BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Bible Basics What if there were no more 'churches' ?

Have you ever wondered what anyone would do without the so called 'churches' that so many of us attend? Especially nowadays with all the Cyber & TV churches that are available.

Would we be able to go on in our faith and walk accordingly without the support of ministries, programs, prayer meetings, social events, study coarses, etc ...?

Would you? Would I?
C.L. Mareydt

That's a hard one to answer because everyone is different.
For myself, it wouldn't make any difference. However, there are many people who would be completely lost without their church.

You could think about the Jews several centuries ago who were killed by Christians if the Jews dared to practice their religion in the open. Many Jews underwent a faux conversion to escape death, then lit their Shabbos candles literally underground. Children were not told about their heritage until they were old enough to be trusted not to accidentally say anything to outsiders.

Therefore, those who can't get along without an organized religion and physical place of worship probably didn't have a great deal of faith to begin with.

I think that people that go to church "need" to go to church because it provides them with a sense of community and fellowship

Hmm... I think that organized religions and physical places of worship have more to do with socialization, fellowship and community building than they do with "faith." Many of the "churches" I've visited throughout the years, in various locales throughout North America, served more as places for local business men and women to network than as places to build or support "faith."

As long as there are Christians who believe in God and believe in the Bible as the Word of God, there will always be churches. A church is not a building. A church is in you.

For the Bible says, "Where two or more are gathered in my Name...."

It is nice to have the physical building of a church to go and get the Word of God and to fellowship with other Christians, but you don't absolutely need it. You can pray and read the Word everyday and never need to go to a building and will still be able to "touch His face" when the Holy Spirit is called up to Heaven.

Yes you are right.I could not have said it better myself and this is something I have always known

churches are buildings, you don't need a building IMO to get the fellowship you need. My parents say they go to church because the enjoy the fellowship with others and they like to hear the music and speaker, so actually attending a church is probably easier and lesstime-consuming than searching all of that out on their own.

meg

Churches are good for people that "need" them but there are people out there such as myself that know a church is not nessassary to get the spiritual needs people need.

Everyone is different but I am thankful not to feel the need to go to church.I get my "fix" everyday <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Hmm... I think that organized religions and physical places of worship have more to do with socialization, fellowship and community building than they do with "faith." Many of the "churches" I've visited throughout the years, in various locales throughout North America, served more as places for local business men and women to network than as places to build or support "faith."

I agree 100000% I have been to all the churches here and found that when they hear my husband is a janitor at the school and not a teacher and i am a massage therapist that worked and an nurce aide in home not hospitals we are treated like we have the plege!!! We have disided we quit!!! that is not a place to worship its a place to be judged and condemed Jesus His self would not be welcome in the church of today!!!I believe in God the father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Ghost I dont need to fit into there social club to be a chirstian and neither does my husband!!! Where do they get off telling us if we were better chirstians we would make more money and have better jobs and could pay our "dues to the church"(tieth) ha My Bible must have left out the 11th conamdment "Thou shall be rich before going to church."ha

HI freebubbles, yes alot of churches are like that.Alot of them are there to make money and it is so obvious!

We live near a church with quite a lagrge congrgation and its funny driving past them on a sunday morning while I am getting the paper because most of thenm are so "fake"

They put on their sunday best and go to church to be "good little christians) and most of them are a bunch of [censored] the rest of the week.

Going to church DOES NOT make one a good person! lol.... God is alot smarter than that and can read every heart.

I agree God does not check my attendance at a church he counts where my heart is and how i acted to others all week not just Sunday!!!

Amen.

However, churches can be very helpful when you are going through times of trouble and pain.

There are two main reaons for an orgainzed chirch:

1. to reach out to the unsaved
2. to be there as a support for fellow Christians.

It seems like churches are really good at either one or the other. If you find one that is good at both - GRAB it! God didn't make man to be alone, he wants us to reajoice together, and to sorrow together so that we can strangthen each other.

Unfortunately churches are made up of people, so it does get screwed up from time to time, as well. But I still thinkk it is better to have the love and support of those brothers and sisters in Christ than to try to face all the worldly issues alone. Christ will always be with us, but He did give us this option of strengthening one another here on earth.

But we don't have to do it within a brick building. We can do it in places like these forums, or through penpals or whatever; as long as you know you have someone you can count on to support you in prayer and supplication.

<img src="/images/graemlins/heart.gif" alt="" />

It's a shame to hear about how other churches treat people and how people just go there on Sunday to get their fix or do their time. It is so true. I have been to many churches like that myself and it makes it hard to go there and worship. It's even tougher when you go there and do not feel the Lord in it.

Thank you, Jesus that's all over for me. I have finally found the....Jesus led me to the perfect church.
It is called the Potter's House Family Worship Center located in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.

It is awesome. You can really feel the Lord moving in that church and I wish you could all experience it just once. You don't have to wear a suit to be accepted or have a doctorate either.

You can wear jeans and a t-shirt and even bring your bottled water in with you. We have almost an hour of praise and worship music and then an hour of service. Forty-five minutes to an hour anyway.

Pastor Ron Ives is very cool and laid back. It is the first church that I have actually looked forward to going on Sundays. I even stay for both services sometimes. He delivers the same message but its not verbatim. One service starts at 9:00am and the second starts at 11:00am.

His wife, Pastor Carla Ives runs the Reach the Children World Ministries and is a wonderful woman. They know everyone in the congregation by name and I am not exaggerating when I say that. The ones that he doesn't know by name are the visitors or newest people to the church.

In fact, he just invited my wife and I over to his house for a cook out in two weekends from now along with some other couples. I have been only going there for just over three years and already am in charge of the Dinners and Socials ministry. My team is in charge of getting and making food for special events. For instance, "Homecoming" dinners, (I had him change the name from funerals to homecomings), or church picnics and such like that. This Sunday is the Youth Missions Fundraising Dinner and my team has to make the spaghetti dinner for it.

Lets take that dinner for example. It doesn't cost anything to attend, they are taking a freewill donation after the dinner and you don't have to donate if you don't have any money. You can still attend the dinner if you'd like without donating money. We are not a money hungry church. No one is looked down upon for not having or tithing money either.

We have a food storehouse and hand out food every first and third Friday of the month and there are no pre qualifications to get the food. Anyone can come and we give out fifteen pounds of food per person. I work on that ministry team and I am on the hospitality team. The hospitality team are the ushers and such.

It is a very family friendly church and I am truly blessed to be a member of it.

I think you can learn about the Reach the Children World Ministries on the web and if you can't you can reach them at Reachthechildren@msn.com for info.

Anytime you get to Mount Pleasant Michigan where Central Michigan University is, stop in and see us. You will be pleasantly surprised and your heart will be full of the Lord's love.

We have guest speakers alot and recently had Tommy Tenney of the Godchaser's Ministry there. What an outstanding time that was.

Sorry for the long post.

If there were no church buildings then I think we would believe the way we were meant to believe... without limitations or walls. Our relationship with Christ would be authentic and not meeted out in small handfuls by some preacher with a preconcieved notion about what God is saying to us.

I think you are spot on with this...

Church buildings are not meant to set up limitations to your worship of the Lord. They were constructed so people can go there and get a message from God. Most pastors and preachers pray in the spirit and give a message or series of messages given to them by God so that we may receive them,and pray and meditate on them.

They are also there for fellowship with other Christians and for people to come and seek refuge.

It's true that you don't need a building to pray and worship because the church of God is inside you. The building is a place to go to get different messages from God and to seek solace and comfort.

It's true that God does not dwell in a lot of churches but that is because they are not bible believing churches and do not pray before coming up with a message.

Take the Catholic church for instance. I don't feel God dwells in there because they are their own hierarchy that seeks a pope to make laws for the church.

Jesus has said, "No one comes unto the father but through me."

He didn't mention anything about going to the pope first.

Where does it say in the bible that you have to go into a confessional and whisper your sins to a priest and he gives you atonement? Nowhere.

You cannot commit a sin and then say ten "Our Father" prayers and five "Hail Mary" prayers and all is forgiven.

No you have to confess your sins to the Lord and rebuke them.

The Catholics are told when to kneel and pray in service and are baptised at birth. You cannot be baptized until you confess your sins to the Lord and accept Him as your Savior. Then you must be baptized in water and in the Holy Spirit.

But thats just my humble opinion. Oh yeah, and the Word of God

What would these people do with their money? Maybe something more constructive.

Al

Hmmm maybee they would have to get a life!

Maybee they would have to look within for awnsers rather than looking to the greedy money obsessed catholic church.

I really DISLIKE the catholic church if you havent noticed <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />