Let's Go to a Local Church - the Pillar and Ground of the Truth!

[Brother Rick]

which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” I Timothy 3:15

“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God,

The church is not the truth, the word of God is. It is the responsibility and mission of the church to hold up the truth by being the ground and the pillar on which it stands. Without the local church, the truth falls to the ground and into OBscurity. As a Christian, you need to find a good church and stick with it.

I’ve gone to church my whole life, and I’ve seen the good fruit of it in my life, my wife’s life, and my children’s lives. For every one bad story that you tell me, I can tell you about fifty good ones, no sweat. Christians hurt themselves, their families, and their potential for their Saviour and eternal rewards when they fail to find a church to get plugged into.

Concerning church attendance, there are those that are sick and can’t go to church even though that is what they would like to do, but there are also Christians that don’t go to church on purpose. There are biblical reasons for everyone to go to church. If someone is willingly abstaining from church, they are a backslider.

There are four types of backsliders that do not regularly attend church (all a backslider is is a person that is going backwards). Please be willing to examine your heart in light of the Bible. Look at these groups and see if you may find yourself identifying with one of them.

The Four Backsliders

1. The Struggling.
These are folks that haven’t dropped out of church completely, but unless a change is made in their hearts and minds, they will soon. Perhaps at one point they were very active in the church, but over time they’ve drifted back into seclusion. Church has become irrelevant, tedious, and maybe even boring to them. They find it harder and harder to attend because of work and family commitments, and when they do finally have the free time to go to church, other recreational things take precedence.

2. The Sanctified.
These folks live extremely separated lives. Many are trying to live as holy a life as they can. Regardless, the mindset is the same. They’ve tried church, after church, after church, and none of them meet their qualifications. The young people are too worldly, the pastor won’t preach their pet doctrine or hOBby horse, and some people in the church don’t dress according to their standards. In the very end, the only church good enough for them is one in which they are the only members, in other words, a home church.

3. The Slackers.
This isn’t a person who’s looking for a church, or finding it hard to attend the church of which they are a member, or even the person who thinks they’re too good for any of the churches in the area. This person just chooses not to take the effort to go to church. They would rather sleep in on Sundays and relax on Wednesdays.

4. The Stubborn.
These folks are full of excuses. I’ve heard the same ones for years and years: “I knew this one guy at my old church who…”, “That church doesn’t love…”, “That church is full of hypocrites…”, “They’re just after my money…”, “They’re too judgmental…”, “I worship God in my own way…”

I’ve yet to hear something original. For some, the excuses might be legitimate in their own minds, for others, they are willfully rebellious and stubborn. Many times these are good "salt of the earth" people that you would love to have as a neighbor, but they’ve found a reason in their mind to not go to church and they’re holding onto it....

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Edited October 5, 2010 by Rick Schworer

[John81]

Nothing can replace being an active member of a good church.

A few Christians in our church this year seemed to stumble and struggle greatly and now are declaring they really have no interest in the things of God. While this is a sad thing, and I pray the Lord will draw them back, this seems to have served as a "weeding", so to speak, as it seems the rest of the congregation has really experienced growth in Christ and have become even more active.

Those who claim to be "woshipping God" as they play golf, fish, hunt or lay around the house watching TV, are lying to themselves as well as others.

God moves in a special way in our lives when we gather together to worship the Lord together, to learn together, to hear the Word together, as we fellowship with one another and we share one anothers burdens in corporate prayer.

[Invicta]

At our mid week meeting this evening, we were reminded that much of the gospel today is warered down. We are frightened to tell people they are sinners and need to repent. We see youg people today in church dressed in worldly fashions and older women dressed like the world. Men, too, come to the bible study dressed for the world, rather than for the Lord. I can understand those who have to come straight from their work and don't have time to change. I remember reading a history of the Peculiar People, a sect from a neighbouring county, who were mostly all agricultural labourers in the 1800s and only had one set of clothes, their work clothes, but theu all had a Sunday smock which they wore over their work clothes for services.

[John81]

At our mid week meeting this evening, we were reminded that much of the gospel today is warered down. We are frightened to tell people they are sinners and need to repent. We see youg people today in church dressed in worldly fashions and older women dressed like the world. Men, too, come to the bible study dressed for the world, rather than for the Lord. I can understand those who have to come straight from their work and don't have time to change. I remember reading a history of the Peculiar People, a sect from a neighbouring county, who were mostly all agricultural labourers in the 1800s and only had one set of clothes, their work clothes, but theu all had a Sunday smock which they wore over their work clothes for services.

Good points. In Bible study tonight our associate pastor talked about how the "Jesus Seminar" folks vote on verses to determine which ones they want to decide are inspired and should be followed and which ones they don't want to call inspired and therefore don't have to be followed.

We've also discussed how it's important to treat church attendance as something special, something different and separate from all other things. Part of this is reflected in our dress. It's not that we have to dress fancy or expensive, but to have a certain manner of dress that is for church which stands out from how we dress for other things.

[Brother Rick]

Good points. In Bible study tonight our associate pastor talked about how the "Jesus Seminar" folks vote on verses to determine which ones they want to decide are inspired and should be followed and which ones they don't want to call inspired and therefore don't have to be followed.

We've also discussed how it's important to treat church attendance as something special, something different and separate from all other things. Part of this is reflected in our dress. It's not that we have to dress fancy or expensive, but to have a certain manner of dress that is for church which stands out from how we dress for other things.

[Lisa Anne]

At the church I attended prior to our new church it was common for people to miss. There were only a handful of us... a good little crowd of believers, but things were so out of whack now that I look back. The one couple missed frequently because they were constantly taking vacations to see family in Illinois and they never came to Sunday school. My grandfather was sort of the "Associate pastor" and when the main preacher was gone Papaw would preach, or sometimes they would just alternate. Papaw would be there every week. I never knew him to miss until he got gravely ill in the last few months of his life. I remember our preacher being gone for hunting trips and such. It was rare but that surprised me. My uncle would even miss because of Nascar races he was going to out of state. He would even rush right out of church when service was over on a day the race started early so he wouldn't miss it on tv. Some churches get a little 'too comfortable in Zion' and you see the crowd get smaller, the message never changing, souls not being saved, and the world sneaking in. I'm thankful the Lord led me to another church rather than us just decided not to go to any church. It was rough when we went a couple Sundays in between. No good not being in church!

Edited October 29, 2010 by Lisa Anne

[JerryNumbers]

Christians & Football

I have never heard a ball fan say, “I just don’t think I can go to the game. It looks like rain.”
They never say, “Well, I can’t go to the game. The benches are to hard1”
Have you ever heard a ball fan say, “I can’t go; I don’t know anyone in the stands,” or “I’m not going; that coach hasn’t visited me this week.”
But we know Christians who use theses excuse. A dedicated ball fan will go and sit in the rain on an old hard bench with drunks all around and pay to do it! God help us.

[irishman]

Christians & Football

I have never heard a ball fan say, “I just don’t think I can go to the game. It looks like rain.”
They never say, “Well, I can’t go to the game. The benches are to hard1”
Have you ever heard a ball fan say, “I can’t go; I don’t know anyone in the stands,” or “I’m not going; that coach hasn’t visited me this week.”
But we know Christians who use theses excuse. A dedicated ball fan will go and sit in the rain on an old hard bench with drunks all around and pay to do it! God help us.

Great Post Jerry; Amen! I have heard those same excuses, but never for a ballgame or tv show, etc.
I agree wholeheartedly with going to church.

On the other side though, let me say that some almost put church above the Lord! We need a balance. I have known people to go to church faithfully, habitually, and their attitude stunk! Some go, as Pharisee's and look down on those that are not there; they have "faithfulness" but no heart for the Lord's people or mankind in general. I only wish that those of us who do attend regularly would not allow the ministry to control us to the extent that we forget our first love. Sometimes we are a slave to the work, and not a servant to the Lord, and that can be just as harmful as missing church!

[Allen]

A good church?

A multimillion dollar extrvaganza? And a highly paid, smiley pastor and his oh so sweet smiley wife?

Let's compare..

And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house: Philemon 1:2

Doesn't get any clearer than that

BUT, oh YES it does...

Put Philemon 1:2 + 1Corinthians 9:14 + 1Corinthians 11:1together, whad'ya get? = A man that believes and OBeys the Holy Word of God, he may have worked all night (1Corinthians 9:14) in a coal mine, then he gets off work, goes home, showers, and gets ready for fellowship in the CHURCH that is in his house (Philemon 1:2)

This man of God KNOWS that 1Corinthians 11:1 means that imitating Paul, is how we are to follow Christ!

Remember please, CHURCH IS PEOPLE!

CHURCH IS NOT A STRUCTURE!

THE CHURCH IN THY HOUSE

The Christians in the New Testament are described as the filth and offscouring of the world - Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day. 1Corinthians 4:13 KJB:PCE

Where do you see pretty smiley pastor and his pretty smiley wife in their pretty Sunday best, IN THAT VERSE?

A GOOD CHURCH ?

WHERE?

Serve the Truth, the Living Word, Jesus Christ,
Allen

Edited November 28, 2010 by Allen