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Should We All Belong to A Church for Fellowship?

Hello everyone!

I have received some great comments lately, and also some great questions. I will try to take today to catch up on some and give some insight.

First off, I have received a few questions from “Jeff.” I will answer these in 2 separate posts, starting with your most recent question first. Here are your questions:

Hi. I submitted a question before. I like your approach and where you are coming from, and I understand you may not ‘fit’ into any particular church setting. It seems very pure, very sensible. However, doesn’t God’s Word instruct us to be part of a body of believers? To build us up, to encourage each other, for instruction, to keep each other on track, etc? I know ultimately, we are responsible for ourselves, but don’t we need to practice submission to some type of authority, such as a pastor? If not, who then can chasten you if you get off track? You could end up like David Koresh or something….he could probably explain all his beliefs with the Bible as well…thought he was doing good…in fact, thought he WAS Jesus if I’m not mistaken. I just think it’s good to belong somewhere, even if you may not agree 100%. And for clarity…I totally understand loving Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Hindus, aethiests, etc…but, since you do not believe Jesus is God as well, are you of the thought that “we’ll all get to heaven, they’re just getting there a different way” type of thinking…because they’re all worshiping ‘god’? Please let me know. Thanks.

-Jeff

Does God’s Word Instruct Us to Be With a Body of Believers? Should We Go to Church for Fellowship?

Thanks again for your questions Jeff, and I promise to address the other one at some point today (God willing). I also appreciate the nice things you said, and it is always nice to hear a complement =).

Okay, as far as the first question in your paragraph above: Yes, I think it is absolutely important to have fellowship with fellow believers, and even evangelize to those who aren’t believers. But the difference with my view is this: Any Christian or anyone who does God’s will is my brother, or sister, or mother (quoting Jesus). I can have fellowship with them 7 days a week, not just 1. A church is only ONE way to fellowship among many, and people do not necessarily need to attend church to be saved. I certainly don’t need to attend church to know God, nor do I need a church to fellowship or talk with fellow Christians. “Where 2 people are gathered in Jesus name, he is there.”

Being in the technology realm, church is getting sorta outdated anyway. I mean, we can watch sermons online by our favorite pastors 7 days a week. We can email and chat on forums 7 days a week. We can evangelize on our blogs or forums 7 days a week. When I write an article online, it may get viewed thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of times over the course of my life. That is far more powerful than going into a church and fellowshipping with a limited number of people.

Many of the most Godly people in the bible didn’t even attend a church regularly! Abraham was a wanderer. David was herding sheep. Moses was in the wilderness and dessert. The apostles went around evangelizing daily, not 1 time per week. They did this mostly in crowds, not necessarily at a synagogue or building.

I personally often talk with people on forums on religious topics, and also I write this blog (which I feel is fellowship daily). So I don’t find a need for church at all personally. Not to mention I tend to bring up religion with my family all the time. That doesn’t mean I think churches aren’t good for people. Many people need a church or pastor to help them (especially those new to the faith). Some churches do a lot of good in the world or local community, and I am thankful for that of course.

My main problem with churches are that they have walls that separate them from the rest of the word. Should we really place a candle under a basket? Or should we let our light shine at all times. What walls do is effectively separate denominations. I think we are strongest when we forget about the silly denomination thing, and instead find strength together in Christ and God. That is real strength. Who cares if 1 Christian believes this, and another believes something differently?

As long as we agree on the “big points,” everything else is details. By separating ourselves because we may disagree on a few minute details, we only weaken the faith. Segregation certainly does not strengthen us. A house divided cannot stand. A faith divided is weak. A faith united is strong. In my dream Christians would shrug off the silly denominational titles, and instead be united in God.

Many Christians may disagree with something I believe, but I don’t shun them or cast them away. I thank God that they at least believe and I consider them an ally against a common enemy.

When we play the denomination game, then it gets to the point of “whose is more right, or whose is better?” Then all we tend to hear is name calling (some Christians waste a great deal of time mocking other faiths that don’t agree with them, when instead they should be uniting with them). Churches even give entire sermons on why “X faith is a cult and should be avoided.” This is silly considering some of the faiths they talk about actually know the bible better than them and follow it more obediently.

After all, what denomination was Christ? What about the disciples? Wasn’t there just “the faith” at that point? You followed God and believed the testimony of Christ’s resurrection. There was no separation among Jesus. He even prayed at times to God that his disciples be “one” like Jesus and the Father were “one.” This shows Christ clearly didn’t want segregation, but unity.

Of course, the disciples sometimes had disagreements, but not to the point of starting differing denominational churches and actually mocking one another. I hear other faiths called “cults,” and all sorts of bad names, when I myself have witnessed that some of these alleged “cult” members (Jehovah Witnesses as an example) actually have a decent interpretation of the bible, and spend a great deal of time follow God (not that I agree 100% with JW’s faith).

Other problems I have with churches are the theological problems. I don’t tend to agree with any one faith on every issue. So why should I go hear some hour long sermon on why Jesus is God , when the scripture itself is either being misinterpreted or mistranslated? Or that “once saved always saved,” which to me gives a Christian a ticket to sin and be lazy, and it isn’t biblical at all (or else, why don’t the whole world pray a simple prayer for forgiveness, and then go back to sin as usual since they are now ‘saved’).

I believe the bible should really be the source of it all. What I find is too many faiths try to insert things that really aren’t biblical or logical (such as a trinity). Or they strip out one verse, isolate it, and build a faulty doctrine. Some churches even demand that you sign a paper to become a member saying Jesus is God, or some other ridiculous belief.

Also, at churches I have been to, there seems to be too much gossip, too much bureaucracy, and too little focus on God. People go in, sit for about 1 hour, sing a few songs, listen to a sermon, shake hands, pray, and leave. The church then sits empty for the other 5-6 days (in most cases).

In my opinion, if people are going to get mortgages for hundreds of thousands (or millions) of dollars, there should be better use out of a building instead of letting it sit empty 5-6 days a week! Use it the other times to feed the hungry, shelter the poor, give classes to help educate, or something (sheesh)! Or rent it out to businesses during the “off time” and use the income to give to the needy. It is just highly inefficient to do nothing with such a large building except for a few times per week. God is working daily, and so should we!

Could I End Up Looney Like David Koresh, or One of Those Guys?

I liked this comment, and it made me smile. I can completely understand why you asked this, but I suppose it has a lot to do with the fact that you don’t know me personally.

I am certainly no David Koresh, or any of these type of guys. In fact, I would say Benny Hinn, Ernest Angly, and others like them are the ones you have to watch for (not trying to insult them or judge in any way).

I get what you are saying, and that may be true for the average person (people can have a way of going a little extreme and crazy). But I assure you that I stay grounded. As far as my biblical scriptures and interpretations, I lay them right out there publicly. I follow God’s laws and when I mess up I repent.

I am not ashamed of my theological stances, and feel that I can defend them logically and scripturally. You are right that some “nutters” can take a verse out of context and go wild and make up all kinds of crazy doctrines. But I look at scripture like this:

1. We should always consider the context, and never strip a single verse or saying out and create doctrine around it. This is a surefire way to create false doctrine.

2. We should value ALL scriptures as a whole, and consider what the verse is saying or why they said it.

3. We should believe that teaching with the most scriptural evidence, logical evidence, and avoid any teachings or doctrines that lack those things. Anything that is not thoroughly explained in the scriptures, for example, should never be doctrine. People are free to speculate, but should never proclaim a doctrine and force others to believe it.

I feel those 3 things keep me grounded, but all faiths tend to mess up with one of those. Not only that, but considering I publish this stuff publicly, I also sometimes get questions or challenges to my beliefs (and I defend them with reason and scripture). I certainly don’t think at this point I have any shocking or unbiblical beliefs that would classify me as a ‘nut job.’

I certainly KNOW I am not God, nor Jesus. I am a mere man, fallible, but forgiven. I want to know the ways of God, be obedient to him, and share my beliefs and views with others.

Should I Have a Pastor to Keep Me Straight?

Again, pastors can be great for a new believer, or a person who really doesn’t take time to study the bible (like the average Christian). They can ask the pastor questions, get moral support, and so forth. But the problem is every pastor is different.

What if one pastor was a baptist. Then he would teach you the baptist views. What if one was a Methodist. They would teach you Methodist views. What if one was a Mormon? You will hear LDS theology. So while I understand what you are saying, you also have to consider that every pastor won’t even agree on everything.

Also, you have to consider this: Who is Billy Graham’s pastor? What about Joel Osteen? What about Rick Warren? What about your pastor? Who is his pastor?

Don’t these men go out and use the scripture as their pastors and guides? That is exactly what I do here. In fact, I sometimes wonder how far this whole evangelism thing will take me. Will I only blog about it? Will I eventually start to make “sermon” videos or podcasts? Will I ever travel and evangelize? Those are all things that remain undecided at this point. But I do have an extreme interest with religion, and I don’t know how far I will ever take this.

But my pastor is God. His scriptures are my teachings. Jesus and the prophets are my teachers. The disciples keep me in line. Reason, fellowship, and debating keeps my theology in check. So I have no fears of turning into a “nut job” anytime soon =).

What About People of Other Faiths? Do All Religions Lead to God/Heaven?

This is a great question. Absolutely NOT! Some religions will lead you straight to hell! Some faiths are wrong. Some faiths are terrible. All religions can contain some truths in them, but that does not make them totally true. But like all things, this is a thing which can get complex. First, we have the different branches of Monotheism (Judaism, Christianity, Islam). These all believe in the 1 God, but have different views.

Then, we have different branches of Christianity (Catholics, Protestants, etc.). Then within each group we can have denominations/sects. Of course, then there are separate religions altogether (Buddhism, and so forth). But my reply would be: It depends on the person.

For example: Take a Muslim who is very nice, and does God’s will perfectly. They follow God’s laws. They believe Jesus died, and was resurrected. They believe Jesus will also return as the bible says (and there are many Muslims that believe this). The only difference between them and Christians is that they also believe Mohammad was a messenger of God, or perhaps a few other teachings. Will this person go to hell?

I find it hard to believe God would send this person to hell just because they believe other things, but follow God’s will perfectly (and even accept Christ). After all, they believe and follow God, and even accept/believe in Jesus as the messiah/Christ. There are tons of Christian groups that add things that aren’t in the bible (like Catholics for example). In fact, all faiths could be guilty of perhaps teaching at least one thing that isn’t really biblical. Not only that, but even the apostles sometimes disagreed over things.

So why would this Muslim person be condemned to hell? Are they not counted as righteous for being obedient to God’s laws and accepting Christ? I think they could absolutely go to heaven, and I can find no reason why God would send a person like this to hell.

But then perhaps there is another Muslim extremist. Who has terrible views, kills people, is violent, and so forth. Could they go to hell? Absolutely YES! It is an individual thing, which is why God gives us an individual judgment (as opposed to judging our faith, he judges our righteousness individually based on His criteria).

It is a complex thing, and I think God takes these factors into consideration. There are a great many people who claim to be Christians, but won’t inherit the Kingdom of God (as Jesus himself stated). There are some Jews and Muslims who may very well enter it (depending on God’s judgement and their individual beliefs/views/obedience). Some Jews are willing to accept Jesus (but are still Jewish based on birth).

As far as other faiths, it really depends on an individual basis. If there is a person who rejects God and worships idols, obviously they have no place in the Kingdom of God. But if a person was young, but imported into a faith at a young age and raised in their customs, and died without hearing the gospel, I think God judges them according to what they knew, and if they followed their inherit conscience that God placed within them. As Paul said in the NT, “Those who are without the law are a law unto themselves.” In that situation, it is for God to decide, not us.

God is a strict & jealous God, but He is also a fair God. Remember, he was going to spare the destruction of Sodom if Abraham could find even a few righteous people! Notice that it says “Righteous People.” It doesn’t say “Christians or Baptists or whatever.”

So I think that if you are a true Christian, you are obviously counted as righteous. But if someone never heard the Gospel, it is up to God (not us) to decide what “righteous” means. Only “Righteous” people inherit the kingdom of God. God cannot be defiled by unrighteousness.

And for those who DO HEAR THE GOSPEL, and yet reject it, then that too is a different situation. In that case, they are in danger of judgement if they hear and do not follow. If they know God’s laws, and reject them, then they are in danger of the judgment!

So again, it is all an individual thing, and it is up to us to spread the gospel, and let God judge people individually and find if they are truly righteous or not.

Conclusion: A Few Final Thoughts on These Questions

Again, these were great questions you asked. I think churches can be great, and are great in some situations. Some people need to go to church. However, I fellowship daily, not 1 time per week.

God and the bible is my pastor. I have had pastors in the past (in my baptist church, etc.). I actually know a few pastors personally (I don’t attend their church). Plus, I have a very logical and reasonable approach to scripture, which I think leads to the most accurate views.

All religions are not true. They may contain some truths mixed in, but that doesn’t mean they are THE TRUTH. To me, the bible is THE truth. It is to be regarded above all things.

That being said, I think it is somewhat absurd to think God may not allow others who He deems righteous enter the kingdom of God just because they may have been classified under a different faith title. As I said, obviously some people call themselves Christians, and cast out “demons” in the name of Jesus, and Jesus will say “I did not know you.”

Thanks again, and I will try to address your other question as soon as possible! Have a great day!

Anything Man Can Do God Can Do Better

Have you ever heard that little song, “Anything you can do I can do better, I can do anything better than you. No you can’t, yes I can. No you can’t, yes I can.”

I always thought that was a funny little “jingle” and it always seemed to stick in my head for a while after I would hear it. They often play it on commercials or television shows.

Recently, I was pondering all that man can now do. Technology & Knowledge for mankind has literally exploded these past few decades. We now can do incredible things, and will be even more mind boggling in the future. In fact, we can do such incredible things, that it almost sounds more ludicrous what we know to be true today, than what the bible talks about in terms of miracles in the past.

Really think about that for a second. What if 200 years ago you told someone that you can sit in your living room and see China, or talk to someone in Australia. They would have thought you were delusional. Yet we do it daily today. We see any place in the world on the web or on TV. We chat with anyone via email, instant chat, or cell phones. We live in an age of miracles, and we don’t even know it.

As I pondered this little fact, I began to wonder why people have such little faith in God these days. In my view, science and technology have done nothing more than create an incredible case to prove the existence of God, and add more credibility to the Bible miracles. And it even shows us that man can do most of what the bible says in terms of miracles. It also has given us insight into how these “miracles” may have worked.

So stop and think about this simple fact: If man can do something, is it really that far-fetched that an Almighty God could do it? I mean, would you really suggest that man can do something, but God couldn’t? Whether God did it Himself, through Prophets, or Jesus, God can do all things. After all, “Anything man can do God can do better, God can do anything better than man. Yes He can, Yes He can.”