What is the purpose of going to church?

Aino

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Hey!
I just though to ask you what people go to church for: do you think that church is supposed to be the place where you hear good teaching, or do you go there for common worship, or is it a place where you believe you can serve Christ in the best way? Do you think only one of these aspects is enough to make a good church or is one supposed to be able to find it a suitable place for each of these, or even more things? And do you think that every christian ought to have a special service task at church or is it ok to just go and enjoy teaching and maybe tithe?
 
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ViaCrucis

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Hey!
I just though to ask you what people go to church for: do you think that church is supposed to be the place where you hear good teaching, or do you go there for common worship, or is it a place where you believe you can serve Christ in the best way? Do you think only one of these aspects is enough to make a good church or is one supposed to be able to find it a suitable place for each of these, or even more things? And do you think that every christian ought to have a special service task at church or is it ok to just go and enjoy teaching and maybe tithe?

Yes to the above and:

The gathered community comes together around Christ, who calls us together to receive His Word and Sacrament, in and by which we are nourished, made alive, and function as the Church; as the very Body of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Christianity happens in two places: 1) In the gathered community of Saints and 2) in our going forth into the world to live out our calling as servants of Christ and our fellow man.

-CryptoLutheran
 
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placidus

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People go to church because its the body of Christ; if your a 'cell' in the body, you are participating in the processes of the body that quicken it, enlarge it, and nourish you in the process. Remember, Christ gave his life for the church so there must have been a significant reason for sharing his broken body 'for the many' - 'do this in remembrance of me' is something we're supposed to do.......and we do this by leaving our comfort zone and joining with others....
Placidus
 
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Colleen1

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Hey!
I just though to ask you what people go to church for: do you think that church is supposed to be the place where you hear good teaching, or do you go there for common worship, or is it a place where you believe you can serve Christ in the best way? Do you think only one of these aspects is enough to make a good church or is one supposed to be able to find it a suitable place for each of these, or even more things? And do you think that every christian ought to have a special service task at church or is it ok to just go and enjoy teaching and maybe tithe?

I think church is all the above with a variety of worship and each of us taking part in service to the best of our ability. Service can be directly associated with one church or many or the greater sense of church. I think above all church should be a place that is honoring to God and where a group of people functioning together can achieve this. I think that it's truly important to remember that church is 'people' not a building etc. and that God values our relationship to Him. Therefore, I think that church should be a place conducive to spiritual and emtional healing as well. My idea of the ideal church:

Ephesians 3:14-21
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
277833-albums3697-37405t.gif

 
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whitetiger1

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I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God- it changes me.” CS Lewis

Changing it to:

I go to Church because I can't help myself. I go to Church because I'm helpless. . It doesn't change God- it changes me.”
 
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Aino

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We go to receive the Sacraments and to hear the Word proclaimed. We also go because each Sunday is a celebration of the Resurrection, and our Lord ought to be praised for conquering death & giving us life!
What do the sacraments mean to you? Like what sacraments do the catholics have and what kind of meaning do they have to you? For example I think that the view you have on eucharist is slightly different then other christians... and I think confession was a sacrament as well, but how often do the most catholics actually go to confession? I agree with the above statement though, sounds awfully lutheran (or maybe we just copied it from you catholics LOL... I maybe ought to become catholic.).

I tried to qute knee-v as well but apparently it didn't work out... Well I'm not going to make another post so: knee-v, I'm also interested in the way the orthodox sees sacraments. What does it mean to you that you receive the eucharist? And do you have the same sacraments then the catholic? And what kind of other things does your church have then the liturgy, as fas as i remember correctly, most of our orthodox churches don't have sermons during the liturgy for example, so when are you supposed to hear teaching then?
 
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O' how lovely it is to escape the worldly troubles and rejoice in all The Lord does for us. To rejoice in the Love that God has bestowed upon each of us in His glorious uniqueness and blessings He alone has blessed His own with. Mutual reverence and thanksgiving for The Holy One worthy of all goodness He has bestowed upon His own. In Him alone is all His own, all thanks.
 
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Knee V

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I tried to qute knee-v as well but apparently it didn't work out... Well I'm not going to make another post so: knee-v, I'm also interested in the way the orthodox sees sacraments. What does it mean to you that you receive the eucharist? And do you have the same sacraments then the catholic? And what kind of other things does your church have then the liturgy, as fas as i remember correctly, most of our orthodox churches don't have sermons during the liturgy for example, so when are you supposed to hear teaching then?

Hey there, Aino.

If you want to quote multiple people, you can hit the "MQ" (stands for Multi-Quote) button at the bottom right of the post, near the "Quote" button. You can finish that process one of two ways: 1) for the last person that you'e quoting, hit "Quote", and you'll go right to the response box with all the quotes there; 2) after you "MQ" as many people that you want, hit "Reply" and you'll go to the response box with all the quotes. I hope that helps.

As to your question, the sacramental life of the church is the life of the church. For us, the Kingdom of God has begun to be manifest through the church. For now that is an incomplete reality, but Christ reigns in our hearts. After He returns, all creation will be united to Him, just as we are, and filled with God's presence. In the meantime, we are given a foretaste of that reality, and participate in it to a degree. That is especially true in the Eucharist. In it, we participate with Christ in the transfigured reality of creation. It's not just that we're "eating Jesus", but that we are experiencing the reality of the New Heavens and New Earth and the profound unity that it, and we, have with Christ.

We don't have a list of sacraments, but we'll use the Catholic list for the sake of discussion. That list would be Baptism (participating with and being united to Christ's death and resurrection), Chrismation (being sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit), the Eucharist, Marriage (becoming one flesh, and together growing into being more one flesh with Christ), Holy Orders (where those ordained participate with Christ in a unique way to fulfill His ministry that He began), Unction (where creation participates with God in our healing), and Confession/Reconciliation (where we participate with the bishop/presbyter and with Christ in being healed from the effects of sin in our lives). In reality, any and every way in which the life of God and His saving/transforming power is manifest in and/or through the church is experiencing the nature of "sacrament". For example, as Christ taught us, if I feed someone who is hungry, I am feeding Christ. That is an example of the life of God breaking through creation.

The Liturgy is but one of many services that the church has, albeit the most significant one. The daily cycle of services consists of several times throughout the day when we engage various prayers, making heavy use of the Psalms. Most lay people don't have time for all of them. Monks, on the other hand, tend to participate in most/all of them. However, that cycle is meant to cultivate continual prayer in our hearts. So even if we can't engage all o the prayers and services, the goal is that we always be praying.

Our Liturgies don't have a specific time set apart for a sermon. It is most common, however, to have a sermon directly after the Gospel reading. Some have it at the end of the Liturgy. Most monasteries don't have sermons in their liturgies. But even if there were no sermons, the Liturgy and services are packed with teaching (if we pay attention) and are catechetical in nature.

I hope that answers your questions.
 
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Aino

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Oh I only now remembered this thread. :sorry: it does make a lot of sense, thanks for you input! I've been to an orthodox liturgy a couple of times and despite the fact that I don't understand a lot and that I have no clue how to behave myself there LOL I've always come out somehow refreshed. :) Maybe I'd start understanding even more if I went regularly! In a way teaching somehow becomes a more marginal issue when you just concentrate on praying all through the liturgy.
 
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episkopos

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One and an important reason, out of many, why we should go to church is because it's God's will; not only does he want us to come into his house but to fill his house.
And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the
highways and hedges, and compel them to come in,
THAT MY HOUSE MAY BE FILLED.
Luke 14:23
In Luke 14, the Lord gave us an important revelation. The
master said to his servant, “I need my house to be filled.” The
master in this story represents Jesus. Jesus wanted His house
to be filled. In other words, Jesus wants His churches to be
filled. God wants full churches! The master in this story was
not content with having just a few people at his party. He
could have had the party anyway, but he wanted many more
people. And more especially he wanted the house to be filled.
Through this story, God is showing His will for the church.
His will is more people! His will is filled rooms! His will is
overflowing churches! His will is the MEGACHURCH!
- Bishop Dag Heward Mills
Indeed going to church is inclusive in being a part of God's family. The fact that God admonishes us to interact in peace and love means it's an important thing in itself. Going to church is an important step in being a part of God's family though our individual Christians lives should be developed and do God's will both when we're being watched and when we are alone.

daghewardmills.org
 
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Knee V

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Oh I only now remembered this thread. :sorry: it does make a lot of sense, thanks for you input! I've been to an orthodox liturgy a couple of times and despite the fact that I don't understand a lot and that I have no clue how to behave myself there LOL I've always come out somehow refreshed. :) Maybe I'd start understanding even more if I went regularly! In a way teaching somehow becomes a more marginal issue when you just concentrate on praying all through the liturgy.

Were the liturgies that you attended conducted in a language that you understand?
 
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MarkRohfrietsch

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Hey there, Aino.

If you want to quote multiple people, you can hit the "MQ" (stands for Multi-Quote) button at the bottom right of the post, near the "Quote" button. You can finish that process one of two ways: 1) for the last person that you'e quoting, hit "Quote", and you'll go right to the response box with all the quotes there; 2) after you "MQ" as many people that you want, hit "Reply" and you'll go to the response box with all the quotes. I hope that helps.

As to your question, the sacramental life of the church is the life of the church. For us, the Kingdom of God has begun to be manifest through the church. For now that is an incomplete reality, but Christ reigns in our hearts. After He returns, all creation will be united to Him, just as we are, and filled with God's presence. In the meantime, we are given a foretaste of that reality, and participate in it to a degree. That is especially true in the Eucharist. In it, we participate with Christ in the transfigured reality of creation. It's not just that we're "eating Jesus", but that we are experiencing the reality of the New Heavens and New Earth and the profound unity that it, and we, have with Christ.

We don't have a list of sacraments, but we'll use the Catholic list for the sake of discussion. That list would be Baptism (participating with and being united to Christ's death and resurrection), Chrismation (being sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit), the Eucharist, Marriage (becoming one flesh, and together growing into being more one flesh with Christ), Holy Orders (where those ordained participate with Christ in a unique way to fulfill His ministry that He began), Unction (where creation participates with God in our healing), and Confession/Reconciliation (where we participate with the bishop/presbyter and with Christ in being healed from the effects of sin in our lives). In reality, any and every way in which the life of God and His saving/transforming power is manifest in and/or through the church is experiencing the nature of "sacrament". For example, as Christ taught us, if I feed someone who is hungry, I am feeding Christ. That is an example of the life of God breaking through creation.

The Liturgy is but one of many services that the church has, albeit the most significant one. The daily cycle of services consists of several times throughout the day when we engage various prayers, making heavy use of the Psalms. Most lay people don't have time for all of them. Monks, on the other hand, tend to participate in most/all of them. However, that cycle is meant to cultivate continual prayer in our hearts. So even if we can't engage all o the prayers and services, the goal is that we always be praying.

Our Liturgies don't have a specific time set apart for a sermon. It is most common, however, to have a sermon directly after the Gospel reading. Some have it at the end of the Liturgy. Most monasteries don't have sermons in their liturgies. But even if there were no sermons, the Liturgy and services are packed with teaching (if we pay attention) and are catechetical in nature.

I hope that answers your questions.

Very well said!

One of our Pastors once stated that should he ever have a bad sermon (I can not recall him ever having a bad one;)) throughout the Liturgy, both the Law is taught and the Gospel proclaimed, and the Sacraments are administered.

Going to Church is a foretaste of heaven. It is the communion of the saints; we, the living saints join with the saints eternally living in heaven in prayer, praise, song, worship and adoration of our Lord God! The Eucharist and the sacraments bring us into real and present contact with our Lord while we are in this life.

What more can I say?:)
 
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episkopos

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The Bible instructs us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves (Heb 10:25) and then proceeds to explain why we need to meet- to encourage one other as the day of Jesus’ coming draws nearer. Christians must meet together to draw strength and encouragement from one another in a world that is structured to break down our faith. We must lift each other up in the Lord and be there for one another in times of trouble. That’s why Paul describes the church like a body in 1st Cor 12:27, because we are dependent on each other, we need each other and we need to support one another and work together to advance the kingdom of God. Bishop Dag Heward-Mills also explains in his book Gospel Salvation why new converts need to join a church.
Without growth, the effect of Christ on your
life is often not seen. There is very little difference between
an unbeliever and a baby "born-again Christian" who has
not bothered to grow. That is why we ask all converts to go
to church and receive the Word so they can grow in the
faith
.
He also speaks of the importance of fellowship with successful and admirable people as a key to success. As we interact with Christians who have successful and are strong and who we can look up to, we become like them and are strengthened in our faith.
Fellowship is a very important part of success. The more
you interact with godly people, the more godliness will rub
off unto you. The more you interact with successful people,
the more successful you will become.
God bless you!!
daghewardmills.org
 
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doright

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church should be a place of learning , training you how to be a better disciple, so that you can go into the world and tell others of Christ and the salvation he offers, you should be the preacher on the street, or at your job bring others to the Lord.

if your not wittnessing to others then you are not doing that which God has called you to do.
 
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TrutherAU

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Ok so let me guess pro religionista in this thread are going to demonise believers that dont attend church or is going to claim they are "holier than thou" or some such thing" Right! All because you follow man made tradition.

Just give me one one good reason why churches are more holy than the world at large. Facts is they arent whatever goes in the world goes on in churches so if the world is rotten you bet the churches are as well.
This idea that churches are holy islands in a sea of sin and corruption is complete balony proven by facts like pedophile clergy for example.
 
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