This is an argument I had with some colleagues last week so I decided to seek for the the knowledge and understanding of Christians and informed people of nairaland.com.

Some people attribute their not going to church to so many things such as extortion, hypocrisy of the men of God, deceit and a lot more. Granted, the church of our time seems to be filled with so many bad eggs but would that serve as a reason to stop going to church.

The question! Can one be a practicing Christian without going to church?

CAPITAL NO!

Lastanza:
This is an argument I had with some colleagues last week so I decided to seek for the the knowledge and understanding of Christians and informed people of nairaland.com.

Some people attribute their not going to church to so many things such as extortion, hypocrisy of the men of God, deceit and a lot more. Granted, the church of our time seems to be filled with so many bad eggs but would that serve as a reason to stop going to church.

The question! Can one be a practicing Christian without going to church?

Faith cometh by Hearing... u hv to goan hear the Word of God.

sleekydee1:


Faith cometh by Hearing... u hv to goan hear the Word of God.

Hearing from the Bible right, the Bible can be read anywhere I think.

sleekydee1:


Faith cometh by Hearing... u hv to goan hear the Word of God.

True, but to an extent. Hearing comes in various forms : Playing audio messages in your car, office, house, while reading the Bible and meditating alone, preachings from public address systems (especially in the South here where every church has at least 2 loud speakers) etc.
But to be a truly dedicated Christian you should go to church from time to time to receive special ministrations from the man of God, pay your tithes and offerings and other commitments (can do these online sha), and mentor others.

No! it is good not to neglect the assembly of the brethren

thesicilian:

True, but to an extent. Hearing comes in various forms : Playing audio messages in your car, office, house, while reading the Bible and meditating alone, preachings from public address systems (especially in the South here where every church has at least 2 loud speakers) etc.
But to be a truly dedicated Christian you should go to church from time to time to receive special ministrations from the man of God, pay your tithes and offerings and other commitments (can do these online sha), and mentor others.

Not trying to contest you but a times listening to radio ministarations, watching Christian tv programs, reading good Christian books on Sunday morning could be more enriching than being in a church service.

Lastanza:

Not trying to contest you but a times listening to radio ministarations, watching Christian tv programs, reading good Christian books on Sunday morning could be more enriching than being in a church service.

I agree. Especially with all the distractions of a typically Pentecostal Sunday Service. However it still pays a lot to go to church once in a while

'Do not forsake the gathering of the brethren'...

sholay2011:
'Do not forsake the gathering of the brethren'...

Yea I dig but lets see it from this perspective. What if a genuine lover of God, a Christian by the word Christian that decides to be a lone ranger in the kingdom race not those using excuses to boycott going to church.

May be he or she has seen so much wrongs going on which may distort his own belief system and decided to be a lone ranger. Cool or wrong?

Lastanza:


Yea I dig but lets see it from this perspective. What if a genuine lover of God, a Christian by the word Christian that decides to be a lone ranger in the kingdom race not those using excuses to boycott going to church.

May be he or she has seen so much wrongs going on which may distort his own belief system and decided to be a lone ranger. Cool or wrong?

The two emboldened parts of your post are actually contradictory. A TRUE lover of God will be interested in growing in the Christian race and the same word of God says iron sharpeneth iron. The truth is no one knows it all. Assuming you even 'know what you think is sufficient enough' for the race, the burning passion to work in any capacity in the house of your Father (God) will make you join a true Christian gathering, usually a church or a fellowship.

And sometimes in life, even as Christians, we stumble due to few obstacles and sometimes battle with temptations; it is those brethren we have surrounded ourselves with that will be used by God to uphold us. No one is an island in this race.

sholay2011:

The two emboldened parts of your post are actually contradictory. A TRUE lover of God will be interested in growing in the Christian race and the same word of God says iron sharpeneth iron. The truth is no one knows it all. Assuming you even 'know what you think is sufficient enough' for the race, the burning passion to work in any capacity in the house of your Father (God) will make you join a true Christian gathering, usually a church or a fellowship.

And sometimes in life, even as Christians, we stumble due to few obstacles and sometimes battle with temptations; it is those brethren we have surrounded ourselves with that will be used by God to uphold us. No one is an island in this race.

OK, it's contradictory because you excluded the second paragraph from the whole. The second paragraph elaborated what you termed as contradictory.

Going to church is very important because you can help and encourage others to grow their faith. If every Christian decides not to attend church what do you think would become of Christianity.

thesicilian:

I agree. Especially with all the distractions of a typically Pentecostal Sunday Service. However it still pays a lot to go to church once in a while

I'm telling you,I followed my friend to his church two months ago and I didn't understand what was going on except for the preaching. Hard to differentiate between a church and a business this days.

Benoks:

I'm telling you,I followed my friend to his church two months ago and I didn't understand what was going on except for the preaching. Hard to differentiate between a church and a business this days.

Yea bro, I hard an experience in my very own church. The man of God created a scene for an unhealthy rivalry whereby people were competing to outshine one another.
The less privileged one were just watching as if they are not part of the church. One of the reasons why I asked if it's right for one to be his own church and not go to church to play second class.

Lastanza:


Yea bro, I hard an experience in my very own church. The man of God created a scene for an unhealthy rivalry whereby people were competing to outshine one another.
The less privileged one were just watching as if they are not part of the church. One of the reasons why I asked if it's right for one to be his own church and not go to church to play second class.

To take content in yourself is not christianity.It is a slavery that requires you and others at equal slab range.To conquer the devil significantly means never fighting alone.

Whether your pastor is an extortionist or not doesn't is no reason to abandon church. There are a million other churches with true men of God, however the bad eggs now outnumber the good. But Jesus saw this coming. Go to a bible believing church where their messages are consistent with the word of God.

If you're a christian and don't go to Church, you have forsaken the gathering of the brethren and are on your own.

Lastanza:


Yea bro, I hard an experience in my very own church. The man of God created a scene for an unhealthy rivalry whereby people were competing to outshine one another.
The less privileged one were just watching as if they are not part of the church. One of the reasons why I asked if it's right for one to be his own church and not go to church to play second class.

..

The Christian life is not lived in isolation this is why Jesus and all the other apostles had like minded people around them. You need fellow Christians to help you in your journey, forget about these things you complain of, you can change your church and attend another one where you feel better about the situation there but do not forsake the fellowship of brethrens

Pidgin2:
..

The Christian life is not lived in isolation this is why Jesus and all the other apostles had like minded people around them. You need fellow Christians to help you in your journey, forget about these things you complain of, you can change your church and attend another one where you feel better about the situation there but do not forsake the fellowship of brethrens

Nice 1 and noted but what of when the brethren are forsaking your fellowship with them.

Omudia11:
Whether your pastor is an extortionist or not doesn't is no reason to abandon q aquarium
. There are a million other churches with true men of God, however the bad eggs now outnumber the good. But Jesus saw this coming. Go to a bible believing church where their messages are consistent with the word of God.

If you're a christian and don't go to Church, you have forsaken the gathering of the brethren and are on your own.

Alright, but many of the so called true men of God broke away from there former churches because of many of the inconsistencies therein to propagate their own belief system.

Now it's right for a pastor to leave all the churches in the world to be independent but not right for I as a brethren to be independent of any church? .

The bolded isn't true. A true man of God leaves a church to start his own ministry due to the call of God upon his life and not because of inconsistencies in belief systems.

@ your last statement, at least a pastor heads a church, not going to church isn't the same as breaking out to start your own ministry.

Lastanza:

Alright, but many of the so called true men of God broke away from there former churches because of many of the inconsistencies therein to propagate their own belief system.

Now it's right for a pastor to leave all the churches in the world to be independent but not right for I as a brethren to be independent of any church? .

Omudia11:
The bolded isn't true. A true man of God leaves a church to start his own ministry due to the call of God upon his life and not because of inconsistencies in belief systems.

@ your last statement, at least a pastor heads a church, not going to church isn't the same as breaking out to start your own ministry.

But we all know the reason for which most of them want to be independent.

The only reason is to fulfill the will of God. That's why I said "true men of God", not just pastors and prophets seeking their own selfish interests.

Lastanza:


But we all know the reason for which most of them want to be independent.

Omudia11:
The only reason is to fulfill the will of God. That's why I said "true men of God", not just pastors and prophets seeking their own selfish interests.

The word 'true man of God' is subjective these days. The only reason is to fulfill the will of God, yes!. What of the contemporary reason which you and I know

That is between them and God, but those who are commit atrocities in the name of Christianity often face the law as was the case with Reverend King.

Lastanza:


The word 'true man of God' is subjective these days. The only reason is to fulfill the will of God, yes!. What of the contemporary reason which you and I know