Why do you go to a church building to worship?

[Philip_B]

To encounter Jesus in

1. Word
2. Sacrament
3. the body of believers.

 

[bbbbbbb]

Actually, I don't go to a church building to worship. I worship 24/7 wherever I find myself. I do not limit my worship to an hour or so every week in a building.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Because this is where the Faithful gather around God's Word and His Sacraments, so here is where God is for us in explicit ways that we deprive ourselves of if we don't.

In Christianity fellowship is more than a meet and greet; it is a togetherness that is mystically real in Christ; it is koinonia. When we hear the word proclaimed, that our sins are forgiven, receive the body and the blood of Jesus Christ we are the Body of Christ.

Church is not just an abstract concept of "all believers" in a loose sense; it is a concrete reality that happens in our togetherness, that togetherness by the Holy Spirit, in Christ, before the Father where Word and Sacrament gives substance to our lives.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[bbbbbbb]

Because this is where the Faithful gather around God's Word and His Sacraments, so here is where God is for us in explicit ways that we deprive ourselves of if we don't.

In Christianity fellowship is more than a meet and greet; it is a togetherness that is mystically real in Christ; it is koinonia. When we hear the word proclaimed, that our sins are forgiven, receive the body and the blood of Jesus Christ we are the Body of Christ.

Church is not just an abstract concept of "all believers" in a loose sense; it is a concrete reality that happens in our togetherness, that togetherness by the Holy Spirit, in Christ, before the Father where Word and Sacrament gives substance to our lives.

-CryptoLutheran

Is it possible to worship outside of a church building?

 

[ViaCrucis]

Is it possible to worship outside of a church building?

Our lives should be worship 24/7. We do, of course, worship together when we come together; but worship is what we offer to God--the sacrifice of praise. That does happen when we gather of course; but the chief thing happening when we gather isn't what we offer up to God, but what God gives us.

We aren't the principle actors when we gather together, God is.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

We aren't the principle actors when we gather together, God is.

It seems that in many Protestant groups people really do believe that God is rightly worshipped principally by hearing a man preach a long sermon and secondarily by a short prayer or two and some songs to sing. Holy Communion is infrequent in such groups, and altogether absent from some, so its place in worship is to be absent on most occasions. And this emphasis is what lies behind the thinking you mention in passing; you rightly correct the error by mentioning that God is the one who acts in worship, our prayers and songs are responses, God actions are in the Holy Eucharist and in the reading of Holy Scripture. The homily is a teaching tool, but not worship. A homily is included to help the faithful to learn and grow in the grace of God as the Holy Spirit applies what wisdom the priest (elder or minister) has to give in his sermon.

 

[FireDragon76]

One word - fellowship. Humans are social animals, it's not good for man to be alone. On a practical level, "solo Christians" are the easiest targets for Satan to pick up, we either hang together or hang separately.

You could take the opposite approach. Kierkegaard said that when everyone is a Christian, no one is a Christian. There is a certain corrupting influence of herds on peoples character.

 

[Jonathan_Gale]

You could take the opposite approach. Kierkegaard said that when everyone is a Christian, no one is a Christian. There is a certain corrupting influence of herds on peoples character.

Then ask "everyone" whether God created mankind in male and female, and whether marriage is between male and female. Consider that as a litmus test. If you get a negative or ambivalent answer on either, you know whether they really believe in the bible or not.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

Then ask "everyone" whether God created mankind in male and female, and whether marriage is between male and female. Consider that as a litmus test. If you get a negative or ambivalent answer on either, you know whether they really believe in the bible or not.

Christian faith is faith in Jesus Christ rather than faith in a book or faith in a set of doctrines. God did in fact create humanity male and female, and some who are alive now are what used to be called hermaphrodites - people having full or vestigial sex organs for both sexes - and some are born without any significant desire to marry or have sex with anybody, so please, let us not turn faith into yet another reason for hating some minority or other.

 

[bbbbbbb]

Then ask "everyone" whether God created mankind in male and female, and whether marriage is between male and female. Consider that as a litmus test. If you get a negative or ambivalent answer on either, you know whether they really believe in the bible or not.

If you were to ask that question in China you would receive a much proportionally greater correct response than you would in most Western countries. That must mean that the atheists in China, not to mention the Buddhist, Daoists, and Confucianists, really do believe in the Bible and are, therefore, Christians.

By the way, none of these folks ever go to a church building to worship, if they worship at all.

 

[bbbbbbb]

Christian faith is faith in Jesus Christ rather than faith in a book or faith in a set of doctrines. God did in fact create humanity male and female, and some who are alive now are what used to be called hermaphrodites - people having full or vestigial sex organs for both sexes - and some are born without any significant desire to marry or have sex with anybody, so please, let us not turn faith into yet another reason for hating some minority or other.

I agree. Christianity is entirely about love - the love of God for fallen humanity and our response to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

 

[Jonathan_Gale]

Christian faith is faith in Jesus Christ rather than faith in a book or faith in a set of doctrines. God did in fact create humanity male and female, and some who are alive now are what used to be called hermaphrodites - people having full or vestigial sex organs for both sexes - and some are born without any significant desire to marry or have sex with anybody, so please, let us not turn faith into yet another reason for hating some minority or other.

The only way to know the real Jesus Christ is to read the Bible and build a relationship with him in person. There’re too many fake ones, you know, and Jesus warned about them.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

The only way to know the real Jesus Christ is to read the Bible and build a relationship with him in person. There’re too many fake ones, you know, and Jesus warned about them.

We come to know God by knowing his Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. The bible is useful for teaching, for refutation of error, for correction of error and errors in life, and for training in righteous living. It exists so that the man of God may be proficient and equipped for good work of every kind. But to know Christ and to love him demands faith and fidelity, love and experience of love, it is to follow Jesus wherever he leads you, and to remain in communion with him, obedient to all he calls you to do and to be.

 

[Jonathan_Gale]

If you were to ask that question in China you would receive a much proportionally greater correct response than you would in most Western countries. That must mean that the atheists in China, not to mention the Buddhist, Daoists, and Confucianists, really do believe in the Bible and are, therefore, Christians.

By the way, none of these folks ever go to a church building to worship, if they worship at all.

See, this is why I don’t understand why this gender identity is such a huge dividing issue in the west, why people identify themselves by their race, gender, “orientation” or even body shape instead of family, job title, hometown, education background, accomplishments, hobbies and other common aspects of life like those.

 

[Fervent]

I don't go to a building to worship, I join with a community of believers to worship with the body of Christ. I've known of such communities meeting at homes, buildings, and even in specific outdoor locations. My faith is not about some private belief, but being a member of a body. The internet can do a lot of things, but it is a poor substitute to presence.

 

[bbbbbbb]

See, this is why I don’t understand why this gender identity is such a huge dividing issue in the west, why people don’t identify themselves by their race, gender, “orientation” or even body shape instead of family, job title, hometown, education background, accomplishments, hobbies and other common aspects of life like those.

It also a puzzlement to me. When I was a child, our identity was largely related to which church our family belonged to.

 

[Jonathan_Gale]

I don't go to a building to worship, I join with a community of believers to worship with the body of Christ. I've known of such communities meeting at homes, buildings, and even in specific outdoor locations. My faith is not about some private belief, but being a member of a body. The internet can do a lot of things, but it is a poor substitute to presence.

Also, Internet has its limits, oftentimes it works like a distorted mirror that only shows what you already know due to the algorithm, every research you do is like a me-search, every information you get is like affirmation, in the end what you don't know you still don't know, you're rarely exposed to new views and ideas, if you don't know any better, you just become more polarized, and the only way to break that spell is to communicate with other people in person.

 

[prodromos]

With the advent of online services and bountiful supplies of religious teaching and broadcasting the question comes to mind, "Why do I go to 'church' rather than watch 'church' on my video screen?"

That's where the altar is.

 

[bbbbbbb]

That's where the altar is.

Is it possible to worship without an altar?

 

[Jonathan_Gale]

Is it possible to worship without an altar?

Yes, in spirit and in truth at anywhere, offer yourself as a living sacrifice.