A couple weeks ago I blogged about a study published by The Barna Group which found that while “more than seven out of ten Americans (72%) claim they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is important in their life today…” only 17% of adults said that “a person’s faith is meant to be developed mainly by involvement in a local church.”
That sparked some very strong opinions on both sides of the issue. On one hand we received comments like this: “I have been a non-church going Christian for over a year, and I can assure you that when it is done in the will of God, it is anything but a problem.” We also received comments from the opposing viewpoint: “I hear so many people defend not going to church. If you notice their defense is full of holes.”
Can the virtual church (online audio sermons, video services, Christian discussion groups, etc) replace the physical church?
Give us your opinion in this week’s poll and post your comments here.
In His Service,
Paul Steinbrueck
OurChurch.Com
65 Comments
While I enjoy surfing internet sights and listening to online sermons they can never replace the local church. It is like saying my pastor is _________, I see him every week on TBN. Just as a TV preacher is no subitute for a local pastor who loves and cares for you, online fellowship will never be a sutiable subistute for a local church body with people who know and love you (and me in spite of who I am). I can’t imagine making it through week in and week out without my brothers and sisters in Christ. I am not saying that there are shut-ins and others who cannot get out and so they can still get teaching and virtual fellowship. But it would still be better if we got out and vistited that person who can’t get out and bring a personal touch of fellowship.
Cathy, because of the length of the exerpt you included in your comment, I removed it. The best way to refer to another article online is to quote a short expert and then include a link to the rest of the article. Thanks for your comment.
Attending a local Church where you are a member is very important each week.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. 2 Timothy 3:16 It is God Himself who is speaking to each one of us through His Word. In Hebrews 10:24-25 we read these words from the word of God,”And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another: as ye see the day approaching.”
#1. In Ephesians 5:22-28 we read these words from the word of God. “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husband, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.”
#2. This passage of Scripture says, that when Christ has finished with the Church it will be perfect! So don’t bad mouth the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ! You are the sinner while Christ is perfect!
#3. I have been a Pastor since 1978 and what I have seen in people’s lives who won’t attend church: The are living a rebelious, sinful life by not obeying the scriptures of not forsaking the assembly of ourselfs together. Their lives is filled with rebellion, disrespect, and nonsupport of any local church, they refuse to attend church, support the church with their time, talents, and tithe. What you need to do if this, first you need to repent, get into a local church and use your time, talents, and tithe for the glory of God in the local church.
#4. You could make the difference in the local church if you would use your God given talents, support the Pastor, and the local church, encourage those in the local church that are doing their best in serving the Lord Jesus Christ
#5. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said, “the church that is built upon me can storm the gates of hell and they will crumble and fall before you, so let’s all get together for the glory of God and storm the gates of hell instead of declaring war on other believers.
A man who Jesus died for Pastor Rudy Caldwell Countryview B. C. 1145 Amity Road GAlloway, Ohio 43119
I don’t think anyone is saying forsake gathering. It is the definition of `church’ that brings the misunderstanding one another. We know of asurety, `church’ is not a building. If it were, why then the divided names and titles, denominations and non-denominations? So then, man, by his own doctrine, his own reading into the scriptures defined, interpreted what he thought the word to be saying. Then formed a doctrine of man based upon those scriptures.
There is One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism( meaning immersion into His fullness), One God and Father of all, Who is ABOVE ALL, AND THROUGH ALL, AND IN YOU ALL. The greatest prayer ever prayed is, when Jesus praying to Father said, `That they all may be one; as You Father are in Me, and I in You, that they may also be ONE in US: THAT THE WORLD MAY BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE SENT ME.’
We are united individually as one in Him and to be corporately..One Body.
It is not about me and mine, our own function in the body, but about the totality of the whole in demonstration. There is but ONE HEAD of the body, Who is Christ Jesus. The problem is, there are pastors who want to be the HEAD( my late husband and I pastored, and been in `ministry’ for over 25 yrs.). They do not place their trust in Holy Spirit, Who abides within each believer, but in their own gifting. The gift then is placed above the Giver.
Yuck! How we define being `in ministry’! The servant is not above His Master, that is every man, woman and child’s place within the body…servanthood.
Ministering to Him, First and Foremost and from that place of intimacy, abiding in His Presence, in agape’ serving one another. There is no higher up, nor lesser than, but all are one in Him.
My question would then be… are you BEING salt, are you BEING light in your neighborhood, city, state, nation and beyond. Or are you of a mindset, it’s about us?
BEING the church, is demonstrating His Kingdom, His will, on earth as it is in heaven. Upon this Rock, I will build My church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Not upon, the us four and no more, or upon this building will I build. Upon the Rock, Christ Jesus,Who is King, upon the revealed kingdom of God. His Rule, His Reign, His Lordship in and over all.
If we do not rightly discern His Body, which is `we’ His Temple, the word says, for this cause many among you are weak, sickly, and sleep.
It’s time too Wake up and discern His Body.
Excuses, Excuses, Excuses, Even excuses we made in the Bible for not following the Lord Jesus Christ Luke 14:18, 19, 20, Jesus responded to these excuses in Luke 14:27, “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. In the 28 years I have been a Pastor I have heard every excuse under the sun why people don’t want to attend the Local Church. One man said, “I don’t have any Peanut Butter” The Pastor said, “Thats no excuse” The man said, “well I guess one excuse is good as any another.” If Jesus died for the Church, Romans 5:8, Born Again, Blood Washed, Blood Bought, Spirit Filled Child of God, then we ought to care enough to be a part of a local church. In Revelation Chapters 2-3 all 7 letters were to local churches, The church of Ephesus, The church of Smyrna, The church of Pergamos, the church of Thyatira, The church of Sardis, The church of Philadelphia, and the church of Laodicea. These 7 churches were all local churches. Christ didn’t instruct John to send these letters to any individual, but to local churches. The local church is the body of Christ, a body of called out born again believers who assemble themselves together Hebrews 10:25 for “And he gave some apostles; and some prophets; and some, evangleists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” Ephesians 4:11-12. This is all done in the local church! as a body of believers. God knows the real reason you do not attend a local church and that you are not a member of a local church. He also know those who do attend a local church and why they are members of a local church, who gather for the Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship and traning they recieve in the local church. In Jeremiah 17:9-10 we read these words, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to the fruit of his doings. With God we can make no excuses, because He knows the real reason we do not attend the local church, we that are born again, blood washed, blood bought will all appear berfore the Judgment Seat of Christ to give an account of our lives Romans 14:10 2 Corinthians 5:10. Some of us will be rewarded and some of us will suffer loss 1 Corinthians 3:10-14. Those of you who do not attend and support a local church will suffer a great loss because of you unfaithfulness to Christ and the local church He died to save Roamns 5:8. In conclusion I ask you to search your heart and see if you excuse will hold up when you stand before Him at the Judgment Seat of Christ, which will take place between the Rapture and the Revelation of Christ? Dr. Rudy Caldwell Pastor of Countryview Baptist Church 1145 Amity Road Galloway, Ohio 43119
Sorry Dr. Rudy,
But we need to make a distinction here in what you said. The churches spoken of in Rev. were the `whole’ church body in the area of Smyrna, the `whole’ church body of Pergamos, etc. In other words had the letter been written today it would say, to the church of Ohio, or possibly even more broadly, to the church of America..not to the local church Countryview Baptist Church on Amity Road. You have defined what is written by your own belief system and not what is truly written.
Sorry Kathryn
The letters to the seven churches in Revelation chapters 2-3 were writen to the 7 Pastors of these 7 churches.”The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the seven angles [aggelos, messenger here which refers to the Pastors of the seven churches] of the seven churches: and the seven candelsticks which thou sawest are the seven churches” Revelation 1:20. You are just talking in circles and ignoring the words of the Lord Jesus Christ which He instructed John to write. These churches were seven local churches and these seven local churches had seven Pastors. So we will just let God’s Word speak for itself. If you want to take away from God’s Word the truth about these local churches and local Pastors then you will answer to God. “For I testify unto you every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book” Revelation 22:18. So just eat crow Kathryn, and let the Word of God say really what it means! “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels [Pastors] of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches”Revelation 1:20. Also Countryview Baptist Church is a local church located at 1145 Amity Road, Galloway, Ohio 43119. This is are adddress and if Christ had instructed John to send us a letter John would have sent the letter to me as the Pastor and to 1145 Amity Road Galloway, Ohio 43119. A man who Jesus Christ died for Dr. Rudy Caldwell Pastor of Countryview Baptist Church 1145 Amity Road Galloway, Ohio 43119. By the way Kathryn whats the address of your local church where you attend?
I had to chuckle a bit Dr, Rudy,
Seems we are not getting anywhere on this subject. But will say, we have defined the angel of the `whole’ body in these areas as pastors, when truly it means what it says..messenger. Sent one, which would be more appropriate to say, apostle. Sorry I got you all in a tizzy, really, that happens when our doctrine that we have held too for so long comes tumbling down. I am saying this with all sincerity, no malice or any offense. Like it or not..we are one. : )
I don’t attend but have been part of Alabaster ministries, that use to be called Good Samaratin, that use to be called Grace Chapel. Gathering on friday nights and sunday mornings.
Hello Kathryn
I say this with love for the Lord Jesus Christ Christ and love for you, that you need to get active in a local church. You must make your life count for the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church. You only have one life to live her on earth so don’t waste it by being an unactive member of the Body of Christ. We have to many unactive Church Members today thats why the local church is dwindling
away today, this doesn’t bring glory to God, and the Bible eaches “Whatsoever things you do, do all for the glory of God. So Kathryn let me say to you as a God called Pastor of a local church, you need to be a part of a local assembly, and make your life count for His Glory. God Bless A man who Jesus Died for Dr. Rudy Caldwell
Hi Dr. Rudy!
Feel like I’m getting to know you. : ) I am active in His body, and I appreciate very much your care and concern. We can trust Holy Spirit to do that which only He can do….straighten us both out! lol But truly, love ya in Him.
Blessings, Kathryn