Christ’s Body Is Made Of Many Parts Yet It Is Still One Unified Entity
1 Corinthians 12:12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:14-23Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.
1 Corinthians 12:27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
Can You Grow In Your Faith Alone
Ultimately, we need to change the question. The question of whether on must go to church is like the age-old query regarding golf: Cant we worship God on the golf course? The answer to this question is of course you can… but do you?
While your first-time golfing on Sunday morning may provide a rich experience of grace and freedom, will such a worshipful attitude continue? Without a lot of focus, and the building in of spiritual practices and habits, Sunday morning golf will easily devolve into nothing more than Sunday morning golf.
Too often this is what occurs when people separate themselves for active participation in the community of faith.
Instead of asking Do I have to go to church? it is better to ask whether we can live our faith in isolation. Can we maintain spiritual growth? Can we maintain an active prayer life? It is important to look at these things over a length of time. What’s our true heart behind not attending church?
We are not talking about individual spiritual moments, but a life lived before God. The primary question to sit with is whether it is better for you to live out your faith in the company of others, or by yourself?
Importantly, nothing says that attendance at church is to occur at the expense of our livelihood, joy, safety, or heath. There are toxic communities in the world and Gods wish would be for us to remove ourselves from them.
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Go To Church Because We Are Going To Live In Glorious Unity With God And Each Other For All Eternity
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
This is a glorious picture of our future with God and it includes all of his people.
But if you are distancing yourself from Gods people now, you have to wonder if your eternal destiny even sounds good to you.
While you might think you prefer to be alone now, in the end you will see that Gods plan is so much better.
Why not start participating in Gods plan for you now?
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Bible Verses About Why Go To Churc
Only the Creator of life can reveal its purpose and the state of the dead. By looking into the Word of God for answers to our questions, we can learn a great deal about both life and death. This booklet will take a look at what God, our Creator, says about life and death in His inspired Word, the Bible. You may be both surprised and challenged. By John Blake, CNN – If the Rev. John DeBonville could preach a sermon to lift the souls of churchgoers across America, his message would be simple: Stop dressing so tacky for church. DeBonville has heard about the come as you are approach to dressing down for Sunday service, but he says the Sabbath is getting too sloppy
The Church Is The Body Of Christ
Jesus died for the church. Throughout the New Testament the church is referred to as the body of Christ. Is it referring to a physical building? No, but it is referring to everyone who has truly been saved by the blood of Christ. Being a member of the body of Christ is beautiful because we have been joined to Christ in salvation and we receive all of the spiritual benefits. As the body of Christ, we demonstrate His heart and mind. Although imperfectly, the life of Christ will be reflected by the church. This means that the church will be loving, obedient, meek, devoted, holy, merciful, etc.
1. Ephesians 1:2223 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
2. Ephesians 4:11-12 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.
3. Ephesians 5:23-25 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
5. 1 Corinthians 10:17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body for we all partake of the one bread.
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Does God Forgive Suicide
There’s no doubt that suicide is a terrible tragedy. For a Christian, it is an even greater tragedy because it is a waste of a life that God intended to use in a glorious way.
It would be difficult to argue that suicide is not a sin, for it is the taking of a human life, or to put it bluntly, murder. The Bible clearly expresses the sanctity of human life .
God is the author and giver of life . Scripture says God breathed the breath of life into humans . Our lives are a gift from God. Thus, the giving and taking of life ought to remain in his sovereign hands .
In Deuteronomy 30:11-20, you can hear the heart of God crying out for his people to choose life:
“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life…â
So, can a sin as grave as suicide destroy one’s chance of salvation?
The Bible tells us that at the moment of salvation a believer’s sins are forgiven . When we become a child of God, all of our sins, even those committed after salvation, are no longer held against us.
The Apostle Paul made it plain in Romans 8:38-39 that nothing can separate us from God’s love:
Does It Say In The Bible That You Have To Go To Church
While scripture does not command Christians to attend church, it does speak powerfully about the blessing of the church community. James exhorts anyone who is sick to call the elders of the church to pray over them, and to confess your sins to each other and pray for each other Does the Bible say you have to go to church? Let’s explore several passages and consider numerous biblical reasons for going to church. The Bible tells us to meet together as believers and to encourage one another. Hebrews 10:2
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Why Must We Go To Church
Church reconnects us to our shared beliefs. It reinforces the higher philosophy and purpose behind marriage and family and it allows us a safe space to connect with God and our spouse together. Couples who attend church together are making time to reiterate the important foundations of their marriage.
Life Together Is The Point
Im convinced that the reason many people, especially millennials, are leaving the church is because this community is becoming an increasing rarity in American churches. That is certainly a generalization I am aware of churches that still push great community. However many have shifted their focus to butts in the seat, money in the offering, and a cool worship experience and little else.
Many churches are missing their primary intent. To be a place of community where we can encourage, challenge, and uplift each other to follow Jesus.
These verses, and the others, clearly point to the importance of community. However we still need to remember the context these were written in. In the early church they didnt have anything similar to what we have today. There were no lights, skinny jeans, organized worship, or childrens ministry. It was just a group of people that met in someones house.
Attending church isnt a bad thing, in fact I believe its a good thing. But we arent called to go to church. We are called to live in community. Theres a difference. You can be a Christian that doesnt go to church. However all Christians should be connected to a community of other Christians.
Many people get their community from their churches. However many have chosen to find their community apart from the organized church.
So, does the Bible say you have to go to church? Do Christians have to go to church?
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Is It Good To Force Someone To Go To Church
Its not okay to force anyone to go to church. Forcing anyone into a god is a good way to make sure they actively dislike that place. If they are old enough to stay alone safely, then let them stay at home. They might miss it, they might eventually want to come back or they might want to keep going, just less often.
Bible Verses About Going To Church Every Christian Should Know
We have early historical evidence that for ancient Roman and Greek Christians , the act of going to church was much more meaningful than we might initially think.
In the Roman Empire, religion was a public matter and all religious practices of non-Christian Romans were very much an open, public endeavor.
So, the concept of having a church meeting behind closed doors was a foreign and uncommon notion for those very first precious Christians that first adopted the practice.
When pagan Romans saw that the newly-converted Roman Christians engaged in religious meetings behind closed doors, this resulted in weird stares and looks.
Parenthetically, the act of going to church is described in many instances in the New Testament, and the Greek word for church is ekklesia this word actually means congregation.
So, right out of the gate it is important to note that this word in the New Testament does not refer to a brick and mortar building instead, it refers to a gathering of people.
There isnt such a thing as churches in plural, as the body of Christ is only one instead what the Greek refers to in the plural are congregations or gatherings of followers of Christ.
In short, in the present day many eschew the practice of going to meet with the other members of the body of Christ, but as we will see in these Bible verses, doing this is much more important than we initially thought.
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Bible Verses About Attending Church
But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of ones own interpretation,for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction,and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common read more.and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Go To Church Because Every Part Of The Body Is Indispensable
The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.
You cannot say you dont need the rest of the body and the body cannot say they dont need you.
Let the truth of this verse sink in.
You are indispensable.
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Church To Be A Christian
I know a lot of people who use the argument that you dont have to go to church to be a Christian.
In fairness, they are right.
Just a like a fish doesnt have to be in water to be a fish. What happens to that fish when you take it out of the water for too long? In my whole life, Ive never met a mature, God-loving Christian who had a deep relationship with God and an understanding of His Word who didnt go to church.
Hebrews : 2: Pauls Direct Emphasis On The Importance Of Church Attendance
25 Not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one anotherand all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:25 is Pauls first direct and explicit mention of the importance of going to church, and he especially complains about individuals who were ceasing to go to church.
Of all the apostles, Paul gives the most explicit instruction to go to church. He establishes the fellowship with other believers as a necessary practice.
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Bible Verses About Church Attendance
I must be honest. This post is being written because of my burden for what is going on today. Many Christians are neglecting church. Church attendance is on the decline. I recently went to North Carolina and most of the professing Christians that I talked to did not attend church.
I understand that I was in the Bible Belt and everybody is a professing Christian. However, this happens everywhere. Everywhere you go there are professing believers who do not regularly attend church even though they can.
Quotes
- Church attendance is as vital to a disciple as a transfusion of rich, healthy blood to a sick man. Dwight L. Moody
- Though true Christianity uniquely involves a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, it is also a corporate experienceChristians cannot grow spiritually as they ought to in isolation from one another.
- It must not content us to take our bodies to church if we leave our hearts at home. J.C. Ryle
- To gather with Gods people in united adoration of the Father is as necessary to the Christian life as prayer. Martin Luther
God’s Perspective On Suicide
The following is a true story about a Christian man who committed suicide. The experience lends an interesting perspective on the issue of Christians and suicide.
The man who had killed himself was the son of a church staff member. In the short time he had been a believer, he touched many lives for Jesus Christ. His funeral was one of the most moving memorials ever conducted.
With more than 500 mourners gathered, for nearly two hours, person after person testified how this man had been used by God. He had pointed countless lives to faith in Christ and shown them the way to the Father’s love. Mourners left the service convinced that what had driven the man to commit suicide had been his inability to shake his addiction to drugs and the failure he felt as a husband, father, and son.
Although his was a sad and tragic ending, nevertheless, his life testified undeniably of Christ’s redemptive power in an amazing way. It is very difficult to believe that this man went to hell.
The fact is, no one can truly understand the depth of someone else’s suffering or the reasons that could drive a soul to such desperation. Only God knows what is in a person’s heart . Only the Lord knows the extent of pain which might bring a person to the point of suicide.
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