Desk of Dennis PillerFearlessly Courageous3 13 2023Click for Audio Version
What does the Bible say about online church – and I do Church alone?
Although connecting to your church family via online live streams or doing church alone may be an occasional and temporary necessity, “online church” does not meet the Biblical purposes, functions, and commands of gathering in person.
What does the Bible say about the church not being a building?
The Church was designed to be a spiritual family, a group of believers united in the gospel doing life together. This is why the writer to Hebrews said, “Do not forsake the assembling of one another.” The author goes on to write the reason we must not give up physically meeting.
Does God speak through the church?
He speaks through dreams, visions, and voices. We can learn to hear God speak through his Church, through the love of his people, and through the voice of his pastors. When we listen to, read, and study the Holy Scriptures, he speaks using the voice of our hearts.
Let's look at some of the actual reasonspeople give for not going to church.
• They practice their faith in "other ways." (37%)• They are not believers. (28%)• No reason is "very important." (26%)• They haven't found a house of worship they like. (23%)• They don't like the sermons. (18%)• They don't feel welcome. (14%)• They don't have the time. (12%)• Poor health or mobility. (9%)
What is the purpose of the church?
The epistle of Ephesians speaks about the love story between God and his Church for the last 2000 years, and that story reveals that Christ did not only give himself for the Church, but he also gave various gifts (4:8-11) so that the Church would come to a place of maturity and fullness (4:12-16). That happens in a more powerful way when we come together as a body of believers. The Church!
We come together to worship – This is why David says, “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God” (Psalm 40:3 CSB).
“I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; see, I do not keep my mouth closed— as you know, Lord. I did not hide your righteousness in my heart; I spoke about your faithfulness and salvation; I did not conceal your constant love and truth from the great assembly” (Psalm 40:9-10 CSB).
When we gather to worship together, we’re reminded that our corporate identity is not what we’ve done, but it’s what God’s done! So maybe the question shouldn’t be why the church is called to gather together. In light of what we read in Psalm 40,perhaps the better question is, why shouldn’t the church be gathering more frequently together?
And so, because God met us in our greatest need – (Salvation) —and because he will always meet us in our greatest needs—we gather together to worship corporately as an act of gratitude and worship to encourage ourselves, our family, and other members of the body of Christ… Of which we are each one! Mostly because he tells us to do that. El Shaddai Amy Granthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuXB1a3NBCw&list=PLCd-wh1hNZpQRQZ73gnTCeUYflnkLMF_S&index=20
