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I have heard so many good and kind-hearted Christians say that it is more important to go to church in order to fellowship with other believers in the community and just to share in each other's lives. Don't question every little thing. Just live in your own faith and be there for others.
But even though that sounds good, I can't get behind that idea.
Some of the kind hearted members even say that they don't agree with the judgemental views that are a part of the church's official doctrine, or the doctrine represented by its denomination.
How can you say that you should go to that church if you don't believe everything that is taught? Not only are you saying that you should go and support the other members, but you are also saying that you should financially support the preacher so that he can continue teaching and spreading a belief you disagree with. You are perpetuating a teaching that you don't agree with, which I think is too great a cost, even if you are giving loving Christian support to other members.
Does this make sense?
I've been there. But where is God taking you, and how are you being tested and how will you respond to the situation? Because you can continue to run and find a church that pleases you, and there will always be something to complain about, or you can step up and allow him to use you and give him the glory wherever it is that you find yourself.
Also, how are the views judgmental, and have your tested those views through your own studies and what God has revealed to you personally about those views, or you simply do not like them as they are being delivered from the pulpit?
Ozzy, I have had to deal with this very issue in my own life. Things sure would have been much easier if God had just said "do this, this and this and do it this way and never this way" on everything and then we could agree. But God did not choose to lay it out for us in such a manner. And who has the right to question God's way's?
One thing I have come to understand is just what is "the Church". It's not a building or a set of doctrines or what the leadership tells us to do. It is a group of believers meeting together. It is rare that a group of 50 or 100 people will ever agree 100% on everything. It's just the way God made us. So what I believe God has shown me, and I am not the only person, is that we must agree on essentials. As John Wesley put it "In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity." So I will not compromise on what I believe are essentials. I will not fellowship with anyone who cannot agree with me on those essential things. Beyond that, I can accept that we may not all agree on non-essentials. But the non-essentials matter not anyway. That's just where I am. I don't know if that answers your question or just raises more but it's me in a nutshell so to speak.
Nothing to put together on that if we mess with 2 Peter 1:20-21.
Nothing to put together on that if we mess with Galations 1:8-9 or Ephesians 4:14.
Nothing to put together on that if we mess with Amos 3:3 or John 17:21 or Psalms 133:1 ?
I have heard so many good and kind-hearted Christians say that it is more important to go to church in order to fellowship with other believers in the community and just to share in each other's lives. Don't question every little thing. Just live in your own faith and be there for others.
But even though that sounds good, I can't get behind that idea.
Some of the kind hearted members even say that they don't agree with the judgemental views that are a part of the church's official doctrine, or the doctrine represented by its denomination.
How can you say that you should go to that church if you don't believe everything that is taught? Not only are you saying that you should go and support the other members, but you are also saying that you should financially support the preacher so that he can continue teaching and spreading a belief you disagree with. You are perpetuating a teaching that you don't agree with, which I think is too great a cost, even if you are giving loving Christian support to other members.
Does this make sense?
First off, my preacher doesn't get a dime from me or anybody else in the congregation. That aside, I believe all of my church's doctrines -- those being the eternal truths revealed to man by God. I definitely don't agree with all of its policies, which are man-made and therefore subject to change. If people don't believe 100% of what is being taught in their church, I'd say that they might as well stick with it unless they can find another one that they have absolutely no issues whatsoever with. In other words, if a Catholic believed in 95% of Catholic doctrine, what would be the point of his leaving the Church and going with another denomination where he only believed 70% of the doctrine.
I have heard so many good and kind-hearted Christians say that it is more important to go to church in order to fellowship with other believers in the community and just to share in each other's lives. Don't question every little thing. Just live in your own faith and be there for others.
But even though that sounds good, I can't get behind that idea.
Some of the kind hearted members even say that they don't agree with the judgemental views that are a part of the church's official doctrine, or the doctrine represented by its denomination.
How can you say that you should go to that church if you don't believe everything that is taught? Not only are you saying that you should go and support the other members, but you are also saying that you should financially support the preacher so that he can continue teaching and spreading a belief you disagree with. You are perpetuating a teaching that you don't agree with, which I think is too great a cost, even if you are giving loving Christian support to other members.
Does this make sense?
If it is a major doctrine issue, like "you must pray to the virgin mary" and "its ok to worship Buddha" and such like that, I would not attend.
If it is a major flaw like they were abusing you, I would leave. A church can abuse you if they take advantage of you on purpose and it hurts you.
If it is a minor flaw like the ladies like to wear big hats, and this bugs you, then you probably should not leave for this.
If its a minor disagreement in doctrine like "women should dress modestly" and some people do not, and they wear spaghetti strap mini dresses to church, then I would not probably leave for that.
If the rock music band is too loud so that it causes you to get a headache, I have left church for that because i got a severe migraine from it and i do not wish to suffer thru that every week, even though the doctrine was excellent and the church otherwise excellent. could not handle the volume of that rock music they play in some churches nowadays.
I have left a church when the pastor told me i MUST attend EVERY service and not go visit any other church because i am a member and if everyone did that then we would have no one here. I soon left that church for that attitude and some other reasons. I am a free bird and they tried to clip my wings more than once, so im outta there.
Ozzyrules, you have convicted me. Your post has plagued me to no end, although I have tried over these many years to push these things out of my mind.
I am UR. I belong to a local Baptist church which preaches contrary to most all of my beliefs. I have run full circle during my 50+ years of studying the Scriptures. I started out believing folks were burning in hell and would someday be called forth to be tried by God and then be sentenced to suffer forever in a Lake of Fire. I then went the total annillation route. Deeper study has enabled me to see the fullness of God and His love toward his creatures. My present church continues to teach the suffering in hell bit as well as the eternal punishing in the Lake of Fire. It is hard for me to sit there and listen to this kind of preaching which is contrary to the very nature of God. I keep my mouth shut and bear it because my wife really likes the pastor and the church members. I wish you had not brought this up. You are not giving me any peace with this.
I never knew that one's salvation(essentials) depended on the correct understanding of hell and/or eternal destiny?
The Bible teaches that salvation depends on faith in Christ. Some churches also teach it depends on works, but I do not believe that is the case. I have never heard anyone teach it depends on your view of hell.
I have heard so many good and kind-hearted Christians say that it is more important to go to church in order to fellowship with other believers in the community and just to share in each other's lives. Don't question every little thing. Just live in your own faith and be there for others.
But even though that sounds good, I can't get behind that idea.
Some of the kind hearted members even say that they don't agree with the judgemental views that are a part of the church's official doctrine, or the doctrine represented by its denomination.
How can you say that you should go to that church if you don't believe everything that is taught? Not only are you saying that you should go and support the other members, but you are also saying that you should financially support the preacher so that he can continue teaching and spreading a belief you disagree with. You are perpetuating a teaching that you don't agree with, which I think is too great a cost, even if you are giving loving Christian support to other members.
Does this make sense?
We don't go to church because there are too many hypocritical people there. We have a good relationship with God and we are happy with that. He doesn't care if we show up, as long as we serve in some way, and we do.
We don't go to church because there are too many hypocritical people there. We have a good relationship with God and we are happy with that. He doesn't care if we show up, as long as we serve in some way, and we do.
Oh, go to church. One more want hurt!
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90% bible unity with people is "church" ?
