Stressing over Church Attendance

“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.” -Micah 6:8.

There can be a lot of stress in looking for a church to attend; some may search trying to find God, while others want a place of worship or spiritual growth; the problem is they're looking toward outer material substances for deepening faith in the invisible things of God (Hebrews 11:1).

But church in the Bible means believers in Christ, not brick buildings or men's organizations (denominations), and many people are at least confused, while others are fully blinded on this subject. Yet in both the Old & New Testaments alike, the Bible asserts God isn't interested in architecture!

“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?” -1 Kings 8:27.

“Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? 2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” -Isaiah 66:1,2.

“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;” - Acts 17:24. Bold type added to emphasize.

It grieves me when people put stress on themselves and others by claiming a person must be associated with physical structures, when God is literally present everywhere at all times; and gives His Holy Spirit to those He saved, calling them His temple in places like 1 Corinthians 3:16 saying;

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

So Christians are the temple of God, which is the spiritual body of Christ, as we later read;

“Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”-1 Corinthians 12:27. Also...

“So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.” -Romans 12:5. Scripture also affirms that churches ARE groups of believers from salutations 4X in letters to the Romans, Corinthians, Colossians, and Philemon, referring to “churches” in their private houses.

“Likewise greet the church that is in their house...” -from Romans 16:5.

“The churches of Asia salute you...with the church that is in their house.” - from 1 Corinthians 16:19.

“Salute the brethren...and the church which is in his house.” -from Colossians 4:15.

“...and to the church in thy house.” -from Philemon 2.

Doctrinal problems arise from thinking a church business affiliation is needed for salvation; one is that church becomes another mediator between men and God, when the Bible declares JESUS as the only mediator for us (1 Timothy 2:5)! We commnonly point those seeking God toward a church instead of Jesus first, and this shouldn't be.

Secondly, to say that being involved with a brick & mortar church is needed for salvation is to promote religious works above grace; when scripture declares it to be the GIFT of God which we cannot earn;

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” -Ephesians 2:8,9.

And third, And lastly, we should seek God's direction for ourselves through prayer, and not by merely following the church programs of others; each one of us has to give account for our own actions, and won't be able to lay blame on others (Romans 14:12).

But while it's normal for Christians to seek other believers (Romans 12:10), the Bible doesn't command it. It does, however, firmly instruct us to separate from the world and unbelief; even to the point of turning away those who falsely claim to be saved, and tells us to; “put away from among yourselves that wicked person,”(1 Corinthians 5:13) or to “warn and reject hereticks”,(Titus 3:10,11) or by “keeping no company” (2 Thessalonians 3:14) with those disobeying the Word.

“14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 16...for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” -from 2 Corinthians 6:14-17.

Yet the real downfall of organized churches shows in the ALL WELCOME signs, beckoning anyone to enter, instead of promoting a place exclusive for Christians; in 1 Corinthians 5:11 we read;

“But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.”

“...know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” -from James 4:4.

Today's churches are nothing like the pure church of scripture, and thankfully you won't need them to get closer to God; Psalm 139 tells us there's no place to escape from His presence, and Jesus even says we should pray privately behind closed doors; because God will still hear us and answer our petitions openly. Church attendance may look good to some, but it's only an appearance (John 7:24), and we must look beneath the surface for God's righteous judgement. No matter our relationship with man-made churches we should always go directly to God boldly with our every concern.

“And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” -Luke 16:15.

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” -Matthew 6:6.

I also have a Youtube video at https://youtu.be/FDYcrF2x9ss and a video short at https://youtube.com/shorts/QoYhZvhMJGc?feature=share

A Christian's Family Conflicts

“He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” -Matthew 10:37.

It's so often assumed that a genuine Christian loves everyone and “gets along” with at least nearly all, but a closer study shows that it didn't happen for Jesus, and isn't taught in the Bible. So don't be surprised if your walk with Christ brings about contention with others, even some of those who claim to have like Christian Faith. Today there's a tremendous push for UNITY above all else, and usually has little or no regard for scriptural guidelines; yet when WE stand up for the Bible's teachings it often brings criticism.

“Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.” -Isaiah 66:5. Bold type added for emphasis.

Rather than unity, God's Word is clear about NOT being unified with unbelief; even to the point of separating from others who may cry, “Lord, Lord,” and do many mighty works in His name (Matthew 7:20-23). Jesus said, “Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.” -Luke 6:22.

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.” -Romans 16:17.

But as tough as these conflicts may be with those we think are fellow believers, the pressure only increases if they come from within your biological family; and although your family might be unsaved, you may still be pressed upon by other Christians to “get along” with them, supposedly as a good witness for Jesus. It's at times like these we must cling tightly to God's Word for direction.

“But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.” -1 Corinthians 7:17.

“Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.” -Romans 8:33.

Jesus knows how demanding family relations can be, and says a lot about them through His Word; to summarize in a nutshell, the Lord doesn't want us to grant favorable status or treatment for close blood relations above anyone else. Far from promoting special unity for family, or within homes, Jesus made it clear in Luke 12:51&52 when He declared,

“51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.”

Suffice it to say, God really wants any home unity to be founded upon His will and His Word. Jesus made clear what matters to Him in how He received His family when they came to see Him,and responded like this in Mark 3:31-35, Luke 8:19-21, and here from Matthew 12:47-50;

“47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Bold type in verse 50 added to emphasize.

It seems strange for anyone to think that a Christian must unconditionally get along well with his family, when we already know of many who have left other religions for Jesus at the cost of being disowned by their families. In defense of keeping peace, some may turn to Romans 12:18 for support where it says,

“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” Bold type added.

But to use this verse in order to justify never having conflicts is to misuse the opening condition of, “If it be possible.” Jesus said that we must live by EVERY Word of God (Luke 4:4), and we are bound to obey those words at all times, and not break them simply to gain men's favor. Luke 6:26 says;

“Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”

“Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” -1 Corinthians 7:23.

This bent of the Church toward unity comes from keeping our eyes on Bible teachers and trusting them, instead of studying the scriptures for ourselves; the Bereans did this, and were commended for it in Acts 17:10&11, a practice we should be embracing;

“10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

The practice that the Bereans employed can also help us to know when our contentions are Godly, or merely fleshly. Yet if they ARE in Christ, let us never be ashamed, or alter our course because we run into contentions. When we meet conflicts such as these, we're only entering into the same labors of the Godly men and women who went before us-a list that includes our Savior! Let's stand our ground in the Lord!

“12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” -1 Peter 4:12,13.

I also have a YouTube video titled Faiths Family Feuds and a short titles Faith, Friends and Family Feuds.