Christians who avoid public worship/church services
Posted : 17 Jan, 2011 01:46 PM
I still cannot fathom why some Christians insist that believers in Christ DO NOT HAVE TO attend church services or "enter a building" to worship. In his or her mind, it is more than sufficient to satisfy this spiritual need inside the privacy of the home.
Is this the result of the so-called "Christians" who fail to read the Bible daily or do daily devotionals? Just wondering.
Hebrews 10 (New International Version, �2010)
Christ�s Sacrifice Once for All
1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming�not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
�Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
7 Then I said, �Here I am�it is written about me in the scroll�
I have come to do your will, my God.��
8 First he said, �Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them��though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, �Here I am, I have come to do your will.� He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
16 �This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.�
17 Then he adds:
�Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more.�
18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
A Call to Persevere in Faith
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another�and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, �It is mine to avenge; I will repay,� and again, �The Lord will judge his people.� 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For,
�In just a little while,
he who is coming will come
and will not delay.�
38 And,
�But my righteous one will live by faith.
And I take no pleasure
in the one who shrinks back.�
39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.
Footnotes:
Hebrews 10:7 Psalm 40:6-8 (see Septuagint)
Hebrews 10:16 Jer. 31:33
Hebrews 10:17 Jer. 31:34
Hebrews 10:30 Deut. 32:35
Hebrews 10:30 Deut. 32:36; Psalm 135:14
Hebrews 10:37 Isaiah 26:20; Hab. 2:3
Hebrews 10:38 Some early manuscripts But the righteous
Christians who avoid public worship/church services
Posted : 17 Jan, 2011 08:59 PM
True Story ~
Back in the day when I was a altar boy one morning noboby, and I mean nobody showed up for mass. I figured since no one showed up the priest would cancel. Oh no, not a chance! He made me do the altar boy part AND the people part. When I didn't do the peoples part on time he would just stop and stare at me until I did, and it wasn't a very nice stare either. 40 years later I get a good chuckle out of it when it comes to mind. But back then after that incident I would always pray, "Please God let somebody show up for mass"!......lol
Christians who avoid public worship/church services
Posted : 18 Jan, 2011 12:21 AM
okay well let me ask you this what day was it that JESUS and the Disciples met at church? and why do christians think it is okay that they changed it? also remember the first church was in the desert at Mount Sinai and what was it that GOD said to them there keep the Sunday Holy? hmmmm?
Christians who avoid public worship/church services
Posted : 18 Jan, 2011 01:25 AM
if i were in a church on sungod day and nobody was in there i would think they got smart and started keeping the Sabbath as GOD and HIS SON commanded them too
it is in Hoshea 6:6 " For i delight in loving-commitment and not slaughtering, and in the knowledge of ELOHIM more than ascending offerings."
praise be to YWHW and HIS SON
It has always been HIS will for us to bring our whole hearts to HM,,
Deuteronomy 6:6 "And these WORDS (Commands) which I am commanding you today shall be IN YOUR HEART."
So it has always been from the beginning that HE has wanted us to write HIS commands of our hearts
All points to MESSIAH,,HE relieves our debt record,HE followed the will of HIS FATHER,,so should we in every way that HE did and i know HE was not in a church listening to a preacher on sungod day
the Feast are shadows of things to come and by rehearsing them and knowing how YAHSHUA (JESUS) fulfills them we will know where to be at HIS Appointed times,,we also see so that we are not over taken like a thief in the night that we are not in darkness,,we are to stay obedient and set-apart from the nations that cling to pagan traditions and practices and the changing of HIS Appointed Times to their own times and away from the babylon systems of the world,,for in the end they will have itchy ears that hear what they want,,great delusion is coming brothers and sisters so be not comfortable thinking that you are living your best life now,,we are be set-apart from the world,,belief is the only thing that has ever saved anyone, we are to keep HIS Torah and HIS Appointed Times ,,how can we be sons and daughters if we do not the commands of our FATHER and HIS SON,,all of the Feast we were told to keep for all our generations,,and if that is not good enough then why is it spoken in Zechariah 14:16 "And it shall be that all who are left from all the nations which came up against Yerushalayim, shall go up from year to year to bow themselves to the SOVEREIGN YHWH of host,and to celebrate the Festival of Sukkot."
So why is it that we are not to keep them today but then we are then in the last days ????
the head of every woman is man and the head of every man is MESSIAH and the head of MESSIAH is the FATHER and the SPIRIT is what holds them all together,,IN ONE BODY not hundreds of different denominations ,ONE BODY the FATHER is ONE with The SON,the SON is ONE with the body of the assembly,which is Yisra'el ,,it is Yisra'el HIS people that are gathered to HIS Kingdom,,which you are graphed into by believing and keeping HIS commands,,by being an obedient son or daughter you are of the assembly of Yisra'el
with all love of our MESSIAH YAHSHUA who gave HIS life so that we would not live under the curse but that we would have everlasting life with HIM,,this does not mean that we are to disobey,,Mattithyaha 5:17 "Do not think that i came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to complete." 18 "For truly, I say to you, till the heaven and the earth pass away, one yod or one tittle shall by no means pass from the Torah till all be done."
By completing means HE is the goal and does not mean we are free to be disobedient
In all love of our FATHER and The MASTER YAHSHUA may HIS SPIRIT fill you and your lives AMEN
Christians who avoid public worship/church services
Posted : 18 Jan, 2011 04:37 AM
With the mistakes in the Jewish calendar totaling about three years, and our calendar being different, do you really think you could pick the same day? LOL.
Jesus said He is our Sabbath. We gather on Sunday to honor the day He arose from the grave. His time here fulfilled the Sabbath Law. We just use it to honor Him.
The Pharisees were careful about following the letter of the law. That is not what Christianity is all about. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
There is absolutely nothing you can do that will make God love you more, or less. Doing something is an entirely human reaction to grace. God does not require it, or it wouldn't be a gift, but earned.
Christians who avoid public worship/church services
Posted : 18 Jan, 2011 07:15 AM
Keeping the Sabbath holy wasn't about going to church/temple once a week. It was about resting. It doesn't work as a good argument for Sabbatarians or as an argument for attending church one day a week, no matter what day it was.
A man was stoned for picking up sticks on the Sabbath, not for skipping temple.
Christians who avoid public worship/church services
Posted : 18 Jan, 2011 10:01 AM
So... I realize I haven't really been here in a LONG time. I actually have met someone and am engaged to be married in April. For that reason, I simply have not been on here. I only just now got on to delete my account. Once I logged in, I thought I'd just swing by the forums (Maybe God, maybe not). Wither way, I came across this topic, and it caught my attention. Why? Because in my walk with Christ, I've been thinking a LOT about this very thing. So, before I go, I'd like to say what's on my mind. As soon as I post this response, I'm deleting my account, but if you still wish to keep in touch or talk about anything, my email is [email protected]. Thank you all (you know who you are) for the encouragement over the past year or so.
Finally... "Christians who avoid public worship/church services"
I've been working in a church as the Youth Director for about 6 months now. It is my responsibility to raise up young people who want to have a relationship with Christ and live a Christ-like life. I've been looking at churches in the area, including ours, and I have seen a very interesting trend. I believe that the church in America is producing "Pharisee Christians". Why? Here we go...
In America, if you go to church you are a Christian. If you don't, then you're not. So, in essence, Christianity has almost become an image. This is exactly what the Pharisees were in their time. Their image was "holy". We are looking to see who comes to church and who doesn't and are placing judgement upon them for their actions. Fact of the matter is... like someone else on this thread said... church is not a building or a location or an event. It's not a "service". The church is the body of Christ. So... to go to church should be nothing more than meeting up with other Christians in fellowship. Daniel (in the book of Daniel) is a great example. He lived in a place where you were to pray to no person, thing, god except the king. So, did David go outside to pray to God? NO. He withdrew to his room to pray in private. He had his own reasons for doing so, but the point I wish to make is that "church" attendance is becoming an image thing. Let's look at Christ's life...
If you could break a Christian life down into three characteristics, I think it would look like this...
Now... first I want you to ask yourself if you agree that these three groups basically sum up what a Christian life looks like. Next, I want to compare these three groups with that of the Pharisees... They did group #1 excellently. They didn't really pay any attention to the second or third groups. Now look at our churches today. They do #1 excellently. As for the second and third, not so much. You see... we are too often concerned about our appearance, just as the Pharisees were. Jesus wasn't like this. He was known for being a friend of sinners. Literally. How many of us can say that we are a friend of sinners? Better yet, how many of us even WANT to say that out loud?! I know I sure have a hard time with it. If my youth and their parents found out that I hung out with druggies and homeless folks, I promise that my pastor would hear about it and that I'd almost instantly be fired. So, my actions are based off of a heart of fear instead of a heart of love. AKA... Pharisee.
Now, look at your life and gauge yourself. I'm going to assume that every single one of you meet group number one's expectations with flying colors. But how about regularly going out and serving people? Being a servant to others... This is one thing Christ was very adamant about. Being a servant to others. Humbling yourself. Also... how regularly do you hang out with sinners? Show them that they are loved too? Hanging out with a sinner doesn't mean you condone their behavior. If that's the case, then what do you say about Christ? He hung out with them often! Social outcasts (lepers), sinners and taxcollectors, Samarians (essentially opposite from Jews and considered evil or mean). Jesus made himself known to these people. THAT is the love of God!
We are raising up a generation of people who just wanna get by with their salvation. They just wanna do enough to know they are saved. They want to look good in front of the pastor and their congregation... so they will tithe. Well guess what? Their tithes are useless because of the conditions of their hearts. Don't believe me? Do some research in the New Testament. It's in there. Don't just take my word for it. Look it up yourselves.
So why are so many of us concerned about image? BECAUSE WE ARE ALL JUDGING EACH OTHER!!! We are scared of being judged by other hypocrites who usually stumble in the exact same ways! This is why there are more and more Christians who are avoiding public worship/church services. They are tired of being a part of a system that breeds Pharisees. Instead of going to these public places of worship, they are being forced to withdraw to their homes with close friends to read scriptures and worship. Is that wrong? No. Sad? Yes. Should it be that way? No. We should be able to meet together in a public place and encourage one another in the faith, but as long as the American church is conforming to the Pharisaic ways, this is going to continue to happen. I see it in church every sunday. I used to be a part of it. I now see it for what it is, and am trying to fight against it. Fact of the matter is... when I start living this crazy lifestyle, people will make judgements about me. I will more than likely be called out for my extreme actions. But then again... the world hated Christ first, right? Please don't take this lightly. Look at your life. Is it a life of faith without deeds (what Paul calls a dead faith)? Do you merely have the head knowledge of Christianity or is living it out a HUGE part of your life? And please don't lie to yourselves. For your OWN sake. Be a friend to sinners. Love your enemies. Treat others just as if they are more important than you are. In this way, your faith will be known. And finally, don't stay in the same rut just because it's easier... if you see something going on that doesn't match up with scripture, see it for what it is and fight it.
Thank you all again for the encouragement over the past year or so. I pray that Christ will start a new work in many of you, including myself.
Christians who avoid public worship/church services
Posted : 18 Jan, 2011 10:43 AM
I definitely second what joeysings and marikashome said.
Going to church every Sunday has nothing to do with whether or not a person is a Christian.
twosparrows hit the nail on the head--- you can assemble with fellow Christians out fishing sometimes and have a better Worship--- Praise service than sitting in the pew where some people may not even have God on their mind.
My pastor tells our congregation-- You don't have to be here the next 5 Sundays in a row to know you're God's child and your next home is a mansion in heaven. There are people who haven't missed a Sunday in 5 years and will still split Hell Wide Open!
I think I'd rather be gathered together with 2 others in Jesus' name and know that He's in the midst of us than be in a building on a certain day where some just meet up see what dress Sally's wearing.
I attend church regularly but I know brothers and sisters who don't and their just as much Christian as I am.
Some have had bad experiences in the church made with hands and have opted for the CHURCH of the Living God!
Going to church every Sunday doesn't mean you're having fellowship with God----sometimes He's not even there!
