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To: Persevero
Learning to forbear and forgive and love sacrificially is one of the Christian’s highest callings, and it doesn’t happen if you are in your private sanctuary at home.

Jesus didn’t stay home. He dealt with depraved and horrid people all the time. Sure, he took breaks. But he didn’t stay home.

Not saying I'm better than anyone - just don't want to spend my day off with them - I see enough of it through the week.

I don't live in a vacuum, I witness often whenever it is appropriate. Jesus went out into the people and preached outside of the church, he raked the churches over the coals a few times too.

If going to church makes a person feel spiritually nourished, that's great, just doesn't work that way for me.

65 posted on 03/15/2011 5:56:16 PM PDT by alicewonders
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To: alicewonders

“just doesn’t work that way for me. “

I don’t mean you any offense, honestly, but Jesus didn’t set up the church just in case it might work for you.

You are not submitting to one another in love if you just go out and witness. You are not getting any discipline, nor must you do the yeoman’s work of forgiving and even loving people who are sometimes downright unloveable. You don’t have to deal year in and year out, get disappointed, get up, and keep going.

Perhaps you do that at work; but work isn’t the same as church. It’s not an institution set up by God with sacraments (you are missing the Lord’s Supper), or preaching, or discipline.

You can get preaching over the internet; but that preacher does not know you. A preacher who is pastor of a group of 100 people probably has a lot more insight as to what the group needs to hear about at certain times.

You aren’t getting called out on your sins. You may sin less than most, but I can about guarantee you that you have pet or ignorant sins that only a brother in Christ, particularly an elder who is so commissioned, can call you on and counsel you on. You aren’t getting led in any direct and regular way by senior saints. No one knows you or your situation well enough to pray specifically for you and your needs. Etc.

I am not trying to tell you to go back to some crummy church where people are just nasty and the gospel isn’t preached. But there are decent churches and not only are you missing out, they are missing out on the gifts you could bring.


67 posted on 03/15/2011 6:24:39 PM PDT by Persevero (Homeschooling for Excellence since 1992)
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