I need some clarity.. Is church attendance a requirement? I mean if a person believes in God and accept Jesus Christ as thier savior, what is the importance of going to church? I'm only asking because I have visited several churches and have not had very good experiences. Some of the people in the churches i visited were very nasty and honestly I left out feeling just a crappy as I did when I walked in. Is Church more of a "man made" form of worship or does God really want us to go to church?
Who created the church? What does Hebrews 10:25 say? Gathering together is what we are supposed to do according to God's Word.
I encorage you to keep looking. There are good churches out there. None are perfect, but there are many churches who love Jesus and seek his face out there. If you stop looking and give up, it will be your loss.
Yes.. God wants us to go to church.. The church is the fellowship of believers.
I agree with all that LT and Internet Missionary have said.. Pray, and God will lead you.
Read the book of Acts--the birth and the growth of the Christian Church.
However, in order to understand it as you read it, you will need to be taught it...in church.
I would almost go so far as to say it is impossible to live the life God intends for us alone and isolated from other believers in Jesus. That is just not the normal Christian life.
Please read Acts 2:41-47 for a description of what God intends for his people. There are many different forms of "church". If you've had bad experiences in traditional churches, you may want to get connected in a home fellowship or "house church". There are problems in every church, but keep your focus, not on the people, but on worshiping the Lord. Jesus loves the church in all of its different forms and so should we. Like LT says, keep looking.
2 cor12:12-27 you are a part of Christ body, the hand cannot deny it's need of other parts.Also Eph 4:11-16 in the church the body (believers) of Christ is built into oneness.
John the Baptist came out of the wilderness. Church is not a requirement. One may argue that the benefits of church outweigh its harm. Where two or more are gathered in His name, there He is also. Church is brothers and sisters in Christ not a building. Being that Chrisitans are not perfect it is possible to be wrongly influenced. I believe that your personal relationship with the Lord is paramout.
Who instituted the church (the gathering of believers)? Who says that we are not to forsake the gathering together (the church) in Hebrews 10:25?
If you are in a church that you have to weigh the good against the harm or being wrongly influenced, you need to go to another church (gathering of believers).
The relationship is enhanced as we gather together as a body (church) of believers. The building is not the issue ... ever, but the gathering of God's people. None have been called to be Lone-Ranger Christians.
Hebrews 10:23-25 (NKJV)
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
It is not a requirement per se, but it is important for each member of the body of Christ. In these last days, we need to come together and edify one another. This world seems to be getting worse and worse and gathering in church service is something we need to do to remain steadfast in the things of God. God Bless!
Hallo blessed sister,
Do you have any of your fingers having a nail? Please just do me this favour by cutting the tip of that nail , measure the piece tyou have cut then keep it in your purse for one week.Remember to take the measurement of the remaining finger nail after cutting.Please also do me a favor of not cutting the nail on that specific finger for one week. At the end of the week, take measurement of the kept nail and the one on the finger and then report to this blog which of the two has grown even by the smallest margin. Then answer the questions below :
Is it the nail left on the finger or the one cut and kept that has grown?
When I was a kid I didn't like church.. but I also didn't know Christ! Sometimes people end up in the wrong church. God will lead you to the right one. Get involved when you find it! Join the youth group! Our attitudes matter! If you go in with an attitude that you won't like it... You probably won't! God has lots to say about how HE feels about our attitudes!... He is our Heavenly Father.....and He wants the best for us! He has a tremendous plan for your life. Our bad attitudes can actually hinder God's plans! God transforms our hearts from the inside out. Be encouraged!