What kind of Church would Jesus approve of
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R
Me and @Stunnedbygrace would beg to differ with you.
We had a wonderful time of worship in the Lord in a thread last Saturday night (I think that was the day). I have had this happen on a number of occasions in on-line forums. Better than in most churches I have attended.
We had a wonderful time of worship in the Lord in a thread last Saturday night (I think that was the day). I have had this happen on a number of occasions in on-line forums. Better than in most churches I have attended.
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If you live long enough you'll find two things tend to pop up in matters of the faith. There are people who are very clearly Biblioidolaters.
They worship the Bible rather than God.
And, denominationalists. Those who's faith is in their particular denomination. Not God or Christ.
Ask them, what denomination was Jesus? And you'll get a blank stare.
Ekklesia is the New Testament word for Assembly. That's people who gather in order to gain strength in community and grow in the word. The Great Commission in the Bible is instruction that says don't remain in one place but spread the word of Truth to the world.
Going to church doesn't make someone a Christian anymore than swimming in the ocean makes them a fish.
Some of the worst personalities I ever encountered calling themselves Christian was in church. Oh, they'd be so reverent sitting in the pews listening to the pastor. Nodding their heads. Giving an, "amen!" , now and then. Throwing their little sealed envelope into the offering plate.
But once they stepped outside they showed their true colors. Gossips, hateful judgmental people talking with others in their little assembled group of fakes about other members of the church walking by. The ones that stood there smoking were pathetic. Among their number was an adulterer, an alcoholic.
But they thought they had it all together as a right good representative of God when they pulled their car into that church parking lot.
This is a pretty nice article about this topic. Is 'Going to Church' Compatible with the Teachings of Jesus of Nazareth?
They worship the Bible rather than God.
And, denominationalists. Those who's faith is in their particular denomination. Not God or Christ.
Ask them, what denomination was Jesus? And you'll get a blank stare.
Ekklesia is the New Testament word for Assembly. That's people who gather in order to gain strength in community and grow in the word. The Great Commission in the Bible is instruction that says don't remain in one place but spread the word of Truth to the world.
Going to church doesn't make someone a Christian anymore than swimming in the ocean makes them a fish.
Some of the worst personalities I ever encountered calling themselves Christian was in church. Oh, they'd be so reverent sitting in the pews listening to the pastor. Nodding their heads. Giving an, "amen!" , now and then. Throwing their little sealed envelope into the offering plate.
But once they stepped outside they showed their true colors. Gossips, hateful judgmental people talking with others in their little assembled group of fakes about other members of the church walking by. The ones that stood there smoking were pathetic. Among their number was an adulterer, an alcoholic.
But they thought they had it all together as a right good representative of God when they pulled their car into that church parking lot.
This is a pretty nice article about this topic. Is 'Going to Church' Compatible with the Teachings of Jesus of Nazareth?
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Basically you made the decision to just do it your way, ignoring the command to assemble.
Doing it your way or my way is not permitted.
We are commanded to study for ourselves. Much, maybe most of our learning comes from self study.
I will also say that many "churches" today fail to teach as they should. Yea, many specialize in making one feel good.
But when you stopped looking 20 years ago, that was a failure on your part. We are stilled commanded to assemble.
Doing it your way or my way is not permitted.
We are commanded to study for ourselves. Much, maybe most of our learning comes from self study.
I will also say that many "churches" today fail to teach as they should. Yea, many specialize in making one feel good.
But when you stopped looking 20 years ago, that was a failure on your part. We are stilled commanded to assemble.
Well, you know, in this forum people describe God and what he means to say in the Bible however they want to. Due to what they believe. How they see it, read it.
A Christian can assemble in Bible study and that meets the criteria for assembling. I don't think anyone has a right to judge someone who finds a traditional church building meeting house isn't right for them. The Bible tells us God is not found in church. Those structures created by human hands. God's holy spirit is inside the believer and the holy spirit guides into all truth.
There are a lot of churches that teach wrongly now days.
Joel Osteen has over 30 thousand members attending his lectures. Osteen isn't a true pastor. But he is a multi-millionaire. His "church" has been known to take in over 600 thousand dollars in one night. That came to public attention not that many years ago when the safe was robbed of the evenings offering. Cash, checks, and credit card receipts.
Osteen doesn't Baptize. His wife teaches. She said don't come to church to please God. Come to please yourself.
Ron Parsley has a church. He claimed Satan robbed him of millions in one of his sermons. Then he asked the congregation to replace the money in God's name.
Jimmy Swaggart headed a mega-church before that term was even coined. Then he was caught with a hooker. That made news. Jimmy made a tearful apology to God on his TV ministry show all those decades ago. "Father I have sinned against you!" He whined. He didn't say how he sinned.
A few months later Jimbo was pulled over by a cop for driving erratically. He had a different hooker in his front seat and his swerving driving was due to him trying to shove the porn magazines under the seat before stopping for the cop.
Kenneth Copeland's wife described her husband as a witch. He's got five private jets that were found out about when an investigative news crew researched his tax exempt materialist status. Kenny got real defensive when asked about those planes. "That's none of your business!" He told the reporter. But it is our business. He's operating under a tax payer exempt status.
Kenny's wife Gloria said from the pulpit that Kenny can control the weather. Because he doesn't like to fly when it storms.
John Hagee is a morbidly obese TV pastor with a huge congregation. He made a sermon once and when he found out people copied it to Youtube he contacted them and whined about copyright infringement. Likely because he didn't want it to keep repeating that a hugely fat jowly greedy man said, if you're a veteran, a parent, blah blah blah, and you don't get a job, STARVE!
Let's not forget Benny Hinn.
So really, church isn't in the Bible. Jesus never said we must attend church. The believers assemble in his name and He is there among us.
If you're into going to church good for you. But really, you have no right to judge anyone who chooses not to. Those few examples prove going to church doesn't make you a good person or a better Christian.
A Christian can assemble in Bible study and that meets the criteria for assembling. I don't think anyone has a right to judge someone who finds a traditional church building meeting house isn't right for them. The Bible tells us God is not found in church. Those structures created by human hands. God's holy spirit is inside the believer and the holy spirit guides into all truth.
There are a lot of churches that teach wrongly now days.
Joel Osteen has over 30 thousand members attending his lectures. Osteen isn't a true pastor. But he is a multi-millionaire. His "church" has been known to take in over 600 thousand dollars in one night. That came to public attention not that many years ago when the safe was robbed of the evenings offering. Cash, checks, and credit card receipts.
Osteen doesn't Baptize. His wife teaches. She said don't come to church to please God. Come to please yourself.
Ron Parsley has a church. He claimed Satan robbed him of millions in one of his sermons. Then he asked the congregation to replace the money in God's name.
Jimmy Swaggart headed a mega-church before that term was even coined. Then he was caught with a hooker. That made news. Jimmy made a tearful apology to God on his TV ministry show all those decades ago. "Father I have sinned against you!" He whined. He didn't say how he sinned.
A few months later Jimbo was pulled over by a cop for driving erratically. He had a different hooker in his front seat and his swerving driving was due to him trying to shove the porn magazines under the seat before stopping for the cop.
Kenneth Copeland's wife described her husband as a witch. He's got five private jets that were found out about when an investigative news crew researched his tax exempt materialist status. Kenny got real defensive when asked about those planes. "That's none of your business!" He told the reporter. But it is our business. He's operating under a tax payer exempt status.
Kenny's wife Gloria said from the pulpit that Kenny can control the weather. Because he doesn't like to fly when it storms.
John Hagee is a morbidly obese TV pastor with a huge congregation. He made a sermon once and when he found out people copied it to Youtube he contacted them and whined about copyright infringement. Likely because he didn't want it to keep repeating that a hugely fat jowly greedy man said, if you're a veteran, a parent, blah blah blah, and you don't get a job, STARVE!
Let's not forget Benny Hinn.
So really, church isn't in the Bible. Jesus never said we must attend church. The believers assemble in his name and He is there among us.
If you're into going to church good for you. But really, you have no right to judge anyone who chooses not to. Those few examples prove going to church doesn't make you a good person or a better Christian.
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I listened to the bible on cd over and over and over again. I understand what is in the bible. They didn't have bibles in that day. So I wonder how they knew how to live without one. They learned as they went. Just learning and learning without moving on will keep you in that mode. If you get to the 12th grade and just keep learning the same thing over and over you will never grow up. You have to go on without someone every week telling you how to act. You should know by now. When you face Jesus, you will be alone and on your own.
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I have never said that one must assemble in a "church building".
So I agree with everything you posted except the last paragraph.
Church is in the Bible. But, church refers to the people not a building.
And we are commanded to assemble.
The church at Jerusalem assembled in an upper room, so they were in a building, but most of those early churches assembled in homes.
Jesus began His CHURCH. That church was not a building, it was people.
A Building as not necessary, but assembling is commanded.
So I agree with everything you posted except the last paragraph.
Church is in the Bible. But, church refers to the people not a building.
And we are commanded to assemble.
The church at Jerusalem assembled in an upper room, so they were in a building, but most of those early churches assembled in homes.
Jesus began His CHURCH. That church was not a building, it was people.
A Building as not necessary, but assembling is commanded.
S
No, never said that.
What I said was that a building was not necessary. It is about the people. The people are the church.
I know of churches that assemble in homes, rented buildings, and buildings designed and built for the purpose of a church assembling.
In my opinion, much money is wasted on buildings that are too big and too fancy.
As a church grows, sometimes you need a larger meeting place.
Seems that Jesus often met on a hillside. Once He was in a boat and the people were on the shore.
What I said was that a building was not necessary. It is about the people. The people are the church.
I know of churches that assemble in homes, rented buildings, and buildings designed and built for the purpose of a church assembling.
In my opinion, much money is wasted on buildings that are too big and too fancy.
As a church grows, sometimes you need a larger meeting place.
Seems that Jesus often met on a hillside. Once He was in a boat and the people were on the shore.
P
If you don't attend church and you get around people who do, their conversations are different than yours. So you don't really mix too well. Soon as you say it's not necessary to attend church, then you are an outcast, because they feel you are not really a believer, because you talk the talk but you don't attend the Sunday sessions.
Being a part of the body of Christ in a local Church is necessary for a healthy Christian life.
Spurgeon visited a man who stopped attending Church and the man said he didn't feel the need to attend as he could worship God in the privacy of his own home. Spurgeon reached over to the fire place and picked out a piece of coal and left it out of the fire, until it went out.
The man got the message, without spurgeon using words. A person's fire will go out if they isolate themselves, we all encourage and help each other as a Church.
Spurgeon visited a man who stopped attending Church and the man said he didn't feel the need to attend as he could worship God in the privacy of his own home. Spurgeon reached over to the fire place and picked out a piece of coal and left it out of the fire, until it went out.
The man got the message, without spurgeon using words. A person's fire will go out if they isolate themselves, we all encourage and help each other as a Church.
All denominations fall short. I can and have found error with doctrine of over 60+ denominations as I have spent the last year deeply studying the 1st century church, the "church fathers", as well as the doctrines, teaching, and histories of the before mentioned denominations. Nothing wrong with attending a congregation of believers as long as you can agree on the the foundation of Christ(Messiah). I recommend reading and actually studying the bible. Tips: Start in the beginning, you wouldn't start a movie 2/3 of the way through and expect to understand the plot, characters, and backstory. The first five books of the bible are crucial in understanding all of the writings of Paul. the teachings of Messiah as well as the purpose of Messiah, which most don't really understand fully.
Short Answer: Read the Bible. Study the Bible. Follow the word of G-D, not he words of men.
There is a commandment in Leviticus 19 that states when you first plant fruit you are not to harvest that fruit for the first 3 years it grows. This is to give time for the fruit to mature and during those 3 years are seen as an offering to G-D. Now, all of the Laws and commandments of G-D have both a literal and a spiritual application. Applying this principle spiritually is what I recommend to you. Spend three years maturing in the word of G-D: learning, studying, meditating, memorizing, etc.
There is no short cut. Study and show yourself approved.
Short Answer: Read the Bible. Study the Bible. Follow the word of G-D, not he words of men.
There is a commandment in Leviticus 19 that states when you first plant fruit you are not to harvest that fruit for the first 3 years it grows. This is to give time for the fruit to mature and during those 3 years are seen as an offering to G-D. Now, all of the Laws and commandments of G-D have both a literal and a spiritual application. Applying this principle spiritually is what I recommend to you. Spend three years maturing in the word of G-D: learning, studying, meditating, memorizing, etc.
There is no short cut. Study and show yourself approved.
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