The simple answer to this question is YES! Going to church does not make you a better Christian than someone who does not attend church. Going to church does not make you more spiritual. No where does it say in the Bible that your salvation depends upon you belonging to or going to church.
BUT... and there is a big but. But being a Christian and not going to church is like being a hunter or fisherman and not grabbing your gun or fly rod and heading out to kill something. It is like being a chef and not going into the kitchen. It is like being on the football team but never going to the game.
We are told in Hebrews 10: 22-25 So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.
Let's first understand what the church is and what it is not. The church is not the organization with a church name although that organization is part of the church. The church is not a building that people go to although it is the place the church meets. The church pure and simple is the people God has called to Himself and that He is working in and through. It is called the body of Christ. Paul talks about this in Ephesians, Corinthians and Romans.
So what is the value of attending a meeting of other believers? In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul talks about all of the various gifts that God gives through the Holy Spirit. Now understand you have at least one of those gifts where you attend church or not but...those gifts are given for the common good (1 Corinthians 12: 7).
If you think about the body of Christ as a body it becomes clear that unless the body in some fashion gets together it can't function as a body. For example if the eye were apart from the body how could the body see where to go? If the hands separated from the body what could the body hold? Gathering together as a body is not just to hear a great sermon given by a talented person using their spiritual gift although that is one reason. Gathering together is a time for each part of the body to exercise their part as the body. Some encourage, some bring healing and others provide strength.
The following statement will be somewhat controversial but it is true. You can be a Christian and not attend church. You can get fed a great spiritual food without going to church. There are hundreds of websites, books and cds that contain good, strong, Biblical messages that people can get fed by. What you will miss out on is the opportunity to rub shoulders with other parts of the body and build relationship and exercise spiritual gifts. You can grow spiritually sitting at home but it will be at a much slower rate than when you are building relationship with other people.
I have one more illustration that came to me as I was shaving the other day. As I pressed the top of the shaving can out came just a trickle of cream. It wasn't thick but just kind of like a liquid. As I applied it to my face I could tell it was not going to lather up and make shaving very easy. I had reached the bottom of the shaving cream and it was not as good as when the can was full. Attending a good, solid Bible teaching church that has the Holy Spirit flowing is like the full can of shaving what we get from it is thick and useful to our lives. We can still be a Christian by not attending church but our lives will be more like the empty can of shaving cream and not as much of a benefit as a full can.
The choice is up to you. You can be a slow growing Christian or get around others and have the opportunity to be a fast growing Christian. Either way you have salvation but in instance you are working out your salvation and the other you are living in your salvation.
As I make future posts I want to know what you would like to read about. I am most interested in what people who do not attend a church are wanting to know. So please leave a comment and let me be clear no comment is stupid or not worth my time. If you genuinely want an answer I will try my best to get it for you. I do not promise or claim to have all of the answers but I will research all comments.
It depends on which kind of church it is. Go to a church that is a hospital for sinners - that is helpful, go to one that likes to stomp people for being human - may as well stay at home :)
ReplyDeleteHere are some comments I have received to a post I made at BlogCatalog.com.
ReplyDelete1. heartfelt and honest.
2. The layout is nice and simple. It is easy to read and i'm sure you will get alot of visitors and the visitors will be attracted to stay. Keep writing original and traffic will come original
3. I think it's good, whatever one believes or doesn't believe, to be around people who are warm and encouraging and full of a positive energy for life. If a church provides this kind of nourishing atmosphere, then it is certainly a worthwhile place to be.
4. Well-written and non-judgmental, which goes a LONG way in my mind. I personally believe 'church' is a meeting of any two or more people honestly examining their belief systems together. So church can be at a coffee house, over happy hour, while taking a walk, etc. Just my two cents.
BlogCatalog.com comments (cont)
ReplyDelete5. I read your two most recent articles. IMO both were well written, honest and may inspire those who are now or who wish to become followers of Jesus to remain true to his teachings as recounted in the New Testament writings. You have quite rightly pointed out that "the church" is either an organization, or institution nor is it a building - the church constituted by the followers of Jesus. I think that's a very important clarification for both unbelievers and believers alike to recognize. MO this is also an important statement you made because it rings with the truth: "You can be a Christian and not attend church. " In fact many Christians I know do live in the bush and rarely get opportunities when the weather is good enough for them to travel to meet and worship together.
6. Your blog is a matter of opinion. Pure speculation, nothing more nothing less. Blogs like this sometimes give Christianity a bad rap, by being "too preachy," "over zealous," and even "one sided." If you really want to encourage people, show them how church is a positive influence. Show them through your words, and not through your "worthless" opinion. And opinions, are worthless......, we don't know you. So therefore- why do you expect us to take your word for something. Get my meaning?
I don't like to sugar coat things. I can see how sincere you are, and I'm sure you would really like to do God's work here. Am I right? So I ask you Kansas man, you want the truth, or just smoke blown up your arse?
I'm going with the truth.
Hope this helps you in your quest.
7. I read your post and it comes over as well-intentioned. I have also visited your other blog a number of times and left several comments and you come over as genuine and sincere.
I don't go to a Christian-based Church and don't consider myself any sort of a devout Christian. I was raised a Catholic and never experienced one iota of real love or acceptance in their fancy churches. All I found were abusive priests and hypocritical people who attended church a lot but only cared about themselves.
However, I do have God in my life and do my best to live with dignity and to help others.
I am a recovered alcoholic and do a significant amount of unpaid work with still suffering alcoholics, including prison visiting, a shift on a helpline and one-to-one work in a womens refuge. I can be called out ar 3am in the morning, and I go. This is love in action and surely what Jesus Christ preached?.
My husband works as a volunteer street pastor in a nearby town on a Saturday night - offering help to young people who are drunk and vulnerable.
He goes into category A prisons as a secular chaplain and listens without judgement to prisoners.
I found God when I found a 12 step programme, I meet with others and we make a committment to go to any lengths to help those who still suffer, we accept responsibility.
I never saw any of this sort of love in action in Church. People need a square meal and a bed for the night before they need a bible.
So Larry, I would be interested to read more about how you put your Christian faith into action in your communities, what you do to help the disenfranchised, the disillusioned and the lost.
Smiles and blessings
8. Larry: Please do, and I shall keep visiting 'Real Men Rock' even though I am a woman, at least today I am not one that is swaying
I applaud your sentiment - a church is about a gathering of people with a shared set of values getting into action to offer help and love to those who feel they are unlovable.
Smiles and blessings.
BlogCatalog.com comments (cont)
ReplyDelete5. I read your two most recent articles. IMO both were well written, honest and may inspire those who are now or who wish to become followers of Jesus to remain true to his teachings as recounted in the New Testament writings. You have quite rightly pointed out that "the church" is either an organization, or institution nor is it a building - the church constituted by the followers of Jesus. I think that's a very important clarification for both unbelievers and believers alike to recognize. MO this is also an important statement you made because it rings with the truth: "You can be a Christian and not attend church. " In fact many Christians I know do live in the bush and rarely get opportunities when the weather is good enough for them to travel to meet and worship together.
6. Your blog is a matter of opinion. Pure speculation, nothing more nothing less. Blogs like this sometimes give Christianity a bad rap, by being "too preachy," "over zealous," and even "one sided." If you really want to encourage people, show them how church is a positive influence. Show them through your words, and not through your "worthless" opinion. And opinions, are worthless......, we don't know you. So therefore- why do you expect us to take your word for something. Get my meaning?
I don't like to sugar coat things. I can see how sincere you are, and I'm sure you would really like to do God's work here. Am I right? So I ask you Kansas man, you want the truth, or just smoke blown up your arse?
I'm going with the truth.
Hope this helps you in your quest.
7. I read your post and it comes over as well-intentioned. I have also visited your other blog a number of times and left several comments and you come over as genuine and sincere.
I don't go to a Christian-based Church and don't consider myself any sort of a devout Christian. I was raised a Catholic and never experienced one iota of real love or acceptance in their fancy churches. All I found were abusive priests and hypocritical people who attended church a lot but only cared about themselves.
However, I do have God in my life and do my best to live with dignity and to help others.
I am a recovered alcoholic and do a significant amount of unpaid work with still suffering alcoholics, including prison visiting, a shift on a helpline and one-to-one work in a womens refuge. I can be called out ar 3am in the morning, and I go. This is love in action and surely what Jesus Christ preached?.
My husband works as a volunteer street pastor in a nearby town on a Saturday night - offering help to young people who are drunk and vulnerable.
He goes into category A prisons as a secular chaplain and listens without judgement to prisoners.
I found God when I found a 12 step programme, I meet with others and we make a committment to go to any lengths to help those who still suffer, we accept responsibility.
I never saw any of this sort of love in action in Church. People need a square meal and a bed for the night before they need a bible.
So Larry, I would be interested to read more about how you put your Christian faith into action in your communities, what you do to help the disenfranchised, the disillusioned and the lost.
Smiles and blessings
5. I read your two most recent articles. IMO both were well written, honest and may inspire those who are now or who wish to become followers of Jesus to remain true to his teachings as recounted in the New Testament writings. You have quite rightly pointed out that "the church" is either an organization, or institution nor is it a building - the church constituted by the followers of Jesus. I think that's a very important clarification for both unbelievers and believers alike to recognize. MO this is also an important statement you made because it rings with the truth: "You can be a Christian and not attend church. " In fact many Christians I know do live in the bush and rarely get opportunities when the weather is good enough for them to travel to meet and worship together.
ReplyDelete6. Your blog is a matter of opinion. Pure speculation, nothing more nothing less. Blogs like this sometimes give Christianity a bad rap, by being "too preachy," "over zealous," and even "one sided." If you really want to encourage people, show them how church is a positive influence. Show them through your words, and not through your "worthless" opinion. And opinions, are worthless......, we don't know you. So therefore- why do you expect us to take your word for something. Get my meaning?
I don't like to sugar coat things. I can see how sincere you are, and I'm sure you would really like to do God's work here. Am I right? So I ask you Kansas man, you want the truth, or just smoke blown up your arse?
I'm going with the truth.
Hope this helps you in your quest.
7. I read your post and it comes over as well-intentioned. I have also visited your other blog a number of times and left several comments and you come over as genuine and sincere.
ReplyDeleteI don't go to a Christian-based Church and don't consider myself any sort of a devout Christian. I was raised a Catholic and never experienced one iota of real love or acceptance in their fancy churches. All I found were abusive priests and hypocritical people who attended church a lot but only cared about themselves.
However, I do have God in my life and do my best to live with dignity and to help others.
I am a recovered alcoholic and do a significant amount of unpaid work with still suffering alcoholics, including prison visiting, a shift on a helpline and one-to-one work in a womens refuge. I can be called out ar 3am in the morning, and I go. This is love in action and surely what Jesus Christ preached?.
My husband works as a volunteer street pastor in a nearby town on a Saturday night - offering help to young people who are drunk and vulnerable.
He goes into category A prisons as a secular chaplain and listens without judgement to prisoners.
I found God when I found a 12 step programme, I meet with others and we make a committment to go to any lengths to help those who still suffer, we accept responsibility.
I never saw any of this sort of love in action in Church. People need a square meal and a bed for the night before they need a bible.
So Larry, I would be interested to read more about how you put your Christian faith into action in your communities, what you do to help the disenfranchised, the disillusioned and the lost.
Smiles and blessings
8. Larry: Please do, and I shall keep visiting 'Real Men Rock' even though I am a woman, at least today I am not one that is swaying
ReplyDeleteI applaud your sentiment - a church is about a gathering of people with a shared set of values getting into action to offer help and love to those who feel they are unlovable.
Smiles and blessings.
Thanks for any comments you might have.
Not sure why all of those repeated.
ReplyDelete