This REALLY is a question about a lovely girlfriend of mine. I keep trying to get her to seek a christian man... on a christian site. I know her to be stable, moral, and serious about finding a life long mate. However, she is concerned that because she does not actively attend CHURCH that a christian man would not be attracted to her.
I would like to know what your thoughts are on this.
She has not grown up in a christian environment and has not had much of that influence.
I cannot help but believe that this is why God brought us together as friends.... so that he might use me to impart some of the love of Christ into her life. She's a decent woman... and it pains me so to see her struggle in dating (however, it seems we all anguish at times in this area....lol).
For me... it is NOT about "church" attendance... as I did not grow up in church... but I definitely had the influence of a Godly mother who raised me in a christian home. I found a church on my own in adulthood... and the fellowship and congregation of like believers is important (as you pointed out).
I just love her... want the best for her. I want her to at least have some experience with Godly men (I said "Godly" , not "perfect"...lol).
This has been debated for a few hundred years now.
�Do we need a physical building called a Church in order to worship God?�
Scripture can be used to show that we do not:
Hebrews 10:25 (NIV)
"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another � and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
Matthew 18:20 (KJV)
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
Psalms 122:1 (KJV)
"I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord."
Psalms 27:4 (KJV)
"One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple."
Psalms 135:1-3 (NKJV)
"Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord; Praise Him, O you servants of the Lord! You who stand in the house of the Lord, In the courts of the house of our God, Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant."
Psalms 92:12-14 (KJV)
"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;"
Psalms 134:1-2 (NKJV)
"Behold, bless the Lord, All you servants of the Lord, Who by night stand in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, And bless the Lord."
The word used here is �House of The Lord�. If you can turn your house into a �House of The Lord��then that is all that is needed.
The key thing about these verses is that it says or implies that we have to MEET.
"Let us not give up meeting together��
��two or three are gathered together��
��said unto me, Let us go��
�...Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord; Praise Him, O you (Plural) servants of the Lord! You who stand in the house of the Lord,��
��Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;" (again Plural)
It would seem obvious to me that we are to �Meet� and Worship in the House of The Lord.
I would think if she found a Good Christian Man and a Church that she felt good in�her Walk with Christ would flourish and her Life would follow. Just my opinion.
I do use that as a criteria when I consider dating someone and probably more so in the online setting. When online, you are presented with hundreds of profiles, you need someway to narrow that down.
Now I try to remain open minded, to give people a chance or hear their reasons for a particular action, situation, belief. However, I do think church attendence is important. It is something I believe in doing and enjoy and I want to be able to share that activity with whomever I am seeing. And if they don't want to attend church, then are they going to have the same belief system? want to study the bible together? etc etc.
That being said, there are is a wide range of beliefs and she may meet somone with the same thoughts.
Honestly, this would be a big red flag to me, especially if I invited her to come with me, and she didn't want to. I know a lot of people have been hurt by people in churches before, including me, but I have yet to meet someone with a flourishing spiritual walk who objected to church.
If you take a piece of coal out of a fire it cools rapidly and becomes a useless piece of rock, however place it within the hearth of the fire and not only does it regain heat quickly but shares it with others. A roaring fire is far more attractive than a cold piece of coal.
This gives a good illustration of the church and the christian life, we need each other in order to stay on fire for the Lord. Thus church attendance, meeting with like minded people, is essential.
If someone wasn't attending regular, I would want to know why and also would not consider dating them as their current spiritual walk wouldn't edify mine. Their would be no mutual spiritual benefit.
