Churchless Christianity   by Gandree

#3457 in People
Rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic (by 9 people)   Your rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic

What is Churchless Christianity?

There are many reasons for a person to leave their church and not all of them have to do with being upset or hurt. Sometimes, like Moses, some of us find His tent pitched "outside the camp." In this lens I want to look at churchless christianity and hopefully hear from some of you who find yourself there.

Out of Church 

But Not a BackSlider

I was recently reading a 2005 Charisma article When Christians Quit Church by Andy Butcher. In it he said that many Christians were choosing to leave their churches but that did not mean they were turning their backs on God. On the contrary, it is often those who have spent years faithfully serving in their churches who leave. Many of them aren't sure what they are looking for but they know there is more to God than what they are experiencing.

So I was wondering -

Weigh in on Your Church Habits 

For anyone who considers himself a Christian

I realize that this lens is biased toward those who are outside of the church system but it's amazing how many people are "happily following God but not in church." That kind of shoots down the theory that the churchgoers who aren't in church are angry or hurt doesn't it? We serve a God who is tremendously varied in His manifestations. Why shouldn't we expect Him to have a complex body of believers who serve Him in so many ways?

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In and Out of Church 

My own story

I was raised in the Catholic Church. When I went to college, I left that church in search of a more personal faith. When I "got Saved" it was in the living room of someone with a home group. It was a good place for me to learn to walk in the Spirit and learn to discern the voice of God. Because of that, I probably don't rely on church as much as some do.

Over time I have been a member of many different churches - Full Gospel, Non-denominational, Pentecostal and even at different times, no church at all. I feel like God has always been with me and leading me on to find deeper places in the Spirit. As I have matured, the Word has taken on new depths of meaning and many of my doctrinal beliefs have changed. Not the core ones like Jesus dying for the sins of the world but on things like the Rapture (pre, mid or post?)and just how sovereign God really is.

In view of all this, it doesn't upset me to hear that someone no longer goes to church. The more pertinent question would be WHY NOT?

Chew on this. Jesus started the church but He came to introduce the Kingdom of God and the two are not necessarily the same thing. Have you ever wondered if there would be denominations in Heaven?

Why Do You Fellowship Where You Do? 

Polls can be frustrating when you want to explain your choice ;-)

ElizabethJeanAllen

I am a beleiver but I don't always go to church. My time with God is personal and one-on-one. I like going to church but when I attend regularly, the demands on my time start. Yes I need to witness but I want to do it my way, not go knocking on neighbor's doors.

The guilt gets to me sometimes and I miss the closeness of a cohesive congregation. I'll find a way to make it work eventually.
Lizzy

Posted September 27, 2008
onthejourney

I agree immensely with the wisdom of cheryl222, and might only offer a supplement. Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God the Father on the throne (according to numerous biblical passages). That means the kingdom is Here, Christ is ruler over all the cosmos including earth. However, He has not fully and finally consummated it as we are also told in scripture. So the problem that is really being addressed is one which Jesus mentioned in the gospels. "No one can serve two masters, You either serve the one and hate the other or hate the one and serve the other." It is time for the Church to understand that the metaphor of "being the body of Christ" means that we are to be doing His Kingdom work here on earth not trying to serve two masters- God and mammon. Please visit my lens, too, at squidoo.com/savedbygrace.

Posted August 18, 2008
cindyprayer

Very nice len Christian sis! I believe it is every Christian's duty to go to church and praise their Lord!

Posted August 14, 2008
eccles1

'Many of them aren't sure what they are looking for but they know there is more to God than what they are experiencing'. this happened to me like it happens to MANY but then again some people love going to church because it helps them so finding what does work what does help us learn and trying them is the start in our journey its important to follow it through..Seek and you shall find..Thank you Glenna

Posted June 21, 2008
cheryl20772

If we prayed like Jesus taught us, for the Kingdom to come, and lived as he taught us to live, then church could be the Kingdom of God on Earth. I think He intended for the Church to be like a micro Kingdom. Those not yet in the Church were supposed to be drawn to it by seeing "how they love".

Loving like that is not an easy thing in today's world. Our world teaches us to create protective hard shells on our selves to keep out hurt. When we look to Jesus, we have to see that the ultimate love requires a lot of hurt.

Posted June 16, 2008
 
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There's More To Witnessing Than Banging On Doors 

Power of Prayer



I used to attend a church where the Pastor continually told us that our Christian duty was to go out and knock on doors to win people for Jesus. Being a somewhat reclusive person by nature, that was about as appealing as eating rotten oranges. Please.

I remember praying that God had made me and He knew that if I had to go knock on doors, I was going to believe that all of my people would not be home or have such big mean dogs that I couldn't get to their house.

I never did go knocking on doors but that doesn't mean I haven't witnessed. Did you know that how you live your life is a witness?

1Pe 3:1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;

That word 'conversation' can be translated as 'behavior'. It doesn't mean that the wife preached to her husband until she wore him down. It means that she lived such a godly life without fear that he was drawn to the source of her strength.

We live in such troubled times that I wanted to remind you to polish up your witness. Someone near you is watching how you respond to the latest news. If you are having trouble in that area, the best thing you can do is pray and seek a closer relationship with God. He hasn't gone anywhere and will sustain you through the storm if you will draw close to Him.

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