Does Jesus care Whether I Attend Church?

[Ekklesia]

Congratulations! You just created a brand new denomination all of your own. And if you have people there who others listen to as to the right way and the wrong way to organize and do the things you do, then you even have a type of priest.

I created nothing Brother. I would go as far as to say, many have a type of Denominational Idolatry in the heart. I am of Southern Baptist, I am of Pentecostal or etc. Is Christ divided?

When we look at those other Countries you named, those who suffer for Jesus name, and we then look at our church here, how can we say we are His Church? Heck, the church here is so loved by the world it doesnt even pay taxes. I'm not bashing churches at all. Jesus true Church, His bride is beautiful. I have to ask the question though of how we came up with this system here in America that we call ''Church"? Again, can you honestly say you would have came to this blueprint of church by reading the Bible? If so where does it indicate the 1 hour a week, in a building with a mortgage, a paid speaker, and paid staff. Now, reading these verse spoken by Jesus, you can see this in those other Countries, yet we here in America have tied ourselves to the world and its system. Anyone feeling the hate?

1 John 3:13 Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.

John 15:18-20 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

 

[Ekklesia]

Many people love the Lord Jesus with all they have, yet struggle with the idea of this system we call "church". Think about this for a moment. It is 9:22 Sunday morning, normally I would be with my wife and 3 children at "church"...but wait a moment, Jesus did not call a building or a system His Church, but we are His Church. Jesus spoke in John 2:19 saying this of the Temple of God "Destroy this Temple and I will raise it up again in three days". Lets see what else scripture says.....
2 Corinthians 6:16-17 , 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

When a "church" wasn't a building -
The early believers did not have church buildings to meet in. They met mostly in homes. The first church buildings did not start to appear until the early 200s. What would our service look like if we still in one unity with Christ and one another? It is a worthy discussion. But to totally say that the way we "do church" now is the only and correct way, would make one to be the only voice of Christ raising you above the others, so lets ask the questions and have the discussions. All that truly matters is that we have denied our lives and submitted ourselves to Jesus in all things.

 

[CallingInTheDesert]

Remember, there is only One True Church, and there is only One Absolute Truth, not many truths. Anyone that excepts that there are multiple truths, then they also have to also accept multiple gods.

If someone has found a body of believers that believes the real Truth of God and lives that Truth in the true agape love of God with others, then that is the real Truth and the real Chruch. All other churches are still blind and of the world.

The big question here is - what is the Real Truth to believe and live by? This is the main problem of our day and has always been the big problem of all days - past, present, and future. Selfish people will lways reject some of God's Truth to believe lies. It is only the ones that come into a full loving relationship with God and live that life of obedience out of that love relationship of God that will beable to see and accept God's full (real) Truth.

So, who as died to all their selfish/fleshly desires? These will be the people that will see and live God's real Truth. These are the ones that are the real Church of Christ.

 

[jacks]

I think the real question is simply "Does going to church make you feel closer to God?"

For me the answer is yes, as does reading the Bible, prayer and walking alone in the mountains. However, our church does more than personally edify me, it also produces many good works and provides much more to our community than I could alone. Yes, it is "of man" and not perfect, but even within that imperfection are many valuable lessons and chances for spiritual growth.

 

[Maid Marie]

I have a question for you, GraceSeeker. I was reading the blogpost in your earlier post - the writer advised if someone had been in a "difficult" church situation, they should take a break from all churches and religious groups. Take time to heal.

Do you believe this is sound advice or do we open ourselves up to too much isolation from God's people? Would it be easier to "hear" God if we are away from church influences? Would it be harder to start again with a church after an extended absence? How do we know we are not getting back into a similar situation?

(OK, so I had more than one question - that's just me!)

I am at this point. Since graduating from college 23 years ago, I have only been in a healthy church situation for about 5 years. When my internship is up in 3 weeks, I am going to do some backing a way a bit. I can't fully disengage but I am going to disengage a lot so that I can just let God heal my battered soul. Maybe by the end of summer, I will better.

 

[Ekklesia]

If we were to take a look at scripture, we would never have come up with this system. Jesus did not come to give us a system, but a daily fellowship with one another. I have found some like minded Brothers and sisters who feel the same. When you leave the comfort of the walls and go out and make disciples, you will feel as though you have stepped right of the Bible, and are obeying Jesus command.

Try living it out for a while and you will understand.

 

[GraceSeeker]

I have over the last few months started living life daily with other believers who feel the same way I do. We are having fellowship, breaking bread, and lifting one another up daily all week. It is a great topic worthy of discussion.

Congratulations! You just created a brand new denomination all of your own. And if you have people there who others listen to as to the right way and the wrong way to organize and do the things you do, then you even have a type of priest.

I created nothing Brother. I would go as far as to say, many have a type of Denominational Idolatry in the heart. I am of Southern Baptist, I am of Pentecostal or etc. Is Christ divided?

I could have predicted your response. It is very natural to think that you are just following the Spirit's guidance, just seeking to be faithful to God's calling on your life. So, how could it be that you would be creating another denomination? Thomas and Alexander Campbell were known for saying similar things.

Given your screenname, Ekklesia, I'm sure you are aware that the English term "church" which we use today is a translation of the Greek term "ekklesia". A term which can also be translated as "assembly" having the connotation of a gathering. In essence church is not something one attends, it is something one does. So, when you gather with other believers for the purpose of "having fellowship, breaking bread, and lifting one another up" you are "churching"; you have become an ekklesia.

Now, please don't think I'm mean anything negative by that. I actually think it is a good thing, a very good thing that you would church together with a group of other believers. But you decribed your gathering, your assembly, your church another way as well, not just by what you did when you churched, but how you identified yourselves as people "who feel the same way I do." That means that your particular gathering is not reflective of the entire body of Christ, but just a subset of it.

Of course, any local gathering is just a subset of the total mystical entity which is the Church in the world. That body never gathers together as one assembly. It occupies no particular place, but exists only as an existential reality.

But having become a gathering that is identified by a particular criteria such as you have your subset is exclusionary as well. It divides believers into those "who feel the same way I do" and those who don't. And that is what the term to denominate means. Denominating things are a way to sort them into particular categories. With money we have piece of paper that are worth $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100. These are denominations. In the larger Church we have people who gather with others who "who feel the same way I do". Some of those groups have monikers attached to them that lable their belief as Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Methodist. Others just claim they are Disciples of Christ or Assemblies of God. But make no mistake these gatherings of Disciples of Christ and Assemblies of God are every bit as much denominations as are those that came before them. And your group is too. You may be a small denomination, but you have all the marks of being one, for you are an assembly (a church) gathering together from the total body of Christ those who identify their gathering as being one for all "feel the same way." And that is precisely what a denomination is.