I should first state that I know not everyone will agree with this article and what John MacArthur is saying here and some might even be offended by it. I know a lot of people don’t have a church to attend for various reasons, some can’t find one that isn’t full of error, some have been hurt in churches in the past and are afraid to try again, some don’t want to submit to rules and regulations and want to continue to live the way they want and some are just satisfied to stay home and really don’t care to find a church. There are some people who can’t attend church due to sickness and that is a different matter altogether. I know there are some who are praying for a church and my advice to that person would be don’t give up and visit some until you find the one! Believe me God will answer your prayers, I was without a church for almost a year and continued to pray for a good biblically sound church and God led me to one and I am so thankful! Church is important for the believer and it’s important to God for the believer to be a part of one, this isn’t something that I am making up God’s word is very clear on this matter and it speaks for itself on this. There are many brothers and sisters in Christ who risk their lives in other parts of the world to assemble together because they don’t live in a country where they have the freedom to do so. We have the freedom to do so and we should exercise that freedom, our brothers and sisters in China and elsewhere would be overcome with joy if they could openly and freely go to church.
The following “Question” was asked of John MacArthur Jr., the pastor of Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, California. Copyright 2001 by John MacArthur Jr., All Rights Reserved.
Question
Why should I attend church?
Answer
The New Testament repeatedly emphasizes the importance of local assemblies. In fact, it was the pattern of Paul’s ministry to establish local congregations in the cities where he preached the gospel. Hebrews 10:24-25 commands every believer to be a part of such a local body and reveals why this is necessary.
“And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25).
It is only in the local body to which one is committed that there can be the level of intimacy that is required for carefully stimulating fellow-believers “to love and good deeds.” And it is only in this setting that we can encourage one another.
The New Testament also teaches that every believer is to be under the protection and nurture of the leadership of the local church. These godly men can shepherd the believer by encouraging, admonishing, and teaching. Hebrews 13:7 and 17 help us to understand that God has graciously granted accountability to us through godly leadership.
Furthermore, when Paul gave Timothy special instructions about the public meetings, he said “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13). Part of the emphasis in public worship includes these three things: hearing the Word, being called to obedience and action through exhortation, and teaching. It is only in the context of the local assembly that these things can most effectively take place.
Acts 2:42 shows us what the early church did when they met together: “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” They learned God’s Word and the implications of it in their lives; they joined to carry out acts of love and service to one another; they commemorated the Lord’s death and resurrection through the breaking of bread; and they prayed. Of course, we can do these things individually, but God has called us into His body-the church is the local representation of that worldwide-body-and we should gladly minister and be ministered to among God’s people.
Active local church membership is imperative to living a life without compromise. It is only through the ministry of the local church that a believer can receive the kind of teaching, accountability, and encouragement that is necessary for him to stand firm in his convictions. God has ordained that the church provide the kind of environment where an uncompromising life can thrive.
Added to Bible Bulletin Board’s “MacArthur’s Questions and Answers” by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 119
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986
I think this was really good, I appreciate your input at the top too. You made some really good points and to add that there are indeed so many folks who are unable to attend, for whatever reason is important. Also the point about being able to freely assemble, and not taking that liberty for granted is a big deal. The lack of that freedom costs people their lives in many other Countries and we need to really think about that. I know I personally never think about that and I need to. I think on a personal level one of the big things I have noticed about being back in church is not being able to pick and choose what sermons I want to listen to. To have someone teaching me things I have to actually think about and research is a good thing, not just picking sermons to try to prove to myself I am right about something, which I have found myself doing pretty often in the past two years, or even avoiding certain topics. I can no longer do that and that’s been a really good thing for me. Also getting out of our comfort zone and learning to trust and love people again, face to face is scary but great. I think as Christians we have to love people, and learning to love them in this kind of setting is really hard, lol but it stretches us and matures us in a way that sitting at home attending “Bedside Baptist” never could. I continue to pray for folks who do not have a church or some kind of fellowship to attend. Thanks again, this was really good!
This is so true Mama! I found myself doing the same things while I was without a church. If there was something I didn’t want to hear or even something I didn’t really understand I would skip it and look for something I did want to hear. I was very burdened about not having a church and tried to convince myself that it was okay to just be a part of the body and read and study my bible, listen to sermons and participate in fellowship on the internet but the whole time I was convicted about all this knowing in my heart that I was wrong, knowing the bible tells us we are to be a part of a local church. I was also very convicted about not taking my daughter to church, while she really hated going to our last church she loves going to our new church and has even asked if we can start taking her to Sunday school, she comes home and shares with us and tells her lesson to her dad and I and we discuss what she learned. I want her to hold dear the things of God, I want her to have a heart that loves God the Father more than anything and I want her to have a desire to be in God’s house. It’s not easy and darn near impossible to teach her these things without a church, yes we teach her at home but she also needs to learn at church. I am so thankful to be back in God’s house, sometimes I am so overcome to be there and singing the hymn’s and hearing the word I am brought to tears.
Lunice you can delete this if you want to, it’s pretty big for a comment but it’s fantastic. I think it’s more about what I was trying to say in a way, in a much better written way! ha!
Porn and paper pastors
by Dan Phillips
Decades ago, I read a disturbingly candid essay by a pastor about his struggles with pornography. It was in Leadership magazine. Years later, two of his realizations still stand out to me.
The author came to see (as I recall) that he was attracted to these images because they were unreal. The women in the pictures never had bad days, were never crabby and demanding, never disrespectful and demeaning. No mood swings. They always suited his mood, his needs, his wants. They were unreal.
He came to see that he had no actual relationship with these women whatever. If (he named a female celebrity) had sat down next to him in an airplane, she wouldn’t know him from Adam. Whatever may have happened in his sinful fantasies, the two of them had no relationship in the real world.
Of course, this is why so many women resent actresses and models. It isn’t catty pettiness or smallness. It is that they know how visually-tempted men can be, and they know that they can’t compete with a fantasy — if their man is fool enough to chase one.
And they’re right, in a way. They can’t compete with these women. Because these women don’t exist in the real world! They may not even look like their pictures! Thanks to computer wizardry, the pictures we see may actually bear only the slightest resemblance to the actual women.
Nobody can compete with a fantasy.
And this post is not about pornography, men, women, nor marriage.
It is about people with paper pastors.
Now, some professed Christians sin outright, by never physically attending an actual, in-person church. We’ve talked about that, and they aren’t our focus.
But others do attend a church — physically. They come in, they sit down. They sing, they may give financially. They may look at you, Pastor, as you preach.
But you know their heart belongs to another.
Their real pastor isn’t you. It’s Dave Hunt. Or it’s John Piper. Or it’s John MacArthur, or Ligon Duncan, or Mark Dever, or David Cloud, or Joel Osteen. Or it’s Charles Spurgeon, or D. M. Lloyd-Jones, or J. C. Ryle. Or Calvin, or Luther, or Bahnsen, or de Mar, or R. B. Thieme, or J. Vernon McGee.
And they’re such better pastors than you are! You know they are!
Why?
Well, paper pastors are never in a bad mood. They’re never cranky, or sleepy or sick. (Especially the dead ones.)
They’ve never just had someone else pull their guts out with a rusty fork, and then had to turn and listen graciously to your complaint about the translation they preach from, or argue about a Greek word you can’t even pronounce. They don’t have a family who loses the time you use. They never half-listen, never have an appointment that cuts short their time. Their office hours are your office hours. They’re available 24/7, and everywhere, at your whim, and you always have their undivided attention.
What’s more is they always have all the answers! They can tell you with complete confidence and masterful eloquence. They never stammer, guess, nor search their memory. And they can prove it — whatever they’re saying! With footnotes!
And these paper pastors maintain the perfect distance. If you don’t want to hear something, they don’t press it — or you can instantly shut them up, snap! They never ask you to do something uncomfortable and follow up on you. They never persistently probe an area of sin, in you, in person, eyeball to eyeball… nor will they. Church discipline will not be a threat with them. Ever.
Because they don’t know you from Adam.
Yet how many pastors know that there are people in their flocks, thinking, “John Piper would never say it that way. Dave Hunt says that what he just preached is heresy. John MacArthur isn’t like that. Mahaney says that… Mohler says that… Lloyd-Jones said….”
So, because it’s awkward for your pastor to say it to you — and because I’ve no church who’d suspect I’m talking to them, at the moment — I’ll just tell you plain:
Brother, sister: John Piper isn’t your pastor. John MacArthur knows nothing about you. Dave Hunt never got on his knees and prayed for you. Lloyd-Jones won’t come to your house when you’re recovering from surgery, or one of your children shatters your heart, or your marriage is shaking and rocking and barely hanging on. Charles Spurgeon won’t weep with you as you weep.
You could buy or not buy _____’s next book, and he’d never know it. But if you’re in a manageable-size church with a caring pastor and you’re suddenly gone next Sunday, he’ll be concerned. He may call. He may ask if everything’s okay.
God gave you the pastor He gave you.
God told Paul to tell you:
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)
God told the writer to the Hebrews to tell you:
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Hebrews 13:17)
Your flesh-and-blood pastor can’t compete with these paper pastors for the same reason you can’t compete with paper women and paper men.
Because they’re not real.
No! I’m absolutely leaving it! This was great! He really said this well! Thank you for posting it!
I want to add one more positive comment to this. My friend Sherie told me this the other day, it’s a hopeful story for anyone out there searching. I know personally it’s a struggle to start over with anything and finding a Bible based church with good solid teaching and fellow believers we agree with seems like a needle in a haystack kind of search, only it’s emotionally much harder. Sherie has good friends in Florida who left their church when it became seeker friendly/purpose driven struggled for several years searching for a church with no results. They prayed and prayed and nothing. Finally the husband decided they needed to start a home Bible study and they did. A few people came then a few more and they did this for months and all the while kept praying and visiting Churches. She said they knew God wanted them to be part of a Church family and they were really down about the whole situation. After much prayer they invited a new couple to the Bible study, the new couple mentioned how their Pastor had left their Church because it was heading down this purpose driven path and that he was praying about what to do. So they all got together and talked to the Pastor and well he came to Bible study and a new Church was formed. They are all really happy and their little Church with all these formerly frustrated people is thriving. So yes God hears our prayers and answers them, maybe not always in the way we think he should but he does answer them. I loved this story, and I forgot about it until you posted this. I hope it gives someone out there in the same situation some encouragement.
What a wonderful story! You know when you ask God for something like a church to go to without all the error and nonsense I believe He will give it to you one way or another. You are asking for something which is in accordance with His will, He wants you in church because that is how He wanted it to be done. And before anyone says that going to church doesn’t mean you are saved I agree with that, but if you are saved you should be assembling with other saved people. Why would God not give His children who ask Him for a place to go and be fed? Well He would and He does, I know He does because this is what He wants for you. God doesn’t want us to be lone Ranger Christians, He wants us to assemble together for a reason, and there are several good reasons.
Great post! My family and I left the Pentecostal world two years ago. We searched diligently until we found a good bible believing church. It took almost two years. But God answered our prayers and led us to one. Even though it is about 40 minutes from home, it is worth the drive.
I recently linked a post on my blog about the book: Pagan Christianity. I think the book is heretical and full of bad advice. He thinks we should dismantle the church system and have everyone attend house churches. Though some of what Viola says in his book is true, his conclusions are a farce!
Ck it out if you’d like:
http://freedomfromwolves.blogspot.com/2010/10/my-problem-with-pagan-christianity-book.html
peace
dh
Hey Danny, Welcome! I’m so glad you got out and found a church! We left a large charismatic church a little more than a year ago and have now found a good bible believing church, we drive about 15 to 20 minutes. Not so bad as your 40 minutes, but your right it’s worth the drive for a good bible believing church.
I will have to check that out thanks for the link. That sounds crazy! If the house church is the only alternative while waiting on a church that’s okay but dismantling churches to go strictly to home churches is a little out there, LOL!
God Bless and thanks for stopping by!
D.Baker
Nowhere in the NT does it say to attend a “local church”. The body of Christ is the church, ie the believers…the place is unimportant. It says not to forsake assembling. Also, nowhere in the NT is mentioned church leaders. If men are leading, Christ isn’t. One cannot serve two masters. Verses used to support the leadership idea are poor translations of the Greek texts or poorly taught to ‘leaders’. The church leadership idea is the single worst thing perpetrated upon the church body and is responsible for the millions of Christians who are spiritual babies their whole lives and rendered ineffective as Christians. Visit truthguard.com or wickedsheperds.com for a much better explanation of what I said.
I’m sorry Simon but I don’t agree with you, I don’t believe that Christians are to be spiritual lone rangers, no man is an island. We are told to assemble together. I also don’t believe in the universal church. I believe Christ intended for us to be a part of a local church and the NT does refer to church leaders. And it very much does matter where, not all churches today are the Lords churches. Lots of false leaders and churches out there. Thank you though for your input and your comment.
I said in my comment that the bible says to not forsake assembling. I dont know what you are referring to when you talk about the universal church… i’m not advocating it at any rate. You are misunderstanding what i mean by ‘doesn’t matter where’. That means the building, house, the physical location is not important. Obviously who you are gathering with is important.
I am definitely NOT saying anything whatsoever of being spiritual lone ranger. I am advocating house/organic churches. I think you may have misread my entire comment? Local church means local group of people – not a physical address of a building that has a ‘church’ sign, eg, a local baptist church. So when i say ‘NT doesn’t say to ATTEND a local church’ it means we are not called to ATTEND church…rather we ARE the church, at all times. We meet often, support, worship,etc. Jesus leads the meetings via the holy spirit, not men. See the links below.
I understand where you are coming from on the leadership thing – i thought the same as you once. Most of what i believed was based on a poor understanding of what scripture says, and poor translations of the greek text, as i already said.
It takes time to come around ….
Anyway, Frank Viola explains all this 100x better than i can, i’m just reiterating some of what he wrote about on his website… all about the issues of leadership, what it means to be a part of the body of christ, house\organic churches.
http://frankviola.org/2012/07/17/christianleadership/
http://frankviola.org/2010/09/07/missional-organic-church-an-interview-with-neil-cole-frank-viola/
i encourage you to check out the links, i think you will learn a lot.
laterzzz.
Okay, let me start by saying this, I knew you wouldn’t understand what I meant by universal church when I wrote that because most Christians today believe that they are part of one big body of Christ- one big happy universal church. There are people who can explain what I mean by this much better than I can and I don’t really have the time right now to go into it. But that is neither here nor there.
Okay, I have no problem with organic churches, there are countries where that is all you have for reasons of safety. But not having a leader I do take issue with. I go to a small baptist church, not affiliated with the Southern baptists or any other hierarchy so to speak. Our church is governed by our pastor and deacons just as it’s laid out in scripture. Our pastor doesn’t lord over his congregation or run our lives, it’s not an abusive fellowship by any means. Believe me I used to go to a large non-denominational abusive fellowship so I do know the difference. My pastor and other preachers who have occasion to preach at my church preach the gospel. It took quite some time for me to step foot in a church after leaving the large abusive church. I don’t believe that all churches today can be considered the Lord’s churches. I also know that finding a church that preaches the truth of God’s word, that’s gospel centric is nearly impossible in our day. I happen to be blessed that I have one within a 30 mile radius of my home. And while I do agree it’s not so much the building or place that you assemble but the important thing that must be considered is not the people you congregate with but is the gospel being preached? Are the people being taught that salvation is by grace through faith and not of works? Are people being taught their need for a savior because without him there is no chance for salvation because in our depravity we have no hope of eternal life and would never choose Christ lest he draw us to him? That is what is important, Christ and him crucified. So if a church, in a building, with a sign, pastor, and deacons has their teaching of God’s word right then what’s the problem? I can go to my pastor and disagree with him any time, the church I went to before you were never to question him, ever.
I appreciate your giving me links, I don’t know who Frank Viola is, his name rings a bell but I looked at his blog and I have to tell you I can’t take anyone seriously who can recommend Anne Voskamp author of 1000 gifts. Anyone who can recommend her shows a lack of discernment and a lack of understanding of God’s word. Her book is absolutely vile. Other thank that I don’t know anything about him, I would have to read more but I just don’t have the time to do that right now.
Some very good links on emergent church, Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola.
http://thebereanlibrary.com/archives/category/frank-viola-2
Shawn, I would be curious to know and understand why you feel this way about church attendance. Is it because you have been hurt (much like I have) in and abusive church, that put much focus on church attendance? Maybe they talked of not being under a “covering” if you didn’t attend or some other reason they may have had that a person had to be there every-time the doors were opened? Or maybe its that you were raised to believe that one must go to be saved and continue to be saved? I would just like to know before we go any further? Or is it because you are looking for a reason not to go at all? Or is this honestly what you believe the Bible teaches on church attendance? These are just logical questions to understand why you take the stand that you have.
Those are some very good and valid questions RG. Those are many of the reasons I had for not wanting to step back into church again, but after much prayer and the Lords help and guidance I was able to get back in.
Here is another collection of good links about Frank Viola.
http://truthspeaker.wordpress.com/category/frank-viola/
I wasn’t endorsing any particular theology of viola, but thought he explained house church operation pretty good.
As far as the church attendance thing…there was no ” church attendance” in the nt church like institutional churches have today…eg, no command from Christ or the apostles to meet on any particular day or repeated interval. There was no pews or congregation that faced the front.
What the IC does today is what the Roman Catholic Church does, virtually every aspect of the Catholic Church is used by the IC, from pulpits to order of service, the priest/pastor, lay/clergy relationship…. I could go on for pages.
This is why the IC is dead…it doesn’t allow Christians to grow or the Holy Spirit to work when it becomes lead by people.
Simon,
You must have had a really bad experience in one or more churches that you came from before stepping into the house church (Hebrews 10:25). Most churches I know of started in someones home and as they grew larger buildings were built or purchased to hold the members. And as for the NT churches church government it was established to handle all aspects of business and conflict within the church. You made a comment comparing the IC to the RCC, “from pulpits to order of service, the priest/pastor, lay/clergy relationship”, not a true statement, all of this was also established in Gods Word. It was established in the NT churches Acts 2, if you will read starting in Acts 15, when there was conflict and they had to go to council with the Elders of the church. Paul establishes the need for order and church government many times in the Epistles and in each greeting, Paul address a particular church, not a bunch of little home churches. I don’t know how you can say that the local church takes everything from the Catholics since the Catholic church didn’t even exist until around the third century A.D. and these issues were already in place in Christs Church. Does the local church still matter? It does to God. He created it, and developed it as the gathering of God’s people to honor Him in this life as believers seek to live transformed lives (Romans 12:1-2) and fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). The local church is not only a good idea; it is vital for the growth and development of every believer. Here is a link to hear teaching of my Pastor, I have grow leaps and bonds since attending this local church for the first time: http://www.sermonaudio.com/source_detail.asp?sourceid=elizabethbaptist
The word “church” is used one hundred ten times in the New Testament, and it is instructive to note that ninety-three of those are clear references to the local church… We may conclude from this large number of references that the Bible has quite a lot to say about the importance of the local church.
Honestly I would steer clear of anything that Frank Viola has to say, from what I have been reading he is not so good.
Simon I think you could stand a lesson in church history. Not everyone falls into the category of either protestant or Catholic, I for one am no protestant.
Focusing on how one does and defines church is nothing that anyone should be splitting hairs over as I said in my last comment it’s Christ and him crucified that we should be concerned with, whether the gospel is being preached is what is really important. The where, the how and the day is really not important but the content of the teaching is.
My last church had Holy Spirit led Sunday nights, where they would let the spirit lead so to speak. They were generally a free for all where rarely if ever a sermon or teaching was delivered. There would tend to be a whole lot of hollering, jumping and carrying on out of order.
I find that there are generally 2 groups of people that would rather “church” at home, they have either been burned in an abusive fellowship or they have something in their life they don’t want to give up that their church would not condone, such as living in sin, a drinking problem, pornography, gambling and the list goes on.