folded-arms.jpgReason #2 

 “I don’t need to be a part of a church to be a Christian”
“I don’t need to be a part of a church to be a Christian.” This was my favorite reason for skipping church as a high school student. Thankfully, my parents never bought it. This remains a popular excuse today. This is the second most common reason I hear or, more often, observe, from young adults as to why they’re not involved in a local church. Some people articulate this excuse almost as a way to convince themselves they have a leg to stand on. They’re certainly not afraid to voice it to me. Others, though are shy about verbally stating their belief in church-less Christianity, are outgoing in hinting at and practicing their I-don’t-need-to-be-a-part-of-a-church-to-be-a-Christian-Christianity. What’s the assumption underneath this?
Beneath the surface of this excuse is the unstated assumption, “I’m resourceful enough, adequate enough, and strong enough to live the Christian life independently by myself.” some take it further, "I'm better than those I see in church and by not attending I'm convincing myself that God is proud of me for my willingness to take a stand against those Jesus died for." Where's the logic in that?
If you think you don’t have to be part of a local church to be a Christian I’d encourage you to read your Bible a bit more closely. Is the church perfect, absolutely not and alot of people get hurt in the name of God, but millions are dying without it. I have alwayed love the quote "I would rather light a candle than curse the darkness," and I have tried to live my life by this standard.  I can complain that the world does not suit my particular style, but it is up to me to make my voice heard that things should and can be different. The alternative is lock myself away in a monestary and let the world go straight to ----. Somehow I don't see much grace in the approach, so I choose to engage, not escape. 
Questions: If you had to narrow it down to 2-3 reasons, why exactly do you believe/ feel you don’t need to be a part of a church to be a Christian? If hundreds of thousands of others across the globe feel that they must be a part of a local church in order to live the Christian life… why are you different from them? How would you explain how your take on the church jives with what the New Testament (most of which is composed of letters written to local churches) says about the local church? Matthew 16 makes it plain that Jesus died for the church, could you share with me how you square such a passage with your belief that you don’t need to be a part of a church to be a Christian?
If you had to explain your reasons before God, would it sound something like this “those people are all hypocrites [not like me] and they are so unforgiving [not like me] and they hurt people [not like me] and they don’t they certainly don’t represent the Jesus Christ's attitude of serving others [like I do]. Besides I can’t experience the presence of the Holy unless I’m surrounded by people who are just like me, that’s why I stay away!”
What's your reason?

To read PART I click here:http://steve4040.wordpress.com/2007/12/19/i-dont-need-to-go-to-church/

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