Why do you go to church?
I just want to get some feedback as to why some people go to chruch. Tell me how you feel about this.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Art Fontaine on -
I go to church out of obedience for 1, because the Word says not to forsake community fellowship...and I go because I know that as part of the body I cannot function to my full potential by myself. As Iron sharpens Iron, so does going to church sharpen the man...or woman. We need to go on a regular basis. it is good to have the word in your heart and always on your mind and often we get complacent but others can give us an unbiased opinion of things that we need to change in our lives....amongst other things...So I go to church to be with God and while He is with me everywhere, I believe there is significance where 2 or more gather in His name...
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Permalink Reply by Disciple Mike on -
First,I go to church because Jesus died so I can go to church. He beleived so much in His church that He was willing to die so we can be able to go.
Second, I go to worship the King of all Kings as He should be worshiped. I go to celebrate His life, death, and resurrection.
Third, I go to be fed, be filled, be healed, to learn and to allow iron to sharpen iron and be in the midst of two or more in His name and to not forsake the body.
Forth, I go to be obedient.
And that is the order of importance for me as well. Without the Church a christian puts himself in a very vonerable position. He is a sheep that walks alone from the flock, he is a sheep that has strayed from the shepard and even thou the shepard will seek out the sheep that is astray, he doesnt get the fullness of the protection of the shepard because the shepard must attend the flock. He ends up having to seek out food on his own and while he may know how to reap this food he doesnt always get what is best for him.
Blessings***
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Permalink Reply by Linda Brashier on -
I believe we should go to church for several reasons. To be fed the word of God. To have a spiritual leader. Corporate anointing. Spiritual fellowship, family. Corporate worship. Just to name a few.
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Permalink Reply by Cami on -
Hey Bunn! I go to church for several reasons - the main one being out of obedience to Him - one of them being to be refreshed and renewed. It's like when I go to church, I feel all weighted down by things that have happened at work or at home or in the world for the week. When I hear God's message, when I am able to join with others in worshiping and praising Him, I feel like all this weight has been lifted off me.
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Permalink Reply by The Bunnfactor on -
Most of you listed “obedience”. Indeed, Hebrews 10:25 states that we should not forsake the gathering of ourselves together. But I want to look at it from a different view first.
Consider the word “church”. In the New Testament, the word “Ekklesia” is translated into “church” 115 times. Its actual definition is “called out assembly” or the assembly of those who are called out. It’s a not a location but an activity. The first century believers would have never said, “Are you going to church today?” For its not a place to go, but rather something to do. If you had said, “Let’s go to church tonight,” to one of them, it would have sounded like, “Let’s go to foot tonight.” They would have looked at you wit ha confused look on their face. That’s how misunderstood this word is.
Now we see what church is, let’s look at why it is. In Matthew 16:18 (NKJ), Jesus says, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Church has a purpose more than mere obedience. God does not suggest, command, or demand anything just because He can—there is always a purpose. This is why Jesus said, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice” (Matthew 12:7). He’s not just looking for the sacrifice of our time to congregate together just because it looks religious and supposedly shows devotion—He has a purpose to accomplish. I think it significant that He stated that the gates of hell would not prevail against the church. To me, that’s a warning that attacks are forthcoming. So, if nothing else, I would think that the church needs to unite together to prepare and equip ourselves for the gates of hell to attack.
It is through our assemblies that we can find, develop, and operate in our giftings. The church is a resource to us. Its purpose was never to benefit God. Yes, we worship Him and praise Him, but He’s surrounded by angelic beings that are constantly singing, “Holy, holy, holy,”—He doesn’t need us. I don’t think we realize just how therapeutic worshipping God is for our own lives. The Alter is not a place to go and petition God, but rather a place of sacrifice. We come to the Alter to lay down our troubles, our sorrows, our grief, our pain, our hang-ups, and our failures. We lay these down at His feet and He clothes us with His grace. That word grace means “unmerited favor”. We’ve done nothing to desire it, but He gives it anyways.
Matthew 17 records an event where Jesus went up on a high mountain. He took with Him 3 of His disciples. When He got up there, Moses and Elijah joined Him. Notice how the name of the mountain is never give. Probably because the emphasis was never supposed to be on a specific location, but rather the fact that it was separated from other influences. Now, keep in mind, the Pharisees and Sadducees had just tested Him. Then, when He comes down from the mountain, He rebukes a demon out of a boy that His disciples couldn’t rebuke. So why was He up there? I believe that Jesus, though the Son of God, needed to be spiritually revived. So what did He do? He assembled Himself with other spiritually focused people to give Him strength and encouragement so that He could stay on point and continue in His calling. He was demonstrating by example how we should be. The church is a place for spiritual revitalization.
So then I am asked, “Why do you go to church?”
I don’t go to church—I am the Church.
I assemble with other believers because it is my privilege to do so and I never want to take it for granted.
I involve myself with the Ekklesia because it is a necessary resource I have access to for me to operate more fully in my calling.
I can obey God, worship God, praise God, celebrate God, learn, pray, be encouraged, be sharpened, grow spiritually, receive healing, and be spiritually fed anywhere. The location is not what is significant. I go to the place that is set-aside for the communion of the believers because I understand the anointing power of unity. The place takes on significance only when the Ekklesia arrives.
I am apart of the Ekklesia, no matter where I am or what day of the week it is, for unity is not just a physical act.
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Permalink Reply by Disciple Mike on
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In my opinion the Church has two parts the visible and invisible and the two cant be confused. And yes, the church is a body, a living body. And with every living body there is a birth and then the body must develope and grow. So in my opinion we cant look at the seed and infancy of the Body (the Church) as it was and think it should be that way now. Comman sense should tell us that with growth there is change and just because the early Fathers and apostles of the Church didnt meet in buildings and call it Church that we shouldnt today.
If we research the early writings of the church Fathers we will find that they didnt meet in buildings because they would have been killed if they were caught. They met in secret and more times then not it was in the evening like the middle of the night in grave yards. And they usually met in small groups so not to be detected.
So yes while WE are the Church, the Church is also just not a person, but it is also a place and thing. That is what the growth of the seed has produced....
Blessings***
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Permalink Reply by The Bunnfactor on
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When you refer to a location or a building as “the Church”, you are in danger of idolatry. The location, the building, the place only takes on significance when we choose to congregate there with Kingdom-minded focus. This is why they could meet in graveyards and not be considered sacrilegious. The focus wasn’t upon the fact they were at a graveyard, for that would have been weird and awkward—they were focused on meeting to unify in vision and purpose to build the Kingdom. I wasn’t trying to say that I specifically am the Church, for that would be a bit audacious. I am a part of the Body of Christ, and the Holy Spirit resides in me. Therefore, wherever I go, He goes with me, and the resources of the Kingdom go with me. It’s not as if God’s ability to work through our lives is geographically limited to our dedicated place of worship. Jesus was not a member of First Baptist Church of Jerusalem—He went out to affect the world. He took The Church to the lost and the dying. The Church becomes a “thing” when we unity together in vision and purpose. It’s a place when we physically united, but that doesn’t bring significance necessarily to the location. I’ve experienced just as many great moves of God, miracles, healings, breakthroughs, and dedications to Christ away from The Church Revived (my home “church”) as I have at TCR, if not more. The buildings we title The Church Revived only retains significance when we are there fulfilling His purpose on that property.
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Permalink Reply by Disciple Mike on
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Bunn
"When you refer to a location or a building as “the Church”, you are in danger of idolatry" .....In my opinion I could say the same about the Bible..
I agree with a lot of what you said, but that goes back to the visable and invisable. The church within me is the invisable building (or tabernacle) and the one I "GO" to is the visable tabernacle. If you beleived as I did that the Real Presence (the actual Body and Blood), The Eucharist was being given to Gods Children through the Church then you would beleive in Her importance and significance...
So because I beleive the Church I attend houses the actually Body and Blood in the form of Bread and Wine, then I would be a fool not to see it as God's House and a place that is Holy and sanctified, whether man is there or not...
Just a veiw of a poor ol' soul
Blessings***
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Permalink Reply by The Bunnfactor on
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Acts 17:24 (NKJ)
God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.
As far as the idolatry of regarding the Bible as Godly authority, wasn't it the Catholic church leaders who determined the books in the Bible?
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Permalink Reply by Disciple Mike on
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Who needs context when we can just slice and dice as we please. I'm sure the author wasn't speaking to the Jews about worshiping in there temples.
"As far as the idolatry of regarding the Bible as Godly authority, wasn't it the Catholic church leaders who determined the books in the Bible?"
Sure was.....And I dont beleive the RC have a sola scripture doctrine, so because of that little difference that would show that they dont Idol the Bible, they in fact show that they alone understand the true position the Bible has. And hold the correct interpertation of its content.
Lets not forget the whole New Testament is a blue print of the Christian Church, just like the Old Testament was of the Tabernacle and Temples of Old..
Blessings***
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Permalink Reply by The Bunnfactor on
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Is that not contradictory? In one sentence you seem to bash me because I see the Bible as something worth reading and studying, but then you talk about the New Testament being the blueprint of the Christian Church. Tell me how that makes since? I mean, do you think I worship a book? Do you think I offer sacrifices to something man put together? What gives the Bible authority is Spirit that is alive and active in it, not the men who deemed it fit to canonize some letters and historic stories. For you to think I idolize the Bible is as foolish as people thinking you idolize Mary just because you are Catholic. We should stop profiling people based on a denominational affiliation.
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Permalink Reply by Disciple Mike on
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I dont bash you for reading and studying the bible at all. All I am saying is that to Just use the bible as the sole authority in a christian life is wrong and if done so it can be interperted as idolary.
The same way you say its the spirit that you worship in the book I say about the RC church. We dont worship the men in it, we worship the spirit that is in the men...
Blessings***
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