Of course you can... I met a lady once that had the Holy Spirit all around her. I asked her what church she went to and she said she didn't attend church that she read her bible.
I just realized something... we can't attend something we are to be. We're called to be the church not attend church.
Now, that being said...
I do believe that believers should gather and seek to edify one another. Even if it's just a small group of 2 to 5 believers on a regular weekend coffee break. Without edifying fellowship... a Christian can stunt their spiritual growth and maturity in Christ.
You will absolutely be affected/impacted by those you associate with. If you only associate with the lost, then your direction is toward the mentality of the lost.
That is in large part why we must associate ourselves with the Body of Christ. We MUST be impacted/affected by the body.
How one is connected is of little importance to me. I don’t care if they attend a church, a small group, a large group, a big church, little church or one in between. The how is not important.
What is important is the connection. I would also add that there are meaningful connections and superficial ones. You can go to a church like most folks do and have no meaningful connections. Show up late, leave early, don’t make friends and what you have is little more than Novocain for your soul. You aswage your guilt by “showing up” but you have not done anything to move your life in the direction of the Body of Christ. If your friends and the people that impact you are lost, then you have nothing.
You can have meaningful relationships with the body and not attend a regular church service. You meet with, pray with, establish personal friendships with saved folk, then you are impacted.
Now I would say that it is very hard to build those kinds of relationships outside of a church. The reason why traditional churches work, is because they make this process easy for most folks. Those that don’t like church, may find the connections they need to remain saved but is that really their goal? Are they really working on making that happen for themselves? Some certainly do. But for how many of those who don’t like regular church really saying that as an excuse to escape being impacted by the Body of Christ?
__________________ If I do something stupid blame the Lortab!
3:14 These things I write to you, hoping to come to you shortly; 3:15 but if I wait long, that you may know how men ought to behave themselves in God’s house, which is the assembly of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
So many gatherings are nice as far as getting together with others who believe in Jesus but the CHURCH is where the TRUTH is.
Many people who go to Church are not really going to Church.
It is certain that Christians will not be going to visible Church buildings in the end time.
12:13 When the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 12:14 Two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, so that she might be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. Rev. 12:13-14
Even today great numbers of believers cannot "gather" with other Christians without putting their lives and of their family at risk. So at some time in the future the way we do Church will change.
It is certain that Christians will not be going to visible Church buildings in the end time.
12:13 When the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 12:14 Two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, so that she might be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. Rev. 12:13-14
Even today great numbers of believers cannot "gather" with other Christians without putting their lives and of their family at risk. So at some time in the future the way we do Church will change.
I believe the house church movement might be God setting up networks of more private gatherings before the great and terrible day comes.
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