You're a Christian, but don't attend church - WHY and what would bring you back? (Jehovah's Witness, preach)
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I don't go to church right now because the church we went to for nearly 10 years is becoming "megafied." The leadership doesn't know what the people further down the scale are doing, and 1/2 the people attending don't even agree with the church's statement of faith. The preacher is good, and we still listen to his tapes, but I think he's looking for a way out himself. The administration is really out to lunch. So, my family and I are just having a home church sort of thing right now.
Now, to address another issue briefly, I don't believe that people go to hell because they are of a particular religion, sexual orientation, etc. People go to hell because "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord," "it is appointed for men to die once, and after this the judgment," and, "God demonstrated His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus said you "cannot enter the kingdom of God unless [you're] born again." "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."
What I believe those verses above mean, is that no matter if you're a Jew, Hindu, Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic, homosexual, or whatever, you have fallen short of God's standard of perfection, and thus need to be "born again" by the blood of Jesus Christ. It's a free gift offered to all who receive and repent (reject and turn away from) the sin that grieves the God who created you and gave you life, and made a way for you to spend eternity in Heaven with Him. It's not that Christians don't sin (the apostle John said "if we say we don't sin we deceive ourselves"); we are still imperfect, but Christ's blood has been applied to us so that we are righteous in God's eyes, and our consciences tell us when we are sinning, and it grieves us because the Holy Spirit is in us.
I have some links to the resources which best lay out the above process and the reason why I believe it to be true. If you are interested in them, please PM me.
I'm not going to church right now because a) I'm lazy. b) the sermon is always the same thing! I feel like I've progressed beyond what gets preached, which is that "even though bad things happen to you, God's still in control." I'm like, "Ya I get that. Now can we move on to something else?" c) I don't really agree with everything my denomination teaches right now, so it would feel a little hypocritical to go to that church.
If I can find a denomination that I like that has interesting sermons I'll start going to church again.
Keep looking for the right church. Even if you have to try a different church every Sunday. There are so many denomination now days it can be very hard.
I know my denomination of choice . At one church I went to, the pastor literally read his sermon from a piece of paper . He also had all the things he was preaching up on the screen, had copies of his sermon printed out Saturday to hand out at the door Sunday . He had everyone fill in the blanks as he read his sermon?
This did not seem right. I believe a pastor, sure can prepare a topic before the next Sunday. But I like a pastor who speaks from the heart who is lead in his speech by the "Holy Spirt".
Anyone can just stand up there and read!
I would not let that one church stop me! I kept looking and found a Awesome pastor. Like I said before, WHEN YOU FIND THE "RIGHT" CHURCH.
YOU WILL JUST KNOW IT IS "RIGHT".
The most important thing is our relationship with God. Whether it is in a church or outside of a Church. My relationship with the LORD does not start at 10:00 AM Sunday morning and end at 12:00 pm Sunday. I praise and worship him everyday in many ways. Praying, singing through out the day , bible study, the way I treat others and my family, helping others etc.
This is the way I look at it. If I have a friend. How do I keep the relationship going . #1 biggest thing is continuous communication right. It is the same with God and Jesus . We are his children he wants us to be happy. He wants us to have a good life. Just like our earthly parents. He wants to hear from us.
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it".
Isaiah 30:21
For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.
Psalm 48:14
In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:6
I will instruct you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.
Psalm 32:8
I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them: I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth.These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.
Isaiah 42:16
Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
Psalm 73:23-24
As much change as I've dealt with in my life in the last 4 years, the church and my belief in God has been the one constant thing I can depend on.
PS- Wen I say "the church", I mean the people... that's the true spirit of it all. It doesn't matter what town or even what state I'm in, there's always somewhere I can go that people will accept me without judging. Afterall, that's His job to do.
I don't go to church right now because the church we went to for nearly 10 years is becoming "megafied." The leadership doesn't know what the people further down the scale are doing, and 1/2 the people attending don't even agree with the church's statement of faith. The preacher is good, and we still listen to his tapes, but I think he's looking for a way out himself. The administration is really out to lunch. So, my family and I are just having a home church sort of thing right now.
Now, to address another issue briefly, I don't believe that people go to hell because they are of a particular religion, sexual orientation, etc. People go to hell because "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord," "it is appointed for men to die once, and after this the judgment," and, "God demonstrated His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus said you "cannot enter the kingdom of God unless [you're] born again." "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."
What I believe those verses above mean, is that no matter if you're a Jew, Hindu, Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic, homosexual, or whatever, you have fallen short of God's standard of perfection, and thus need to be "born again" by the blood of Jesus Christ. It's a free gift offered to all who receive and repent (reject and turn away from) the sin that grieves the God who created you and gave you life, and made a way for you to spend eternity in Heaven with Him. It's not that Christians don't sin (the apostle John said "if we say we don't sin we deceive ourselves"); we are still imperfect, but Christ's blood has been applied to us so that we are righteous in God's eyes, and our consciences tell us when we are sinning, and it grieves us because the Holy Spirit is in us.
I have some links to the resources which best lay out the above process and the reason why I believe it to be true. If you are interested in them, please PM me.
I agree with what you said. I hope someday you can find a church you like, you have so much to offer to other people.
God doesn't send people to hell, they send them selfs by rejecting Him
I agree with what you said. I hope someday you can find a church you like, you have so much to offer to other people.
God doesn't send people to hell, they send them selfs by rejecting Him
Thank you for saying that. My mom, sister and I visited a church in Tennessee last year that we really liked. So, hopefully when and if we move there, that will be our home church. I really would like to be part of a church I feel I can contribute to and really be a part of.
You're right, God doesn't send people to hell, they choose:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
There are too many hateful people in churches for me. The disguise themselves as welcoming and loving but churches are full of hypocrites. Growing up my parents left more than one church over issues that divided the congregation, which caused back-stabbing, gossiping, lying, spitefulness, etc. I also don't agree with a lot of closed-minded policies of many churches. I don't think for a second that a person is required to attend one of these snake pits called churches...I can be a christian on my own, maybe not a perfect one like all of those hypocritical church goers I mentioned, but good enough for the One who's opinion really matters.
I'm so sorry you've had such bad experiences, sprtsluvr. I just pray one day you'll consider searching for a church that feels comfortable for you. Just remember, there's hypocrisy everywhere! The church is no different. It's always going to be filled with imperfect people. Give them some grace.
As I mentioned earlier, maybe you could try a non-denominational church?
So far half the poll voters say "too lazy to get up"
But what if I told you that there were Saturday evening services, Sunday evening services and services at 11 am and even 12 noon. Would you then attend a church 'if' they had services at more convenient times for you? Or is 'just too lazy to get up' just one of many reasons?
But what if I told you that there were Saturday evening services, Sunday evening services and services at 11 am and even 12 noon. Would you then attend a church 'if' they had services at more convenient times for you? Or is 'just too lazy to get up' just one of many reasons?
Well, of course there are other services. It's not about the waking up, it's about getting over the inertia of not going, as someone else said.
There is a book we studied a few years ago in our Sunday School class that is awesome and I highly recommend it. It is called "Messy Spirituality" by Michael Yaconelli. It is one that so many Christians need to read and understand that God loves EVERYONE. As Jesus said in Matthew 9:12, "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." I agree that there are many in churches that are way too judgemental. I've seen churches split over chosing a color of carpet. I've seen WAY too much in my lifetime, my grandfather was a Baptist preacher. That is why I so loved that book.
There was a time that my family did not go to church because of what had happened. Finally we knew we had to go somewhere and finally found our place. I'm grown up now and still can not imagine living w/o being involved in church. We changed churches a few years ago and it was with much prayer and soul searching that we did. The one we were going to had a new leader that was after the almighty dollar and trying to appeal to the "rich" crowd. Since that time more and more people have left and I just pray that someday things or peoples hearts get turned around. Now the church we are in we have been asked to be in a leadership position and it has been a few months of prayer and thought going into the decision to go ahead and do it. Even though our current church is MUCH LARGER than our former church it feels so much more intimate and welcoming. The other one had people in leadership trying too hard to make the church something it was not. Now we feel at home and even after the first Sunday we visited there my kids were begging to go back to the "new church". That said a lot to us.
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So far half the poll voters say "too lazy to get up"
