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Are we better, richer, more enlightened Christians if we
attend church regularly?
attend church regularly?
What might we be missing out on if we don't attend? or if we do?
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Pondering
6.01.2008
What might we be missing out on if we don't attend? or if we do?
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Jillian Inc. All rights reserved © Blog Milk Powered by Blogger
17 comments:
Great question! As a girl raised in the Southern Baptist church in north Georgia, I have changed views on this subject as I've grown in my Christian walk. Now living in south Florida(definitely not the Bible belt, I see the NEED to attend church regularly for the sake of my marriage and children. Attending no longer means sitting in a pew but being involved and transparent with other members. That could be in a Sat. PM service instead of Sun. sometimes or in a small group in a home. Heb. 10:25 states it best by saying not to forsake the assembling together to exhort one another. The Bible also says to bring our tithes to the storehouse to support ministers-Malachi 3:10. If we don't value church and make it priority, our children won't for sure. If we don't live out what we hear from the Word at church in front of our kids at home then just going to church is just another place to go.
Just my personal thoughts- no condemnation as Romans 8:1 states! Obedience to God brings me great peace and joy! Blessings!
I always feel better the more I go. It's hard in my house because my sons and I are catholic but my husband and daughter are not. I became Catholic a few years ago and the boys have since made the same choice. I hate that we don't go as a complete family and I think that is partly why I find myself getting discouraged. (it's lonely sitting alone!)
When I make the effort to attend weekly, I feel as if I have "recharged" my faith, so to speak. I think when I miss a week it makes it easier to miss the next week and so on. Once I commit myself to weekly attendance, I feel so much better about my faith and also my own accountability. Make sense?
Better Christians...probably not. None of us is good enough to be a Christian. God loves us all the same, because we are bought with the same blood.
Richer...I would say yes. I agree with Kim...we need a support system. I find that when I'm out in the world and not fellowshipping with those who are like-minded, I more easily fall into sin. The relationships I have in my church family have been rich and impacted my life deeply.
More enlightened...I would hope so. If we are sitting under those who love the Word and have a gift to share it, then we should be. I don't think that's always the case, unfortunately. For me, I can say that right now, it is true.
Good question. I'm looking forward to reading other responses.
Oh I agree with Melissa! The only right we have to be called Christians is because of Christ's death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.(And His ressurection from the dead!) Going to church is a by product of a life that has been committed to Him and has asked Jesus to be the Lord of their lives and accepted His free gift of salvation. Sadly, many attend without having a real relationship with Christ and I pray they will grow to know Him.
So.....no one should think of themselves as "better" Christians, no matter their life story. We are all saved by the same grace!
Thanks for the conversation Jill- I enjoy your blog! Sorry for the long posts!
I agree with Kim... and also I just think it keeps me in the right mental state. When I miss church it's usually when I'm putting life before God.
I find ways to worship God every day so I don't need to sit in a church sanctuary to do that. But there is nothing like being together with the body, sharing a smile, a hug and encouraging word. There is no greater joy than knowing that God may speak to you in the question of a child or a word from the pulpit. Singing the hymns touches my heart and even when I don't feel like singing, the voices of those around me seem to lift my spirits.
God doesn't need us to go to church but I think we need to be in fellowship with other Christians. It is a tough world out there. But together, we build up and encourage each other so we can shine brightly in the darkness.
The Bible speaks of this when it say..."forsake not the gathering together..." I think one of the biggest things we miss if we are not in church regularly is the fellowship with other believers. The church body becomes an extended family, but relationships can not become strong if they are not tended to.
I know there are times that I feel as if our pastor is speaking directly to a problem I may be facing.
I have missed alot of church lately, because I do not want to leave Alex for very long...and I miss my friends and I miss just entering into the sanctuary knowing that I am there to worship and learn.
For me, attending church is important. It feeds and soothes my soul. I don't think attending makes us better Christians though. I worship every day wherever I am...in my car, in my kitchen, in the tub, everywhere. I love my church and my church family so I love attending and being with other believers.
Hugs!
Kat
(looking forward to seeing you soon)
I think so. when I attend church I reflect and learn about how to love myself and others more. That being said you can have a day to play hooky. Saw sex and the city yesterday!
Better, no. It also depends on the church you are attending and if you are REALLY getting feed and growing in Christ.
His WORD does say, "Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together." and that settles it for me.
Susan
I think we are always worshiping our Lord, be in the car, home, witnessing, etc. We have had to cut back on going on Wednesday nights due to the fuel/gas prices soaring. I miss it, but on one hand it is nice to have that family time together and we are doing a bible lesson as well. We have a great church and we throughly enjoy going, which we do every Sunday. Where we can be feed, fellowship, play, etc. Savannah understands the reason we have had to cut back on going on Wednesday and understands it. As the saying goes-You can't take God off the shelf on Sunday and go be a Christian. It is something you are doing every minute of everyday. Thanks for the interesting post!
I find that if I stop going to church something is missing! I need to go because I am SO prone to wander! Sometimes I get more out of it than others and I can feel closer to God by listening to music, but it must be a habit for me to go to church regularly or I'd get in trouble. It's a subtle thing for sure!
I hope you are doing well today!
I'm glad I could click over here so you could "Enrich" my life!
Love,
Angie xoxo
Am I better when I attend church. Hmmm. I hope so. I pray God is softening my heart all the time and it seems when I spend time hearing His word, and being taught, I am a bit softer.Constantly I need to be resoftened because I toughen up ever so quickly!
Great question. And I have been enlightened at church for years!
I don't think church makes us better Christians. We're being faithful to God when we go. I think God speaks to me a little more directly in church through music, sermons, Sunday School discussions. I heard once that church is like a hospital for sinners. It helps us to be with other Christians. Also, with young kids, I feel it's important for me to set an example for my kids. If we don't go now, they might not go otherwise. That's why we found a church heavily focused on children's ministries. Good post!
Really interesting question. And, I enjoyed reading the different responses. I probably agree with a bit of each of them.
I love what Kim said about serving - not just pew sitting.
I often think that we approach church from our perspective - thinking about our worship, our lives, our service. But, more and more, I view corporate worship as a way to delight God, bring Him glory as He sees His children together. I suppose it's more of an alteration in my view - less on me, more on Him.
Wow, lots of great dialogue here! Great post!
For me personally, I like to attend regularly because it helps me keep God on the forefront. I tend to feel a bit disconnected when we miss several Sundays in a row.
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