I'm just going to be honest here, and it's totally fine with me for those who will disagree. This just is just view from both personal experience, and hearing the stories of others who've been through things involving ''the church". These things, I do believe are the reasons so many won't go to church. There's true children of God, whom sadly won't go to church, or don't want to and wouldn't go if it weren't for gathering with the few other true believers, due to the overwhelming rate of fakes and such in the church.
I'm not sure which is worse, the fact there's so much hypocrisy, open sin, drunkards, drug addicts, idolatry, adultery, false teachings, worldliness, carnality, judging, condemning others, etc. going on in the ''churches'' today, which is such false representation of God, and of His body, which is the believers and children of His. These things are EXACTLY what pushes people away from God, away from church, away from true Christians, and away from the truth. I don't know if that's worse, or if this is: The fact so many true Christians and children of God, just leave the churches for sake of not being a part of it, and never return. I mean here's the thing, church isn't a building anyways, it's the people, so church can be held anywhere in all honesty.
The building aspect, is simply the place where the gathering is done, and we are told not to forsake the assembling together, but it doesn't stop there, the ministries needs to be taken out on the streets just as Jesus did. The thing is, it starts in ONE persons heart, when just one of God's children is willing, faithful, and obedient to step out on faith, take a stand for what's right, and puts things into action, amazing things can happen. Church can be held in a public place like a park, inside a restaurant, on a street corner, whatever. Then take those faithful few, diligently seek God, find Him, obey Him, let Him reveal to you what to do, and ''clean house" on what ''church'' is considered these days. You've got people that are ''pew warmers'' they just warm those seats, they love to sing songs, and feel great doing so, and showing off the donation they make, etc., however when the time comes for the message there's one of two issues: One:they aren't hearing what God says to them through the preaching of His word, or two:the one bringing the message, brings it of their self, not of God. Sometimes it's both issues, and you see the thing is, I know life's busy, difficult, etc. but don't allow that to take away from your time with God.
I love devotions, they're wonderful tools, but they just as anything else, can be turned into an idol and used as a means of procrastination, and a ''quick fix". They'll take a short little two minute or so reading, and if you're lucky, they'll expand on it. Still not ''their'' message, and not the message God intended on generally. That's not to say that God wouldn't ever use a message from a devotional, or anything else for that matter,however what I'm saying is this: God gives you a message, using whatever tools He desires, and He will speak to you about it. You must FIRST however, KNOW His voice and discern the spirits on if it's really Him. You must ask yourself, and most importantly God, "is what I"m doing the will of God for me, is this what He's telling me to do, is this the message He wants sent out to feed His sheep?".
It's so sad, and even just sickening to the point of disgust to see such stuff going on these days, it's time for God's people to humble themselves before Him like never before, and experience a true revival, that will shake the world to it's absolute core and ends, spiritually speaking. When the true children of God do these things, they can go and allow God to use them to take back what and who is His! True representation of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, true love of God shown, growing, planting, reaping, prospering in the relationship between God and His children, once they finally see the light, humble down, repent, and accept His will over their own! These things won't be in the church anymore, it will be restored, made clean, pure, righteous, in accordance of God, and everything she's supposed to be. Rise up ye generation of God's children, rise up with courage, don't be deceived by vipers, don't fear what man can do to the body, but not the soul, don't back down from the morality that you've held onto for so long!
I'm not sure which is worse, the fact there's so much hypocrisy, open sin, drunkards, drug addicts, idolatry, adultery, false teachings, worldliness, carnality, judging, condemning others, etc. going on in the ''churches'' today, which is such false representation of God, and of His body, which is the believers and children of His. These things are EXACTLY what pushes people away from God, away from church, away from true Christians, and away from the truth. I don't know if that's worse, or if this is: The fact so many true Christians and children of God, just leave the churches for sake of not being a part of it, and never return. I mean here's the thing, church isn't a building anyways, it's the people, so church can be held anywhere in all honesty.
The building aspect, is simply the place where the gathering is done, and we are told not to forsake the assembling together, but it doesn't stop there, the ministries needs to be taken out on the streets just as Jesus did. The thing is, it starts in ONE persons heart, when just one of God's children is willing, faithful, and obedient to step out on faith, take a stand for what's right, and puts things into action, amazing things can happen. Church can be held in a public place like a park, inside a restaurant, on a street corner, whatever. Then take those faithful few, diligently seek God, find Him, obey Him, let Him reveal to you what to do, and ''clean house" on what ''church'' is considered these days. You've got people that are ''pew warmers'' they just warm those seats, they love to sing songs, and feel great doing so, and showing off the donation they make, etc., however when the time comes for the message there's one of two issues: One:they aren't hearing what God says to them through the preaching of His word, or two:the one bringing the message, brings it of their self, not of God. Sometimes it's both issues, and you see the thing is, I know life's busy, difficult, etc. but don't allow that to take away from your time with God.
I love devotions, they're wonderful tools, but they just as anything else, can be turned into an idol and used as a means of procrastination, and a ''quick fix". They'll take a short little two minute or so reading, and if you're lucky, they'll expand on it. Still not ''their'' message, and not the message God intended on generally. That's not to say that God wouldn't ever use a message from a devotional, or anything else for that matter,however what I'm saying is this: God gives you a message, using whatever tools He desires, and He will speak to you about it. You must FIRST however, KNOW His voice and discern the spirits on if it's really Him. You must ask yourself, and most importantly God, "is what I"m doing the will of God for me, is this what He's telling me to do, is this the message He wants sent out to feed His sheep?".
It's so sad, and even just sickening to the point of disgust to see such stuff going on these days, it's time for God's people to humble themselves before Him like never before, and experience a true revival, that will shake the world to it's absolute core and ends, spiritually speaking. When the true children of God do these things, they can go and allow God to use them to take back what and who is His! True representation of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, true love of God shown, growing, planting, reaping, prospering in the relationship between God and His children, once they finally see the light, humble down, repent, and accept His will over their own! These things won't be in the church anymore, it will be restored, made clean, pure, righteous, in accordance of God, and everything she's supposed to be. Rise up ye generation of God's children, rise up with courage, don't be deceived by vipers, don't fear what man can do to the body, but not the soul, don't back down from the morality that you've held onto for so long!
