Main Verses: Matt. 18:20, Heb. 10:19-11:2

The truth of the matter is that the so called “church gatherings” that happen on Sundays and Wednesdays are not biblical. The denominations pick and choose what they want to believe, and if it were not so, we would not have so many denominations. True church can be described as two or three true believers gathering together to fellowship about God’s Word (Matt. 18:20). This looks a lot different than modern day churches.

 

Real fellowship is when you and another believer read God’s word, talk about what Scripture means, challenge your bias, and encourage one another in the faith. It is a way to strengthen your brothers and sisters to resist temptation, share things that are happening in your life, and come before our Creator, who is Holy and Glorious (Eze. 1:25-28), in prayer.

 

If we believe we must go to these so-called churches, we are taking away the freedom we have in Christ and implementing similar commands that the Pharisees followed. I will back up what I just said with this: the modern-day church, no matter the denomination, has a bias that they instill in the members of that church. The Baptist churches especially have pushed the “prayer” for salvation which is not biblical and is doing just what the religious leaders of Jesus’ day were doing; making “them twice as fit for hell…” Matt. 23:15

 

The sabbath may be more of a heart attitude than an action. Hear me out. Jesus said “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. Therefore, the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” Mark 2:27-28 The disciples were being with Jesus, following Him, listening to Him, while the religious leaders were only concerned about rules and actions. Are we not doing that today? Think about it. Churches in America have become a business to the point of taking care of the building rather than teaching the truth of the eternal gospel to lost souls. Anyone can see that there are lost people in modern day churches. How can we then call it God’s church? God’s true church is the body of Christ. How can we have fellowship with darkness? 2 Cor. 6:14

 

Therefore, I believe we should not go to these churches with the intent of having fellowship, but with the attitude of witnessing. It is a war we are fighting. And the devil does not sleep. He is infiltrating our lines by telling us we need these churches for fellowship, all the while poisoning the message we hear from the pulpit, our peers, the teachers and the members/congregation.

Think about this: what would be better? Going to church or staying home to have fellowship with the Lord on your day off. Many people have a lack of time to spend in their Bibles; maybe they spend a few minutes in it a day, or maybe you’re one of those who doesn’t pick up your Bible every day. If that is the case, you are spiritually weak (talking about real Christians). How can you battle lies you hear at church or in your everyday life when you are not immersed in the truth of God’s Word? When a real believer is weak Christ can be their strength, but only when they are walking with the Lord. When you forsake your Bible, your sword (Eph. 6:17) to fight temptation, evil desires, false teaching, and more, you become weak and your sword becomes unfamiliar to you.

Many people think they will not find Christian fellowship except in “church”. But I’m here to tell you that’s not accurate. If you are indeed a true Christian, meaning you have been born again and redeemed from your sinful ways, I want to encourage you to pray for true Christians to come across your path. God will send them. But watch out! Many will come who are not true believers but are the wolves in sheep’s clothing that we read about in Acts (Acts 20:29). You may only ever have one true Christian friend, but that is a far greater blessing than 10 unsaved friends who claim to be followers of Christ. “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 1 Cor. 15:33

 

The Christian walk is usually a lonely one. We entered through the narrow gate (Matt. 7:13), the world will hate us when we truly follow Christ (John 15:18), and we should not try to gain the approval of the world but of God (Gal. 1:10).

 

Rich Mullins said this about loneliness: “To listen to the call of God means to accept some of the emptiness that we have in our own lives, and rather than trying to drown out that feeling of emptiness, instead of always trying to fill it with a lot of junk, to allow that to be a door through which we meet God.”

 

“Don’t worry about hurting. Realize that this is how badly God wants you and that hurt you’re feeling, that emptiness you’re feeling, may be the way it feels when you’re called by God. So don’t try to fill it, don’t try to quiet it. But seek God to give you the courage to face that and walk through that to Him.”

 

–   From Gospel Resources channel on YouTube, “Rich Mullins on Calling, Loneliness, Love, and Freedom”