Rosjuane's Answer

Ok, in the middle of the blog questions that have recently been raised about whether or not you should attend a church if you consider yourself a Christian, my friend, Rosjuane, had an interesting point.
She said, I don’t care that so and so says I should go, because “the bible says to,” tell me WHERE in the bible it says that.
So of course I go googling, trying to find the right chapters and verses, and as usual, I bite off more than I can chew…..
After lots of reading, and even MORE thinking, here’s my thinking on it, plus some soapbox rambling as well.
Many people refuse to get near a church unless their child is participating in a Vacation Bible School program, or it is Mother’s Day. They claim they can get more out of a walk in the woods, or a nice fishing trip, than from the typical sermon. Is that possible, at times? To relate to God, and really feel the spirit when alone in nature? Of course. Should it be your typical manner of worship? I don’t think so.
Can a Christian survive apart from a church? As opposed to physical death? Yes. Some Christians have no choice. They are teathered in a hospital bed, or working in an isolated area where no church exists. And God is certainly sufficient to care for their needs. You can of course still enter heaven under these circumstances.
But even though it's technically possible to live the Christian life in isolation, it's certainly not the norm. And for most, it isn’t the most ideal way to exist, if you want to walk closely with your savior. In this quote, stolen from the blog of Brandi Williams, she says “I am trying to walk so closely with Christ that I get his dust in my face. Sometimes its mostly because I've fallen in the dust but hey, I'm trying.” I think that is exactly what God wants from us, for us to truly try.
When you become a Christian, you are called into a relationship with God (1 Corinthians 1:9). But I John 1:3 makes it clear that we enter a fellowship that goes two ways: with God and with other Christians as well. A lot of the reason that I find spirituality in our day to day life is from the influence God has on me through my fellow church members. If I didn’t have that accountability with them, as well as HIM, I think I would fail even more often than I do.
The New Testament never divides Christians into the church members and the non-church members, as far as I can tell. It assumes that everybody participates in their local assembly of some sort. Everytime the apostle Paul comes to a town in the book of Acts where there are no Christians, he wins a few converts and immediately organizes them into a small group - a little church. To march together on their journey to glorify Christ. Even if it’s only a handful.
Acts 20:7 reveals the practice of the early church: "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached to them."
It's strange to me to consider yourself part of the Christian population, yet refuse to gather with fellow Christ followers in your area.
It would be like claiming you have a mac, when the power cord is in a box in the closet, the monitor is in the trunk of your car, and the tower and modem are under the bed. You don't have computer; you have the beginning of the inventory for Jeff to make you your own mac. It just won't function until the pieces are put together.
The church must be together to carry out many of its purposes.
Here are some responsibilities of Christians that cannot happen when you live in isolation from the church family atmosphere. Some of these Jeff covered within the last few weeks. If have lots of scripture references on some of them, if you are interested just ask.
1. USE OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS - I Corinthians 12 makes it clear that God has given spiritual gifts to every Christian. And verse 7 states clearly that these abilities are not provided to make you feel good; they are abilities to minister that should be used for the common good of all other mankind. I Peter 4:10 commands us to use spiritual gifts to help each other.
The same passage makes it clear that we meet with other Christians so they can use their gifts to strengthen us, as well. (Like me referencing Brandy F saying doing God’s will isn’t always painless. Did I KNOW that before she said it? Yes, but I hadn’t really put it together) God's gift of a preacher (or teacher) is wasted if no one comes to hear them speak their sermons or bible studies. Personally, I NEEDED to hear Brandy say that. And I needed to put a face on the need of fostering. She does that for me, and everyone else.
2. MUTUAL MINISTRY - The church is pictured as a body in I Corinthians 12, and Paul explains that each part of the body exists to meet the needs of other body parts. In the same way, God intends each of us to meet the needs of other believers, using our strengths to help in their areas of weakness. (Like Misty saying today, NO JENNY, you CANNOT buy another purse, I won’t let you!!) I Corinthians 12:21 expresses it this way: "The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you." So can a Christian be totally self sufficient? No.
The New Testament is full of one another verses. We are to comfort one another (I Thessalonians 4:18), build up one another (I Thessalonians 5:11), confess our sins to one another (James 5:16), pray for one another (James 5:16), and many more. Hard to obey those when you are alone as well.
3. ACCOUNTABILITY - God designed the church as a place where spiritual leaders could watch out for our welfare, as a shepherd. (are you picturing Jeff with a big ol' hook?)A Christian who answers only to himself can easily rationalize sinful attitudes or actions; while regular contact with other Christians can keep us on our toes and in check. Especially with my blunt friends! They aren’t afraid to call me on the carpet!
So Rosjuane, to answer your question, here it is, a single verse that should sum up this question: Hebrews 10:25 warns its readers against “forsaking the assembly of yourselves together, as the manner of some is.”
Hopefully Jeff or Ryan will jump in with more input, that’s the best I can do.