So, Do You Go To Church?

I do. A neighborhood church (well, country style since it’s six miles away) and I pass a couple on the way. I don’t attend them due to doctrinal reasons. One has to do with salvation. The verses I find important are John 3:16, Acts 16:30-31 along with the Roman Road (3:23, 5:12, 5:8, 6:23, 10:13-14, 10:9-10) and many other verses. Another important to me has to do with how I was saved:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)

Since it is God’s grace, God’s gift, I’ve never earned it – nor can I lose what God has freely given. Not because I can do anything about it, but He can and – as Paul, I believe Him:

For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. (2 Timothy 1:12 KJV)

Paul firmly believed this:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35, 38-39 KJV)

Now, with all that background, why wouldn’t I attend church? Because there are hypocrites there? Not a good reason as we find those in every phase of life. Because there are sinners there? Absolutely there are, as none of us are perfect and I certainly fall into that category.

So, what’s the reason for not attending church? Because Jesus and his disciples didn’t? Sorry, His custom was to attend synagogue:

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. (Luke 4:16 KJV)

I can’t believe He went alone.  Neither did Paul:

Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, (Acts 17:1-2 KJV)

Why do you think they went to the synagogues? How about to show their respect for God and their desire to worship? Was it necessary for their salvation?  The Bible doesn’t tell us that, does it? However, if we like someone, don’t we spend time with them? And, don’t we expect to spend eternity with the church Christ established?

Besides – I want to grow my faith, and the Bible tells me how to do that:

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17 KJV)

I assure you, at my church we hear God’s word. We discuss God’s word. We study the times those words were written, the applications then and probable applications now – with emphasis on their application to my life.

We pray together, too. That’s just part of what we do at our church. There are many like mine. I pray you are able to enjoy one, too.