No service on Easter Sunday

Mike,

I definitely agree. I've been known to sleep in a time or two (when one of the kids has had a bad night, etc...). One thing I have noticed is that I always feel like I've missed out by deciding to stay home. Probably because I
have missed out!!

 

JustasIam,

Me too. I'm blessed when I go to church. Its always so refreshing the week after I miss for some reason!

Let me share something here that probably will fit with the way this thread is going. This is something I heard someone on the radio share a long time ago. I didnt agree with everything this brother would teach, but I thought this was very good.

The teacher on this program was relating something that happened to him years earlier at a church that he had long since left.(and I would probably leave it, too)

As best as I can recall, this is what happened.(this was about 20 years ago)...

He said he was one of the bible study teachers at this church. He said he now recognises it as being a very legalistic church. He said he told his class he was not going to be there the next week to teach, because someone he worked with had invited him to a Dallas Cowboys football game, to sit with him in one of the luxery boxes at the 50 yard line. He would not be at church that Sunday morning, but he had arranged for someone else to teach that sunday. He said that after that several people starting acting cold towards him.

So, he went to the game, and 2 weeks later people were still acting weird around him. Someone said "I dont know how you can go to a football game when you should be here being about the Lords work!"

He said that he told the person "Well, I'm here like clockwork every week 99% of the time, but this time I missed. I dont know what the problem is, but since its come up, let me tell you how the game went...."

He then proceeded to tell them that they were enjoying the game, up until about the middle of the 2nd quarter. About that time his friend looked at him and said, "You know Bob, I know you are a christian because you mention "Jesus" from time to time. I've been thinking about some things for a long time now, and...could I ask you a few questions?" The brother than shared that they didnt pay any attention to the rest of the game because he spent the next 2 hours sharing his testimony of how Christ had changed his life, and answering this mans questions about God and salvation.

There came a time when he asked this man if he wanted to know Christ the way he did, and the man said, with tears welling up, "Yes. I do. I do want that" And they prayed right there in the luxery box, and the man was born again. He said that now(as he was sharing this on the radio) that man, and his entire family, had all been born again, water baptised, and were living fruitfull christian lives, and were part of a good church.

All as a result of him not going to church on sunday, but rather going to a football game, instead of "being about the Lords work!"

I'd say it was God that wanted him at that football game, and that the brother was, without question, "being about the Lords work" that day.

God bless,

Mike

 

This thread has been sitting for a couple days, but in case anyone is still interested, here is something I came across that seems to fit here.

Might be some good food for thought...
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Churchianity Today
by Chip Brogden

We must always be sure to distinguish between the Lord's invisible, universal, spiritual Church (the Ecclesia) and the non-profit religious organization that meets in a building with a steeple on top. The difference is incalculable, and we dare not make the mistake of confusing the two.

Please understand that we do not question the right of any religious group to peaceably assemble together, elect their leaders, receive monies, have membership requirements, and govern themselves in the manner they see fit - as long as we realize that such a right is a civil right and is neither inalienable, Scriptural, or mandated by God Himself. That doesn't make it wrong, but neither does it make it spiritual.

The Ecclesia is not an organization or invention of man, but an organism filled with the Life, and whether we worship "in Jerusalem or in this mountain" is not as important to God as whether or not we worship Him "in Spirit and in Truth."
So where is the distinction? What makes it an issue? It becomes an issue when spiritual or Scriptural significance is erroneously attached to a mere social contrivance, cultural norm, religious tradition, organizational structure, or place of meeting. When the waters are muddied and the lines are blurred between the social expectation, tradition, or custom of the religious organization and the true spiritual life and essence of the Ecclesia or the individual believer then such a system has the potential to evolve into a dangerous form of spiritual abuse or religious elitism.

What is Babylon? It is the marriage of church and state, religion and government; or to be more direct, it is allowing the leaven of the world to spread via Organized Religion and Institutional Christianity. As an example, consider how pastoring a church has become more of a profession than a calling, and how church government has digressed from a theocratic, Spirit-led consensus to a "Spirit-led" democracy, or worse, a "Spirit-led" benevolent dictatorship of a single pastor or a church board. This is the result of the spirit of Babylon.

Whereas the True Church is to be "in the world, but not of the world", Babylon is that which is both in the world and of the world - it is by, for, and of the worldly system, yet it retains the outward appearances of godliness and spirituality. It is a synthesis of God and man, taking the best that each has to offer and fashioning a golden calf with it.
Babylon is always antithetical to Christ. It is anti-Christ. Babylon is represented as a religious whore riding on top of a beast which kills the prophets and saints of God. Perhaps we have missed the point by personifying the Antichrist as a Hitler-type world leader bent on global domination. Antichrist is the religious antithesis of Jesus Christ which flows from Babylon AS Jesus Christ. It is not coming, it is already here, and has been here from the beginning. Perhaps denominationalism is the real mark of the beast. If so, it is no wonder that so many are willing to accept it.

THE TRUE COST OF CHURCH MEMBERSHIP

Usually when you join an organization it's because the price you pay for membership is justified by the benefits of belonging. For example, it costs a great deal of money to join a country club. The benefits are prestige, use of the facilities, social interaction, and networking with successful people. Or, in the case of a professional association, your membership gives you name recognition, credibility, current information affecting your field of expertise, social interaction, and networking with your peers.

How does the organization benefit? They get to charge and collect dues from their membership in order to pay for staff, executive officers, facilities, marketing, expanding their membership base, and other projects. So their motivation is primarily financial.

Now let's look at Organized Religion.

How does the church gain from your membership? They stand to benefit in at lease five major ways. What are they after? Mostly financial support, followed by leadership support, doctrinal support, attendance support, and volunteer support. Let's look at these individually:

- Financial support means they have the right to expect their members to make donations in the form of tithes, offerings, love gifts, fundraisers, pledges, building funds, and the like.

- Leadership support means they have the right to expect their members to agree with the stated mission of the church and the pastor.

- Doctrinal support means they have the right to expect their members to adhere to the stated spiritual philosophy and teachings of the church and/or denomination.

- Attendance support means they have a right to expect their members to be present at a majority of services and functions (perhaps you've heard the expression, "Visitors welcome, members expected").

- Volunteer support means they have a right to expect their members to donate their time and volunteer as nursery workers, Sunday school teachers, bus drivers, or whatever is needed.

In addition, the church enjoys a greater control over its membership by meting out discipline when someone goes astray in one or more of the above areas. This typically plays out in sanctions against the offending member resulting in the loss of a leadership position or voting rights.
Whether or not these expectations are realistic, fair, or Scripturally justified is beside the point. The point is, THIS is what you are buying into when you decide to join a church. These are the standard expectations and conditions of membership in a typical church.

They are not necessarily unreasonable when considered from a business perspective - if you don't pay your dues to the country club you don't get to use the golf course.

But to determine if church membership is for you, you have to do the other side of the cost-to-benefit analysis. The benefits to the church are many, but what's in it for the member? Basically, the church member gets a vote in major decisions like picking a pastor, a say-so in some financial matters, and the privilege of being in leadership (Sunday school teacher, worship leader, etc.) if you have a penchant for such a thing.

Remember at the beginning of this article I wrote that you join an organization because the price you pay for membership is justified by the benefits of belonging. Take into account the amount of time, money, and cooperation expected from church members, and the tremendous amount of individual control that is relinquished to church leadership. Then consider what you get in exchange - a small part in the political process of church government.
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I dont know the 1st thing about this ministry, but here is the link...

www.watchman.net/articles/churchianity.html

God bless,

Mike

 

Mike,
Thanks for two great posts! Thinking outside the traditional "box" has gotten me in trouble more than once! I respect my pastor, but I follow Christ.

 

JustasIam,

I know what you mean. Me too.

I just thought that article was interesting, in light of what has been discussed here. Having read the entire article, rather then just the part I posted, I hope no one thinks I am against being a part of "organised religion". I am actively involved in the life and ministry of a fellowship.(We are independant, but I have been a part of denominational fellowships as well)

I would never suggest that it is wrong to be involved with a church, or that everyone should be a "lone ranger" christian. God is so clear that we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves togehter" on a regular basis.

I was just blessed by the emphasis in that article on keeping at the forefront of our thinking what really is "the church", and how easilly something that seems very good can take the place of the real thing.

God bless,

Mike