As a believer I come across several people inviting me to go to church. I feel that a person should serve God freely. Should I accept the invitation even though I feel as if I am going into a place of bondage with all of the rules, requirement, and the two times a week serving based on mans schedule. Should I feel guilty because I do not go?
There are several things that I can answer to your inquiry. Many will bring about a controversy which on the one hand is good and on the other well…
To begin..Church is a people. The building should be the House of worship. What modern times has organized by way of Church in my opinion has become a social hall where almost anything and everything is allowed. Holiness and sacredness has long been obliterated in what we call church. Jesus is seldom mentioned and leaders have become the veil in the temple, the middle wall of partition no longer rent and torn allowing free access to Him who shed blood to redeem us. Many leaders have placed themselves between both God and man acting as a mediator for the people therefore enslaving man to himself and not allowing people to freely become bond slaves to Christ. To many, the building called church has become Egypt, a place of bondage, a place of hardship, hurt and pain.The bible declares that where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. Many places called church belongs to the leaders and not to God. The spirit of the Lord has limited to no reign. The people are controlled by leaders and not by the Spirit of the living God. They are told what to eat, what to wear, where to go, what to buy, what not to buy, whom to socialize with, whom not to socialize with, where to worship, where not to worship, how to worship, how not to worship, how much money to give, how to wear their hair, how not to wear their hair, what colors to wear of clothing, what colors not to wear and the endless list of the can and the can not’s go on and on.
Before there was a building called church, synagogue, temple or tent men walked with God. Before there was written word men walked with God. Are we saying in this modern time that apart from the building called church there is no way man can walk with God? Are we saying in this modern time that apart from the building called church there is no knowledge of God? Are we saying that the only revealings of God is through a building called church? If so then….Wow!!
In early new testament days, because we are still living the new testament era, the apostles gathered from house to house. We can not say there was no churches because there were synagogues. Jesus went into the synagogue every now and then himself. My point is even with the apostles and peoples meeting from house to house, they assembled and encouraged one another. Jesus said where there are two or three gathered together in my name in the midst, I’ll be. There are many biblical scriptures that support both the assembling in the building called church and the assembling of believers outside of the building called church. One of the primary scriptures that people beat us over the head with is Hebrews 10:25 which quotes “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. No it does not say the only place to assemble is the building called church. Hebrews 10’s focus is on perseverance in Christ, holding on to the faith, not turning back, encouraging others to be steadfast in the faith. No it does not say you have to be in the building called church to do this. Ephesians 4:11 does state that Christ gave some: apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers; for perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. All of the body is not in the building called Church.
Man places a great emphasis on the building but not enough emphasis on Christ and the working of His Spirit. There are many who are faithful to the assembling in the building and their lives are just as ragged as a cross cut saw. Many assemble in the building but their lives don’t assemble with Christ. They still commit adultery and fornication, the things the Lord said,,,don’t do. They still lie and cheat. They are still envious and full of murder, hatred and deceit. I’ve personally encountered people who are more obedient to Christ apart from the building than folk who break their necks to get to the building on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. In regards to where you assemble be it the building called church or from house to house…let the Holy Spirit be your guide.