Missing Church

[Linnis]

I have missed the last four weeks of church(I went to a Monday service two weeks ago and think I may go back to going Monday mornings, I like them a lot). I have to walk(almost a mile) and with the cold and rain and now just the freezing cold, it's getting harder and harder(I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia) to get to church. I have nobody to drive me and when I called the church, nobody was willing to give me a ride there or back.

So while I wasn't at church last Sunday I got to thinking, I haven't been getting as much out of the "comtempary" service like I used to. It seems poorly organized and there are 3 or 4 times a service where nothing is happening while they figure out what's going on. So I've decided I must prefer the Taditional service, so the music's old as dust but at least I'm getting more of what I need out of it right?

I have stopped working in the office almost as quickly as I began. I loved the helping out part of it *but* I couldn't handle the cliquish nature of most of the women. It's like I'm on the outside and everything is a top secret and I'm not allowed in on it. I've never been rude or mean to anyone there, I've tried my best to join in and belong, but I don't *feel* like I belong, I feel more or less accepted like accepts a water stain on the ceiling.


Is it bad to feel this way? I thought one should be able to get their worship and some of their social needs met at church but it doesn't feel as possible as it once did. I don't know if I should feel guilty about it or not. Also I think if I felt more welcome, I may have put up with the pain and the whole 9 degrees it was outside last week and gone but I kept asking myself, why go if you don't really get either? :confused:

** Don't tell me I'm a really bad person. :sorry: **

[ClementofRome]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but it appears that your primary purpose in going to church is to get something out of it. I believe that our primary purpose for going to church is to worship our sovereign God almighty. It is when I am most selfish in my church attendance that I seem to get the least out of going. It is when I surrender my desires to get something out of it and concentrate on simply acts of worship and praise that I seem to get the most out of it. More of Him and less of me seems to be the anwer when I find myself feeling like you describe above.

Also, I do not place a great deal of stock on spiritual "experience" as experiences are fleeting. If I went to church expecting to experience something every week, I would be sadly disappointed. However, I go with no expectations other than that I am going to worship God....then, through teaching and preaching and praying and giving of my offerings and through fellowship I lift Him up. It is only then that I am uplifted.

May He increase and my I decrease.

God bless you Linnis. Sorry to hear of the job thing too.
Clem

[Linnis]

I see your point, Church is to worship God, but why go to Church to worship God alone if I can do that here?

[Onesimus85]

I see your point, Church is to worship God, but why go to Church to worship God alone if I can do that here?

"Several days later Jesus returned to Capernaum, and the news of his arrival spread quickly through the town. Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there wasn't room for one more person, not even outside the door. And he preached the word to them. Four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn't get to Jesus through the crowd, so they dug through the clay roof above his head. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, 'My son, your sins are forgiven'... Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, "Stand up, take your mat, and go on home, because you are healed!' The man jumped up, took the mat and pushed his way through the stunned onlookers. Then they all praised God. 'We've never seen anything like this before!' they exclaimed." Mark 2:1-4, 10b-12 NLT

It was not because of the paralyzed man's faith that he was healed but it was because of the faith of the believing community surrounding him.

"Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They asked, 'Where did he get all his wisdom and the power to perform such miracles? He's just the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.' They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.
Then Jesus told them, 'A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.' And because of their unbelief, he couldn't do any mighty miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief." Mark 6:1-6a (NLT)

Here you can see that because of the unbelief of the community "he couldn't do any mighty miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them." Though we do not know what mighty miracles may mean, we do know that as a result of the unbelief he either was limited, or limited himself.

I am not saying that you are not full of faith. However, if you believe that God can do mighty works in a community then it is important that you are there to increase the amount of belief in the community.

Christ said that where two or more are gathered in his name his spirit is there with us (personal paraphrase). Not only is God able to move freely through a believing community, but he is also able to move through you in ways that you may not know of until you are open to His presence in a community of believers. Can you imagine how much strength and confidence the other people must have received when they saw the paralyzed man healed? This is why it is important, by not being among a community of believers you never know what you might see God do.

And then I ditto what COR said in post #2.

May God's blessings be poured out on you in a mighty way!

[Linnis]

I found someone who's going to be willing to take me to and from first service. Yey!

Thanks you guys. I may just be discouraged because I don't feel welcome by the other humans, but God's what it's about.

[sinner/SAVED]

I believe that our primary purpose for going to church is to worship our sovereign God almighty. It is when I am most selfish in my church attendance that I seem to get the least out of going. It is when I surrender my desires to get something out of it and concentrate on simply acts of worship and praise that I seem to get the most out of it. More of Him and less of me seems to be the anwer when I find myself feeling like you describe above...


May He increase and my I decrease.



Great post. You should recieve reps for this one.:thumbsup: :amen:

[ClementofRome]

I found someone who's going to be willing to take me to and from first service. Yey!

Thanks you guys. I may just be discouraged because I don't feel welcome by the other humans, but God's what it's about.

I am so glad that you got a ride to church. Don't be discouraged. Dive in with your eyes wide open. Be so visible that they can't help but love you! ;)

[alaurie]

Prayers going up, Linnis :prayer: You've gotten some excellent counsel already! I'm willing to bet ...if that's appropriate considering the issue :D, that as your focus shifts to the Lord, some of the human issues will improve. I'm praying this is so. :hug:

[Onesimus85]

:clap: Glad to hear that you have found a ride to church! May your blessings continue to increase!

[chrismon]

I have nobody to drive me and when I called the church, nobody was willing to give me a ride there or back.

If no one in your church who is fortunate enough to have a car will endure the minor inconvenience of pick you up to take you to church and dropping you off afterwards, that's not much of a church.

It is by those sorts of things that God will judge, not by the mode of music in worship.

[Linnis]

I found rides & went last Sunday and had a great time. I guess I just have to limit my envolement with certain people and worry about what's important worshipping God and using my Sunday school experience as a way to grow in my knowledge and understanding of God.

[chrismon]

I found rides & went last Sunday and had a great time. I guess I just have to limit my envolement with certain people and worry about what's important worshipping God and using my Sunday school experience as a way to grow in my knowledge and understanding of God.

Maybe you should be involved with those "certain people" anyway? A pursuing love ,despite rejection, is the hallmark of our God :) In a way, someone who has a car who feels he or she is unable to take the time to serve another with it is actually more needy than someone without a car.