What type of church would you rather attend?

[jimmydiggs]

Small or house. Church via video I think misses the point entirely of "gathering ourselves together in fellowship". Mega churches I think are much the same way. That whole, "lost in the crowd" syndrome.

 

[marianna]

Crossfire is referring to James 1:21-25; for in verse 22 we are told to be a doer of the Word, not a hearer only, in verse 25 we are told that we are to look into the perfect law of liberty. This law of liberty is spoken by Paul in Galatians 5:13-14; it is fulfilling the whole law by love. What are good works, will we know we are not saved by our own works, but if one reads the verse following Ephesians 2:8-9, it states:
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
So what are the good works of the Holy Spirit working though us?
Our labour of Love though the Spirit (Roman 5:5)

For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
Hebrews 6:10
For we see in James 2:8-26, that the work of faith is love (see also Galatians 5:6). IMO, this is also what John wrote in I John 3:16-18.

thank You. But neither you or he answered the questions.
i wanted to know - what does a doer of the word do?
aND what are the good works you are talking about? could you be specific?
thank you
marianna

 

[hhhlga89]

Yeah, I agree with some who believe it is not important, just so long as it is biblical. However, atmosphere has a lot to do with the experiance of each individual. If you are into a megachurch scene you may be introverted and not want to be seen, you may like to be able to slip out of church wheneveryou want and not be confronted (in a good or bad way). This is also a negative with the mega church you are not able to hold everyone one accountable, you are not able to focus on everyones needs, some people get left out of the crowd. You may like mega churches because you are into more professional worship bands (which is not a bad thing, it adds to the experiance), you may like being part of a large group.

if you like small churches, you may be very extroverted and want to know the people you worship with, you may want to be involved in small groups and many of the ministries your church has to offer. you may not like the idea of being one in a million, but enjoy the idea of being one in a family. You most likeley are not introverted. ( I am an introvert and do not like my churches atmosphere, but it is the gody people and biblical teaching that keeps me there).

if you like house chuches your probably either or, you may be the type of person who likes your circle very small and you want to truely KNOW who your worshipping with. You may be fustrated with the amount of money being spent on paying for church mortgages and the pastors 4000 dollar a month pay while he has another good paying job. You may want to be in daily communion with your brethren and not once or twice a week. You may be extroverted though and like a BIG house church, if you are throwing it you may be very outgoing and hospitable, if your attencing you may like to meet new people who you are sure you have a connection with (due to the fact that you both know the owner of the home).

If you like other things like video, you may like being comfortable when you worship, you may have brothers and sisters who you are very close with who you like to worship with, but geographical issues don't permit you seeing face to face.

I'm not saying all is black or white, im just giving reasons why some people may choose or gravitiate towards some churches.

sorry for any typos, wrote this really quick.

 

[frankleespeaking]

Kings James Bible Preaching in a Independent Baptist church

I can only imagine that church being the most racist church on the planet, for in that assumption every translation of the king James into a foriegn language will have lost a bit of truth, and will not be the true word of God. (As no translation is perfect, even from the Latin to King James has proven errors)

How sad it is to imagine that God chose only to give His word to a select group of humans, and the rest of globe gets merely spatterings of truth............I'm just trying to figure out how in Revelations we see a GREAT MULTITUDE from every nation and tongue seem to have gotten passed all the false bible translations, and were saved.........they must of all learned archaic english and thus proven themselves worthy to receive Gods true Word

 

[systemdown101]

What's important to me is that they are doers of the WORD and not hearers only. I want to be with people who actually believe what the Bible says and apply it to their daily lives. I want to be with a people who takes Scripture so seriously that they would never dare to add to or take away from it. I want to be with a people who walk so closely with the Lord that it can be seen in every aspect of their lives, so much so that they needn't pursue the lost but the lost pursues them because they can see and feel the one and only living God in them.

I think the intent of the OP was "Given that each church teaches the correct word of God and it's membership are good followers of the word, which size church would you personally feel most comfortable in?" For me, I kind of prefer a church with a membership around a hundred or so, where I can get to know and talk to many of the members. In a large mega-church, I would feel alone in a crowd. I don't really handle huge crowds well.

 

[Red33]

I think it's funny how some have turned this thread into a means to push their own denomination. As for me, I could care less how big or small the church is or whether they meet in a church building or out in Central Park. I could even care less about the denomination....

What's important to me is that they are doers of the WORD and not hearers only. I want to be with people who actually believe what the Bible says and apply it to their daily lives. I want to be with a people who takes Scripture so seriously that they would never dare to add to or take away from it. I want to be with a people who walk so closely with the Lord that it can be seen in every aspect of their lives, so much so that they needn't pursue the lost but the lost pursues them because they can see and feel the one and only living God in them.

Being a doer of the word is to go into all the world and preach the gospel. Jesus CAME to seek out and to save the lost. He saves us and raises us up to go and seek out the lost that He came to save because we are in His stead. He CAME and we GO and He goes with us. We must pursue the lost the same way God pursued us when we were lost. Love seeks people out to give them what they need in times of trouble and blindness. Everything that Jesus did when He walked among men was to seek out the lost. He understood the value of one soul.

He sought out and called His (12) disciples. He did not wait for people to come to Him, He said I must go to this next place. I must seek out the prostitute who has seven demons and all those who are demon possessed. I must seek out the woman at the well who had many husbands. I must seek out the blind man and restore His sight and the lame man so that he can take up his bed and walk again. I must go and seek out my disciples who have forsaken me and have fellowship and break bread with them at the fire that I have made for them. I must be about my Father's business and do the work that He has sent me to do. I did not come to be ministered unto but I came to minister. We have been given a word and a ministry of reconciliation to bring to sinful man who has been separated from God through sin and can not find his way because of the darkness.

Rom 10:13-15
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

 

[psychomom]

hhhlga89: Wow! you hit the nail on the head.
I voted for house church, not because I'm extroverted, but because we've gone to house churches for years, and have found them more "us" than traditional churches.
I really love the fact that we have a board of elders, none of whom collect a paycheck through the church. (one's a doctor, and one's a lawyer, and the last writes computer programs for the military through IBM, so they're all better off than any of the rest of us. lol still, we try to do something nice for them regularly, as they won't take any $$)
We don't have to support a pastor or a building, so all the "tithes and offerings" go to the work of God, which we all pray about and decide together on.
We support a few missionaries who we actually know (they stay with our families when they're stateside).

I'm not trying to diss any other way of doing church...just saying, this is good for us. We are accountable through a system to lots of other churches, house and traditional. (gotta have accountability!!) We have visitors from those and other churches, and we visit them, too, from time to time.

This was an amazing idea for a survey, and it's cool to see why folks choose what they do. I love the freedom we have in Jesus to be individuals. ♥
Thanks for the survey!
~ellie