The BLB Blog

The official blog of Blue Letter Bible

Comments

  1. The whole idea of “joining” the church is something foreign to the NT. When one is baptized into Christ that person is baptized into the body of Christ. Asking me to “join” the church is like asking me to “join” my family. We may decide to fellowship with a certain group or groups, but we are already “in” the church by being birthed into it by the Holy Spirit. I know what he is trying to say but we need to align our terminology more closely to the thought of the NT.

    • I agree. I am also concerned with the massive apostacy that has taken hold among many church denominations. I personally take upon the responsibility of sharing the teachings of the Bible among my family, and when the leaders among the apostates teach contrary to the Holy Scriptures, there is a problem. We do attend a church, but we as a family typically study the Bible daily, and are also edified by Christian radio, Christian websites, Christian articles, Christian books/study guides, and Christian commentators. The spiritual teachings we gleen from these are usually combined with various daily meditations and issues that come up among our family and current events even in our society. As lead by the Spirit of God, many of these things will typically combine and overlap into our personal spiritual growth. We try to compare these things to the teachings throughout the Bible as the example of the Bereans in Acts 17:11, but also utilizing the line upon line methology (&1Cor.2:13) and with the underlying understanding that Christ spoke in parables, and the Spirit of Christ was in the prophets(1Pt.1:11) and thus do look (as Christ told the Jews in John5:39 [also as Rom.3:21; Acts28:23 and others teach) for the testimony of Christ, the Gospel or even Judgement among the various testimonies (both OT, and NT). This is one reason I praise God for the Blue Letter Bible Insitute and their ministry. The church is the temple of believers in all actuallity as is alluded in 1:Pt.2:5 and Eph.5:25-27. It is more than a place, its a people. A people that are called to be one in Christ and to endevour to keep the unity of the Spirit…The Spirit that is in agreemet with His Word. Blessed be the Lord!

    • The concept of “joining” a particular fellowship has often been of concern due to the pressures applied to conform [if you do not join you may not vote or have a say on how things are done, cannot teach, etc.].

      When saved I did “join” the church, or better put the Spirit placed me within the church/body of Christ. The man-made rule to fill out an application, be intereviewed, and accepted seems off kilter to me. It gives the impression of census taking.

  2. I think it is a command not to forsake the assembly; but further, I would stress that if one doesnt l ove the body, it reveals that he hates the head.

  3. 1 Corinthians12:12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

    Then 1 Corinthians 14:26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.

    Lastly Ephesians 1:19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
    22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

    I gotta say the Bible states that yes Christ is the body and the church is His bride. If we weren’t meant to meet as a church then why did the Apostles preach to so many churches spreading the good news? Now we are not to limit ourselves to just the church, taking the word to the street is important, taking it to where the non-believers gather is also important. The church is a place to learn, have fellowship, break bread etc. To say the church is “foreign” to the church is crazy talk. Jesus taught in the temple, the apostles grew the church, are we to think that they all got it wrong?

    • I alway’s tell people, you don’t have to go to church to be a christian but….I exsplain it this way, I go to church cause we are the church and we need each other so God can use us for each other. I tell them that it’s like aa meetings, thier there for support. And you need that. I agree with Brian. God Bless !

  4. Brian, I agree. I will also add to this my latest expression – can’t love Christ and hate his bride. IT JUST DOES NOT WORK!

  5. I would love to walk in Gods will, It just seem as if the one of the people near and dear to me brings up my old ways as if to keep my spirits down. what do I do what scriptures to read that would be helpful in this situation?

  6. It looks as though most of you are focusing on the term “JOIN” and forgetting about what it is originally about. Once we are saved, we are automatically born into the Church or the Body. The whole question was focused around a literal building and congregation of people named “church”. No we don’t have to be there but it sure does help us and other that we are with. McKinley is correct.

    • Great strength comes form faith in God. We cannot depend on others for our strength. What happens when they are not around in an hour of great need? We must learn to depend wholly on the Lord Jesus Christ. I am speaking from experience.

  7. The “Church” is so apostate! If you don’t susribe to Jesus came to make my marriage better and my family happy your not really welcome there. Most of my resonalble service is done “out side” the church with other belivers who love the gospel of Jesus Christ. Its a cold cruel world out there for a radical believer…….still laboring to find a church where the Word is preached and the Gospel proclaimed.

    By the way…..visited a megachurch with my family and I was really disturbed by the way the rock star “pastor” was pressuring people to get baptized and join his church. Crazy!

  8. Jane: 2 Corinthians 5:17 should skip like a record in your head, heart and tongue toward your accuser!

    Face it everybody, we need the church, and more importantly, the church needs you. Notice I said the church, not Christ. He is the alpha and omega. I agree, the church is not the way, truth, and the life, but it is a people group or tribe that equips you to develop and spend yourself for the King. If you don’t know the King, perhaps you can find Him in church (pulpit, children’s ministry, youth, parking lot, media, cafe, seniors…you name it.)

  9. I agree with everything he said except for the part of actually joining a church. I disagree with joining a church as a “have to” thing. I attend church regularly at one church I consider my “home”, but I’m not an official member. I don’t agree with making Christians feel like they have to join a church. There’s so many denominations out there that I feel joining a church gives some people this essence of being better than one religion over another….that if you are a member of a church of the Nazarene that you shouldn’t be going to visit a Baptist church or if your Catholic (the worst denomination with this sense of privileged salvation) you’ll burn in hell if you visit any other church, etc. All of us who believe in Jesus for our salvation is the body of Christ. Denominations separates us so by default joining one automatically puts you in a class of people that feel they have the right message and everybody else is wrong.

  10. Hmm, I dont think what we call church today is what Christ had in mind. The scripture says not to forsake assembling ourselves together. The body of Christ as some of us call it has been chopped up into over 200 denominations just in the U.S. alone. Is this the bride He is talking about? Remember the promise that where 2 or more are gathered together in His name He would be there also. Why do we feel the need to be in a 5000 member church that cost 5 million to build and a few hundred thousand a month to maintain? And then hire security to run off the homeless before the church members arrive.Good luck finding a church where you are welcome in the area we live in if you take the Bible seriously. If you do they are more concerned about how you are dressed and if you wear a tie than they are concerned about leading someone to Christ. And heaven forbid that you believe something contrary to the church rules and regulations. I went to denominational churches for almost 20 yrs and learned very little except rules and regulations. I told the church I believed in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and me and my family were invited to leave by the pastor in front of the entire congregation. His choice of words were “Dont let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya”. We were told not to read anything but the 1611 KJV and not to listen to any other preacher or evangelist. Sorry, I dont mean to offend but if thats church you can have it. My wife and I received Christ sitting on our living room floor. That is my church, a place where everyone is welcome whether you have a tie or the women have a dress or a pair of pants. And yes I still speak to the lost and dont turn up my nose at them. I hate the sin but love the sinner. I bet the poster thinks the parable of the mustard seed is the church with all the pretty little birds nesting in the branches. I dont know about your church but the ones ive been to here wont even know the rapture came if its during church hours. They probably wont know till they get home and turn on the news. The only people I can find in the Bible that Christ had harsh words for were the “Religious” not the lost.

    • Oh Les, that is my sought for fellowship as well. After 14 years in a “meeting in the home” fellowship where focus on the externals had smothered the Holy Spirit, I have been miraculously led to two small Calvery Chapel fellowships where the focus is on The Word not your wardrobe. The meeting places are simple (not mega), and in each case the pastors do not speak perfect, standard English. (Kind of reminds me of Moses with his speech impediment.)I do not want to forsake assembly with my brothers and sisters. And I do want to assemble in a way that keeps me growing in the Spirit.

  11. I totally and respectfully disagree with Mike. What he is teaching is man made tradition. In fact, When I was born into my biological family I did not need to “join” it, it was automatic once I came through the birth canal. Likewise, once I accepted Jesus Christ I was “born again” spiritually, and automatically a member of the body at large. Moreover, when the Samaritan woman spoke about worshiping on a specific mountain, Jesus replied, ” Woman believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the father…But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24). Jesus also stated where there are three gathered together in his name he is in the midst. Notice he made no specifications as to a specific place or group. The church is everywhere. It is not about what group but sincerity. Keep it real and keep it simple.

    • Correction: “Where there are two or three gathered together in my name I am in the midst” (Matthew 18:20).