How many of you attend church?

[angelk316]

I was born and raised a seventh day adventis. My mother made me attend services every sabbath. Even when we were on vacation my mother always found a church for use to go to.There was never an excuse not to attend church.
I was highly active in the church growing up.
Now that I moved out my parents house I dont attend church anymore.
My spirit was always confused when I was in the church. Now that I am out the church I don't base my relationship with God by what others say or what others think .
I learn about God through life experiences and by just talking to him. I keep the "word"(which iI believe is Jesus and not the bible) in my heart.
I fellowship with my family and friends outside of church.

 

[mzcaramelicious07]

Went every Sunday as a youngster, but had no choice. Now I haven't attended in nearly 3 years. For one thing I can't find a church that doesn't require me to pack a lunch and a few snacks.[/QUOTE]

lol....u r a trip for that one!

Anyway, I attend church on the reg. Sunday morning and night service, Wednesday night Bible Study, every other Thursday night choir practice, once a month Women's meetings, once a month Ministry of Helps meetings, annual week long conferences and whatever else comes up.

I also had to go when I was younger, but only once a week. As I got older and got on my own away here at college, I learned the importance of being in the house of God whenever I can. I go to a Non-denominational church, and love it. I visited several when I first got to my college hometown 5 yrs ago and knew I was to be at this one as soon as I attended my first service there. And it worked out because it also happens to be the church that my now fiance attends and is pastored by his father. But to answer the question, yes I do attend quite often....basically you will see me there if the doors are open, and I don't have class, work, etc..

 

[Shimmie]

I am a Christian and I will not lie...

I am pretty close to despising the churches here in Los Angeles. Consequently, I do not have a church home and do not attend church regularly. I feel really bad about it because I know no church is perfect. But I can't take all of the Hollywood theatrics of the bigger churches and the "questionable" feelings I get from the smaller ones. I have attended so many different churches and services out here. I was discouraged but I finally just let it go and stopped visiting them. I haven't been to church since January. What's a trip is that I do not feel bad about it any more.

You are so precious in the heart of God, dear one.

I used to think that church was perfect ... "Heaven". But it's not nor will it ever be. We're in this earth as earthen vessels.

I've been saved and loving and serving God for 24 years. I've seen much -- heard much --- been through much. Yet, notihing has separated me from the love of God. Nor will it separte you.

God 'orders' our steps; The Holy Spirit 'orders' our hearts. There's a Worship song that I love to sing. I whisper it to myself when I'm challenged. The words are:

"Jesus, Jesus...Lord to me. Master, Savior, Prince of Peace.
Ruler of my heart today, Jesus...Lord to me."

Angels, God rules. God rules and no one can stop that or stop Him.

We all know that there is a devil who is real and wants nothing more than to separte our hearts from knowing and loving the one true God that there is and always will be.

No one can make another go to Church. However, we can surely love them to prove wrong the reasons why they been turned away from the House of God. We will just love them back in and melt their hearts with more love than they've ever known.

The devil is a liar and he shall not have the hearts of those whom God has chosen and died for. That covers everyone.

Blessings angels...

"Shimmie..."

 

[Southernbella.]

I haven't been in quite awhile. I no longer believe you HAVE to go to a church building to be close to God. Well, maybe some Christians do, but not all. Like some others have said, I actually feel mroe secure in my faith and closer to God NOW than when I was an active member. I have learned a lot in my own Bible studies, and my husband and I fellowship together regularly.

If you are struggling to decide what to do, ask God to show you, and remember, everyone's walk is different. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that in order to be saved, you have to go to church every Sunday. Study the Word for yourself, and if you are led to a church, go. If not, don't. I may go back to church one day, if God leads me, but I'm in a different season right now, and I'm fine with that.

 

[YellowButterfly]

I am very glad that my relationship with Jesus which is a deep personal one started outside of the black church. Otherwise, I would have been like so many precious people who left their relationship with God because they associated it with church . One thing I learned is Satan has his people in church just like Jesus has. It is important to know Christ for yourself and to learn to listen for his direction and read the bible for yourself because he can keep you safe from the wolves in sheep (or saints ) clothing. I learn so much and grow so much when it is just Jesus and I at home studying or when I talk to him . My church experiences to be honest left me in a world of bitterness and hurt for a season along with unforgiveness. I am in the process of allowing God to renew my mind and heart and learning to forgive for real so that I will not be bound. I wish that alot of church people would read the bible and get to know Jesus for themselves then maybe there would be alot less troublemakers, self-righteousness, pridefullnes and arrogance in the body of Christ for Jesus was none of that so why are so many supposedly Christian Church people this way ? I have recently had a minister walk up to me at work and ask me what I was ( I never claimed to be anything) followed by stating women couldn't be pastors but there was some things women could do in the church. Then he asked me again what was I? I never claimed to be anything and have never said I was anything to him . To me what is important is now who I am but who Jesus is.

 

[YellowButterfly]

That last line should have read is not who I am but who Jesus is. I am going to give church another go one day when I am stronger in his word because I am learning how to use his word when under attack and it works.

 

[amy1234]

I chose, 2-3 times a month

 

[remnant]

I haven't been in quite awhile. I no longer believe you HAVE to go to a church building to be close to God. Well, maybe some Christians do, but not all. Like some others have said, I actually feel mroe secure in my faith and closer to God NOW than when I was an active member. I have learned a lot in my own Bible studies, and my husband and I fellowship together regularly.

If you are struggling to decide what to do, ask God to show you, and remember, everyone's walk is different. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that in order to be saved, you have to go to church every Sunday. Study the Word for yourself, and if you are led to a church, go. If not, don't. I may go back to church one day, if God leads me, but I'm in a different season right now, and I'm fine with that.

I agree with all you said !

 

[klassykutie]

I was raised Catholic, however, I attend different denominational services quite often as I am invited by many of those who I am associated with. I understand what is being said by many and can closely identify with it. I have witnessed horrible things in the church. I have seen the leaders of the church commit adultry and preach to the congregation that they should not do it and put members of the congregation on blast for shortcomings. I see church leaders collect tithes from members and steal the money allowing the church to fall into disrepair and tax trouble while they drive a Mercedes. I feel as though it is hard for me to be lead by an individual who will tell me what not to do and then do the opposite of what they preach and do things boastfully to the community. We all sin, however, I feel that if you preach the word of God you should set an example and be humble. Leaders who are out in the open with their messiness is disrespectful to not only God but to the members of the community who actually are in search of bettering themelves and staying on the right path.

 

[Shimmie]

I was raised Catholic, however, I attend different denominational services quite often as I am invited by many of those who I am associated with. I understand what is being said by many and can closely identify with it. I have witnessed horrible things in the church. I have seen the leaders of the church commit adultry and preach to the congregation that they should not do it and put members of the congregation on blast for shortcomings. I see church leaders collect tithes from members and steal the money allowing the church to fall into disrepair and tax trouble while they drive a Mercedes. I feel as though it is hard for me to be lead by an individual who will tell me what not to do and then do the opposite of what they preach and do things boastfully to the community. We all sin, however, I feel that if you preach the word of God you should set an example and be humble. Leaders who are out in the open with their messiness is disrespectful to not only God but to the members of the community who actually are in search of bettering themelves and staying on the right path.

I could not have said it better. For part of the reason, is because of these 'mis' Leaders that there are those who doubt and don't want to come to church.

Well said, well said...Amen !!!

I'm in too deep to leave. I've had too much proven to me from God to stay in the faith and not allow the deceivers in the church to affect me otherwise. We have to remember, the 'devil' come immediately to steal the word (of God) which is sown into the hearts to men. Yet, God says to resist the devil and he will flee from us. Therefore, I stand with God and not man.

"Shimmie..."

 

[klassykutie]

ITA with you, Ms. Shimmie. It is hard for me because I see alot of people mislead by leaders, and my family has been misguided by corrupt officials in terms of finances, choice of life partner, etc. but I have never looked at it from your standpoint, this is one of the ways the devil tries to mislead people from receiving the word.

 

[Southernbella.]

We have to remember, the 'devil' come immediately to steal the word (of God) which is sown into the hearts to men. Yet, God says to resist the devil and he will flee from us. Therefore, I stand with God and not man.

So are you saying the Word is only available inside a church building? Because anyone can receive the Word if they open their hearts and minds to God, study their Bible, and allow God to speak to them, whether they go to church or not.

 

[MzTami]

I haven't been in quite awhile. I no longer believe you HAVE to go to a church building to be close to God. Well, maybe some Christians do, but not all. Like some others have said, I actually feel mroe secure in my faith and closer to God NOW than when I was an active member. I have learned a lot in my own Bible studies, and my husband and I fellowship together regularly.

If you are struggling to decide what to do, ask God to show you, and remember, everyone's walk is different. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that in order to be saved, you have to go to church every Sunday. Study the Word for yourself, and if you are led to a church, go. If not, don't. I may go back to church one day, if God leads me, but I'm in a different season right now, and I'm fine with that.

Well Said! My husband use to preach at a small church in his hometown. I go to him to preach the word of God to me. He knows the Bible very well, because he was brought up in church his whole life. We worship together as a family. My husband also wants to go back to preaching in his own church one day, but he hasn't received his calling, yet.

 

[princesmich]

I attend church, but it's not about the building or the people, JESUS made a difference in my life, I've had some pretty low vallies and God has seen me through, I'm not just running at the mouth this thing is real.

 

[Super_Hero_Girl]

Guessthis is just a "christian thread". No room for temples, mosque, mandirs, synagogues, etc, etc, etc on that poll.... Oh well.

 

[Denim And Leather]

Guessthis is just a "christian thread". No room for temples, mosque, mandirs, synagogues, etc, etc, etc on that poll.... Oh well.

Well, this is the Christian Fellowship Forum.

ETA- Sorry, I hope I didn't sound snooty by that, SHG, what I meant to say was why is this a problem? This is a fellowship forum for Christians, so of course the poll would pertain to churches.

 

[Aissasmommy]

First of all I do attend church every sunday. I'd better, I am the pastor.

Secondly,

So are you saying the Word is only available inside a church building? Because anyone can receive the Word if they open their hearts and minds to God, study their Bible, and allow God to speak to them, whether they go to church or not.

What I see here and in alot of the answers on this board is the conflict many are having between their faith and their religion. They are different. Your faith is between you and your God. It is extremely personal and affected by your personal experiences with God and with others. Even within the same "church" people will have different faiths. It is based on your understanding of God and can change as your relationship with Him changes.

For example, I along with my husband, pastor a church on Skid Row in Los Angeles. My husband and I are chaplains to a drug and alcohol program there, and as ordained ministers all of those in recovery come to the church. So our church is composed primarily of those in recovery from Drugs and Alcohol. We are pastors in the Salvation army (yes it's a church, bet you didn't know that ) And while all the Salvation Army church have the same beliefs, the faith of the people in that church is uniquely different from other Salvation Army churches because the people in our church are different. How they see God is fundamentally different than those who haven't gone through recovery.

When two or more people meet and discover they have the same (or close to the same) faith, sometimes they decided to share their faith together. They decided to set aside a time to meet and talk about their faith, and God. They develop a little faith community, if you will. The people in that community come up with rules for the community, (as any community must have rules to be cohesive), such as what day they meet, what time they meet, how they refer to God, whether or not they will baptise etc. Those rules then form a religion. In fact, that's all religion is...ritual. Those practices you do over and over again. Technically, you can religiously wash your car every Saturday. And we people become "religious" about their faith, that is how a church or denomination is born.

So there. No you don't need a church to find, speak to and have a relationship with God. But remember....even Jesus had to find 12 and within those 3 people he could share close fellowship with. God never created us to exist individually. He wants us to be a community. So while you can do it as an individual, meeting as a group, (and on a side note, it's doesn't have to be in traditional church. You could meet in a coffehouse with 10 of your friends once a week or somthing as long as God is edified) is , in my humble opinion, the way to be the most fulfilled.

BTW...our church service is only 1 hour 15 minutes long and that is with a 45 music fest evey sunday. Just a plug.

God bless you all.
Tolani

 

[firecracker]

Yes I attend my church regularly. I can only miss about 2 Sundays w/o feeling guilty if I am in town. I need the fellowship, party and message to stay halfway sane.

 

[MindTwister]

Aissasmommy what denomination is the church you pastor in? And what are your weekly schedules/activities? I went through Skid Row by bus once and I think this is one creepy place :no: hmm is it only recovering drug addicts in there?

 

[Aissasmommy]

Aissasmommy what denomination is the church you pastor in? And what are your weekly schedules/activities? I went through Skid Row by bus once and I think this is one creepy place :no: hmm is it only recovering drug addicts in there?

The Salvation Army is its own denomination, with Methodist roots. Many people do not know it is a church. And yes, Skid Row is creepy. If you notice in other major cities, you see the homeless and drug addicts all over. In LA they are herded into one corner of the city. Most of the people live either on the street or in things called SRO's which are just hotel rooms. It is one of the only places I have ever been where people openly do drugs and the cops just drive on by. There are several missions and recovery centers there, of which we The Salvation Army Harbor Light center is one. Our church is mainly built from people who are either in our recovery program or have graduated from our program. We have no children at our church for various reasons, their safety being number one. And very few functional people actually live on Skid Row. We see our job as getting them a fundamental relationship with God and getting their sobriety on track and then we connect them with a church in their area.

The baby needs to be fed now, lol, so i will go. Let me know if you have any more questions.

God bless.

 

[firecracker]

Go head now! Aissasamomma I am familiar with Salvation Army Church wonderous services within the homeless community. I commend you for reaching out to those in need. Especially in the downtown area.

 

[Shimmie]

Guessthis is just a "christian thread". No room for temples, mosque, mandirs, synagogues, etc, etc, etc on that poll.... Oh well.

Super Hero, come back in and join us. Wherever you worhip, please come share your life with ours. We're here to be friends with everyone. Just share. We can all learn from each other.

Loving hugs from all of us...

 

[BerrySweet]

Guessthis is just a "christian thread". No room for temples, mosque, mandirs, synagogues, etc, etc, etc on that poll.... Oh well.

Make your own thread on the OT board. Or just post here. I'd love to hear other opinions. But others do not, hence the "Christianity" and not religion board.

 

[melodee]

I haven't been in quite awhile. I no longer believe you HAVE to go to a church building to be close to God. Well, maybe some Christians do, but not all. Like some others have said, I actually feel mroe secure in my faith and closer to God NOW than when I was an active member. I have learned a lot in my own Bible studies, and my husband and I fellowship together regularly.

If you are struggling to decide what to do, ask God to show you, and remember, everyone's walk is different. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that in order to be saved, you have to go to church every Sunday. Study the Word for yourself, and if you are led to a church, go. If not, don't. I may go back to church one day, if God leads me, but I'm in a different season right now, and I'm fine with that.

Hi Lauren! I'm glad that you are seeking His will in this and all matters. You are right, a building doesn't save us.

I was going to add that maybe that church you were attending was not one where you could grow. There are many out there like that. I feel you on the bible studying tip. God wants us in His word first and formost.

Congrats on that precious little baby growing inside you. The fact that we can nurture a life inside us is a beautiful thing. I really wanted to tell you that I know being in the third trimester is tough, but you are almost there and we will be rejoicing with you when he comes.

 

[melodee]

I am very glad that my relationship with Jesus which is a deep personal one started outside of the black church. Otherwise, I would have been like so many precious people who left their relationship with God because they associated it with church . One thing I learned is Satan has his people in church just like Jesus has. It is important to know Christ for yourself and to learn to listen for his direction and read the bible for yourself because he can keep you safe from the wolves in sheep (or saints ) clothing. I learn so much and grow so much when it is just Jesus and I at home studying or when I talk to him . My church experiences to be honest left me in a world of bitterness and hurt for a season along with unforgiveness. I am in the process of allowing God to renew my mind and heart and learning to forgive for real so that I will not be bound. I wish that alot of church people would read the bible and get to know Jesus for themselves then maybe there would be alot less troublemakers, self-righteousness, pridefullnes and arrogance in the body of Christ for Jesus was none of that so why are so many supposedly Christian Church people this way ? I have recently had a minister walk up to me at work and ask me what I was ( I never claimed to be anything) followed by stating women couldn't be pastors but there was some things women could do in the church. Then he asked me again what was I? I never claimed to be anything and have never said I was anything to him . To me what is important is now who I am but who Jesus is.

Yellowbutterfly,

For many, the pain of being hurt by someone who has professed their faith runs deep. I know how it feels, like betrayal.

Please know that your sisters will pray for your healing. You have kept your faith and risen above negative comments. As Christians, we come from different backgounds and have different doctrine. But the core is Jesus as you said.

 

[Heidi]

I recently joined a new church at the beginning of the year. It is great! Never thought I would willing enjoy going to more than one service a week. I look back a year ago and I see a complete turn around! Very pleased!

 

[ms*x]

I have been affiliated with many Christian denominations throughout my life, from being baptized as a Catholic as a baby to joining an AME chuch in my mid-teens to stopping church altogether and various points in between all of that when I studied the Bahai faith, Nation of Islam and more.

Recently, I have started feeling like I want to go to church again. I consider myself a non-denominational, historically accurate (no white Jesus or Moses, thank you) Christian.

How did you find your church? Why is it important to you to attend church? How frequently do you go?

i found my church when they hosted the harvest celebration in lieu of trick or treating this halloween...since then, we have been going every week.
it's important that we go to church for more than just spiritual reasons - we also get to bond with others in our community and, because we are new to the state/region, we are able to once again be social and "up on" things and events. my family thrives from going and i am grateful to have started attending just when the teachings have begun about fortifying your marriage

we go every week.

 

[CaramelMiSS]

Me and my cousin were talking one day and he said "you know what? God had to talk to me because lately have been reading my bible because it was what I was suppose to do and, but God told me and corrected me not to fall into a habit of doing something just because I was suppose to do it. He told me to do it because you need to learn and grow"

In other words don't just do it just because your mother told you to do it ever since you were young and it's become a habit. Do it with the intent to have your heart in it so it can move you towards God. I was always told that traditions can be humans downfalls

 

[gymfreak336]

I don't go. I only go for funerals

 

[Ms Red]

I loved going to church every Sunday at home.

Since I've been in Philadelphia I've found a church but it is 45 min. away. Also, I only like the 8am service since the 11:30 service runs until 3:30. So I only attend occasionally (couple of times a month). I need to go more often but these obstacles are hard to overcome.