Work and church

Tokitee said:

Guys, I hope I'm not sinning, and I'm heart broken when someone from church comes by, to try to encourage me to go to church.

I work at a grocery store, and I can't get Sundays off because of holidays or weekend sales; and my boss has us all on deck on those days. Then other times, I work night shifts until midnight so even if I have Sunday off, I'm too exhausted to drive 23 miles to church.

Although, I think I am blessed. My church makes free mp3 recordings from each Sunday, so I listen to those, in my spare time at home and follow along with my Bible and make notes. It really makes me happy to know that I have those.

I hope that this qualifies as a good relationship with God because, that's the best I can do. I just feel guilty when others ask why I don't go to church anymore, and tell me even if I'm tired I should still go to be with other church goers. Well, I'm too polite to speak up ( because I'm grumbling) and say, I do....it's just, you can't see me!

Need support,
From a young grumpy grocery store lady...

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There is no obligation for church on Sunday. In fact making Sunday the day of worship was a pagan action and nothing to do with scripture.
As long as you walk with the Lord and keep "short accounts" with him, stop fretting.

I can totally understand where you are coming from! It's a great blessing meeting our brothers and sisters at Church, but for some of us, due to work commitments, it's not always possible to get to every service.

If I can understand your situation, how much more will our loving heavenly Father understand your needs! Just relax, put on your mp3's and enjoy your time with Him!

Blessings

Tokitee said:

I hope that this qualifies as a good relationship with God because, that's the best I can do.

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Going to church has nothing to do with your relationship with God, it is simply one venue for your relationship with the body of Christ. There are other venues. Listening to a preacher on an MP3 is not a relationship with the body of Christ. Invite other believers to your home and fellowship with them, pray together, read the Bible together. This is just one other way to meet and encourage one another as Christians.

Tokitee said:

Guys, I hope I'm not sinning, and I'm heart broken when someone from church comes by, to try to encourage me to go to church.

I work at a grocery store, and I can't get Sundays off because of holidays or weekend sales; and my boss has us all on deck on those days. Then other times, I work night shifts until midnight so even if I have Sunday off, I'm too exhausted to drive 23 miles to church.

Although, I think I am blessed. My church makes free mp3 recordings from each Sunday, so I listen to those, in my spare time at home and follow along with my Bible and make notes. It really makes me happy to know that I have those.

I hope that this qualifies as a good relationship with God because, that's the best I can do. I just feel guilty when others ask why I don't go to church anymore, and tell me even if I'm tired I should still go to be with other church goers. Well, I'm too polite to speak up ( because I'm grumbling) and say, I do....it's just, you can't see me!

Need support,
From a young grumpy grocery store lady...

Click to expand...

Hey, Tokitee. Many, many retail workers aren't able to take Sundays off. You're not alone. I have had people come up to me often and suggest all kind of things that just wouldn't work with the job I had. I have also had former church members guilt trip the heck out of me *while I'm at work*, which is always annoying.

If you're doing the best you can, keep doing the best you can. In the meantime, look for opportunities for promotions or outside job opportunities which would allow you Sundays off. Some managerial and supervisory roles in supermarkets allow for weekends, or at least Sundays, off.

Given all that you've told us there, I would advise not engaging with those people who apparently come to you without much or any knowledge of your situation or what you do to substitute for actual attendance.

My guess is that they are just working from a list of people who haven't been seen lately and may benefit from a little encouragement. That's not your situation.

Therefore, I would advise saying (in one way or another) "Thanks for caring about me; I will be there when it is possible" and little more.

Tokitee said:

Guys, I hope I'm not sinning, and I'm heart broken when someone from church comes by, to try to encourage me to go to church.

I work at a grocery store, and I can't get Sundays off because of holidays or weekend sales; and my boss has us all on deck on those days. Then other times, I work night shifts until midnight so even if I have Sunday off, I'm too exhausted to drive 23 miles to church.

Although, I think I am blessed. My church makes free mp3 recordings from each Sunday, so I listen to those, in my spare time at home and follow along with my Bible and make notes. It really makes me happy to know that I have those.

I hope that this qualifies as a good relationship with God because, that's the best I can do. I just feel guilty when others ask why I don't go to church anymore, and tell me even if I'm tired I should still go to be with other church goers. Well, I'm too polite to speak up ( because I'm grumbling) and say, I do....it's just, you can't see me!

Need support,
From a young grumpy grocery store lady...

Click to expand...

You should look for a new job. Being part of the body of believers and participation in the means of grace are essential to the Christian life. Scripture does not contemplate Christians going at life alone, it expects us to be part of the church.

Does your church have any Bible studies on days that you are able to attend? Just another possibility for fellowship. Sounds like you're doing the best you can with what you have available.

How big is your church? May be they can have a service on Sunday evening or another time for ones like you. And, yes, I think you might be able to do a home thing. You might be able to lead it, or bring in someone more mature. Even a pastoral person might be glad to join in and lead.

There can be medical workers and law enforcement people who need alternate times.

Gathering together with other believers in Jesus Christ for the teaching of the Word, for fellowship, for prayer, for the breaking of bread, and for utilizing one another's spiritual gifts and "body parts," for the building up of the body of Christ to maturity in Christ can happen anywhere at any time of day on any day of the week. It is not location bound nor is it determined by the day of the week or the hour of the day.

And, we don't go to church. We are the church if we believe in Jesus, and we can gather together anywhere that there are other believers, such as right here, right now. If we are all believers in Jesus Christ, and we are gathering together in his name, under his headship, according to his will and purpose, then we have not forsaken the assembling of ourselves together.

A lot of ideas about "church" are not biblical but they are traditional, based off human traditions and religious practices rather than off the Word of God. Some of them are carries over from the Old Testament, too, when they met at a physical temple on a specific day of the week in a specific location. There, the Holy of Holies was a physical place. Now we are the temple of God and he dwells within us, and the Holy of Holies is within us where we meet with God. We don't have to worship on this mountain or that mountain, but we worship God in spirit and in truth.

So, just saying that a lot of people have the wrong concept of church and they end up guilt-tripping other believers in Jesus that they have to be in a building called "church" on a Sunday morning for a specific order of service, which is often man-made, to tell the truth. But, the not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together is not about going to a building on a specific day in the week at a particular time.

For, when you read that scripture, it says the reason we need to not forsake this assembling is so that we might encourage one another to walk in holiness and righteousness so that we don't end up falling into sin, basically. But, not much of that is being done in many of today's modern churches which are more about entertaining the masses than they are about helping Christians to walk in holiness. There is not much opportunity in many of these "churches" for us, the body, to encourage one another to walk in holiness, and sometimes it is even discouraged so we don't offend anyone.

nvm

Hi, my friend,

I don’t go to church every week either (sometimes life just gets in the way) but, I do get there as often as possible because it makes me feel good to assemble together and to be able to give my tithe with the group. When I am unable to attend in person, I virtually attend, just as you do. I think it is great that you are reading and studying the Word. I’ve found that the Bible is my true teacher and the place that I can run to with all my troubles. I’ve also found that I need to read the Bible every day, just like I need to eat each day so that I am full and prepared for what life throws my way.

For me, getting together with my girlfriends for Bible study is wonderful, too. Do you attend a Bible study? One new thing that I started, last May, is to read the Bible through with my girlfriends; we all live in different cities, so we talk through email or texting. I provided them with a syllabus that keeps us all on the same page, and then I send them a periodic update on what I have learned from reading, and where I am in the Bible. I may not hear from them often, but when I do, I have found that they too are experiencing great joy in reading together. It also helps us to stay on course and no matter what, if someone has lagged behind, to just keep on reading. I hope this helps you feel better and to find other avenues to add to your way of assembling together. Does your church have a Wednesday night service? Maybe your schedule would allow you to attend then.

Tokitee said:

Guys, I hope I'm not sinning, and I'm heart broken when someone from church comes by, to try to encourage me to go to church.

I work at a grocery store, and I can't get Sundays off because of holidays or weekend sales; and my boss has us all on deck on those days. Then other times, I work night shifts until midnight so even if I have Sunday off, I'm too exhausted to drive 23 miles to church.

Although, I think I am blessed. My church makes free mp3 recordings from each Sunday, so I listen to those, in my spare time at home and follow along with my Bible and make notes. It really makes me happy to know that I have those.

I hope that this qualifies as a good relationship with God because, that's the best I can do. I just feel guilty when others ask why I don't go to church anymore, and tell me even if I'm tired I should still go to be with other church goers. Well, I'm too polite to speak up ( because I'm grumbling) and say, I do....it's just, you can't see me!

Need support,
From a young grumpy grocery store lady...

Click to expand...

I would say, just keep connected to online communities, like this one, when you have question, doubts and fears. And see if there are any ways to connect with church house groups, or even host one in your house during the week.