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Why do people go to Church?

Brickjectivity

Brickjectivity

wind and rain touch not this brain
Staff member
Premium Member
The reason to go to church is to learn to commune with people you disagree with, to find opportunities to help others, to see yourself through other's eyes, to learn patience, to learn obedience, to learn kindness and ultimately to learn love. As a human being you will have a lot of rough edges and things to learn over a lifetime. For human beings personal growth is a team effort. You cannot reach your zenith without the help of others. Jesus taught that to follow him requires denying yourself and carrying your own cross, which is figurative language. It means you must become a part instead of the whole, and its not something you can do alone. You must learn to put up with other people and you need them to do the same, and you have to all share the goals that Jesus envisioned. Jesus goals are very lofty, obtainable, but they require some work and suffering. Church is a lot of work, and if you are only attending some meetings then you've never been to church.
 
BSM1

BSM1

What? Me worry?
Church--of any religion--is an excellent place to begin your spiritual journey. It gives you that initial starting point of asking "why?". But most people are afraid to really get a truthful answer to their questions so they settle for the safety of organized religion. A true seeker should never be afraid to look for their answers everywhere. Even on a forum like this you can find enlightenment from a robed bodhisattva as well as a goat-skin wearing pagan. Also, never feel you came here by accident.
 
lunamoth

lunamoth

Will to love
Christianity is a corporate religion. We are part of the Body of Christ, which means we worship communally, together. Communion is another name for the Eucharist, the bread and wine, showing that it is a union of more than one - us with God but also us with one another. The Eucharist cannot be done in isolation, and it is one of the central sacraments of Christianity.

I also really like Brickjectivity's explanation. Fellowship with people you like and agree with is fun, but church is often full of people who are very different from us, or that we may even disagree with. God's love means working on our relationships with everyone, not just people we get along with. It's more like a family than a social club in that aspect.
 
D

Desert Snake

Veteran Member
lunamoth said:
Christianity is a corporate religion. We are part of the Body of Christ, which means we worship communally, together. Communion is another name for the Eucharist, the bread and wine, showing that it is a union of more than one - us with God but also us with one another. The Eucharist cannot be done in isolation, and it is one of the central sacraments of Christianity.
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I don't think "body of Christ" means that, look at all the different denominations for instance, I think it means all Christians, everywhere, not our 'church' attendance.
 
lunamoth

lunamoth

Will to love
disciple said:
I don't think "body of Christ" means that, look at all the different denominations for instance, I think it means all Christians, everywhere, not our 'church' attendance.
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You don't have to go to church to be part of the Body of Christ, but it is a communal religion. And I agree it is not limited to some specific denomination(s). I don't see this as being an exclusive claim, but an inclusive one. If you consider yourself a Christian, you are part of the Body of Christ.

But I see the heart of Christianity to be 'love God and love one another,' and this is not something done in isolation. It is all about relationships.
 
Penumbra

Penumbra

Veteran Member
Premium Member
When I was young, I went to church because I was supposed to go. I didn't enjoy it or find value in it, though. My father also went because he felt he was supposed to go.

My mother goes to a church that she really enjoys because she meets all her friends there. They also believe that their prayers at church affect things, so she believes that going to church can help solve problems that she encounters by increasing the number of people praying for a resolution for it.
 
savagewind

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
I am sure some people go to church or Kingdom Hall because they believe it is an order from Jehovah. I know because it is what I thought. I was taught Hebrews 10:25 means it pleases Jehovah that you are present at every meeting. Alert and prepared too.
 
Harrytic

Harrytic

Member
Church is absolutely crucial to Christians. You need to have that continuous validation of your beliefs which you get from church. Unless you surround yourself with like mind Christians who do that for you every day, then your faith will wane. Having non-Christian friends is dangerous, especially if they are the type who challenge your beliefs. It will just lead you away from Christ as logical and rational arguments are more compelling than preaching and the appeals to emotion that you get in church.

If you’ve ever been in a direct marketing business, you will know that to keep your excitement of the business up, you need to attend the regular meetings and seminars. Otherwise you gradually begin to lose interest. You start to lose your faith in the business. It’s exactly the same when it comes to God. If you’re not continually feeding yourself… recharging your batteries, as it were (by going to church), then you’re faith is going to die.

I wish I could say that the holy spirit would do all this for you, but it’s just not the case for the majority of us.

I see it this way. If you’re a student, would you refuse to go to classes? If you were a soldier would you refuse to train for war? If you are a Christian, then you should be willing to go to church and if there is a lack of enthusiasm about going to church, then you need to re-evaluate your faith. God is unlikely to do anything to give your faith a boost. You have to be the one to take the necessary steps and attending church whenever you can is a must.
 
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savagewind

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Harrytic said:
Church is absolutely crucial to Christians. You need to have that continuous validation of your beliefs which you get from church. Unless you surround yourself with like mind Christians who do that for you every day, then your faith will wane. Having non-Christian friends is dangerous, especially if they are the type who challenge your beliefs. It will just lead you away from Christ as logical and rational arguments are more compelling than preaching and the appeals to emotion that you get in church.

If you’ve ever been in a direct marketing business, you will know that to keep your excitement of the business up, you need to attend the regular meetings and seminars. Otherwise you gradually begin to lose interest. You start to lose your faith in the business. It’s exactly the same when it comes to God. If you’re not continually feeding yourself… recharging your batteries, as it were (by going to church), then you’re faith is going to die.

I wish I could say that the holy spirit would do all this for you, but it’s just not the case for the majority of us.

I see it this way. If you’re a student, would you refuse to go to classes? If you were a soldier would you refuse to train for war? If you are a Christian, then you should be willing to go to church and if there is a lack of enthusiasm about going to church, then you need to re-evaluate your faith. God is unlikely to do anything to give your faith a boost.
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God gives a boost only in church?

Genesis 39:20-23 40:23 41:1

39:20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did
40:23 23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.
41:1 When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream
 
savagewind

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Job 19:13 He has alienated my brothers from me; my acquaintances are completely estranged from me My kinsmen have gone away; my friends have forgotten me

Job 42:5 I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes

Who was there to comfort Job and take his mind off his pain? In church? NO!
 
savagewind

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
1 Kings chapter 19

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, "It is enough. Now, O Yahweh, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again The angel of Yahweh came again the second time, and touched him, and said, "Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you." So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

How is it you have learned God gives a boost only in church?
 
savagewind

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Harrytic said:
Where did I say God gives a boost ONLY in church?
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then you should be willing to go to church and if there is a lack of enthusiasm about going to church, then you need to re-evaluate your faith. God is unlikely to do anything to give your faith a boost. You have to be the one to take the necessary steps and attending church whenever you can is a must.
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What does this mean please?: He who endures to the end will be saved.

Is there any mention of Church at Matthew 24:13?
 
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savagewind

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
There is something else wrong with the saying "you must attend church whenever you can". What about the prayer for believers that says "let God's will be done'"? I understand that to mean make me over to be the person privileged to do the will of Yahweh on Earth and use me to accomplish God's will. If God's will for me is away from church one day but I must go to church because it is my belief it is where the Lord wants me to be, how can I accomplish my real assignment for the day if my assignment is not at church?
 
Harrytic

Harrytic

Member
Quote (Harrytic):
then you should be willing to go to church and if there is a lack of enthusiasm about going to church, then you need to re-evaluate your faith. God is unlikely to do anything to give your faith a boost. You have to be the one to take the necessary steps and attending church whenever you can is a must.


Quote: (Savagewind)
What does this mean please?: He who endures to the end will be saved.
Is there any mention of Church at Matthew 24:13?


He who endures to the end will be saved? This tells me that we must take our own actions to get to the end. And God will be gracious enough to save us at the end. We can’t just coast along and hope for the best. We need to do what we can to ensure we stay strong and make it to the end. That’s why it’s so important to haul yourself out of bed on a Sunday morning and get into church.

I have been in churches all my life (over 40 years) and I was part of adult leadership for 10 years. and I have seen what happens to people who claim to be Christians but do not go to church. They struggle and many fall by the wayside. I have met numerous people and heard numerous testimonies about people who stopped going to church and then had all manner of problems particularly keeping their faith. They came back to church and things began to improve.

I’m not saying that God won’t meet you outside of church. I NEVER even indicated that in my post. However I did say that the holy spirit cannot be relied upon to keep you strong in the faith. I know many Christians will balk at that, but it’s obviously true.

You can show me scriptures about God touching people outside of church. You can tell me testimonies of God touching people outside of church. That’s great, but for the majority of Christians they will not get any of that. They will struggle along on their own unless they have a lot of other Christians to validate their faith or to be accountable too. The majority of Christians cannot make it on their own, because they don’t have the ability to study the bible or even to make sensible decisions on their own. They need more mature, more learned Christians to help them along. Sad but true. I’ve seen it time and time again. I know that might not mean much to you, but that’s the reality.
 
savagewind

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
I think I understand what you are saying about the importance of church for some people. But you are taking it to the extreme. with this:
the holy spirit cannot be relied upon to keep you strong in the faith
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Church does better than the Holy Spirit? Why? How?

and this:
attending church whenever you can is a must
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Whenever you can? For some people that is all the time. Surely that is extreme.
 
Harrytic

Harrytic

Member
savagewind said:
There is something else wrong with the saying "you must attend church whenever you can". What about the prayer for believers that says "let God's will be done'"? I understand that to mean make me over to be the person privileged to do the will of Yahweh on Earth and use me to accomplish God's will. If God's will for me is away from church one day but I must go to church because it is my belief it is where the Lord wants me to be, how can I accomplish my real assignment for the day if my assignment is not at church?
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I would question whether that was really God's will for you or just your own desire. Perhaps an excuse just to not have to go to church? Only you know the answer to that deep down.

I'm not saying you have to be there EVERY Sunday and who says it even has to be Sunday? I'm saying that if you're not attending church regulary then the chances of you losing your faith increases dramatically and I wouldn't be surprised if you had completely back slidden within in a few years. Of course you may be in a situation where you're always mingling with other Christians anyway and getting all the benefits you'd get in church . However, if you're not, then I hold out little hope for you. :(

Maybe you'll be one of the very few fortunate ones who God does special favours for.
 
savagewind

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Harrytic said:
I would question whether that was really God's will for you or just your own desire. Perhaps an excuse just to not have to go to church? Only you know the answer to that deep down.

I'm not saying you have to be there EVERY Sunday and who says it even has to be Sunday? I'm saying that if you're not attending church regulary then the chances of you losing your faith increases dramatically and I wouldn't be surprised if you had completely back slidden within in a few years. Of course you may be in a situation where you're always mingling with other Christians anyway and getting all the benefits you'd get in church . However, if you're not, then I hold out little hope for you. :(

Maybe you'll be one of the very few fortunate ones who God does special favours for.
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I believe the unclean thing we are to quit touching is any lie. There exists no uniform doctrine from church to church so there is no church that does not hold to lies. I cannot be present where lies are being taught to be believed. I cannot be taken in by God if I do.
 
Harrytic

Harrytic

Member
savagewind said:
I think I understand what you are saying about the importance of church for some people. But you are taking it to the extreme. with this:

Church does better than the Holy Spirit? Why? How?

and this:
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I know you're gonna hate this, but the holy spirit seems to be very ineffective in that area. Most who try to make it on their own, with only the holy spirit to guide and teach them don't seem to make it. From what I am seeing it is those Christians who have a big support group of good Christian associates who seem to be the ones strong in faith.


Whenever you can? For some people that is all the time. Surely that is extreme.
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Ha ha. Perhaps. But I'm yet to come across a church that has services 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The biggest church I've been to (granted it's only in New Zealand) had three on Sundays aimed at different audiences and I think a youth service during the week. And Cell groups who met once a week.
 
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