I Dont Go to Church

I used to attend church quite regularly when I was younger. It was a place where I found the peace and harmony that I needed at the time. Unfortunately, now it doesn't appeal to me as much as it used to. My heart is still with God but in a different capacity. My journey is more spiritually based and that suits my needs too

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WildHeart · 41-45, F

I don't go to church because I am unable to, I wish I could freely do as I please. Still I find the time to pray and read my bible.

SW-User

@WiseGirl: Me too, that is like my road map :)

Blessedsoul81 · 41-45, C

@WiseGirl: You are very wise indeed! :)

Blessedsoul81 · 41-45, C

@Dreammmer: I am certainly NOT encouraging SIN in any way! Do you believe we live under God's grace as we are instructed in the New Testament? The laws of the Old Testament were impossible to achieve, so God sent Jesus as a sacrificial lamb to die for our sins,not just some sins, but ALL sins!! It is not my opinion I speak of, but scripture. In Revelation, not ONE of the 7 churches got it 100% right! We are all doing the best we can to spread the good news about God's love, because Jesus DID die for our sins! ALL sins, not just some sins!! Does scripture teach us that God has given us every possible answer? He did speak in parrables, but IF we know ALL the answers, then where does faith come in? What is the definition of faith? It is the complete trust or confidence in someone or something. Religious faith, however, is believing in God based on spiritual apprehension rather than total proof! Think about what Jesus told Thomas; John 20:29 "Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed." As a minister of 20 years, I know you know your Bible, but do you truly love the people for whom you preach? Do you understand that people DO fail at times, as no other than Jesus Christ whom has walked the earth is perfect but He! We are to encourage the sinner that God loves them even though they sin. But perhaps you preach hell, fire and damnation to scare people into obedience? Do you preach at a church that also issues sanctions against the sinner in your congregation? If so, then WHY did Jesus die? WHY did He suffer SO much? Apparently you think Jesus' suffering and dying was not enoug! The sinner must be punished MORE!! Really? Does the Bible teach that or is it man's interpretation? Whether you want to admit it or not, you have opinions, MAN'S opinions, about religion and what is and is not acceptable! Ask yourself, what would Jesus do if someone in your congregation sinned? Would He prevent the guilty party from taking sacrament for six months? Would Jesus approve of the guilty party being shunned by the rest of the congregation? Would Jesus in any way approve of additional punishments to the guilty party? My faith tells me NO! He would simply tell them, "Go and sin no more" just as He did in John 8:11. Again, I thank you for sharing your interpretation and understanding of the Bible. I thank you for your twenty years of preaching the Word ... but please understand, I possess my own understanding in my walk with God. I pray for guidance in everything I do and in this particular instance, I would humbly suggest we just agree to disagree. God bless you sir.

Blessedsoul81 · 41-45, C

This is Songbird, the wife & other half of CBMinistries. I'm glad you once walked closely with God, but I do understand how life can change things. Don't get me wrong; I think it's important to go to church, but Christ lives within you so wherever you go, so does He! Just sitting outside peacefully admiring nature fills my heart with gratitude and I feel so close to God at that time. Since you're a cowboy, maybe you feel the same. You can call it spiritually if it fits your needs, but nature in all it's glory IS God. Just take time to talk to Him and build a personal relationship with Him again ... and of course ... read the Word too if possible! God loves you and wants you to be happy! You already have faith the size of a mustard seed ... Don't let it go to waste! God bless you!! :)

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Dreammmer · 56-60, M

@CBMinistries: thank you for your reply. My judgment concerns solely your post and I stay to what I said, it is wrong and not biblical, there is no basis for your counsel and opinion.
We are talking about someone who decides against Gods word and will, that is to be part of His body, a local church. We are not talking about someone who is not able to be part of a church because of circumstances. The scripture about the two greatest commandments does not excuse someone not to be part of a church, that would be twisting and abusing the word of God. More relevant is this Verse: "They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. 1 John 2:19
Also: "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebr 10:23-25
Let me clear in this: You are not entitled to your opinion, because your opinion is not biblical and not Christian, it is what the church calls heresy, misleading teaching.

Blessedsoul81 · 41-45, C

@Dreammmer: Again, thank you for sharing your opinion. I DO believe Christians should be part of a church ... but there are times when people turn away from faith. Life is not alway pretty and things happen. It is in these circumstances we offer LOVE & GOD'S GRACE!!! IF a person feels loved and valued even when they are not attending a church, but are encouraged to keep God in their hearts, we believe they will return to a congregation when they are ready, A lot of Christians and the church they attend scare more people AWAY from God by being SO strict and judgemental ... and that is NOT our job on earth! Judgement is GOD'S job!! Our job as Christians is to LOVE GOD, first and foremost and then love our fellow man! We are to love our enemies, love those whom we do not agree with, love those who do NOT go to church and even those who have NO faith in God at all. But, we have HOPE ... yes ... HOPE that we CAN bring all the previously mentioned the good news that GOD LOVES THEM!! And when we are able, YES indeed, we will all go to church together! Amen to that!!

Dreammmer · 56-60, M

@CBMinistries: I believe that true love speaks the truth even if the truth is not welcome or appreciated much. Encouraging a Christian to keep sinning.. and staying out o church is sinning - is not love. I have never once seen a Christian been scared away from church and I speak as a pastor with over 20 years of service to different churches. Again, you excuse sin and I do not find a basis for that in His word. Read the letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation, you will see that Christ nowhere lowers the expectations of allows for excuses. The one who wrote this post is not concerned about Christ and His glory at all, he does not care about Gods call to service or using His gifts, he only cares about feeling good. To encourage that is sin just like it is sin to be luke warm.

will999 · 70-79, M

Hello SW User 😍6 12 replies 30 views May 10, 2017. I don't go to church either but I'm looking for one. There are plenty of church buildings near where I live in Melbourne, Australia and most of them are near empty at 10:00 on Sunday morning. If you are a Christian then [b]WE ARE [/b]the church. The biblical pattern is that Christians shared their lives with one another and experienced God's love in caring community. My previous attempts at fellowship have been thwarted by unavoidable disruption which is regrettable. Sometimes the disruption was a leadership dispute and at other times I thought/felt that the ethos of the fellowship was unbalanced, tended to exclude some people unfairly or overemphasised some aspects of christian faith which may not equally apply to all believers because of their personal circumstances. A true church in the free world should accept members of all races from all nations regardless of their conformity to or deviance from cultural norms [i]unless[/i] they are an habitual or violent criminal. I have invited people to attend bible study in my own home as long as they profess to be either Christian or seeking and open minded. I [i]Came Back To Life[/i] in 1972 while not a 'paid up' member of any particular denomination when a former Roman Catholic turned Bible Believing Christian opened up the New Testament to me by explaining the second chapter of Acts, where the Holy Spirit was given to believers on the day of Pentecost, and asking if she could pray for me there in the kitchen of the house where I lived at the time. There was no rumbling in the earth or thunder in the sky but I definitely felt a powerful spirit or energy penetrate and saturate my body and it's no coincidence that it happened the very hour that I first believed the world's all time best selling book, the good news.

Dreammmer · 56-60, M

As if Christians have a choice whether they like to attend church or not.

SStarfish ·

hmm

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