Can I be a good Christian and quit going to church?
If by good Christian, you mean one who maintains faith in God and salvation through His Son Jesus Christ, then yes, you can keep believing even if you quit attending church. If by good Christian, you mean one who grows strong in faith and matures so that you begin walking in the potential of your calling, then no, you can’t quit the church and keep growing into all the fullness of your calling from God. Quit the church and you will go backward. You can bank on it. He called you to use your talents in His kingdom through His body, the local church. He called each believer to serve and supply help to His work.
Too many Scriptures talk about the importance of the individual’s connection to a local church to remain unaware. Here is one:
Ephesians 4:16 (New Living Translation)
He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
The missing Christian's life usually begins deteriorating over time. It is like when a finger is cut off and loses its supply of blood, withers and finally dies. Likewise, an unchurched Christian cuts himself off from vital supply from God. To quit on the local church means you’ve dismissed one of the biggest reasons Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, the local Church. The New Testament letters from Romans to Revelation are written to the Redeemed who walk with Christ in local churches, such as the ones in Colosse, Philippi, Rome, Corinth and so on. Naturally, there are many teachings about the individual’s faith, but the expectation everywhere in the Bible is that those who follow Christ would walk in Him in community with other believers. How do we learn to forgive and overlook one another’s faults unless we walk in community? Walking in the love of Christ with fellow Christians equips us to walk in faith among non-Christians. Walking in love across denominational lines is just as important. It shows that God's love works among people of varying backgrounds. Love unifies where doctrinal unity fails.
Something has drastically changed in the American church in my lifetime. Now, it is common for people who once loved their home church to walk away from all churches. The biggest mistake stay at home Christians make is that they willfully disobey God’s command to serve in a local church.
Hebrews 10:24-25 (New Living Translation)
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
Every community has many local churches. God leads all of His followers to affiliate with a specific local church. When I look at our own church, I see people who enjoy their local church by participating in its mission. They are full of peace and joy. One of the richest rewards I have as a pastor is to see a life change as the person gives and receives the love of Christ in the local church.
If you haven't been a church person in a while, I encourage you to ask God to show you where to affiliate and do so ASAP. May God bless you in your journey.
Watch clear thinking in action as Milton Friedman talks about the free market system versus other systems. He's responding to Phil Donohue's question about how to keep greed from corrupting the market economy.
My lovely wife Rita and I just hosted our first marriage getaway. WOW, did I learn stuff I didn't know. Fortunately, we called it a Couples Getaway and not a Marriage Retreat. To my surprise, some of the couples had uninspiring experiences at prior marriage retreats. One said that the ones they’d attended was more of a spiritual approach such as teaching about praying and reading the Bible together. Another was wondering if we’d put couples on the spot and sort of force communication in group discussions that should be private. In other words, they didn’t want the getaway to really be about marital therapy. They were wary of the bait and switch. Dangle a getaway in the Ozarks and switch it to group therapy.
Our brief seminar was on Marital Intimacy. Our basic idea was that available to all Christian couples is the unlimited LOVE OF GOD to love another in all intimate ways, spirit, soul and body; and that if we’d make ourselves totally open and vulnerable, we’d reach richer levels of trust and love for one another with God’s unrestrained love. So many Christian couples do not grow much in marriage. They are constrained and should be unrestrained. They don’t jointly discover the love for one another that God freely supplies. They don’t apply their faith to grow stronger in that love in the marriage relationship, including the bedroom.
Anyhow, after listening to them, I realized that it took a while to really break through that fear of “Uh oh, what’s the preacher going to say about my married life? Is he going to get into my private life and make me talk to my spouse about it in a group?" Fortunately, we overcame their fears.
Getting away from kids and work and hanging out in the Ozark Mtns made all the difference. We had plenty of time to enjoy the fabulous Shepherd of the Ozarks ministry. They have 10 lodges ranging in size from 3-10 bedrooms. WOW! You must go there. The owners and staff are beautiful and totally geared to ministry and service. Shepherd of the Ozarks - Harriet, AR
The next time you hear of a marriage retreat, overcome your fears and go. Every marriage needs attention.
I ran across an interesting blog post by Pastor Craig Groeschel of Oklahoma City, OK:
When I meet people from our church, they often tell me more with their words than they realize.
They almost always say one of two things:
“I go to your church.” “I love our church.”
When they say, “I go to your church,” I know this person is not likely very engaged in the life of the church. In most cases, they aren’t serving, participating, or giving. They are simply attending a church that is not yet “theirs.”
When they say, “I love our church,” they are usually very involved. The church doesn’t belong to someone else. It is “their” church.
I’m asking God to empower me to move people from “going to church” to “being the church.” When they stop going and start being, the church goes from yours to mine.
W. Bradford Wilcox looks into one reason why church attendance has declined:
"Nothing brings women and especially men into the pews like marriage and parenthood, as they seek out the religious, moral and social support provided by a congregation upon starting a family of their own. But because growing numbers of young adults are now postponing or avoiding marriage and childbearing, they are also much less likely to end up in church on any given Sunday."
It is interesting to note that once people take on the top two adult responsiblities of marriage and kids, they often end up in church. Our grandparents got married after completing their education as we do. It's just that almost all of us don't finish school until we are 23-24, and feel like we want to work for a few years before marriage... just like our grandparents.
The Church has a problem according to the Thom Rainer. There are millions of “de-churched†people who’ve left and are not currently attending church.
There is good news. Mr. Rainer said, “While many are not actively seeking a church now, a large majority (62%) are open to the idea of returning.†Here is what we can do:
Invite them again. It may surprise you but according to Lifeway Research, de-churched people are not mad at the church. Their three motivating factors for coming back are:
1. They want to get closer to God.
2. They want to fill a void in their life.
3. They want to fill the spiritual and emotional gaps they’ve experienced since leaving.
"1 Sam 2:30b ...(NKJ) for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.
Quick view: This verse is a quote from God to Eli after his sons disregarded God's system of offerings and sacrificing by adding their own requirements. They also took advantage of the women who came to the tabernacle. There are many ways to dishonor God. It doesn't happen just in big ways. It begins with many little things. With Eli's sons, their greed and lust led them to abuse their honorable office as priests of God. Using and manipulating people is how it began. Since Eli didn't correct them, God was dishonored by him as well. Biblical dishonor is when we do not esteem God and His things as He wants us to do. I want to mention one way to honor or dishonor God: our words.
Quotes to Stir Your Heart
"Out of one hundred men, one will read the Bible, the other ninety-nine will read the Christian." - D.L. Moody
My take: It reflects well on God that His presence in you has changed you. Being a positive example is the biggest part of our personal witness. We are ambassadors for God and His kingdom (2 Corinthians 5:20). We should live as on assignment from our King. Every person and event we encounter is an assignment from the Lord. We must deal with it (or them) in the right way. Being a positive example will bring honor to God.
"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." - Bill Cosby
My take: Once your satisfaction depends on pleasing a person, you cannot be satisfied. God is the only one we strive to please. We are to walk worthy of the Lord pleasing Him in every way (Colossians 1:10). As we please God, we learn how to treat people. Done well, it means we bear the fruit of the spirit of a changed person. This includes love, kindness, goodness, gentleness and more. Pleasing God makes one a better wife or husband, student or athlete. Only by pleasing the Lord can we fulfill our potential.
Our missions organization, Reaching Forth Int’l, has been quietly working in Iran for years. We’ve been active in publishing and smuggling Christian books to the underground church. We are but one among other ministries doing our part. I say that to say this: Iran is brewing for an outpouring of God’s Spirit. No matter how many books we print, the demand is far greater.
We’ve put books in dozens of cities, towns and villages. After spending many years working in China, and with my first years working directly with Russians who received smuggled books in the Soviet era, I can tell you that from my experience, Christian literature in the hands of a hungry underground church act as miracle seeds to grow a great harvest of new believers. Thousands of young churches dot the landscape of Russia as a direct result of faithful people who, in the Soviet era, went before us and did the behind the scenes work of printing and smuggling Bibles and Christian literature. And naturally, the faithful believers in the old underground churches of Russia carried a big load. Now the job is in Muslim nations. Christian literature develops disciples of Jesus Christ. Jesus commanded us to make disciples of ALL nations. Thousands of home groups have sprung up around Iran.
Here is a testimony from one of our smugglers: “Through reviving books… we experience revival. We feel the new birth. Our faith toward the Father and power of the cross is growing. We see the love of our Father to us which is being expressed through the Christians who live far from our country and culture who publish and send literature for us. Believe our prayers became effective... We are praying for you...â€-- F.H. In a society with zero concept of a loving Father, the good news of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father is absolutely earth shattering. Think of it…. They are praying for us.
Another said, “Your books are being delivered to our town by a brother... they usually quickly finish. Sometimes I myself go to the next town and secretly bring to our town and distribute. Hope these books will come to our town in bigger quantities...†--Ali, 46 years old
10,000 children's books on the subject of salvation and the Holy Spirit are being printed right now and will be distributed in Iran. There is a revival right now in this nation but I think there could be a breakout into something much more significant.
I’ve seen the values of our U.S. Churches. When we know that reports of God doing something are legit, we take strong action. I don’t believe that the U.S. Church is self-absorbed and only interested in our own four walls. I’ve got sixteen years of experience traveling the U.S. churches. All they want to do is help when they know they can trust everyone involved.
Pray for your missionaries. Especially pray now for Iran. Their nation is in the news everyday. It is NOT foreordained that the U.S. and Iran go to war. If Christians will really pray in faith, I know God will intervene. Didn’t the fall of the Berlin Wall and the breakup of the USSR prove that?
Pray for an tremendous outpouring of God’s Spirit in Iran.
