Posts Tagged ‘attendance’
Slinging Mud on the Bride of Christ
by Mike Richardson An Unthinkable Image Imagine attending a wedding. The bride is arrayed in a beautiful white wedding gown, ready to go down the aisle to be presented to the groom. As she walks down the aisle, people on both sides of her begin to throw mud at her. She ducks down, but the…
Read MoreWhat’s So Important About the Church?
by Jefferson David Tant The comment is often made, “I don’t have to go to church in order to go to heaven,” or, similarly, “I can be a Christian without going to church.” The question is, “Is that really true, or is that a misunderstanding of what “church” is all about?” What Is the Church?…
Read MoreI Don’t Go to Church
by Dan Chaney “I’m a Christian, I just don’t go to church.” Maybe you’ve been burned by religious people. Maybe you have social setting anxiety. Maybe you just prefer other recreational activities on Sunday. Individual motivations really aren’t the focus of this post. “I’m a Christian but I don’t go to church” sounds reasonable, possibly…
Read MoreWhy I Go to Church
by Fanning Yater Tant (1908-1998) There are so many reasons why people don’t go to church, but the following are some reasons why I do go. Habit “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read”…
Read MoreHow to Find a Church
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/How-to-Find-a-Church.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreWhat if you are traveling somewhere where there is no church?
Question: Hello, I wanted to say thank you for the way the website is set up. This has been great to look at a topic from many points of view using the question and answers. My question is regarding attending services when you are away from the local church you’re a member of. I know…
Read MoreIs the Church Important?
by Jefferson David Tant Is God’s church important? Does it have any significant place in our lives, or is it just something concerning which we have a choice — to be a part of it, or do our own thing? It is pretty obvious that many in the “Christian” world today see no real value…
Read MoreDoes “Setting Boundaries” apply to marriages?
Question: Good morning, I read “Setting Boundaries” and noticed how it’s applied to children. What if, and I say this will all do respect as I can as a wife, but what if I have a husband who acts like this? Do these principles still apply to a husband? This has to be the most…
Read MoreFaithfulness
Author Unknown A preacher was asked to define “faithful attendance at worship.” He replied that the best way to understand it was to apply the same standards of faithfulness that we do in other areas of our life. Consider the examples he gave: If your car started one out of three times, would you consider…
Read MoreShould I continue a career that might take me where there is no church nearby?
Question: Good afternoon to the Church Of Christ in LaVista, I am a member of the Church of Christ. I thank God for your website and all of its content. Currently, I am in the military serving in the U.S Navy, I have a month before I have to make a decision as to whether…
Read MoreThe Importance of One Another
by Doy Moyer Christians share together a bond in Christ. We often stress the need for personal responsibility and individual accountability, yet we should also see that Christianity is built upon a “one another” model. God did not intend for us to walk alone in our journey of serving the Lord. This is demonstrated through…
Read MoreBelief in God Continues to Decline
Source: Anugrah Kumar, “Number of Americans who believe in God dips to new low: Gallup,” The Christian Post, 20 June 2022. The number of Americans who say they believe in God: 1940s-1960s – 98% 2011 – 92% 2013-2017 – 87% 2022 – 81% “Belief in God has fallen the most in recent years among young adults…
Read MoreShould a man be appointed a deacon when he only attends Sunday morning services?
Question: I emailed you before about a topic, and you had an answer that I did not agree with at all, but today I have an unrelated question. At our church, we are in the process of selecting new deacons. Is it wrong for me to think it is a bit ridiculous that two of…
Read MoreSeek First the Kingdom
by Keith Sharp Billy was 6 years old. It was springtime close to summer vacation. When school was out, he and his mom, a widow who was remarrying, were moving. He came home from school and informed his mom he wouldn’t be going back to baseball. When she asked why, he replied, “The rest of…
Read MoreAm I wrong to let small group meetings bother me?
Question: Hi, The congregation where we are members is now having a “small group” meet separately on some Sunday nights while we still have a worship service at the building. It is designed for young families as some way to grow that group. This practice is being pushed by a few but tolerated by almost…
Read MoreHow do I attend services when my atheist father threatens to kick me out of the house?
Question: Hello, I became a Christian a year and a half ago. I am an 18-year-old male high school senior. I have a father who is an extremely stubborn atheist. He lived most of his life in Iran (and so did I) which is an Islamic theocracy and my father has come to hate all…
Read MoreWhat About the Next Sunday?
by Terry Wane Benton Some people meet with the church on “Easter Sunday” and hardly ever anytime else. That is out of tradition, not out of thinking seriously about doing the will of God. Tradition has been in the family to at least go to church one time a year, maybe two. But what about…
Read MoreHow do you make people understand the importance of attending services?
Question: Good day, Many people are just doing good without going to church or recognizing God, how do you make people understand the importance or take Christianity seriously if they don’t see any need? Answer: The authority of the Bible rests upon the fact that its teachings come from God. “All Scripture is inspired by…
Read MoreWhat Does God Expect After Becoming a Christian?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/What-Does-God-Expect-After-Becoming-a-Christian.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreMinimum Duty or Maximum Opportunity?
by Terry Wane Benton The question comes up from time to time about whether to meet with the saints only one time on Sunday, or whether to meet every time we can, like for week-long meetings, Sunday nights, and Wednesday nights? I look at the example of the early church meeting “daily in the temple…
Read MoreShould I give up going to church because I keep committing fornication?
Question: Hey, I’m a Christian and go to a Pentecostal church but I seem to always fall into a deep sin of fornication, I end up having sex with my girlfriend. Me and her, we know we’re not supposed to but end up doing it. We’ve tried many ways to minimize ways it could erupt,…
Read MoreThe Wiles of the Devil
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/The-Wiles-of-the-Devil.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 6:10-18 I. Satan is a real being A. Jesus warned Peter that Satan wanted him – Luke 22:31 1. Much like Satan wanted Job – Job 1:6-12 B. Peter warned us that Satan wants to devour us – I Peter 5:8-9 C. Thus, we have to know our enemy – II Corinthians…
Read MoreWhere does the Bible teach that not belonging to a congregation is a sin?
Question: Hello, I came across your question/answer page online. My question is, where does the Word of God teach that not belonging to a congregation is an unforgivable sin and one will go to hell for not belonging to a congregation? I’ve heard Church of Christ preachers speak as though one will go to hell…
Read MoreCan’t Christians meet on other days of the week?
Question: In regards to “Can I attend an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship instead of a church while at college?” My first question is on “One departure from the Lord’s church that you mention is that they have services on Tuesdays, but the church meets on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 16:1).”…
Read MoreDo virtual assemblies count?
Question: Hello, brother in Christ, I hope you are doing well. My question comes from Hebrew 10:25. Now I fully understand what assembling together means, but there seem to be those who say that assembling can be of anything and anywhere. So, does “virtual assembling” count as assembling as described in the Bible? For example: when the…
Read MoreRededication
by Doy Moyer There are only a handful of times in biblical Israel’s history in which there were reforms to bring the people back to the Lord. Among the kings of the north (Israel), there were no true revivals. Among the kings of the south (Judah), there were a few, but most notable were the…
Read MoreFeeling Wanted and Needed
by Terry Wane Benton We were very young (24) when we first started preaching full time or “living of the gospel” (I Corinthians 9:7-14). God providentially put us in the right place (Berney Points in Birmingham, AL) for this early training ground. We needed to feel wanted and needed in this first attempt, and the…
Read MoreWhat If It Became a Crime to Assemble?
by Terry Wane Benton In China, it is reported that if you do not renounce your faith in Jesus you will be tortured till you do. If that is so, I wonder how many of us would renounce Christ? In parts of Nigeria, you will be killed for believing in Jesus. In some states here,…
Read MoreU.S. Church Membership Declines to Under 50%
Source: Jeffrey M. Jones, “U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time,” Gallup News, 29 March 2021. “47% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque, down from 50% in 2018 and 70% in 1999.” “The decline in church membership is primarily a function of the increasing number of Americans who express no…
Read MoreHow can I go to church when I have a schizoaffective disorder?
Question: I found your website recently and have been uplifted by your responses to the questions under the mental health topic. So I decided to ask you one too. I have been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. I’ve had severe symptoms for over ten years, starting at the age of 40. At the time that I…
Read MoreWhen the Number Is Few
by Terry Wane Benton We often show a lack of faith when we compare a small church to a large church. Some want to hide in a large crowd and they fail to grow spiritually. Jonathan had the right quality of faith. Jonathan and his armorbearer attack the Philistines I Samuel 14:12-14″Then Jonathan said to…
Read MoreI stopped attending church because I committed sexual sins
Question: Please, I am a baptized Christian who is a member of a denomination. I am in need of your advice. I am 26 years of age. I have engaged in sinful sex with a cousin on several occasions, for which I felt ashamed after the acts. I stopped going for the Lord’s Supper and…
Read MoreI’ve been thinking about switching congregations but don’t know if it is a good idea
Question: Hey, I have a question. I’ve been thinking of switching congregations. My reasons for wanting to leave are: My wife mentioned to me, she isn’t learning there anymore. I haven’t been learning there for the past year in a half, but I do a lot of studying on my own. I also listen to lots…
Read MoreTwo Ways to Keep Members Faithful
by Bill Hall There are two ways to keep members of the church “faithful.” The first way is to be sure everyone is involved. Have a project for each member, and make sure that he feels important in his role. Praise him for the good job he is doing. Make him feel needed; make him…
Read MoreShould we change congregations?
Question: Hi, We are faithful members of a smaller congregation. We have less than ten youths and three of them are ours. Our oldest is now a teen and is having trouble navigating adolescence (none his age at our home congregation). We have fellowship with surrounding sound congregations over the years for any events they…
Read MoreWere non-believers ever invited to assemblies?
Question: In the last couple of years, I have come to believe that the assembly is for believers. I haven’t seen any examples that non-believers were ever invited to the first of the week assembly. Have you any thoughts on the matter? Thanks. Answer: “In the Law it is written, “By men of strange tongues…
Read MoreWhere is the justification for taking the Lord’s Supper at home?
Question: Dear Brother, In these times of pandemic and gathering restrictions, I have seen many different takes on gathering for the Lord’s table and virtual worship. It is good to see autonomy alive and well within the Lord’s church. My question is the acceptance of virtual worship and the taking of the Lord’s table via…
Read MoreCan the Lord’s Supper be taken by yourself?
Question: Hello, I have a question: Since many church services are canceled due to COVID‐19, I’ve been thinking about a relevant question: When church services are canceled, can a Christian partake of the Lord’s Supper by himself? My answer has been “No” because we “come together” to do it (1 Cor. 11:33; Acts 20:7). This…
Read MoreThe Setting for the Lord’s Supper
by Gary P. Eubanks A Practical and Critical Question If a Christian is too sick to attend the Sunday assemblies of a church but is not too sick to eat the Lord’s Supper at home, may, or should, he do so? It is difficult to imagine a more realistic question or even one more critical…
Read MoreWorshiping during the Coronavirus-19 Pandemic
Question: Brethren, I really appreciate the wealth of information contained on your website and it has been very helpful and insightful. I do have a current concern with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been a few articles in your archive where some have inquired about proper worship as individuals as opposed to…
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