Question for those who have just said NO to Church:

(Peacebewithyou;22685)
How would you respond to this verse in Hebrews: 24And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Wouldn't your practice of not going to Church seem to be in conflict with that verse? Also, on a practical level, how do you go about the business of providing charity to the poor - feeding, clothing, caring for orphans & widows. Of course all of that can be done outside of a "church" but I find it so much easier to support these efforts through my Chruch. By myself I can do small things, but collectively as a group, we do great things for those less fortunate. How are you able to help "the least of these my brothers?"
The true church is the Body of Christ. (Believers) It's not about a physical building.JagLovest ye in Christ Yahshua our Lord and Saviour.

(Peacebewithyou;22689)
(thesuperjag;22687)
The true church is the Body of Christ. (Believers) It's not about a physical building.JagLovest ye in Christ Yahshua our Lord and Saviour.
Correct, in a spiritual sense, but that verse is speaking of us physically gathering together, no? The early Christians understood this to mean physically gathering together to "break bread." (celebrate communion).Also - my second point - charitable works.. how do you accomplish that by yourself?Well seeing how we are closer in the End Times as we are the last generation. It is extremely hard to find a church as many, many, I mean several churches today preaches the doctrine of men over the Word of God. On another note, some or many churches celebrate Communion on Easter, which is a pagan holiday. I would rather celebrate Communion on Passover as Christ is the Passover Lamb.About charity works. True Love is telling the Truth. If we don't tell the Truth, how can we love people? If they keep on rejecting Truth, we should pray for everybody that they may see the Light. I probably go to a random church to see if I can reach other people. This world needs the Truth.JagLovest thou in Christ Yahshua, Lord and Saviour.

Regarding Charity, there is strength in numbers.Regarding Preachers, there is sense in honesty."Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness."(James 3:1)Church of Love in Jesus Christhttp://christiansite.multiply.com/journal

God says church is where two or more are gathered in his name there for this site is church,or studying with a friend is church. I also agree that, the verse you gave above speaks spiritually not physically. I can only speak for myself but sense becoming a part of this site I study everyday something I may not do if I just put God aside until Sunday.And as far as the preachers and teachers being judged greater and first that is true And I can say there is nothing I teach about the Word I wouldnt be willing to be judged for.but I would hate to be some of those fast food religion or rapture teachers/preachers

I agree Kriss I spend much more time studying and talking to friends about the Lord than I ever did at church. We dont have to look very far to help a brother or sister in need.

Peacebewithyou,I agree with Jag, but as far as my area goes, it is pretty bad. I had written to all, went to some other denomenations, and Jesus' words ring true, a prophet is not accepted in his own country or among his own people or among his kin, thus probably part of the reason this happened.Matthew 10: 12And when ye come into an house, salute it. 13And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. 15Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.2 Thessalonians 3: 1Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: 2And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. 3But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. 4And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. 5And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. 6Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. 7For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; ....13But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. 14And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. 15Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. Just as Jesus taught excommunication, but churches haven't practised that in a long time, huh? They would rather have numbers than caring for their spiritual walk with the Lord.1 Corinthians 5: 9I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.Matthew 18: 14Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. 15Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Better if the body of believers do it, and not the Lord for when He does it, whoo wee. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of God for judgment must fall on the House of God first.1 Peter 4: 17For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?Matthew 7: 21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. So again, how a person builds on that faith in their relationship with the Lord determines how the Bridegroom responds to the virgins. Do note that virgins are not to have relations with anyone else for it is the Bridegroom they seek to know.Thus by the grace of God, I shall go to the internet and bid any that hear His voice to come to the wedding supper.Matthew 22: 8Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 10So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. 11And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14For many are called, but few are chosen. For without faith, it is impossible to please God, and if dead works deny Him, where then is the faith or the wedding garment?

(thesuperjag;22695)
Well seeing how we are closer in the End Times as we are the last generation. It is extremely hard to find a church as many, many, I mean several churches today preaches the doctrine of men over the Word of God. On another note, some or many churches celebrate Communion on Easter, which is a pagan holiday. I would rather celebrate Communion on Passover as Christ is the Passover Lamb.About charity works. True Love is telling the Truth. If we don't tell the Truth, how can we love people? If they keep on rejecting Truth, we should pray for everybody that they may see the Light. I probably go to a random church to see if I can reach other people. This world needs the Truth.JagLovest thou in Christ Yahshua our Lord and Saviour.
Jag,Did you just say that Easter was a pagan holiday?

(goldy;22813)
(thesuperjag;22695)
Well seeing how we are closer in the End Times as we are the last generation. It is extremely hard to find a church as many, many, I mean several churches today preaches the doctrine of men over the Word of God. On another note, some or many churches celebrate Communion on Easter, which is a pagan holiday. I would rather celebrate Communion on Passover as Christ is the Passover Lamb.About charity works. True Love is telling the Truth. If we don't tell the Truth, how can we love people? If they keep on rejecting Truth, we should pray for everybody that they may see the Light. I probably go to a random church to see if I can reach other people. This world needs the Truth.JagLovest thou in Christ Yahshua, Lord and Saviour.
Jag,Did you just say that Easter was a pagan holiday?Yes I did. Easter comes from the word Ishtar, which Ishtar is and does pronounce Easter.
"Ishtar is a goddess of fertility, sexual love, and war. In the Babylonian pantheon, she "was the divine personification of the planet Venus".Ishtar was above all associated with sexuality: her cult involved sacred prostitution; her holy city Erech was called the "town of the sacred courtesans"; and she herself was the "courtesan of the gods". Ishtar had many lovers; however, as Guirand notes,woe to him whom Ishtar had honoured! The fickle goddess treated her passing lovers cruelly, and the unhappy wretches usually paid dearly for the favours heaped on them. Animals, enslaved by love, lost their native vigour: they fell into traps laid by men or were domesticated by them. 'Thou has loved the lion, mighty in strength', says the hero Gilgamesh to Ishtar, 'and thou hast dug for him seven and seven pits! Thou hast loved the steed, proud in battle, and destined him for the halter, the goad and the whip.'
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IshtarJag

(thesuperjag;22815)
Yes I did. Easter comes from the word Ishtar, which Ishtar is and does pronounce Easter.Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IshtarJag
Mmmmmmkay.......so what do I call the holiday where I celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus?

(Peacebewithyou;22807)
Now you've got me curious.. do you consider yourself a prophet, or were just giving that example of scripture?
It isn't that someone feels they are a prophet but at times if you try to share a truth with someone their reaction can be awkward. Take for instance the rapture doctrine. If someone has been taught that all their lives and you come along warning them about it....you are more than likely to be dismissed. After all, why should they think you know more than their preacher? :naughty:This would be most prevalent in a familar situation, such as someone you have known for a long time, or a family member. So....I believe that the scripture about a prophet not being accepted in his own town is what that is in reference to. .........Whirlwind

Passover.....He was the Passover Lamb.....Whirlwind

In reply to the original questions, I think of Jesus' prayer for us in the garden...that we would be "one" even as He and the Father are one. I think that could be applied in part to the Scripture you used. Some forsake the assembling of ourselves together. When all the parts of a body are "assembled" together they are no longer independant of one another as is the practice of some...but instead they are "one" body...exhorting one another to love and good works and all the more as they see the day of the Lord approaching.Also "charity" is love in action. Faith without works is dead. Charity is the "work" of a heart that loves both God and neighbor. Because we are lovers of Christ, charity is a part of who we are...our lives should be a testimony of Love in action. I realized something about that one day. The Scripture says to love my neighbor as myself. Do I love myself? I certainly do...when I am cold I put on a sweater or coat. When I'm thirsty I get a drink. When I'm hungry I get myself something to eat. When I'm sick I take care of myself. I don't put much thought into it either. I simply respond to my need. If I love my neighbor as myself, I will clothe him when he is cold or naked. I will give her a drink or food when I see her thirsty or hungry. I will visit him when he is sick or imprisoned. I will naturally respond - not out of a sense of obligation or duty...but out of love. I don't reason whether or not I deserve a drink when I'm thirsty...or if I'm living the right kind of lifestyle to get something to eat when I'm hungry. Ha, I already know I'm of "the least of these". I love the parable of the good Samaritan...he was simply going where ever it was he was going that day. Just an ordinary day. He wasn't on a missions trip. He wasn't even looking for someone to help! And on his journey that day he crossed paths with a man in need and showed charity or "love in action" to him. While Jesus walked this earth He went about doing good. It seems from Scripture that every day He came upon someone with a need and He never tired of giving. He never tired of them having needs. He never tired of loving His neighbor. He never stopped to contemplate their lifestyle or whether they were deserving. He was Charity in its most BEAUTIFUL abandoned form. You and I can be charity too in our ordinary everyday lives. As far as approaching charity from a "practical" standpoint...you can buy an extra meal each time you grocery shop and take it to a local shelter or food bank where the poor are provided for. You can pick up a box of diapers and drop it off at the local pregnancy center once a month...or a teething ring...or a bottle. You can visit someone in your community's jail once a year so they know they are not alone. I believe that even as an individual you can be a valuable expression of charity. Jesus was. We are not called "church"ians or ministr"ians"...we are called "Christ"ians.

(Peacebewithyou;22820)
That's true - Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the World. But only celebrating Passover would feel like walking out of a good movie before the big climax. Celebrating the Ressurection is like rubbing it in Satan's face & all who chose not to believe. It's one thing that He died for our sins - that is awesome - but He is not dead - He is RISEN! It's our proof of the promise that altough we die, will will rise again. I can't imagine why someone wouldn't want to celebrate - shout that from the rooftops. He isn't dead - He is risen! He is risen indeed! I think Satan must hate that constant reminder of Jesus' victory over death that Easter brings.
I understand what you are saying but there is so much about easter that is an abomination to God. It was taken from Ishtar, as stated in a previous post, and is about fertility rites. Sexual orgies on the altar. Research Ishtar and learn about her son Tammuz. To lightly touch on the subject, Tammuz was killed by a wild boar (ham [unclean food] on Easter,) people were to give up their happiness for 40 days (Lent,).....it goes on and on. Perhaps it is best to allow Father to tell you Himself:Ezekiel 8:14 Then He brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.15.Then said He unto me, "Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these."16.And He brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.18.Therefore will I also deal in fury: Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in Mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them."Easter sun-rise service (sun worship) in the very house of God - an abomination. To make matters even worse, if that is possible, it is held on Sunday - not the Sabbath!He set all the times for all His events long, long ago. When Abraham took Isaac onto the mountain to sacrifice him...it was the same mountain on which His Son was crucified. Isaac was a shadow of what was to come. When the death angel passed over the children of God it was a shadow of what was to come.....Christ was to be the Passover Lamb on the High Sabbath, Passover....not easter Sunday.........Whirlwind

You are right on Whirlwind and JagI understand what you are saying about the resurrection Peacebewithyou.But God never told us to celebrate his Resurrection. It was his death on the cross that overcame Sin, the shedding of his Blood as the ultimate sacrifice. I think he would never want us to lose sight of that with making the resurrection a holiday.It was the church at Rome who wanted more converts that compromised and combined the Pagan Holiday to the Goddess Ishtar with Passover into one because they knew the Pagans would never give up their fertility rituals. So to bring this back to the topicThe falsehoods in the church exist to this day. men will comprise Gods word in a secondfor more money in the coffers that's what the rapture theory is all about Make feel good and they give us more money.I personally think we for all our little disagreements and faults do a better job on the internet at disclosing these false teachings than any of us could at our local churchs, those with eyes to see will get it those that dont will follow men anyway Bless you all

We must have been posting at the same time Peace mine is above yours. So Ill repeat the important part But God never told us to celebrate his Resurrection. It was his death on the cross that overcame , the shedding of his Blood as the ultimate sacrifice. I think he would never want us to lose sight of that with making the resurrection a holiday.