I will say it this way, you do not reap a harvest from a barn, nor do you fish inside a building. We need a gathering place for training, fellowship, and celebration, but the work is in the field. That is our goal. The fields. For it is better to give than it is to receive. Thats right a dead sea. Does this make sense to you. SD Yeakle, this makes sense to me. If I ever pastored a church I would make at least a 10 mission trip a requirement to be a member.

Where a person leaves the comforts of home for that period and blesses people in another part of the world. What points were made? Thanks Thom for an very needed article to remind us of why we come to church and why we should. May our church use this on their website? I would also like to share it via overhead on Sunday if you will give us permission. Please give attribution as follows: Thom Rainer c Thanks Celia.

Hopefully that people will hear the Gospel preached that they need to be born again. I attended a few different churches growing up, and never heard anyone tell me I needed to be saved. John It's a game changer--get it free for a limited time! I liked it when you talked about how gratitude can help us reframe negative situations happening in our lives.

In my opinion, looking at situations with a grateful eye can help improve my quality of life! I enjoy focusing on good things and framing the negative in a good light much better than concentrating on negative things. And my mission is to find you practical solutions for everyday overwhelm.

Find out more about what we do HERE. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email. Ruth Soukup is dedicated to helping people everywhere create a life they love by follwing their dreams and achieving their biggest goals. Ruth Soukup. Latest posts by Ruth Soukup see all. If you love this resource, be sure to check out our digital library of helpful tools and resources for cleaning faster, taking control of your budget, organizing your schedule, and getting food on the table easier than ever before.

Previous Raspberry Jam Crumb Bars. Next When You Lose a Pet. Related Posts. Brad Erwin on October 16 at. There is multiplied strength in the combined faith of God's people, and it is clear that greater spiritual gains can be realized through corporate prayer and worship. This agrees with how God has historically blessed the union of His people in battle against their enemies. The fourth commandment of the law that God gave Moses was to set aside the seventh day of the week, Saturday, as a holy day to the Lord.

This was, and will always remain, the official Sabbath. However, after Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week, Sunday, the early Christians began meeting together on this day as well as with the Jewish community in the synagogues on the Sabbath. History indicates that due to the enmity of the orthodox Jews toward the Christian Jews in their midst, the Jewish Christians were eventually ostracized.

And although they were no longer bound to a rigid code of laws Gal. This day of Christian worship came to be called the Lord's Day Rev. Today, the Christian Jew or gentile, is free from the bondage of the old law. The indwelling of God's spirit has brought a new way for Christians to fulfill the desires of God through His love Gal.

However, the new covenant does not invalidate the relevance of the ten commandments as they pertained to God's wishes for His people. As much as it remains God's desire for man not to kill, steal or commit adultery, God is still very much pleased for believers to honor Him on a day reserved for Him, out of their love for Him and His people.

It is important to attend church for the following reasons: 1 It is an Expression of our Love for God Going to church is a visible, tangible expression of our love and worship toward God. Dale A. In some references to real persons, pseudonyms may have been used to preserve their privacy. You may download this article for personal use as long as you retain credit to the author. Look at the number of people going to hell and you will see the huge amount of work not being done.

Online services are not enough because you know too well people are too busy on Facebook and pornography to spare time. Anagkazo the Greek word to compel people from Luke should guide you. Your message here is opposite of this scripture. Repent and come back to True Christianity.

Rather it is if we have the right attitude then it will make more sense. Their ears are tickled by motivational speeches or political ones. They hardly are encourafged to open a Bible. Basically the churches have faield to teach the truth. They have failed the people. Whose fault is that? People should be taught by both explicit teaching and by example that the Bible is our spiritual authority; or other words every thing that is taught from the pulpit should be supported well with Bible passages backing up what they are teaching.

Every pastor should understand that though they may be teaching truth, that the hearer, if not checking out if it agrees with scripture is then going to listen to another speaker. And if that other speaker is more charismatic and appealing to listen to, they will be convinced by unbiblical messages.

The only way to get truth into peoples souls is to show them that your teaching comes straight from the Bible. Whatever happened to the 5 solas of the reformation? Well if I went to a church that accepted all the non-Biblical beliefs like so many churches do today it would be a waste of time.

Jesus was more compassionate than any other, but He also told those He healed to go and sin no more. A sin is a sin and He tells us without repentance of our sins we will not be forgiven. No one is perfect but the Bible is very clear on what is a sin and an abomination to God. The local Churches are doing anything to put people in pews and not preaching the basic foundation of the Christian church. God does promise riches, but not necessarily money. Jesus was misunderstood when He talked about His kingdom.

That Kingdom is not of this world. The preacher should talk about what sin is and how to overcome sins not condone sins. He should convict us and tell about the blood of Jesus redeeming sinners from their sins.

And The Bible should be taught not compromised. Your why we needed Jesus …. Try staying in your lane and just worry about you. On the other? Why does it always come down to hating on LGBT people? If I consistently committed adultery or was a habitual liar and the Church told me it was ok that would be just as shameful. There are absolutes in the Gospel and in the end God will judge each us on our actions of the heart. And how we believed in His Word and lived our lives. No one is good only God.

Know God deeply and stop relying on some few verses you have decided to accept in the Bible. I feel sorry for you that you have to come onto this site and display the kind of mentality that turned me away from Him back in the 80s. That being the hateful and excessively judgmental attitude the Religious Right had back in those days. Going to leave it at that and go back to walking my own route with Him now. That is all. The underground small home churches in China can teach us in USA a lesson.

Faith is a gift from God. I agree with you, My brother is a missionary to Myanmar. He started a Bible college there. He had to come back to the US. The persecuted believers know what it is to be a church together and in prayer and battle together. I am guilty of this and until we realize and accept this will we see progress.. The Church as you call it has made you weird…. I stopped going to church in for being burnt out when opportunity knocked having to move for a new job.

So I invited them in and just loved their coming over for lessons. I went to the LDS church, so I could have their missionaries come over. I enjoyed their visits more than church. I was having church at home with them. Experimentally speaking, church at home does work and is more engaging. The pre-existence, 3 heavens, the temple and priesthood stuff, well, I just kind of ignored it.

They certainly got the whole Christian living thing down and everyone takes turns giving talks. At the church level, no one is paid so everyone participates. I cut off the missionary visits here after a year and a half which is the only value-added thing with this church. There is nothing wrong with anyone there. I have no desire to go back to a regular church. If church were what it claims to be, Christians should definitely be in church!

But church, as practiced now, is merely an institution devoted to self-perpetuation and to assuring its middle-class, nuclear-family membership that it is doing the right thing. Greetings at the front door will be obviously forced; no one is going to ask him for his visitor contact information; no one will talk to him at the coffee hour!

This is so beautifully said. Notoriously anti-religion though the man was, the late great Lemmy Kilimister said it well in this verse:. A good little do bee, absolutely, but not so much a good person who tries to walk with Christ as best they can. Which church? Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, universalist Unitarian,Pentecostal? Do we pick a church that fits our own doctrine? It also seems the chirch goes in the direction of the pastor. By the way the Church in America will never be persecuted.

I believe the church in the U. S is nothing like the early church,it has turned into a self serving entity. Jesus said many times motive matters, so why do church do what they do and why to people go?. I would like to end this by saying I love Christ. I have surrendered my life and made him Lord but I believe the Church in the U. S is lost and corrupt.

I think every church in the U. Maybe we should go back to basics and stop spending billions on buildings,. I never had a honest walk with God until God called me out of the church…. I heard clearly his voice telling me to come out of her she is unclean and to warn others… that was in the spring go and I am forever grateful he did!!!!

Hi Nancy, I am a pastor and so should say all I can to tell people not to stop going to church, but I too was told to get out.

He gave similar reasons. What shocked me at the time was when He said that witchcraft was rife in the church and when I did more research, it seems correct. The signs are in essence nothing but manipulation, domination and control. Most people now seem to be church goers rather than being the church and taking Jesus with them everywhere. My ministry actually flourished when I left my denomination and changed direction.

It will be interesting to see how things unfold. Barna Research supports your assumptions. I certainly am one. My experiences have not been successful with such organizations. In avoiding the major churches e. My experience with the Anglican church has been less than successful. As a former senior officer of a multi-national corp and lecturer on post-grad studies I had hoped that I might have been able to contribute in a small way — and yes I do mean small. Definitely not intruding in any way.

I know that I am and my walk with our Lord continues. Best churches I have ever been a part of had no paid staff. You heard that right … even the preachers were not paid and everyone had outside jobs. You know what happens? Everyone steps up and uses their gifts to serve others in the church and the community.

In the Bible, it seems that only the missionaries had a right to payment for their work not local elders or pastors , and even Paul being a missionary tried to support himself. You would be amazed how free people are to serve and worship when they are working together rather than supporting salaries … and how free the teaching pastors are knowing that they are not expected to do everything. I have been to Christian churches from California to Colorado. And all I have ever really found was judgement and holier than thou comments from people and pastors of the church, it seems to me Christians know enough of the bible to spout what they think every one else should be doing except the fact we are not to judge ant to pull the log out of our eye before we point out the splinters in others.

And maybe I am judging but what makes a person that walked in the church 1 minute befor me think I am less blessed and must know less than they do about GOD, I dont just learn about Jesus christ or gods wishes at church I read I look at the world every where you look you can see gods good grace unless you are to busy looking for failings in your neighbors. There you go! Like that one guy who was trolling as violently as he was not too long ago, maybe? Calling us names, passing scalding judgment on us, and in general being a jerk?

No thank you. I would like to reply to basically everyone who commented. Generally speaking, I like what has been said. I am a pastor! Did I lose anyone? I closed the church because the Lord told me to do that. I grew up in a mainline historic church, but never knew God. When I met the Lord, it was like the way Paul met Him and I started attending a large denomination, planted I hate that word many churches and held other pastors in their ministries.

The denomination failed miserably and is fully of manipulation, domination and control, which is witchcraft. Everything they do and most of the others like them that I know of follow the mega church concepts. The senior pastor rules! They are told to find their ministry gift and move into it, but when anyone tries, are shut down. Many great comments say that we are the church and this is absolutely correct. Most times he was out there where the people are.

Unless I am mistaken He had little time for the organisation. Someone mentioned the churches in revelation. In Revelation , it seems that He was not inside the church but outside and knocking on the door seeking admission. One thing that I really dislike now about church is how it has become a social club. Dave mentioned money. Is is not to construct buildings, or to finance a man in a lavish lifestyle. I now teach just as Jesus did and reach into almost 30 nations around the world and have reached more than , people… for the Lord… without church…via the Internet and email.

My new site is nearing completion and I aim to reach 1 million by the end of the year. I encourage everyone to enter into a deep and personal intimacy of relationship with God at any time and in any place and to learn truth for themselves. I also tell people to always check the veracity of what anyone tells them, no matter who they are.

Acts is an example. Yes, I miss meetings in buildings, but the world is now my church and my own relationship with the Lord is better than ever. Perhaps the corona virus could be something to turn us back to the original pattern? For what is it worth. I get exactly what you mean, here. Pastors are not immune to corruption, and since you cited megachurches, the image of the Osteens always comes to mind for me.

But just how much is that man worth, and does he really need all the trappings? Thank you Christopher. I live in Australia and have often visited the US. I once considered applying for dual citizenship, opening a church on both countries, traveling between the two.

Whilst there is an element of truth in them, the personal relationship aspect with God is missed. When I was studying for my doctorate, the Lord told me to stop it and allow Him to do the teaching, just as He said the Holy Spirit would do in John. He chided the religious leaders who could tell if a comma or a semi-colon should be in a certain place but never really knew God.

Much of the church has become like that. This might start a reaction, but it is true. All one needs to to is look around. The Lord is not in many churches. We are the temples of the Holy Spirit and members of the Body of Christ world wide.

It is like the time Moses led the people in the wilderness and encountered toe poisonous snakes. God told him to make that brass serpent that the people gazed on is they were bitten. It worked…then…for that moment and they moved on. They eft the snakes behind and so the serpent was no longer required. The very thing God did once and never did again, or the tool He used for a specific task at a specific time only became an idol.

I could elaborate, but you get the picture. You can be all in with God and not all in with a church OR all in with a church and not all in with God. What really matters is that God is within you John Church is a very convenient place for many to play God with others and get away with it.

Paul the apostle was our last great human shepherd. After he died, we been on our own on a human level not spiritual level biting and snapping at one another like dogs fighting over a t bone steak. What we need are leaders with insight interested in all church instead of seminary school 90 day wonders only interested in their little world.

We need insight leaders not construction worker 90 day wonders. Thank you for this post. I have had on going concerns about this church, for the very reasons you have outlined. God still has used this church for good, but I feel torn and very dissapointed in someone who stood on the pulpit and lied saying he did not take anything from the church tithe. This is not even close to the first time I have been dissapponted by Christian leadership and it certainly will not be the last.

I am right there with you! I feel very torn… If you like Francis Chan, look into his last two books, Letters to the Church which outlines the downfalls of the modern American church, and Until Unity which speaks to how important the unity of believers is to God.

But what to do with both viewpoints? For me, it seems that home churches offer the best direction, but it is near impossible to find one at least where I live. I have also not met many people who desire a home church; they like the programs and full band worship found in the church buildings. What to do? My church is exactly that! No pastor, elder leadership not into their own power and a community that is committed to using their spiritual gifts to build up the church.

The energy can be felt when you walk in the door! I entered the church and sat there and all around me were persons and more persons. I looked at the back of the head that was before me but I could not fellowship with it for it was facing the one who commands the attention of everyone in the room.

All heads were upon him. That person who commanded our attention moved his lips and said some things and then we were dismissed.

My life moved on and on. Years have gone by. One day I took some moments to reflect on where I have been and where I am going and I came to the realization that the most significant choices and actions I have made came at my own bidding. I do believe that I have been led by the Lord to get to where I am. My wife. My children. My Job. My home and all else are blessings from the Lord. I also believe that the forces of darkness are bent on my destruction and I am therefore in battle more times then I would care.

It is my humble belief that we would do well if we could reinvent church. God gave us creative minds and we have invented some fantastic things yet we cant seem to get beyond the mundane existence that is church. Hello Rod, you are right. Churches are bad. Facing the individual at the pulpit is not good. It is rather idolatry.

I am currently in Ukraine and am looking for genuine believers to fellowship with. As of now, people are devoted to the individuals at the pulpit, so I cannot find anyone among true believers. Rod that is a very good point…. Self, we, I? Where is what God wants for us in this? Yes I said that, paganism. Everything the modern church is built on has roots that go back to that. The only way to see change in the church and the hearts of men is to remove the filters from our eyes that we have been raised up to see Gods word through and let the spirit of God lead us in truth and his will he has planned for us all along.

Really appreciate this article, thank you for writing this! To me, I think the big turn off from church is that the people there are living in major idolatry. They come to church in the name of worshiping God and instead they worship the experience, the community, their social status, the pastor, and on and on…this in turn leads to selfish ambitions in ministry and pomposity. None of this bad behavior is of Jesus and none of it has anything to do with Christianity. The business of church deserves judgement from Holy God, for doing all these things in His name.

Church leaders need to get over themselves and get right, and humble again. Praise God for Covid, we deserved the spanking. If there is a huge gathering — awesome but if not, the people gathered are no less in church than if they were in a building somewhere. This is a beautiful thing. God never specified the number more than three. I see competition for followers in the church marketplace. Until believers read the Word for themselves, they will never be free.

Hello, I have been a Methodist my entire life, and have been a happy blessed single for some time. Worth area, nearly refuse to support single adults. The church I call home admitted to me, while I was volunteering in a singles program, they have a list of approximately over a thousand names of singles, although they did not know exactly what to do with them, therefore they were hanging on to them until such a time proposed itself.

I was stunned, but after thinking, it was because the people running the program were all married and could not relate to the ministry they were trying to help.

The suggestions I made were quickly dismissed mainly because they did not fit in with the schedules of the married persons in charge of the program. Again stunned. I am middle age, and church has 2 programs young singles and divorce care, but that is the extent of their services.

Yet the church silently condemns bars, online dating, etc. As a Christian I am taught the church is for everyone. At this point I feel alone, I feel the church has abandoned me as a single woman. Although if you are a mom, or a family with 2.

Even to the point of bible studies. Multiple times offered during the day, multiple days during the week, which as a single woman I work and cannot attend those times. Ironically, it appears to an outsider that the reason for those times is because the church staff works during the day, although I could be wrong. In studying Paul, over the years it has been my understanding that he would have us to go to the people, where they are and not have the people come to us during work hours.

Can anyone provide any insight as to why churches are apparently obsessed with premade-families and not creating new Christian families? For far to long the corporate church buildings have taken the mantle away from the people in an effort to build co-dependency vs God — dependency. Although I believe Covid is a political stunt, God may be shutting down or testing organized religion through it. God is Truth John , John , John By this we can know the current administration is of lies counter to truth.

No Truth stressed … no offense made … pretty much a social club with no dependence on God. Five years ago we cut TV but kept internet for business reasons. We read the Bible and God spoke truth to us as he reveals it Matthew God will bring like minded Christians to your circle. God Bless you. Dear Laura, churches have replaced Christ. They dictate the will of the church rather than the will of Christ. You need to leave church leaders, pastors and priests. Follow Christ and worship God alone.

Nobody even hardly preaches the Bible anymore let alone believes it. Hardly anybody has discernment. If you find a church somewhere, let me know. Then it would appear that my assessment of the Church as an entity, these days, is correct? To recap; I strongly distrust the Church, and for me? Churches are preaching the word of man over the Word.