Christ Centered Gamer

I believe going to church is good, but not a requirement for salvation.

Agreed, our faith is not based on if we go to church or not. It is based on our personal relationship with God.

knitzbitz wrote:I believe going to church is good, but not a requirement for salvation.

Interesting statement! Is this based on your readings / interpretation of the scriptures, through prayer or direct communication from God, or a combination of the two?

While not necessary for salvation it's still necessary for spiritual growth and sanctioned by God. Matt 18:20 says - For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."

I also echo what ccgr said. Also good to be involved in church so church family can hold you accountable, and also grow more In him!

I'm with the "yes, go to Church" crowd.

The problem with the notion of being a "rogue Christian" is that you have no grounding. What I mean by that is that Scripture is huge, complex and sometimes a bit confusing. Most individuals are not equipped to really understand it all on their own, and even if they were, as humans we tend to bring our own experiences, perspectives and expectations to our understanding of these things. Put 10 people in a room with identical copies of the Bible, leave them alone for a week, then come back, you'll find 10 different perspectives and sets of understanding.

It's only with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, along with fellowship with others, that we can remain grounded to the meaning of Scripture.

Also, by gathering together as a group we recharge our spiritual batteries. After a week of being relentlessly bombarded by this world we live in I welcome the chance to spend time with my Church brothers and sisters.

I mean no offense when I say this, but in my experience most of those who say "you don't need to go to church" are people who are just rationalizing their desire to not bother going.

Finding a church home is definitely a positive thing. I was raised Catholic which warped my sense of "religion". Thankfully the Lord brought me my wife which He used her to bring me to Christ and eventually found a church home. Yes, it's full of hypocrites but we all are hypocrites and yes, it has its faults because it's full of humans who all fall short of the glory of God, as I do daily. We are members of our church and it's great to have a "home".

I'm going to oversimplify. Church is like AA for an alcoholic. It's Sinners' Anonymous. We encourage each other and build each other up for the purpose of becoming more holy - less sinning.

I see Church as an noncompulsory way of learning about God.

For me, I find it extreeeeeemely difficult to concentrate in Church because I have a very short concentration span. However, for the bits I take in, I often learn a lot.
Some people (mostly non-Christians I believe) see Churches as the place where everyone is 'perfect' and to step foot in a Church, you have to be perfect. It isn't and shouldn't be that way as it could be seen as a Hospital for the Broken. You also build and form a relationship with God easily, and if you fall out of Faith, you always have your Church friends to help.