Can online Fellowship replace Church

IAMABELIEVER1979 said:

I am someone who prefers to do everything online. I am about to go to school online. And when I am done I will have a degree that will allow me to work online in the comfort of my own home. The university that I am working with has a program that will help me find work online.

I noticed the internet is like a whole new world. You can do Bible studies with people online. You can even attend Fellowship online. You basically can do anything online. You can even shop online without ever leaving your place.

But as a believer in Christ I got a Wonder, how does God feel about me never reaching out to people offline and never fellowshipping with people offline?

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There is every indication that when the Bible speaks of fellowshipping (and receiving the sacraments, remember) it means to do so IN PERSON.

If going online for one's interpersonal contacts, for recorded sermons, and so on were acceptable except under the most extreme of circumstances, the church would not, since ancient times, have appointed clergymen to carry Holy Communion to the shut ins. And doing that wouldn't still be the practice (which it is).

IAMABELIEVER1979 said:

I am someone who prefers to do everything online. I am about to go to school online. And when I am done I will have a degree that will allow me to work online in the comfort of my own home. The university that I am working with has a program that will help me find work online.

I noticed the internet is like a whole new world. You can do Bible studies with people online. You can even attend Fellowship online. You basically can do anything online. You can even shop online without ever leaving your place.

But as a believer in Christ I got a Wonder, how does God feel about me never reaching out to people offline and never fellowshipping with people offline?

Click to expand...

Where ever two or three are gathered in His name so shall He also be..

Matthew 18 KJV
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

We are gathered in His name Right?

We are not all extroverts.. God can deal with all types of people and He is powerful to save us all..

In my humble opinion. No.

Adstar said:

Where ever two or three are gathered in His name so shall He also be..

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That refers to God's abiding presence in the lives of all believers. It does not mean that this is all that's necessary to have an adequate substitute for church attendance.

still read a hard copy bible.

If you live in a big city its hard to find good fellowship.

I can't do fellowship with someone who wants to be supposed brothers in Christ and then drives off in their car listening to rap music. If you sense game. your probably right. Not a good thing. Its whats facilitated this social irreparable discourse of everyone unsatisfied with what is good and wholesome. while spoiled youth continue to look for others to corrupt because their share isn't enough. while women are desensitized to the idea of wanting a nice guy but to harm them since there were so many guys doing that to them. vica versa.

and well today is kinda bad with everyone with sunglasses and we know what that means.

Be strong and hold on to what you have. that no one may take your crown.

especially in these times. those sun glasses with the color tinted frames are a sign of a heartless person looking to fulfill their ego. party. popularity seekers.

welcome to the selfie generation.
yolo. life has become party life. and people need someone to mock and continue the highschool tradition of superiority to make it not feel like a complete farce of immaturity. but off topic. good luck finding fellowship.

In todays world. the walk with jesus is a personal one.

OP: Q:
...how does God feel about me... never fellowshipping with people offline?
(IN A CHURCH ASSEMPLY)...

God does not "feel". He is a perfectly JUST and fair JUDGE of the spirit of Man in BOTH spiritual POSITION and PRACTICE in Christian living.


Act 2:42...the first assembly/"CHURCH"
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and to prayer.


and to fellowship...Greek2842...koinōnia...communication, distribution, contribution

IMO, God wants communion, prayer, worship, praise, singing, liturgy, etc in an ASSEMBLY.

There is WEALTH of spiritual wisdom about how believers should relate to "ONE ANOTHER" within the Body of Christ.

New Testament (Koine Greek) for " ONE ANOTHER"...
"allelon" ....one another, >reciprocally and mutually<

MEANING: "one another", themselves, yourselves

THEME:
HOW SHOULD the fellowship of BELIEVERS /
Christ-followers in the "Body of Christ" / "CHURCH"
relate to "One Another"?

Matthew 24:10...Jesus:...on the Tribulation of the End Times
..."At that time (Tribulation), many (believers) will fall away (apostasy) and will betray
ONE ANOTHER and hate ONE ANOTHER...(the BAD NEWS!)

Jesus:...SEE: lesson on "salt" and "light"....Matthew 5:13...[ Disciples and the World ] ...“You are the salt of the earth;

Mark 9:50...Jesus:
...be at peace with ONE ANOTHER...." (the GOOD NEWS!)

>>PAUL...PETER...JOHN...JAMES...advice to the "churches"<<

1 Corinthians 12:25
...so that there may be no divisions in the body (of believers), but that the members may have the same care for ONE ANOTHER...

1 Thessalonians 5:13
...Live in peace with ONE ANOTHER...

Ephesians 4:32
...Be kind to ONE ANOTHER, tender-hearted, forgiving EACH OTHER,
just as God in Christ also has forgiven you....

Colossians 3:13
...bearing with ONE ANOTHER, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone;
just as the Lord forgave you , so also should you (forgive)....

James 5:16
...confess your sins to ONE ANOTHER, and pray for ONE ANOTHER so that you may be healed.
The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much....

Galatians 5:13
...through love, serve ONE ANOTHER...

1 Peter 4:10
...As each one has received a special GIFT , employ it in serving ONE ANOTHER
as good stewards of the manifold grace of God....

1 Peter 4:9
...Be hospitable to ONE ANOTHER without complaint....

1 Thessalonians 5:11
...Therefore encourage ONE ANOTHER and build up ONE ANOTHER,...

1 John 3:11,23
...For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love ONE ANOTHER..
...This is His commandment,
that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love ONE ANOTHER, just as He commanded us . (SEE also: John 15: Jesus: "I am the vine; you are the branches.")

1 Peter 4:8
...Above all, keep fervent in your love for ONE ANOTHER, because love covers a multitude of sins.

Hebrews 10:24
...let us consider how to stimulate ONE ANOTHER to love and (to) good deeds....

1 Thessalonians 3:12
...and may the Lord cause you (believers) to increase (in number) and abound in love for ONE ANOTHER , and for all people, ....

Galatians 6:2
...Bear ONE ANOTHER's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ ... (Love God + Love Neighbor as Self?)

Ephesians 4:2
....with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for ONE ANOTHER in love ....

Philippians 2:3
...Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit , but with humility of mind,
regard ONE ANOTHER as more important than yourselves...

Ephesians 4:25
...Therefore, laying aside falsehood ... SPEAK TRUTH (EACH ONE of you) WITH HIS NEIGHBOR ,
for we are members (parts) of ONE ANOTHER...(don't gossip!!!)

Galatians 5:26
...Let us not become boastful , challenging or ...envying ONE ANOTHER...

1 Thessalonians 5:15
....See that no ONE repays ANOTHER with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for ONE ANOTHER and for all people ....

James 4:11
...Do not speak against ONE ANOTHER, brethren .
He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against ..and judges the Law...

Church attendance in person can be harmful if the majority who are attending are insincere and constantly provide occasions for stumbling.

1 Cor. 15:33 "bad association spoils useful habits".

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I went to mass on easter sunday. and this man from the church said Either way its too late for you.

so that kinda put me off from trying to find fellowship in church.

Men in their near forties were looking at me like I was someone to stomp out and invigorate their sense of strength.

Easter sunday.

Still, definitely get fresh air.

Definitely still agree with him^^

Its hard being blameless though. Just being a good reporter of what is ...
flabbergasting. yea.

ADVICE: When shopping "CHURCH" assemblies (online OR offline), always find a "DOCTRINAL STATEMENT" a list of "what we believes..."
E.G> Doctrinal Statement | Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS)

Would you only want an online parent? spouse?

Albion said:

There is every indication that when the Bible speaks of fellowshipping (and receiving the sacraments, remember) it means to do so IN PERSON.

If going online for one's interpersonal contacts, for recorded sermons, and so on were acceptable except under the most extreme of circumstances, the church would not, since ancient times, have appointed clergymen to carry Holy Communion to the shut ins. And doing that wouldn't still be the practice (which it is).

Click to expand...

agreed.
The internet didn't exist back then... but I guess everyone could have been penpals instead of going to church... that would have been the equivalent?

The bible speaks about gathering together and breaking bread. literally and metaphorically that isn't something that can be done online. Worshipping together is another.

You can't have the kind of relationship with someone online that you do in person. and part of what makes church so important is having that relationship with other Christians to build each other up and help each other. You can get online and ask people for advice and prayer... but, like long distance relationships, it is ultimately a shallow relationship.

Being disabled, I can't get around much, and I am in pain a lot. I'm in a wheel chair and just can't get out much, my husband does the shopping. I have phone contact with friends and family---other than that, online is all I have to communicate with. I know there are many in my position, that doesn't mean we put God on the back burner.

Well heres the thing. Do you go to heaven if you never go to church offline? Yes. God doesn't say going to church is required or else you lose your salvation or whatever. Now offline church has its advantages of course like fellowshipping in person, somewhere to tithe, somewhere to do ministry, somewhere to have someone pray over/for you, somewhere to worship, to hear sermons....etc.

But online is no different really. Prayer, worship, sermons, tithe, ministry are all things that can be done online too. Now the older generations of christian who don't understand the internet as much don't see how its the same maybe just due to, well not understanding it online. Me? I am disabled so when I miss church I watch the service live online. I can sing my house when they sing. Pray when they pray. Listen to the sermon when pastor speaks. Actually, at least I can pause it to take notes (if I am watching a prerecorded sermon). And with these live sermons you can chat with others who are watching. Have people pray for you and vica versa.

Ministry I think can be done even better online. Sure offline ministry means helping people in your cities or maybe in other countries. But its a technology filled world and MASS amounts of people are online who don't know the Lord. Who need help. If we avoided online because "Church in person is better!" then who would help them? And what of those who aren't being treated well at their church? They may come online for answers.

As is the case with this forum. Most of my outreach/ministry I do on here. And I feel God really approves of it since He knows I am good at it. You can also access lots of information online as a christian (some good, some bad).

So offline and online each have the pros and cons. Should we go to church offline? Yes, if we can. But online isn't off limits and for some its all they have. There are some things of course I can only do at church like our monthly "Do this in remembrance of me....etc" thing (tired and can't recall the word currently). I could do it at home while watching a live service but not sure how I feel about that. THough I'm sure God only cares that your heart is in it.

IAMABELIEVER1979 said:

But as a believer in Christ I got a Wonder, how does God feel about me never reaching out to people offline and never fellowshipping with people offline?

Click to expand...

Hi believer,
I would just add (if it's not already told) that Jesus recommend to place light wherever it can be seen..
which doesn't gives precision, but also there is the feetwashing of his disciples He could never have performed online.
God bless

EdyChristian28 said:

I went to mass on easter sunday. and this man from the church said Either way its too late for you.

so that kinda put me off from trying to find fellowship in church.

Men in their near forties were looking at me like I was someone to stomp out and invigorate their sense of strength.

Easter sunday.

Still, definitely get fresh air.

Definitely still agree with him^^

Its hard being blameless though. Just being a good reporter of what is ...
flabbergasting. yea.

Click to expand...

Is that all he said? You got off easy. The fellow who was assigned to give Bible studies at this Church accused me of going to the men's room to perform indecencies that he imagined.

"I know what you were just doing in the bathroom!" he said sarcastically after I returned to the Bible study after I had gone to the men's room to urinate and had immediately returned.

He did this right in front of the women and other persons who were there. He had this dog next to him for purposes of guiding him since he is hard of seeing. So I assumed that one word from him and that huge animal would have been at my throat so I had to be careful in the tone of voice that I responded. So after very briefly pointing out just how demonic his comportment was, during which time he just sat there with this smug look on his face, I got up and left and haven't gone back. Told the priest what had happened and he let him remain there as a teacher. That added even more injury!

BTW
Prior to his statement he had indicated a racist attitude and extreme discomfort whenever I answered a biblical question in a way that he felt made him look not as knowledgeable as he wanted to be perceived. So I guess that was just his way of getting permanently rid of me and regaining his pride.

So would I have been better off associating on the Internet that day instead? You bet!


BTW
Apparently this frustrated wannabe priest who only made it to deacon and is always complaining about it is willing to risk the a lot for his pride since I am more that certain that he is familiar with the following scripture.

Matthew 18:6 ►
"If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

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/

Radrook, is that exactly what he said--this blind man? If so, I'm inclined to think that he meant that the sounds of urinating were audible (as is sometimes the case with small restrooms off main corridors that have only a stool and basin). In fact, the line he spoke--the joke--is a well-travelled one.

IAMABELIEVER1979 said:

But as a believer in Christ I got a Wonder, how does God feel about me never reaching out to people offline and never fellowshipping with people offline?

Click to expand...

One of the key components of Christian fellowship that is the Church is the breaking of bread. That is what you know as Communion. Communion is a thing the Church does to remember what Jesus Christ did for us on the Cross. Jesus said do this in remembrance of me.

Now, one could say that you could partake Communion with the Church via a group Skype chat.
Fine..can't heavily dispute that, right? You could actually do that.

But what about this..

James 5:14 - Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

Now, how would some one be able to pray for your sick body that includes the anointing of your head with oil? As much as man kind has shown how brilliant they are in the realm of creating things, we have not yet reached that type of technology where we can literally reach through our computer screen and pray over some one in this fashion.

True indeed, this world has changed so much since biblical times that we can literally have a conversation with ANYONE on the PLANET from the comforts of our own home. To me that still fascinates me. But do understand what you are, sir..

A human.

So if you want to know how God feels about you not actually meeting people offline and what not? I would say it grieves Him. He created the body to touch, feel, see, react and interact. The glory of the HUMAN BODY is amazing in how we communicate with each other. It's not JUST a mental interaction. You can't really have compassion for some one who is typing something in a post yet can't see the tears in their eyes while their typing it. You can't genuinely be MOVED with compassion like JESUS was to raise up Lazarus. Jesus saw them crying, saw their frustrations and grief ON THEIR ACTUAL FACE.

To make ONLINE living your PRIMARY living is to utterly disrespect the very Body God gave you and in so doing your body will deteriorate faster than it already is. The internet has now been an added on leading cause for obesity in Americans alone. It's causing the body to NOT MOVE. No one wants to GO to the STORE anymore. Sure we got automobiles now that can " carry us " to the store but now it's reached a point where we don't even want to get in the car..we just want to click and add to the cart and have it shipped to the house.

God created your actual body. To eat, move, and socialize. There's a comfort in having a real brother give you a hug of encouragement. An assuring feeling of hope when a person literally wipes the tears from your eye. We don't want to get in the habit of thinking that the easy way is the best way. It's so easy to just shoot an email to someone, write a post and have forum conversations, scroll and click and send is so easy.

Show me one episode in the Bible for any Man or Woman of God where it was EASY for them?
If you start relying on the easy way you are in danger of being led astray.
God created you to honor Him..

That includes your body. 1 Corinthians 6:20

The internet is a valuable tool for evangelism.
This is how we reach the World these days.
Preach the Gospel to all nations.

But the Church?....no no no, bro...I want to see and touch and commune with my family that's in the House of God. That's love, that's intimacy, that's passion, that's brotherhood. Don't dilute that glorious experience of sharing an actual meal with the Church with a delusional thought that some how an internet interaction can remotely compare to that.

It can not, simply on the basis of knowing what you are..

A living soul...in a Body.