I often wonder why some Christians do not go to church. I know for myself I love going to church to be spiritually fed, to worship with fellow beleivers, to be in his presence, to fellowship with other believers, to be prayed for & to pray for others. Any time I stopped going to church because I said I was too busy or whatever reason my spiritual walk with the Lord declined. I think it is so easy to get off the narrow path when you seperate yourself from the body of believers. Like I told my daughter who plans on being a traveling nurse...I said whatever town your working in find a good church and go to it every sunday because if you don't go it will become easier and easier to backslide. This is from my own experience. Satan wants to put reasons for us to not attend church in our minds, ever wonder why? Obviously he doesn't want us there so if he doesn't want that I guarantee you I'll be there!

Hi Darlene,
I think sometimes Christians don't go to church because they can't find one that speaks truth. For me, I quit going to my Lutheran Church a year after our wonderful Pastor left. The new Pastor, (that I am sure the Lord loves), just wasn't getting the message across. In any case, it took me quite awhile to find my new Church (a Calvary Church) to attend in my area. I love this place, but my family doesn't because they are used to "churchie" buildings and such. However, I have been adamant about this because there is truth in these messages, and they are straight from the bible! Love it!! The other thing is that for some (like me), we are a bit on the shy side. So, that also makes it difficult to go somewhere that forces you to interact with new people. I just forced myself because I knew we needed it!

I knew what you mean Darlene, I myself didn't go to the church on Sunday anymore but only on Sabath Day (Saturday) as my church is a Mesianic Church but my wife still goes every Sunday as well as Sabath day too.
Some Christians who don't go to the church (a conventional one) turned out to be attend a home church where is only 3-5 family members in it.
Many home churches in our town right now and some of them are very powerful home church.
But many of them too, choose to stay at home just watching TV or other things not related to church not either on Sabath day or on Sunday. These kind of persons are actually the ones that we should care about. They usually have some hurt feelings in the past about the church and refused to go there as they didn't see the power, the healings and even the joy or peace by doing that.
I pray that these kind of person be given Spirit of Turht to know the truth and Spirit of Wisdom to long for the true knowledge so that he or she will be back in his or her knowledge of Yahweh and be restored his or her wealth and healed from any sickness and bondage to any curses or sins. In Yeshua's name Amen.

I was going to church...a wonderful church until my brother told me that I could no longer go to church. He even threatened to take my car away if I continued going to church. He & my DSIL (she believes in Buddism) look on churches as another form of cults. I don't know why. That's why I no longer attend church.

So now I get atleast watch church services on TBN, as well as relying on you guys, my fellow RITArians & WWJers for my spiritual food. I also read the Bible & too.

Btw, I really wish I could attend church. I really do.


Tammy (SNC)

Now if somebody in here Rita near where Sister NChrist lives, this is a good opportunity to take her to the church with you. Everything we do even the smallest one, Yeshua will very glad to know about it.

I don't go to any church, because I can't find a church around here that is anything more than a religious social club. I get fed by Pastor Hagee and a couple other TV ministries, and spend time reading my bible every day, and also get fed or at least stirred up by some websites like this one, and Michael Rood, and others.

Most of the churches I went to were more about feeding the Pastor's ego then anything else. They wouldn't teach the truth, and when they did it was from a very narrow segment of the Bible that wouldn't offend anybody.

I often find it funny how many of them would insist we weren't under the law, but if you didn't tithe, God would curse your finances. That's just one example of many, as to how they would adhere to something under the law because it benefits them but yet say the the law doesn't apply anymore. Hypocrites. I was a tither by the way. But now I find other causes to give to.

I have been burned in every church I have been to, I want nothing to do with churches anymore. I'll get my fellowship on internet, and with like minded friends.

Just my thoughts.

D. Boyter

I left my last church because there was just too much worldliness and I think the Pastor had other desires before the Lord. He said things like "Twilight" vampire movies and Christian metal are perfectly fine for Christians today. I could list a ton of other stuff, but it's pointless. There was great fellowship there, but I didn't feel like Jesus was the 1st thing on the Pastor's mind.

I went back to my old church today (an hour's drive) and it was a HUGE difference. The pastor couldn't talk about anything BUT praising Jesus, the music was on fire, and I was smiling for the whole service.

I didn't go to church for several months because like somebody else said in this thread, it's very hard to find the truth & passion in the pulpit anymore.

Website: www.youtube.com/firecharger

I keep falling asleep during the sermons
But trying a new church next sunday

When the churches in your area stop speaking the Truth and start preaching doctrine created by man and not God, I feel it is better to worship alone or with a small group than to be fed the lies of man in the name of Jesus.

These days require much discernment regarding the church. The church is not a denomination or a building or a group of people who gather together once or twice a week. The church is every believer, everywhere, every minute of the day.

If you are fortunate to find other believers to study, pray with and worship, then that is a blessed thing.

Unfortunately, it is sometimes necessary to seperate ourselves from churchianity, when the message gets distorted or the purpose of the church gets fuzzy.

It's ultimately our relationship with Christ that matters, not where or who we worship with. I don't remember reading in the Bible anywhere about receiving a reward in Heaven for perfect church attendance.

Won't it be wonderful in Heaven when His whole church is together worhipping in perfect truth and Love? Until then, all we can experience in our Earthly existence is but a shadow of things to come.

Have a Blessed day in the Lord dear brothers and sisters,

Lennea

DOes anyone really think that church as it is done in the usa is the way it is supposed to be?

THere has been a silent move that has been going on for a while now: people moving to home churches where everyone is involved and its far more personal rather than one ruling over a group.

Preach the Word, have powerful worhip, teach the prophetic, speak on the issue's of today, be the Church, and stop forcing the congregation into all these programs ~~ that is a church that gets my attention! Few and far between if you can find them at all!

First, I accepted Jesus as my savior at a Lutheran night at a roller rink while I was in high school.

When I went home from college for Christmas my sophomore year, my mother told me she wanted to divorce my dad, but she hadn't told him. (They didn't get divorced until several years after that.) My college roommate joined the Moonies about that time also. I then went out and joined a gung-ho Assemblies of God Church. They seemed to expect a high level of commitment, which I wasn't ready to give. The pastor kept inviting me home for lunch after church, and I'm quite sure his wife was not happy about that. Over my protests, I was elected to the church board.

Then during my senior year in college, the pastor decided he did not like some directive from the Assemblies of God about Sunday School material, so he pulled out of the denomination! This split the small congregation, and I was traumatized. Since the denomination had the mortgage on the building, he found another place to worship.

I really liked attending Grace United Methodist Church when I was living in Atlanta, but then I moved back north. I went to a good Presbyterian church for a while, then the minister retired, and that church is now extremely liberal. I went to another church for several years, but if you had asked me in the afternoon what the sermon had been about, I would not have been able to tell you about 75% of the time.

I went to another church for several years, really liked it, but then on two Sundays,the minister prayed that the Holy Spirit would disuade the non-involved from coming. Trauma all over again.

I know part of my problem is, I need alot of face time with people before I feel comortable with them. One or two hours a week won't cut it. I have trouble relating to people.

Another kindred spirit.Wow. I found more kindreds spirits at Rita than any where I've ever been.
D. Boyter- Lennea - Abbershay



Hay I went to church this am.

why do you not go to church in america?
because they kicked Jesus. out.
Because they teach the traditions of man and not the word of God.

This black preacher is sitting on the church steps and he said-
Jesus they kicked me out of church.
Jesus said me too.

Me 3 I've been kicked out of 2.

"Check out Dr. David Jeremiah" -he is a GREAT man of god.

I go to the church of David's Cave and

Jeremiah's Well.

I go to the church of the Word of God.
If I be the only one in the pew- so be it.

I will stand alone or I will stand together. whatever.
but i will stand.

I agree with mtnmollie..I hardly ever attend church anymore because too many Pastors care about numbers and not about Jesus. How many churches are there that teach that we have to pick up our cross daily to follow Him or that we have to repent of our sins?

Not too many.

This Baptist pastor said he gave up on Church pastors to set America right.

His name is Henry Blackaby.

It is written - in that day
there will be a famine in the land
for the Word of God.

I live in that day.

mtnmollie

yep it is in Amos 8:11-12



11 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God,

“That I will send a famine on the land,

Not a famine of bread,

Nor a thirst for water,

But of hearing the words of the Lord.

12 They shall wander from sea to sea,

And from north to east;

They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord,

But shall not find it.

I don't go to church either. I just feel I am not being fed the word of God there and I have been to a lot of different churches. They just seem to preach a social gospel.
I try to pray and study everyday and I too listen to Dr David Jerimiah and Dr Vernon McGee.
Besides I would rather be with true believers here at RITA.

Because I'm not a "group" kind of person, very private about my prayers. Just how I am.

Because I let some Christians into my life who were very cruel to me, and I don't want to run into them. Ruins my mood.

Dr. David Jeremiah is a great man of God!!!! I miss seeing him on TV.

I work Saturday and on Sunday but, could attend Shabbat services on Friday night, I am just worn out by Friday and that is not an excuse anymore. I am going to go.

Email: maria callison@hotmail.com

"Because I let some Christians into my life who were very cruel to me,"

me too Nimbus.
I have never recovered from thier wounds.

Thanks for that scripture Sarah.


from psm 40

40:1 I relied completely 2 on the Lord,
and he turned toward me
and heard my cry for help.
40:2 He lifted me out of the watery pit, 3
out of the slimy mud. 4

He placed my feet on a rock
and gave me secure footing. 5
40:3 He gave me reason to sing a new song, 6
praising our God. 7
May many see what God has done,

so that they might swear allegiance to him and trust in the Lord! 8
40:4 How blessed 9 is the one 10 who trusts in the Lord 11
and does not seek help from 12 the proud or from liars! 13
40:5 O Lord, my God, you have accomplished many things;

you have done amazing things and carried out your purposes for us. 14
No one can thwart you! 15
I want to declare them and talk about them,
but they are too numerous to recount! 16

net bible

Psalm 42
For the music director; a well-written song by the Korahites.

42:1 As a deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God!
42:2 I thirst for God,
for the living God.
I say, “When will I be able to go and appear in God’s presence?”
42:3 I cannot eat, I weep day and night;
all day long they say to me, “Where is your God?”
42:4 I will remember and weep!
For I was once walking along with the great throng to the temple of God,
shouting and giving thanks along with the crowd as we celebrated the holy festival.
42:5 Why are you depressed, O my soul?

Why are you upset?
Wait for God!
For I will again give thanks
to my God for his saving intervention.

42:6 I am depressed,
so I will pray to you while I am trapped here in the region of the upper Jordan,
from Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
42:7 One deep stream calls out to another at the sound of your waterfalls;

all your billows and waves overwhelm me.
42:8 By day the Lord decrees his loyal love,
and by night he gives me a song,
a prayer to the living God.

42:9 I will pray to God, my high ridge:
“Why do you ignore me?
Why must I walk around mourning
because my enemies oppress me?”

42:10 My enemies’ taunts cut into me to the bone,
as they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
42:11 Why are you depressed, O my soul?

Why are you upset?
Wait for God!

For I will again give thanks
to my God for his saving intervention.

net bible

"these are the ones
I for sure will tangle with, sooner or later"

I have that problem too Dewey.

How about read your Bible for spiritual guidance?
Dont follow man, but always go God's way.

Why don't some Christians go to " CHURCH " ? This one
is easy, I love fellowship and good healthy interaction with other believers OF LIKE PRECIOUS FAITH, not groupees, the ya gotta go crowd because so
and so said in the Bible, etc etc. I see many good reasons set forth here in this thread.

But here is where I have been, I usualy end up tangling with a insecure, I went to Bible school, so YOU have to do it also or you are clueless, and the pastors, so called who have their cadre of kiss ups around them keeping YOU & ME away from them, you non in crowd types are only allowed to get just soooo close you know.

But the ones who are insecure in the place THEY operate in with the Lord, or insecure in excersing their faith and beliefs before some denomination, OR even the few heavy tithers who make suggestions as to what " We " oughta be listening to, these are the ones
I for sure will tangle with, sooner or later. Of such
turn away is my input with these types.

Now, a big question here, those who need to be fed by
a pastor, its ok if that is where you are, BUT, if you are fed up with milk and toast and or pablum, or
social issues of the day, open the word and dig in for yourself, OK ?? Several good folks on this thread indicated ' Other " sources of Good Word near to reach on their Tvs or internet sites, RITA for issues of the end times, etc.

Personaly I recommend KCM for good meat of the Word,
Perry Stone is excellent, Its Supernatural, Sid Roth for unusual directions to share from folks lives. I also, look over the choices on God TV, all kinds of programs, some I don't care for, some I do. Daystar, if of course you can get it. For the ladies, Gloria Copeland and Billye Brim on KCM are excellent in the Word.

S"nuff said for now,

Bless You RITA Folks

Dewey

Email: jmcdudes@hotmail.com

This vessel did not go to church for a very long time.But upon my husbands passing.
I felt called to go.I've gone to two churches lately.
The first one,I won't go back to.
But this small Babtist church.I feel is spirit lead.
For one thing,the Pastor kneels to pray befor he
preaches.And askes the LORD to anoint the sermen.Then
when it's over.He is back on his knees thanking the Lord for all that JESUS has done.
Never have I ever seen that before.And then today with
the three visions that the HOLY SPIRIT gave me.Think
this could be the church that JESUS wants me in.
Lord,I pray your will in finding a spiritfilled
church for my BROTHERS and SISTERS to go to.
IN JESUS NAME

The Church is not a building , but the believers themselves that are indwelled by the Holy Spirit .

CHRIST JESUS stated : WHERE TWO or THREE ARE GATHERED ..there am I in the midst of them ..THE WORD
***If your relationship wains because of not going to a building to meet each week ..what of Chrisitians in places where they are no church buildings ?
CHRISTIANITY is a personal relationship with Jesus, not a religion that has to be carried on in a structure .
Where He is , we are , and vice versa .
Blessings

Amen Bonnie dear.

I was raised Catholic, but left it because it was dead. Monotonous repeating ritual, idol worship and tradition overriding biblical truths.

I then joined several evangelical/born again churches over the years and grew greatly in knowledge of the word and in faith. :)

But I gave up on my most recent church because I needed to go deeper then they were prepared to support. I mean deep prophecy, Nephilim, learning Greek and Hebrew, learning the 7 feasts of the Lord, etc.

Stuff we talk about daily here, but are hardly mentioned in mainstream churches.

I don't need a 7 point acronym on how to F.O.R.G.I.V.E. I need to know the 7 feasts and why they are important to understand.

I need to know how current events are portrayed in the Bible. I need to know who Gog and Magog are...

Show me a church that teaches these things and I will happily join in...

Until then, RITA and other forums are my church... :)

Star, that is wonderful that your preacher does that. The Rabbi in Atlanta would turn towards Jerusalem while we sang worship songs before he spoke and, he would lift his arms up, and bow his head. I knew we would here directly from the Lord. He revealed so much about the bible it was fascintating not to mention a wonderful dose of the Holy Spirit. At the synagogue down here people come up and kneel on the floor, the Rabbi is anointing people with oil and two other people lay hands on the one that is seeking prayer. Everyone gets prayed over who comes up to the front and, we sing worship songs while this is going on. It lasts a long time. These services are a little over two hours long. But I tell you......when he was reading the prophetic prayer words that were given by this congregation and, piecing it together....he started to cry and I tell you...........it was all I could do to contain myself. Most people were not, they were crying and calling out. That is a big change from how I was raised and, I know God is near and revealing so much to us, that others are totally oblivious to because they do not seek the truth.

Email: maria callison@hotmail.com

We had to visit many different churches before we found the right one for us. I'm so thankful we didn't give up as we have found great fellowship and teaching that we would otherwise be without had we quit our search.

It's interesting that when we thought we had exhausted all avenues in our church search, suddenly, at the last minute, God steps in and WHAM!.l.. here's the church He selected for us posted on a street sign. We follow the directions to the location and there is the Pastor and his wife doing yard work at the church. We meet and visit for awhile and soon realize this is where God wants us. Now, 3 years later, we have much to thank God for. Such a difference in our lives.

Email: sweetbyandbyx2@yahoo.com

The Church I used to attend ,close to my home, there was a dilemma going on between 2 Pastors.. So one Pastor ends up leaving and taking half the denomination or congregation with him, whilst the other Pastor stayed and the ones supporting him, stayed there. This Pastor also appeared on TV on 100 Huntley Street ---and then moving on---another wonderful Pentecostal church televised from Toronto back in the 80's has a scandal with the Pastor there. I don't know full story but heard he was in a male to male relationship--while married to his wife.
What a mess.
It seems now --the pastors who have replaced these men, dress too casually for my tastes..and instead of knowing verses of scripture by heart--read it off the video screen at front of the church.
While collecting money, and collection plate is being past around, --to fill in the time, they show movies of church staff in winter throwing snowballs or some such thing, playing loudly at the front of the church--I just can't take this anymore!

Email: steffiefree@rogers.com