Do we still need a "church"?

[Rockerduck]

I've had some comments thrown at me, from time to time.

It makes me uncomfortable. I try to be nice, but at the same time I don't know how to respond.

I already have one man. I don't need more.

I've had women throw themselves at me, knowing I'm married, wearing a ring and met my wife. This is over 40 yrs in ministry. But it's happened at every church I've served in. It's the same over and over, when I hold my ring finger up and say you understand I'm married, right? This generation is got some problems with how they were raised.

 

[Triumph1300]

One of the pastor's wives kind of insulted me

How many wives does he have? LOL

 

[Triumph1300]

I've had women throw themselves at me

Where are these churches where pastors have more than one wife and where women throw themselves at men?
Sounds interesting, haha.

 

[Triumph1300]

. It's the same over and over, when I hold my ring finger up and say you understand I'm married, right?

Ok, that's enough, now you are bragging.
You know pride is a sin, right? :-)

 

[Rockerduck]

Ok, that's enough, now you are bragging.
You know pride is a sin, right? :-)

I have no pride except in Christ. I call it the Jezebel spirit that is infecting churches.

 

[Berean]

Do we still need a "church"?​

You mean a building with a cross on it? No, we are the church. Where two or three or gathered in my name, that is the church.

 

[Lambano]

You mean a building with a cross on it? No, we are the church. Where two or three or gathered in my name, that is the church.

Too bad we can't stand each other.

 

[Lambano]

Too bad we can't stand each other.

And no two of us can agree on what "God's Word" really says or how to apply it in real life.

 

[Grailhunter]

Hermit Christians and church of ones.
Who should Christians hang with?
Church is about Christians assembling and worshipping the Lord.
Singing praises to the Lord.
Christian fellowship.
The Christian way of life.

Families should be involved with church and church activities, choirs, plays, picnics…. Are “home churches” really church? Absolutely, but really and most of the time it is either Bible study or just away to giving lip service to Christ or other Christians. Going to church and home study groups are great. For sure early Christians risked their lives to assemble in private homes to worship the Lord. That is why I find it odd that you have to use a cattle prod to get a lot of Christians to go to church. What if Christ had that attitude, just too much trouble to go to the cross?

At times people ask me how do I know if I am saved or how do I know I have received the Holy Spirit? And I tell them if you go through the process of salvation and you are not changed and your life is not changed….you probably just went through the process and are not saved.

The same is usually true of going to church, if it is just too much trouble….you do not want to go to church….you do not feel like being there….You do not feel comfortable there like you do not belong…. you probably do not belong there….give your Bible to someone that it might help and set back in that lazy boy and relax and wait for Hell. If you are the same as you always was, you are the same as you always was.

If Christianity is just too much trouble….don’t bother. But whatever you do, do not lie about going to house churches….that might cause a curse to be upon you. You should be honest with yourself and others. Go on with your life and enjoy it.

Of course there are Christians that have went to church all their lives and later in life they cannot. That is the time to have a house church or watch a church on of TV still setting a side a time for the Lord. There are certainly exceptions and they can settle up with Christ in the end.

 

[Brakelite]

On this forum there are many who don't have regular fellowship or membership with an established church. And their reasons for not doing so are remarkably similar... Not teaching the Bible, money demands, hypocrisy etc. Ironically, I would hazard a guess that not any two of those here who disagreed with their churches actually agree with anyone else here either.

 

[Lambano]

On this forum there are many who don't have regular fellowship or membership with an established church. And their reasons for not doing so are remarkably similar... Not teaching the Bible, money demands, hypocrisy etc. Ironically, I would hazard a guess that not any two of those here who disagreed with their churches actually agree with anyone else here either.

To paraphrase Spurgeon, if you find a perfect church, don't join it; you'll just spoil it.

 

[Brakelite]

To paraphrase Spurgeon, if you find a perfect church, don't join it; you'll just spoil it.

The one and only time I stopped going to church altogether 30 years ago, for several valid reasons but refusing to search for better, resulted in my falling away altogether, doing exactly the same things the Lord delivered me from 10 years previous. Fellowship with less than perfect Christians is way better than fellowship with better than perfect emptiness.

 

[amigo de christo]

And no two of us can agree on what "God's Word" really says or how to apply it in real life.

Thats very untrue my friend . There are indeed some who sure can agree on What His word does say .
The problem is so many different doctrines of men have made it a total mess .
Had we simply as a child just beleived what was written
and not rather heeded men who twisted things and made the cliam YE cannot understand it lest ye
sit under us , our scholars , our greek or whatever . That was and still is the major problem .
You would have been amazed at how simple it really could have been had we just loved to read and learn for ourselves
FOR GOD is with the sheep my freind . And while we might not understand things at first
WELL it would have come more and more in time . but so long as they heed and trust so much in men
Folks aint gonna make it . There are some of us who do agree and i am sure there are others too .

 

[amigo de christo]

The one and only time I stopped going to church altogether 30 years ago, for several valid reasons but refusing to search for better, resulted in my falling away altogether, doing exactly the same things the Lord delivered me from 10 years previous. Fellowship with less than perfect Christians is way better than fellowship with better than perfect emptiness.

Its the doctrine . You see we know the people are not perfect
But if the doctrine does not align with the biblical pattern , and leaders refuse to heed and to repent
THEN we got us a problem . LEAVEN gonna take that place over .
IT always has and it continues to do so . WHY do you think there is such a massive falling away now
and yet most seem to be gathering under its so called love call . That be a serious delusion .
Leaven will LEAVEN
and error will beget and can only beget MORE ERROR .

 

[amigo de christo]

On this forum there are many who don't have regular fellowship or membership with an established church. And their reasons for not doing so are remarkably similar... Not teaching the Bible, money demands, hypocrisy etc. Ironically, I would hazard a guess that not any two of those here who disagreed with their churches actually agree with anyone else here either.

I would hazard a guess that while it might be partially true what you wrote
Its not all together true .
THERE are a few of us WHO DO AGREE . and one thing i notice about these few
IS they love to read their bible big time . they always test all and do so against the well learned biblical pattern .
But in part you are correct , even a lot of folks that left churches are still in trouble .
You see its like this saying
SOMETIMES you can take the folks outta the WHORE
but you just cant seem to get the WHORE outta some folks .

 

[Marvelloustime]

I would hazard a guess that while it might be partially true what you wrote
Its not all together true .
THERE are a few of us WHO DO AGREE . and one thing i notice about these few
IS they love to read their bible big time . they always test all and do so against the well learned biblical pattern .
But in part you are correct , even a lot of folks that left churches are still in trouble .
You see its like this saying
SOMETIMES you can take the folks outta the WHORE
but you just cant seem to get the WHORE outta some folks .

@amigo de christo

 

[Grailhunter]

I am sorry for those that have had bad experiences at certain churches. If you find personality conflicts or condemning natures or just unfriendly attitudes…..smile and pray for them because they do not understand Christianity and they need your prayers.

Why is Christianity so had to understand? Scriptures written in a society and culture 2000 years ago and so different that it would seem alien and miserable. Cruelty, death, misery and people wailing in pain and the stench of open sewers that ran down the grooves of the streets. No refrigeration for food. People eating food in various degrees of decay. If you traveled you would find dead bodies along the road and people starving and parched with thirst.

Then Scriptures translated into faulty Bibles and these faulty translations held in so high esteem that they almost become God themselves. It is kinda funny that a person may hold in his hand a far superior translation and still he knows that it is not perfect and he may need to check the actual scriptures.

Most Christians have a long list of sins….ammo to condemn people with. If they condemn, they missed most of the point of Christianity. Most of the ammo is faulty at best. You cannot condemn people for living together. You cannot condemn people for drinking or smoking or gambling.

There are 30,000 plus Protestant denominations that were started by people that were far from Theologians or Biblical scholars. And so it is true that you have to “shop” for a church. So you have to go around and visit churches. Fortunately we live in a era where old churches are starting to wise up and become more knowledgeable.

Some disqualifying factors….Calvinists or Jehovah’s Witnesses. If you go to a new church and you are not greeted with friendly smiles and handshakes and hugs…. disqualified. If the preacher is preaching from the King James Verison of the Bible …. disqualified. If the sermons are about condemning others ….disqualifed. Warn and condemn sinning not the sinners. If you have children you may need a larger church with programs for children and young adults. Personally I recommend Holy Ghost churches.

Either way for those that take Christ seriously being part of a church and Christian community is essential.

 

[Wynona]

I have left a local church due and then left another one 4 years later. There are several reasons why but it all comes to one thing. They were not aligned with God's word. Entertainment and membership (numbers) became more important than teaching the truth of God's Word.
I teach 2 Bible Study classes and not sure how to expand those groups now that I am not attending a local church.

Does anyone have a similar experience or advice?

My husband and I stopped attending church after our last pastor and his wife relocated. We havent been able to find a church centered on God's Word either. We dont agree with the business model churches have adopted.

 

[Grailhunter]

My husband and I stopped attending church after our last pastor and his wife relocated. We havent been able to find a church centered on God's Word either. We dont agree with the business model churches have adopted.

Just curious....Did Apostle Paul produce business model churches? How where they different?

 

[TheOneHeLoves]

Just curious....Did Apostle Paul produce business model churches? How where they different?

most Churches today have coffee shops, bookstore, massive stages, large rooms, photo op sections, gatherings/social events, high production plays and worship, state of the art media, and sermons are stories of the pastors life, etc.

where is the sitting to hear the word of God, understanding the meaning, looking to know the character /qualities of God?