Why Do We Go To Church...???

Yeah.. what Annsni said... (except the "My husband is a pastor" bit)... LOL...

I'm NOT that kinda Baptist!!!!!!!!

 

:thumbs::thumbs: to Ann's post.

 

I feel God has given me the desire to be in church. I love to go to church and meet and be with like minded brothers and sisters in Christ. I love to hear the word preached and see people encouraged and edified in the Lord. I love to learn about our faith and share what I've learned with others. Also I want to honor God and worship Him. This I should listed first.:godisgood:

 

I love church!

I miss preaching and singing in English, though.

 

Reminds me of a joke:

Mother wakes her son up one Sunday morning telling him, "Honey it's time to get ready for church." The son replies, "I'm not going to church today!" To which the mother responds, "Son you go to church every Sunday, why don't you want to go today?" "The people are mean, the music is lousy and everyone there hates me!" replied the son. The mother more sternly this time states, "Son you have to go to church!" The son replies even more sternly, "Give me one good reason why I should get out of this bed and go to church!" The mother yells, "Because you are 47 years old! And you're the pastor!"

 

I have that conversation with my 'self' some Sundays!:laugh:

 

Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together....

 

I go out of desire, dedication and determination. Sometimes I go out of duty alone.

There are times I haven't gone: once because a preacher made a direct quote of Jeremiah Wright from the pulpit ( visiting pastor) and came back again for a special meeting. I have also stayed away when I knew a discipline issue was going to be dealt with and I didn't want my family in the middle of the "garbage".

You might rake me across the coals for not being there to support the local assembly, but I think as the priest over my own home I have the right to excercise soul liberty and to protect my family from something that might cause bitterness or corruption.

yes, Hebrews 10:25, but not if my family might be at stake. In fact the is a portion of that verse that tells me to avoid hurtful situations because when some one fits into the two areas above there is no building up.

Once a deacon had an illicit affair and was brought before the church only to have everyone hug his neck telling him they loved him. He seemed real apologetic admitting his wrong, but he's still in that wrong today. My kids and his were very close. They learned to stay with the Lord, but his kids are way out there in the world today. The mom had an affair to get back at her husband. She still acts all religious and thinks she's done no wrong. We've sat our kids down and had some real long talks with tears rolling from all our eyes.

I've seen the hurt and they were probably too young to understand. I will not expose them to anything like that again. In fact a 19 yr. old girl was involved who also had relations with this deacon. When it came time to "deal" with her sin, we got up and walked out. She is now very bitter at the church yet she and I still are able to "talk" when I see her at the restaurant she works at.

She saw us walk out and wanted to know why so I told her. If she starts to talk down the church I remind her I am a member there and we can talk about it, but not if she is going to talk down.

I have seen this girl grow a little since then and my duty is to restore her, to reconcile her into fellowship. I can't do it alone, but I do know the Lord has helped me be a help to her.

Before anyone even begins to start, I know my limitations. Our conversations are within public view and she knows my wife and I are very happily married.

 

At the heart of the renewal we're experience as new creatures is community.

Simply consider the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper in the historical contexts.

 

Many hands make light work.

Church as we have it today is a convenience. One place to gather means no one has to open their home to people they potentially don't know (as the early Church did). It means the ladies don't have to spend their lives cleaning up for a service or cleaning again after. It means no one has to cook for a potluck more than once a week or month (or not at all in my church, we have kitchen staff to prepare our Wednesday evening meal).

It means we can fullfill the call to fellowship without missing a beat in our daily lives.

It provides a common base for "Go ye" activities.

It serves as a place of learning much as the Jewish temples provided.

Do we have a duty to attend church?

Well, Ann does. Her dh is a pastor. And a few others here have chosen to worship in the same manner. But I believe we all get to choose our method of fellowship. For me, sometimes that means participating in corporate worship and other times it means fellowshipping at home with my sick children. After all, the scriptures say, "where two or three are gathered there will I be".

 

All the people I ever hear saying this are the very ones that stand around and fellowship while everyone else does the work.:smilewinkgrin:

 

"Sacraments"?

 

You really need to quit assuming things about folk. Even when I don't go to the church (am I supposed to leave very sick children to fend for themselves?) to worship, I am the one that is called when something needs done that is within my gifts. I work with children, sing in the choir and repair many of the textile that a church utilizes, not to mention helping with costumes for dramas that are put on throughout the church. Don't talk to me about standing around. I don't have time to stand around.

You sir are simply rude and have no basis for your response. You just don't like it, because it doesn't fit with your view of why we do things.

 

I think he was trying to be funny. But then again...

 

1. Because they will hunt me down like a dog if I don't show up.
2. Because I love the teaching and preaching of God's word.
3. Because I love to fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ.
4. Because I love to worship God.
5. Because I want to set an example for my kids and be a Godly husband and father.
6. Because I'm the only one who knows how to work the coffee machine.
7. Because it gives me an opportunity to use my gifts to edify my brothers and sisters in the church, build up the church, and glorify God.
8. Because it gives me an opportunity to be edified by my brothers and sisters in Christ and to be encouraged by them.
9. Because I just like church. The preaching, the worship, the teaching, the fellowship, etc. We missed two Sundays in a row, plus a Wednesday night, due to inclement weather and that was the longest two weeks of my life.

 

I like how you put #6 and #7 together. :laugh:

 

I didn't say this about YOU!

Why are you so touchy?

I said the only people I ever HEAR. You, I haven't
"heard", I've only read. My statement was a general one and you take it personally.

 

Always creating suspicion.:tongue3: