Are Christians only allowed to live with Christians?

[Hestha]

I am wondering whether or not Christians would consider their faith in the process of choosing a house or place to live or whether or not other factors come into play in the decision process (better schools for the children, closer to community services, closer to workplace, convenient to shopping centers, etc.). If Christians really like a particular public school because of its high academic performance, would Christians choose to live nearby that school for the sake of their children's education or move to an area more favorable to their faith? Would a Christian ever desire to move to a location without a church at all and live there permanently, or would a Christian value the Christian community more than anything else? If a Christian really were serious about living in a non-Christian area or an area dominated by non-Christians, then would that Christian suggest to the community to build a house of worship just for that Christian or would that Christian use a synagogue or mosque or pagan temple as his or her own house of worship, even though the house is not intended to be used as a Christian church?

The main idea is, are Christians only allowed to live with Christians and form their own little close-knit, tight Christian communities while barring non-Christians to join the community unless the non-Christians are sincerely asking to be converted to the Christian faith and follow the Christian god?

 

[GenetoJean]

I would move to where it is best for my children. That being said, having other Christians around me and a good local church is a factor in that. I would live in an area where mainly non-Christians are if it was the best option. I think there could be good non-Christians.

 

[Hestha]

I would move to where it is best for my children. That being said, having other Christians around me and a good local church is a factor in that. I would live in an area where mainly non-Christians are if it was the best option. I think there could be good non-Christians.

So, if you were to move to an area that is dominated by non-Christians (perhaps a large Muslim population), how are you going to worship God when there would no Christian church nearby? Would you build a church in the area, fund the money with some local Christians to build a church in the area, or just pray privately in your own home without a church to attend?

 

[GenetoJean]

I would:

a) Drive as far as an hour to a church.
b) Pray in my own home
c) Start a church if God leads me to do that.

 

[Forge3]

So, if you were to move to an area that is dominated by non-Christians (perhaps a large Muslim population), how are you going to worship God when there would no Christian church nearby? Would you build a church in the area, fund the money with some local Christians to build a church in the area, or just pray privately in your own home without a church to attend?

Admittedly having our children in a Christian environment has adevantages. And being there does not mean the family cannot drive to a church for fellowship. Most of Christian values are taught in the home through example of life. Not hinged upon a school.

 

[Hestha]

I would:

a) Drive as far as an hour to a church.
b) Pray in my own home
c) Start a church if God leads me to do that.

The first option would probably depend on how much money you are willing to spend on gas and how much money you can afford to pay for gas and how much the price of gas in your area. Obviously, you would probably do whatever it takes to worship God, regardless of financial difficulties, correct?

The second option sounds most convenient.

The third option is tricky. That would require time, money, a lot of personal resources, and a support group. I am not sure how you would be able to invest so much effort and risk in building a new church. You may also want to consider how large is the Christian community in your area. If the Christian community has a population of less than 10, then it may not be worth it to build a new church building.

 

[GenetoJean]

The first option would probably depend on how much money you are willing to spend on gas and how much money you can afford to pay for gas and how much the price of gas in your area. Obviously, you would probably do whatever it takes to worship God, regardless of financial difficulties, correct?

The second option sounds most convenient.

The third option is tricky. That would require time, money, a lot of personal resources, and a support group. I am not sure how you would be able to invest so much effort and risk in building a new church. You may also want to consider how large is the Christian community in your area. If the Christian community has a population of less than 10, then it may not be worth it to build a new church building.

This is all true but if God lead me to do it I would.

 

[Aravis85]

The main idea is, are Christians only allowed to live with Christians and form their own little close-knit, tight Christian communities while barring non-Christians to join the community unless the non-Christians are sincerely asking to be converted to the Christian faith and follow the Christian god?

That's kind of an all-or-nothing picture. I need the Christian Church; I make choices to ensure that I have access to a church in my denomination within a reasonable distance from where I live. Fortunately, that's pretty easy for me where I live right now. It's harder for my sister, who is a Hindu, and she does keep an eye on local Hindu temples when she's deciding where to live, because there isn't a Hindu temple around every corner in England (unlike churches). She's been fortunate so far in finding somewhere to worship wherever she goes, but it is something she does need to think about.

I should think that most people, like my sister and I, live in several overlapping communities: familial, regional, professional, religious. The religious community that I participate in is, unsurprisingly, distinctively Christian just as the religious community my sister participates in is distinctively Hindu. We can visit each other's place of worship - we have - but we are guests in the other person's space when we do that, not acting out our own faith in its fullness. So we have to part from each other in order to live out what we think is most true about our relationship to God. But does it follow that my sister and I are barred up in "different communities", forbidden to interact? Of course not. We disagree in some important ways, but our disagreement manifests in conversation - that is, community - not in hiding from each other.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

I am wondering whether or not Christians would consider their faith in the process of choosing a house or place to live or whether or not other factors come into play in the decision process (better schools for the children, closer to community services, closer to workplace, convenient to shopping centers, etc.). If Christians really like a particular public school because of its high academic performance, would Christians choose to live nearby that school for the sake of their children's education or move to an area more favorable to their faith? Would a Christian ever desire to move to a location without a church at all and live there permanently, or would a Christian value the Christian community more than anything else? If a Christian really were serious about living in a non-Christian area or an area dominated by non-Christians, then would that Christian suggest to the community to build a house of worship just for that Christian or would that Christian use a synagogue or mosque or pagan temple as his or her own house of worship, even though the house is not intended to be used as a Christian church?

The main idea is, are Christians only allowed to live with Christians and form their own little close-knit, tight Christian communities while barring non-Christians to join the community unless the non-Christians are sincerely asking to be converted to the Christian faith and follow the Christian god?

No (one reason I'm not Amish).

 

[Sketcher]

Wherever we go, we are supposed to practice our faith, that means we do church. If Christians move where there is no church (as many missionaries do) then we start one. If the government or hate groups outside of the government make it necessary, then we do so discretely. We do not have a requirement to live in a "Christian" neighborhood, though that can happen. For instance, in at least one south Asian country, there are entire communities where Christians live. This is because Christianity is a minority religion in that country, and the Christian converts were disowned by their families and kicked out of their homes because of their faith. So what happened was they began living together.

 

[TheyCallMeDave]

I am wondering whether or not Christians would consider their faith in the process of choosing a house or place to live or whether or not other factors come into play in the decision process (better schools for the children, closer to community services, closer to workplace, convenient to shopping centers, etc.). If Christians really like a particular public school because of its high academic performance, would Christians choose to live nearby that school for the sake of their children's education or move to an area more favorable to their faith? Would a Christian ever desire to move to a location without a church at all and live there permanently, or would a Christian value the Christian community more than anything else? If a Christian really were serious about living in a non-Christian area or an area dominated by non-Christians, then would that Christian suggest to the community to build a house of worship just for that Christian or would that Christian use a synagogue or mosque or pagan temple as his or her own house of worship, even though the house is not intended to be used as a Christian church?

The main idea is, are Christians only allowed to live with Christians and form their own little close-knit, tight Christian communities while barring non-Christians to join the community unless the non-Christians are sincerely asking to be converted to the Christian faith and follow the Christian god?

Heres what God wants : Christians to have plenty of good fellowship and Bible Studies with fellow Christians and to grow in the knowledge of God and love for him. He wants this to culminate in a high degree of closeness to each other . Secondly, he wants Christians to be a light unto the world which means deliberately mixing in with Unsaved people yet not following their worldly ways, ideologies, philosophies and instead being a good example by being beyond those ; he wants Christians to invite them to church , an activity, becomes friends , etc... where they can hear the Word of God taught thereby giving the Holy Spirit of God a chance to work in their hearts . Thirdly, he wants Christians to share with Unbelievers , THE GOSPEL of Christ which saves a person from their sins so they can have a chance at becoming a Christian as defined specifically Romans 10:8-14 .

I would not be too concerned moving to an area that is predominately Unbelievers but youd want to BE SURE you can get into a good local c hurch with strong Believers so youre not left without CHristian companionship and growth.

 

[Harry3142]

Hestha-

Early Christians didn't have churches. They met either in the temple, or in the home of one of their brethren. Christian worship does not need a building set aside for that purpose.

In many ways we follow the same pattern as Judaism. The main focus of the teachings of Christianity is concentrated in the family uniit rather than in services conducted once or twice weekly in a seperate structure. The parents are to pass on the teachings of Christianity, including the core of our belief system and proper Christian etiquette, to their children as a part of the children's instructions as they grow up.

 

[TheyCallMeDave]

Hestha-

Early Christians didn't have churches. They met either in the temple, or in the home of one of their brethren. Christian worship does not need a building set aside for that purpose.

In many ways we follow the same pattern as Judaism. The main focus of the teachings of Christianity is concentrated in the family uniit rather than in services conducted once or twice weekly in a seperate structure. The parents are to pass on the teachings of Christianity, including the core of our belief system and proper Christian etiquette, to their children as a part of the children's instructions as they grow up.

'A Church' by definition is a GROUP of Christians coming together...so...they DID have Churches in the early days of CHristianity. God wants private as well as corporate worship. The 4 walled structure where Christians corporately gather is called 'A Church Building' or 'a Church Home' depending where its held (residence or public building) .

God wants Parents to train up their children in the way they should go (Godly principles, morals, ethics, etc...) with the command to not avoid the gathering of yourselves with other Believers.