembly of God's people and they all gave me the same answer. They believed they were in agreement with scripture as they gathered together. I attended an evening service at a church I felt was best for me but as I left, I realized no church was for me. I just had an inner "knowing". Now I am with this group and I believe it to be God's will.

 

[wdeaton65]

i love my church.
i love the christians in it.
i suffer when i miss assembling.
i would give up everything else before i gave up my church.
(which is a group of families who gather several times per week in a building for sacred readings and the Lord's Supper; weddings; baptisms; the Pastor has an office there for meeting and counselling......our people also meet in homes; socially elsewhere; through mission work)

i was not completely at peace and not receiving the full blessing of being around an actual body of people who have ONE thing in common.

LOVE FOR THE LORD.

now that i have a denom which i can agree with in good conscience, i never have to be without a church again.

thank you Lord for establishing that your people would assemble.

I know the truth you share and seeing the fact you have found the real church I rejoice in your blessings sis!!
I am looking for such a place until I find it I will have to keep meeting in a very small group of like minded people.
There is a great deal of blessings when the children of GOD meet some day soon I think your type of church will be the norm at least that is my hope. If your church Zone teaches what you know it will change your whole area praise GOD and the whole EARTH.

 

[SeekingJC]

This is an awesome thread thanks iwant2serve for setting it up. I am a new Christian and I am in the process of searching for a church. I've been to all different types and denominations, church plants, and some more scary get outta dodge type places (at one place the pastor told me since my wife isn't yet a believer that we are unevenly yoked and I wouldn't be accepted into Gods kingdom unless she converts or I divorce her). Yea...new doesn't mean dumb . Anyway, I love Jesus but I've always been really anti-organized religion. Being raised catholic I ALWAYS hated that I was told I needed a priest to get to God. It seemed against what I knew in my heart. So I figured all "religions" were the same type of thing.

However, worshiping and praying and singing praises and talking about scripture with true believers always takes my breath away. It's more powerful and poignant then on my own. I have countless tears of joy and love and gratitude just about everytime we sing or read scripture or hear about how The Lord is working in people's lives. It's wonderful. For me I just want to find a place with a strong believers to learn from it doesn't much matter the type of church as long as it has the proper foundation.

God Bless All

 

[sinless]

Many people say I don't go to church, some say God took them away from the church. From what I read this is not sound in the scriptures. Bible says God gave us Pastors after his own heart (Jer 3:15 Other passages that speak about the pastor Jer 10:21, 12:10, 22:22, 23:. In the NT talks about the gifts Christ gave to the church Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist, Pastors, and Teachers Eph 4:10-15. There is scripture relating to the character of the Pastor/church leaders. Yet many do not attend for reasons other than not being physically able to. Or living to far away with no ride to town. There is the argument that a building is not a church but in scripture we will find that the church not only relates to the people but also the place they gather to meet.

I would like to hear your views without bashing each other or having personal debates, just give your view please.

We need to be a part of a fellowship of some kind, but no we do not need to be a part of a local church.

I personally believe home fellowships are more biblical

 

[Theophane]

A church of one is no church at all. The communion of saints is absolutely crucial!

 

[crossnote]

"churchcourse only relates to the people but also the place they gather to meet."

This is the only part of the OP I wonder about because of...

John 4:19-21 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall ye worship the Father.

:
And of course it goes on to say that those that worship the Father are to worship Him in Spirit and Truth.

 

[danschance]

A church of one is no church at all. The communion of saints is absolutely crucial!

"For where two or three have gathered together in My name,I am there in their midst.” Mathew 18:20

Amen brother.

 

[AandO]

When I read Scripture I see absolutly amazing things. When I look around me I find very little evidence of those absolutly amazing things. Things like: Ephesians 4:11-13 where we are told that we should all be allowing God to use our various gifts in each others lives for maturity and works of service, John 17:20-26 where Jesus prays for each of us who ever believe asking that we are untied together just as much as Jesus was united with God so that the world may know, and Philippians 2 where we are commanded to have the same attitude that Jesus did. These are just a few. I was really blessed by Zone's post. From my experience though it is easy to find groups of Christians who aren't much different from the world. There really aren't any miraculously amazing things happening due to God's "incomparably great power" (Eph 1:19 in context of all of chapter 1). I find it difficult to find people who are well enough versed in Scripture, as amazed as I am, and longing for it enough that they are just as likely as I am to initiate conversations about 1) why we don't see more of this and 2) asking what our role is in making things right for God to show this kind of blessing which He wants to be common.

Note: There are quite a few groups who are seeking warm and fuzzy feel good Christianity which is all about them. (My definition of "unhealthy Christian Mysticism".) It is much harder to find people who long to see God purify their hearts in such a way that He can draw them to a maturity which applies the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew Chapters 5-7) in a dark world in such a way that they don't have their house built on sand destroyed. This is sacrificial servanthood which serves the world around them outside of the public eye with genuine love and personal expense. This does not mean that you are a servant of the world catering to their desires but that you are a servant to God catering to how He wants you to serve the world.

What I feel is similar to the warning against building on sand in Matthew 7 is 1 Corinthians 3:12-15. My understanding of this passage is that even the man who builds with wood, hay and straw is a Christian because "he himself will be saved" but only after losing everything he "built" in this life before judgement. Let us as Christians submit to God in such a way so that we can escape the world's cheap temporal building materials and instead use God's gold, silver, and costly stones to build so that what God builds through us will last forever rather than being destroyed.

After much thought, prayer, discussion, and observation I believe that a major reason many people feel no need to be a part of a fellowship is the lack of depth and intimacy in most fellowships. What church has evolved into in our times leaves a lot to be desired. Many people are satisfied with much less than the Bible calls us to, commands us to, encourages us to, promises us, and God offers to us. Many people now get their picture of church from what they have experienced rather than from God's descriptions in the Bible. What they like or don't like about church stems from churches they have attended. If we are not careful we lose God's golden standard for what He offers as church and settle for the best we have experienced.

To say that pastors did not get paid (and that they all had other jobs) in Biblical times seems to me unsupportable unless you can show me proof saying just that. In fact the Bible seems to indicate more support for them getting paid than not. (Luke 10:7, 2 Corinthians 11:8, and 1 Timothy 5:17-18.)

 

[iwant2serve]

I guess when most people think of church we thing in terms of what it looks like and how it functions. I do not believe that church is a one man show who preaches and teaches all the time. The bible is clear about the gifts given to the church by the Holy Spirit (but that is another post for another time). So what many are saying concerning church is not just a few believers gathering together, there is a leadership of every church and if there isn't then is not that against the purpose of having a Pastor ie. shepherd/overseer. I am not talking about the way a church operates or the order of it's service or money. Why did God give us pastors, so lead his sheep? Maybe I should have arranged things a different way.