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RE: Acceptable Reasons to NOT Go to Church. - 11/2/2009 2:09:18 PM
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CoeurdeLeon
Posts: 5142
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Thanking God I no longer attend a church that worships Church Attendance.
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I will admit that the Lion is, in general, weird.
~Kerrlaw~
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RE: Acceptable Reasons to NOT Go to Church. - 11/2/2009 2:10:16 PM
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evry1needsgod
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Consecrated2God
Well, that really isn't a good comparison, since weddings and funerals are one-time events in a person's life, and since God is omni-present. You don't have to go anywhere to "pay your respect" to God.
I think it is a fine comparison, C2G. The knowledge that you may obtain in a single service will change your life and affect your eternity. A single decision made after hearing the Holy Spirit preach through the preacher is a decision that will affect you eternally.
Going to a funeral to say bye to someone who's already dead will accomplish nothing. So although funerals and marriages are one time events, they are events that will not affect you and that you will not care about millions of years into eternity.
Now obviously funerals and marriages are often known to be great opportunities to share the Gospel. But my point still makes sense in that people will go to great lengths to say goodbye to a dead person, but will make every excuse to not have to worship God and fellowship with believers--obtaining much needed eternal merit. I guess I just value church much higher than a marriage or a funeral.
_____________________________
"Believers are saved from their sin, not merely in their sinning!"--drmark
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RE: Acceptable Reasons to NOT Go to Church. - 11/2/2009 2:12:19 PM
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Consecrated2God
Posts: 5209
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quote:
ORIGINAL: CoeurdeLeon
Thanking God I no longer attend a church that worships Church Attendance.
There is so much more to spiritual growth than how many times you attend church. Some of the people I know who are there every times the doors are open exhibit very little spiritual fruit.
_____________________________
"A faith that can be destroyed by suffering is not faith."--Richard Wurmbrand
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RE: Acceptable Reasons to NOT Go to Church. - 11/2/2009 2:14:10 PM
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evry1needsgod
Posts: 2123
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quote:
ORIGINAL: CoeurdeLeon
Thanking God I no longer attend a church that worships Church Attendance.
I'm thanking God that I do not attend a church where the pastor and church family cares less why someone's not in church.
My pastor will actually call those who have been missing to check up on them and make sure that everything is ok, offering himself to be of any help if necessary. Sometimes it's just been that their vehicle has broken down and they have no way to come to church. So a deacon will take the church van to go pick them up, and had my pastor not called, no one would have known.
_____________________________
"Believers are saved from their sin, not merely in their sinning!"--drmark
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RE: Acceptable Reasons to NOT Go to Church. - 11/2/2009 2:14:20 PM
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CoeurdeLeon
Posts: 5142
Joined: 12/30/2007
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Consecrated2God
quote:
ORIGINAL: CoeurdeLeon
Thanking God I no longer attend a church that worships Church Attendance.
There is so much more to spiritual growth than how many times you attend church. Some of the people I know who are there every times the doors are open exhibit very little spiritual fruit.
I couldn't agree with you more.
_____________________________
I will admit that the Lion is, in general, weird.
~Kerrlaw~
People of Character
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RE: Acceptable Reasons to NOT Go to Church. - 11/2/2009 2:17:30 PM
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Consecrated2God
Posts: 5209
Joined: 4/4/2005
From: Formerly Jesus Land
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quote:
ORIGINAL: evry1needsgod
quote:
ORIGINAL: CoeurdeLeon
Thanking God I no longer attend a church that worships Church Attendance.
I'm thanking God that I do not attend a church where the pastor and church family cares less why someone's not in church.
My pastor will actually call those who have been missing to check up on them and make sure that everything is ok, offering himself to be of any help if necessary. Sometimes it's just been that their vehicle has broken down and they have no way to come to church. So a deacon will take the church van to go pick them up, and had my pastor not called, no one would have known.
As a pastor's wife, we care very much. We like to know what's going on in people's lives. Not so we can hound them because they weren't in church, but so we can pray for them and love them and reach out to them. We're actually starting a home bible study soon specifically for some friends we have that are out of church because it's less intimidating to them than the traditional church setting. We're not going to pressure them into coming on Sundays--if they want to come, great, but the important thing is that they get together with believers and study the Word together.
_____________________________
"A faith that can be destroyed by suffering is not faith."--Richard Wurmbrand
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RE: Acceptable Reasons to NOT Go to Church. - 11/2/2009 2:22:41 PM
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Eutychus
Posts: 7015
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From: Dothan, AL
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quote:
ORIGINAL: evry1needsgod
...The knowledge that you may obtain in a single service will change your life and affect your eternity. A single decision made after hearing the Holy Spirit preach through the preacher is a decision that will affect you eternally.
Quite honestly, I've had deeper and more meaningful messages from the Holy Spirit studying scripture alone than from sermons in the 42 years I've been saved. I probably can't think of more than a few profound sermons during that time. The one period that sermons did affect me deeply was just after my family and I had suffered serious spiritual injury at the hands of another church. Those, I knew, were from God's heart to mine.
However, I have made many true friends, shared heartaches and joys, and have been involved with numerous ministries to others through various aspects of church. That 45 minutes to an hour of listening to one man preach has had much, much less impact on me than serving with and for other members and those outside the walls of any church.
_____________________________
Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." -John 6:29
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RE: Acceptable Reasons to NOT Go to Church. - 11/2/2009 2:53:16 PM
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doinkdom
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What are some of the reasons that someone might not go to church?
Sickness...whatever reasons anyone would give for something they just don't wanna do...
What do you say to/think about a Christian who is a regular attender, but has been missing the last several weeks/months?
I would tell them we missed them and that they are of great value to the Body of Christ.
What do you say to/think about Christians who don't attend church at all?
there is no biblical support for this and I'm not talking about a building - I'm talking about gathering with a body of believers.
What do you say to/think about Christians who are sporadic in their church attendance?
I'd ask them why and try to figure that out together
_____________________________
"Well in my experience if something seems too good to be true
it's best to shoot it just in case."
~Fi
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RE: Acceptable Reasons to NOT Go to Church. - 11/2/2009 2:55:13 PM
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frankman
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Now here`s a direct quote from my Pastor that he gave a few Sundays ago for not going to church. "If any of you have a cough or feel the flue coming on please stay home. We have so many small children in our church and we don`t want any of them to catch the H1N1 decease."
So if your sick, stay home. Beyond that we are to attend church as an act of obedience to our Lord`s command in Heb.10:25. "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Your Pastor needs you in church. Your friends need you there. You need yourself there as an act of obedience to your Lord and as a testimony to your community as to how much you love your church family despite our many differences.
_____________________________
"Is not My word like fire,` declares the LORD, `and like a hammer that breaks a rock in peaces?" Jeremiah 23:29
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RE: Acceptable Reasons to NOT Go to Church. - 11/2/2009 3:07:16 PM
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DeliveredDarling
Posts: 1541
Joined: 8/30/2007
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quote:
I haven't seen this mentioned yet . . . what about not being able to attend church a particular Sunday (or Saturday) because of work obligations? Acceptable, unacceptable, or depends on the situation?
Hbr 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;
Hbr 10:24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
Hbr 10:25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging {one another;} and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
See the bold? I don't think it is talking about the church building as much as it is talking about the church body.
He is telling us not to isolate our selves from believer's or we will be scattered. We need to be with other believer's because it edifies the body, it encourages others, it fosters training in the word. It is good for us to assemble.
An idle mind is the devil's playground.
_____________________________
"Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed: but he puts it on a lampstand, in order that those who come in may see the light."
Luke 8:16
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RE: Acceptable Reasons to NOT Go to Church. - 11/2/2009 3:14:06 PM
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CoeurdeLeon
Posts: 5142
Joined: 12/30/2007
From: Inside my head
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Eutychus
quote:
ORIGINAL: evry1needsgod
...The knowledge that you may obtain in a single service will change your life and affect your eternity. A single decision made after hearing the Holy Spirit preach through the preacher is a decision that will affect you eternally.
Quite honestly, I've had deeper and more meaningful messages from the Holy Spirit studying scripture alone than from sermons in the 42 years I've been saved. I probably can't think of more than a few profound sermons during that time. The one period that sermons did affect me deeply was just after my family and I had suffered serious spiritual injury at the hands of another church. Those, I knew, were from God's heart to mine.
However, I have made many true friends, shared heartaches and joys, and have been involved with numerous ministries to others through various aspects of church. That 45 minutes to an hour of listening to one man preach has had much, much less impact on me than serving with and for other members and those outside the walls of any church.
Amen. I LOVE being with other believers but may God protect me from church people.
_____________________________
I will admit that the Lion is, in general, weird.
~Kerrlaw~
People of Character
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RE: Acceptable Reasons to NOT Go to Church. - 11/2/2009 3:21:59 PM
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DeliveredDarling
Posts: 1541
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quote:
Amen. I LOVE being with other believers but may God protect me from church people.
I mean no offense by this but it sounds like not going to church is somehow so much more spiritual than going to church.
_____________________________
"Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed: but he puts it on a lampstand, in order that those who come in may see the light."
Luke 8:16
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RE: Acceptable Reasons to NOT Go to Church. - 11/2/2009 4:07:18 PM
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DeliveredDarling
Posts: 1541
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Doink, you said:
quote:
We host a house church and we address this almost every week with new people. This is not an "us" versus "them" situation.
Legacy churches can be used to the glory of God and to assume that they are all full of pharisees is a stretch.
Home churches can be used to the glory of God and to assume they they are all full of bad doctrine and cultish behavior is also a stretch.
The bible states simply that we are to gather in fellowship...period. Figure out what that looks like for you and your family is the only conviction.
For those who feel they do not need to do fellowship or anything as a partaker in the body, I would encourage them to refer back to scripture to find support for that belief.
WE, as in every person here....is part of the universal body of Christ. Why do get so riled up about such simply matters as this?
I said this a few posts up:
quote:
Hbr 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;
Hbr 10:24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
Hbr 10:25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging {one another;} and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
See the bold? I don't think it is talking about the church building as much as it is talking about the church body.
He is telling us not to isolate our selves from believer's or we will be scattered. We need to be with other believer's because it edifies the body, it encourages others, it fosters training in the word. It is good for us to assemble.
Whose getting riled up? I personally don't believe that one has to attend a building. Like I said, fellow shipping with other believer's can be church too.
It's the lack of fellow shipping that harms believer's.
_____________________________
"Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed: but he puts it on a lampstand, in order that those who come in may see the light."
Luke 8:16
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RE: Acceptable Reasons to NOT Go to Church. - 11/2/2009 4:27:22 PM
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doinkdom
Posts: 6131
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From: The higher lowcountry
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sorry DD...was not directing all that to just you.
I think I said "universal body" so I was using your post as a springboard for mine and also to support what you already stated.
_____________________________
"Well in my experience if something seems too good to be true
it's best to shoot it just in case."
~Fi
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RE: Acceptable Reasons to NOT Go to Church. - 11/2/2009 4:32:04 PM
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rcjames
Posts: 7766
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From: Oklahoma
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I have been reading this thread with great interest and have been considering the "Reasons" that folks skip our Church services from time to time.
Number one reason this time of year is deer hunting.
With the State playoffs coming up in highschool football, that will keep some on the road.
I strongly encourage my families to take a "Family Day" on occason, and the only day available for most is Sunday. So they take the family and spend the day hiking, camping, fishing, going to a museum or whatever.
Most come to Church when they are sick, so the Elders can anoint them with oil and the whole congregation pray for them. The ones too ill to make it call and the Elders and whoever else go to thier home to pray for them.
As for what keeps me from Church; one sunday a year in the spring, I fish in the Champion Big Bass tournament on Lake Fork Texas. I fish other touneys, but only on friday and saturday,
My relationship is such with the congregants that if someone starts thinking about going somewhere else that they don't start doing the "Skipping" routine. They come and talk, and if they are serious; I help them to find a Church that would better meet thier needs and/or expectations.
Our Church then throws a social (covered dish dinner) for the family to wish them well, and to extend our love to them. (Anything for scratch buscuits, sausage gravy, and fried chicken  )
Thanks
RC
edited for spelling
< Message edited by rcjames -- 11/2/2009 4:40:01 PM >
_____________________________
Just a country Preacher's humble opinion
Read the first chapter of my latest book here;
http://www.deliveranceofsara.com
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RE: Acceptable Reasons to NOT Go to Church. - 11/2/2009 4:43:25 PM
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DeliveredDarling
Posts: 1541
Joined: 8/30/2007
Status: offline
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quote:
I have been reading this thread with great interest and have been considering the "Reasons" that folks skip our Church services from time to time.
Number one reason this time of year is deer hunting.
With the State playoffs coming up in highschool football, that will keep some on the road.
I strongly encourage my families to take a "Family Day" on occason, and the only day available for most is Sunday. So they take the family and spend the day hiking, camping, fishing, going to a museum or whatever.
Most come to Church when they are sick, so the Elders can anoint them with oil and the whole congregation pray for them. The ones too ill to make it call and the Elders and whoever else go to thier home to pray for them.
As for what keeps me from Church; one sunday a year in the spring, I fish in the Champion Big Bass tournament on Lake Fork Texas. I fish other touneys, but only on friday and saturday,
My relationship is such with the congregants that if someone starts thinking about going somewhere else that they don't start doing the "Skipping" routine. They come and talk, and if they are serious; I help them to find a Church that would better meet thier needs and/or expectations.
Our Church then throws a social (covered dish dinner) for the family to wish them well, and to extend our love to them. (Anything for scratch buscuits, sausage gravy, and fried chicken )
Thanks
RC
Now that is just cool! 
_____________________________
"Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed: but he puts it on a lampstand, in order that those who come in may see the light."
Luke 8:16
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