Cutting Back On 'Church' Services

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Michael Phelps

Really good question, Prax........when someone says "I need to go to church more" it indicates to me that they are going for their own benefit. Nothing wrong with that, but you and I both know that the percentage of sinners IN the church is FAR less than the percentage outside of it.

That's like saying the percentage of Laker fans at a home game is more than those at an away game...duh.

But the fact remains, at least at my church, we constantly have vistors coming.

"Church" never was just about "the church". It was common and expected

They had "visitors" on the day of Pentecost when the church was gathered in the upper room

Paul speaks about visitors
1Co 14:16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say "Amen" to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying?
1Co 14:17 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.

1Co 14:23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?

How much emphasis is placed on going out into the world and reaching the lost?

Obviously a lot or otherwise how did they get invited to a church meeting?

Go thru the Bible and tell me how many times you find Jesus going to church. And when he did, he preached at the hypocrites, for the most part.

Mat 12:9 He went on from there and entered their synagogue.

Mat 13:54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?

Mar 1:23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out,

Luk 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.
Luk 4:17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

The majority of his time was spent walking thru the cities and villages, healing the sick, raising the dead, forgiving the sinner......

See above....

In our society, church has for the most part become a social experience, and we see the same faces, hear the same songs, hear the same messages preached, and we leave saying "Wow, that was awesome, I feel so much better". And, then we do it all again. And again.

I LOVE going to church meetings. Where do you guys go to church?

So, when someone says "I need to go to church more" it just makes me wonder if they need the group support to keep reminding themselves that they can "hold out until Jesus comes".

Maybe the person that needs more church is hurting? Will your church be there for him or her? Will you?

When I hear "I need more church" I think "I want to help" not "Oh Gosh, can't I just stay home? Shouldn't you already have a strong relationship with Jesus by now?"

Jas 5:13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.
Jas 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
Jas 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

1Co 14:12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

Gathering together is for the purpose of encouraging each other
Heb 10:25 not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near.

That should be our motivation for going when it's not us that has a need but someone else