I'm just curious what percentage of us attend some kind of church. I mean, if your "worship" or rituals aren't done in a church, just consider where ever you hold it to be your church.
I do not attend church, but I have a very personal and powerful relationship with God. I believe God's house is in my heart, not down the street.
2009-09-27T20:52:42Z
Sol: I had a few bad experiences, too, and just gave up. I'm so glad to hear that someone else had the same experience, but I do look at me, and I thought I was the problem. I am involved in lots of charity work with others who do the same. I also talk about God at every opportunity, but I'm no holy roller, and I don't "do" the bible. I think doing God's work is far more important than learning the bible. I mean, His message is simple: Love one another.
Anonymous2009-09-27T20:41:29Z
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We do.
But we did not for many years and continued to maintain a personal relationship and a daily "worship" through music - for us, it was a time of healing from experiences with "negative" churches.
We are blessed to have found a "real" church and are being rewarded through the experience. I think we learned the reality of true Christianity through those years, and the difference between that and religion. Unfortunately, it seems "bad" churches outnumber the "good", and while time away can be positive, staying away forever will weaken you in the long run and it's worth the effort to find a "good" one when you're ready. God bless.
@Secret: It's not just you...not by any means! There may be more "solid" Christians outside of the church each Sunday than in...remember the parables of the wheat and the tares and the seeds that fell on various soils; not to forget the warnings of how the true church of Christ will be scattered -- denominations are man-made and religion does not properly represent Christ when the focus is on so many other things than Him (and some denominations actually teach things contrary to His Word but will fight with you that they are "Christian"!) When He warned of this early in His ministry, the 12 asked how they would know the true/real Christians from the posers...He answered, "You will know them by their love." That's a solid way to determine if a church is a genuine church, even though it does not guarantee every one in it is a genuine believer. Know the difference, for those void of Godly love will harm your spirit and steal your joy! (I also have had much experience with different denominations through my life and can at this age say that there are those that lean more towards being "solid" and those that lean more towards being harmful and dangerous. We're told not to judge but we're also told to be discerning and given every permission to be "fruit inspectors" to determine if one (or a group) have the Fruits of the Spirit...which are proof of His indwelling...nothing wrong with noting if there are fruits severly lacking or absent, and responding appropriately.)
Keep your eyes on Him, in His Word and continue to serve Him where you are. But, don't toss the baby out with the bath water...none of us is strong enough to go it alone...the right church is a gift from Him to us for support and edification...it's not a chore or work we've been given! When you're ready, it's worth the effort to dive back in and "shop" for a true church, the marks of which are defined for us clearly, take notes and search diligently...if you're still church-shy, maybe start with a small groups from a church you like a little...the "do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together" verse does not legalistically mean "church", but just what it says...get together for support and edification with other believers - what makes the difference is "true" believers rather than simply those that claim His name. God bless you!
We don't need to gather in a church building, but we do need to gather with other genuine believers for support and growth. The necessary skill is to learn the difference! Some churches can squeeze the life and joy right out of you, but those aren't from God. Many churches put the emphasis on ceremonial traditions and the "authority of the church", but God's Word tells us these things are against Him and that authority is only in His Word and Him, not mans buildings, traditions, ceremonies, laws, rules or works. Any church that pushes things other than God's grace has an agenda contrary to that of Christ or those things found in Scripture. Any church that amasses great wealth is a false church. I think a lot of us have taken time away from church attendance because of negative experiences, and I don't believe for one second that it's just you!
The churches own figures show only 28% ever attend church in a year. Indeed if 28% ever tried to attend church on the same day, even working shifts, there is simply not enough churches!!
But count the bars - in many places there is more space In the bars than the churches!!
I go twice a week, plus a Bible study here and there. The New Testament is clear that we need fellowship with other believers, weather it's at "church" or a group of people discussing and sharing how their relationship with God is going and encouraging each other with Scripture.