Are religious communities necessary? (Full Version)

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bploveart -> Are religious communities necessary? (5/7/2008 2:43:49 PM)

Is it necessary to be part of a religious community in order to fully experience a relationship with God?



JimboFletch -> RE: Are religious communities necessary? (5/7/2008 3:26:20 PM)

Without trying to define any details, I think that is God's plan for believers. Paul taught that we are like a building of individual bricks, each providing needed strength to the whole. And NONE of us are gifted with all we need - the Holy Spirit intentionally divides spiritual gifts so that we complement one another and must depend on one another to function well. In addition, John tells us that failure to love believers is a sign that we aren't saved - nobody can love anyone that they deliberately avoid.



SavedByGraceMD -> RE: Are religious communities necessary? (5/7/2008 4:30:19 PM)

First I would like to say welcome bploveart,

I would say that they are totally necessary. It is in the Christian community that we fellowship(fellowship is not just going to church), learn from each other, get advice from Christians who have been there, and find out what we can do to grow more in Christ. If we surround ourselves with worldly people all the time, we may succumb to the worldly ways that we see in them. A community of Christians can be like a sanctuary in a world gone mad. Just my opinion. Take care and God bless.



DaveW -> RE: Are religious communities necessary? (5/8/2008 8:17:57 AM)

CS Lewis said the bible knows nothing of solitary religion. That is true.

We in the west, and in the US especially, have a very individualistic mindset culturally and our practice and beliefs of christianity reflect that, to our detriment. That you are from that minset is reflected in your asking this question.

1 Jn 3.16 tells us: We know love by this, He laid down His life for us, and so ought we to lay down our lives for the bretheren.

That is impossible outside of some kind of community situation.



Liveloved -> RE: Are religious communities necessary? (5/8/2008 11:15:07 AM)

quote:

Is it necessary to be part of a religious community in order to fully experience a relationship with God?


It, of course, depends upon what you mean by 'being a part of a religious community'. If you're talking about becoming a monk or nun or joining a religious communual group, the answer is no.

But if you're talking about being a part of and fellowshiping with fellow believers on a regular basis, the answer is yes. Acts 2:42 tells us that the early believers were continually meeting around the apostle's teaching and to fellowhip, to share meals and pray.

That said, this can happen in various forms. My husband and I are no longer members of a 'church', although we do attend one and participate. We have a Bible study in our home each week, another gathering around Jesus. I've had women's Bible studies too. And we frequently invite others over for gatherings like this---to fellowship around the Word.

So it can happen formally, as in the visible church, or informally and more personally in your home. But it needs to and will happen if you are truly His. His love will flow out of you to others and that requires closeness. Bless ya![:)]



Jhud -> RE: Are religious communities necessary? (5/8/2008 1:44:24 PM)

Well, Scripture defines the Christians primary religious community, the Church, as a body. So I would say that the Church is approximately as important to one's spiritual life as one's body is to one's physical life; that is to say, essential.



bploveart -> RE: Are religious communities necessary? (5/9/2008 3:56:20 PM)

These are really good points. After I posted this I went to the bookstore and got a book called "Answering the Arguments of Atheism". It touched on this subject very well. The way David Aikman proposed this question was from a different direction than I have heard before. check it out at www.isanyoneupthere.com

Just thought I should let ya know :-)



Focusing -> RE: Are religious communities necessary? (5/9/2008 4:51:13 PM)

Welcome!

The Bible tells us

so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another - Romans 12:5

For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ - 1 Cor 12:12

Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it - 1 Cor 12:27


There are other verses too, but you get it [:)]

So, yes, we do need to be part of the body of Christ ... meaning other believers ... in community with one another.



DustyLady -> RE: Are religious communities necessary? (5/10/2008 9:29:33 AM)

And yet, remember how Christ worshipped. He went off by himself, away from others. Sometimes I find that I am distracted by others, and can only find real communion with God when I am alone with Him. Even when i am in church, I find that real revelation occurs not from the pastor's words, but from the words that God speaks to me privately.

Remember what Christ told us, in Matthew 6: 5,6:

5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Just another viewpoint,
Dusty



jn1010lf -> RE: Are religious communities necessary? (5/10/2008 10:01:42 AM)

Hello bploveart

My answer is NO. Christians are supposed to mix with society so they might be salt and light.



rapturefish -> RE: Are religious communities necessary? (5/10/2008 11:40:28 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: bploveart

Is it necessary to be part of a religious community in order to fully experience a relationship with God?


I think to separate the two would mean that someone doesn't really understand how intertwined loving God and loving others is. Sure, I could get the best sermons on TV or online or on video, and likewise with worship time. But being in relationship with God means you have a family and a community of which you are a part, and to live without having a connection with them is almost like saying I love my Dad but I don't want to know or care about his other kids, and I don't need them.

I think being in community means you learn to live as part of a bigger whole, rather than as one person who does not focus on that bigger picture. You have to bear with others, be at peace, learn to grow with them, and you also are encouraged and prayed for as well as able to live out your life with God by loving them.

I think people learn a lot from each other in relationship, and God will speak through his people through that. It is a model that began with the early church as they faced danger as a young community from the enemies of Jesus and needed to be together to encourage and spur each other on. But it is also something they did in light of what they believed was the near at hand return of Jesus - it was important to stay together so as not to drift off away from God too.

The same reasons are still relevant today, especially as the church becomes more and more marginalised and displaced while a secular democracy takes over and goes more and more away from supporting anything christian.

Yes, you can survive without the church. But honestly, love or hate it, the flawed church is the one God loves, the bride of Jesus, and if we are of that body then we ought to see ourselves as part of it rather than a separate entity within it.



terryjohn -> RE: Are religious communities necessary? (5/10/2008 3:57:11 PM)

I have lived in a Christian community for 4 years and they were some of the best years of my life and yet my faith is now stronger by living in the real world as it were. The reality is, reality is the mother of faith, for faith protected and faith stored is faith strangled.

I always wondered about the monks coming before the judgement seat of Christ saying they committed no evil simply because they locked themselves up to save themselves when Christ was all about getting them to save others. You can almost hear them say, I have not stolen anything because there was nothing to steal inside my prison cell. And yet there comes a man who lived in the world full of temptations and still remained blameless. Which of these should we have the greatest respect for?

Christian communities are fine so long as they are rooted in Christ in reality of their local communities for they do not exist for their own benefit but for that of Chirst to bring the light of the gospel to the community they should happen to find themselves in least they committ the blasphemy fo Israel afresh as do many of the cults.



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