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This is no distant God who sent his Son with a list of rules to follow or rituals to practice. His mission was to invite us into his love—into a relationship with his Father that he described as friendship. But what do we do? We are so quickly captured by a work-driven religious culture that thrives on guilt, conformity and manipulation that it devours the very love it seeks to sustain.
Won't it be a joy again to wake up confident about being loved by God every day, without having to earn it by any act of righteousness on your part? That is the secret to first love. Don't try to earn it. Know that you are accepted and loved, not for what you can do for God, or somehow hoping that you will be worthy of his acceptance, but because his greatest desire is to have you as one of his children. Jesus came to remove any obstacle that would prevent that from happening.
Don't you realize that the most powerful thing about the gospel is that it liberates us from the concept that God dwells in any building? For a people steeped in the rites of temple worship this was either great or terrible news. His followers thought it was great. No longer did they have to think of God as cloaked in the recesses of the temple, available only to special people at select times.
Church is not a building constructed by man's hands.
Scripture means absolutely NOTHING without the keys to understanding.
"church" is all around.
I see it.
Do you?
Peace.
I agree. I am a firm supporter of church in houses as long as it follows biblical guidelines but we Christians should go to church. We need to get plugged in.
I agree. I am a firm supporter of church in houses as long as it follows biblical guidelines but we Christians should go to church. We need to get plugged in.
We don't GO to church.
We ARE the church.
That's what I'm saying.
The only thing we need to be "plugged into" is HIM.
HE is my preacher.
HE is my pastor.
Peace.
We see it in different ways, Fundamentalist.
That's all.
By the way.... if you're talking about "fellowship"...
I've just started reading some stuff on this board and I'm really enjoying the well though out, researched responses so many of you seem to give.
I have been out of church for several years. I am a believer but not doing so great on the walking the walk part. I've seen several things happen in church with "church people" that have just turned me off completely. I can't even go into everything here but the gist of it is that many of the so called Christians in the church were extremely judgemental, cliquey, and unwelcoming. I find people who are like that to be very hypocritical of the Christian values and have no desire whatsoever to be around them.
My son is 8 and hasn't been to church since he was 4 other than here and there on holidays or with Nana. He knows about God and Jesus and prays so he is learning about the parts we want him to learn. Not to mention he is very compassionate with others. That's what I want him to learn.
Do we have to go to church to be Christians? How do find welcoming churches? I was raised Baptist but the last church we attended was Pentecostal which I really enjoyed. I guess I just wonder how important it is if the church is not what it's supposed to be anymore.
Well, I see it this way there are some people who are Christians but can't make it to church. God knows their heart and want hold it against them. I have seen people who were sick and could not make it.
Now the purpose of the church per say is to go and worship God, have fellowship with the other saints, learn about God's Kingdom and other things.
If you read your bible it will really tell what church is for and all about.
Quote:
I've seen several things happen in church with "church people" that have just turned me off completely
You have to relize that everyone in the church is not walking by the spirit, meaning that everyone their is not perfect just like you and me. We make mistakes.
Church is like a med. clinic. People there are needing to be healed, are sick, working on their attitude, needing God for strength and others. So, when someone makes a mistakes, it's not God's fault, but them not relying on the Holy Spirit to guide them, but them marchig by their own drum.
But what really bothers me is this, when people say that some of the people in the church turned them away from church, when in reality we shouldn't be looking at other folks in the church, but looking at God. People are people and make mistakes and the ones that probably turned you off to church was probably not walking by the spirit.
If you stop going to church it is not because of the people, but because you choose to not attend. WE as people should just understand that people are people and will make mistakes.
If you don't mind me saying, but I'm sure you have made mistakes in your life because you are not perfect, just like the other people in church. If you want to attend church then do so, but if you don't, please don't blame it on others who are still making mistakes. God is not through with them.
The only thing we need to be "plugged into" is HIM.
HE is my preacher.
HE is my pastor.
Peace.
We see it in different ways, Fundamentalist.
That's all.
By the way.... if you're talking about "fellowship"...
Well, this forum, right here is fellowshipping.
I see it scriptural, what part of scripture were you quoting? People who don't go to church, don't subject themselves under someone's teaching tends to get really weird in their theology.
"Koinonia" in here? I just don't see it, maybe with some but I just don't see myself in fellowship with all. I have fellowship with Christians same way I have with Jesus in the light but many in here I believe walk in darkness.
(1 John 1:6–7) 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
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. I've seen several things happen in church with "church people" that have just turned me off completely. I can't even go into everything here but the gist of it is that many of the so called Christians in the church were extremely judgemental, cliquey, and unwelcoming. I find people who are like that to be very hypocritical of the Christian values and have no desire whatsoever to be around them. 
