If you missed any posts in this series,
you can read perspective 1 (the purpose of gathering together) here,
perspective 3 (who we are, not what we do) here,
perspective 4 (accountability before God) here,
and perspective 5 (servant leadership) here.
"Going to church" is largely viewed as what Christians "do."
In fact, a recent article shared 5 Spiritual Dangers of Skipping Church. According to this article, Christians who skip or do not attend a "church"
- "Miss out on God's primary design for your spiritual growth and well being"
- "Disobey God"
- "Make a statement to the world that God is not worthy of worship"
- "Can't minister to anyone"
- "Skip out on a foretaste of heaven"
Wow. Those are some pretty bold claims-- especially when these claims are only supported by three scriptures in the entire article. I could go point-by-point discussing with Biblical evidence each one.
"Going to church" is largely viewed as what Christians "do."
In fact, a recent article shared 5 Spiritual Dangers of Skipping Church. According to this article, Christians who skip or do not attend a "church"
- "Miss out on God's primary design for your spiritual growth and well being"
- "Disobey God"
- "Make a statement to the world that God is not worthy of worship"
- "Can't minister to anyone"
- "Skip out on a foretaste of heaven"
Wow. Those are some pretty bold claims-- especially when these claims are only supported by three scriptures in the entire article. I could go point-by-point discussing with Biblical evidence each one.
I will not do that, however. The point is not to prove or disprove someone's theology. The point is to have the faith of Christ (Galations 2:20), and to cling to His doctrine (Romans 6:17, 16:17, Ephesians 4:14)! My prayer is, "Show me Your ways, O Lord! Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth, and teach me because YOU are the God of my salvation" (Psalm 25:4-5). As Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 2:2, "I am determined to know nothing- save Christ and Him crucified." We can only stand on the rock of Jesus.
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2. The Church as a People
Do you know the message Stephen was preaching just before he was martyred? Stephen was martyred because He preached that "the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands" (Acts 7:48). The people became angry because Stephen rebuked them for resisting the Holy Ghost; that is, the people resisted the Lord dwelling in THEM (Acts 7:51). They resisted BEING the Church.
1 Corinthians 12 explicitly says in verse 27, "Now YOU are the body of Christ, and members in particular." A body has many parts, or members, such as ears, limbs, organs, and so on. The body of Christ is likewise; all who have a relationship with the Lord are members in the body of Christ.
The connection between the body and the church can be found in Ephesians 2:22-23 which states "the church, which is His body."
Many Christians choose to gather together in a building, which is not inherently "wrong." The problem occurs when this building becomes known as the "church." Common terminology becomes "Do you go to church? Yes, I go to church. How was church today? What did you do at church? At church, I...."
The church becomes something we do, a place we go-- and the focus of BEING the church is lost. A particular building is not the only place we can hear the Word, discuss the Word, minister to others or work for the Lord.
I will share more on this topic in tomorrow's post on perspective 3: "Who We are, Not What We Do."
I will share more on this topic in tomorrow's post on perspective 3: "Who We are, Not What We Do."
God bless you and keep you,
~Raquel
~Raquel
Wonderful words....we ARE Christ's Body...His precious bride that He paid an enormous price to redeem. Whether we are sitting in a building or doing life on a daily basis, we are to BE His church. My husband and I were led down a very radical path, as God led us away from "organized religion". It can sometimes be a very lonely place, but God is there! Oh, praise His name, He never fails! Again, it was so nice to meet you today. I just subscribed to your blog. :)
ReplyDeleteI completely understand that "very lonely place." Thankfully, I have my husband and a few friends that are likeminded with us. And, exactly as you say, God is there!
DeleteThank you for subscribing. :-) I am hopping over to your blog now.
Have a wonderful day!
~Raquel
Many people don't want to hear anything about the fact that the church is each of us individually, as we collectively make up the body of Christ. For so long, it has been understood that a building is the church, when all the building serves is as a place for people to gather. Perfect scripture to use with Stephen preaching his last sermon, and how mad it made everyone and cost him his life. Thank you for writing words of truth! I'm glad that Cheryl found you through my blog :)
ReplyDeleteRight. I think the place people decide to gather together is an insignificant point. When that place is esteemed as the Church, though, then we start to get skewed perspectives.
DeleteActually, I recently told someone that we are the church, the body of Christ, and they told me they completely disagreed with me. This person "goes to church." It's very sad... I want to be apart of Christ's bride. It doesn't make a difference where I gather with other believers, how we have a "service," or what we call ourselves. The way we "do" things can change from one day to the next, but I HAVE to have a relationship with Christ.
~Raquel