ive felt too embarassed to come on this board becuase i cant go to church in so long

[Sallysblooms]

People gathering to sing, pray, learn and teach is a good thing. I have been involved my whole life. Children and adults enjoy choir, study groups, orchestra, sunday school, trips with various groups, it is all wonderful. Being at home if fine too, but worshiping as a large group is inspiring. A beautiful organ, choir, orchestra...singing and hearing voices all together is a very important part for many. God is everywhere, but he is also in church where people gather for fellowship as they have done for a thousand years.

You can study at home also of course. It is all important. No reason to ever be embarrassed if you cannot be well enough to attend. Most churches have recorded services also.

 

[peggy-sue]

In the tiny village my partner comes from in the deep south of Eire, the mass from the local church is on local radio for the folk who are not well enough to attend.

 

[Andrew]

Because you are sick, your situation has changed. You have no control over this. You could push yourself to go to church, but this would make you sicker. So sick you could not even push to go there. So sick you would have less focus and stamina to try to counsel your children when they need it. In other words, you will make the situation even worse.

There is a church near me that has brief evening services, with very small attendance. The last time I tried to go there I was sitting on the hard wooden bench, unable to lean back. My OI got so bad I didn't even last until the service started. I made my way to the car and lay down on the seat. And I felt guilty. But what can I do.

This illness stinks. And your situation is worse than mine, because you have your kids to worry about. But this is the situation you have. All you can do is what you can do.

But I do have one suggestion, if you are not already doing it. Pray for God's guidance.

 

[Wifi123]

It warms the depth of my heart to read all the encouraging postings to the author of the posting. I noticed one poster comment that they met up with our Lord Jesus Christ, but they don't believe in God. That encounter would be enough to tell a person that there is a God, because Jesus is God.

To the author of this posting who was expressing their embarrassment of not going to church, and the author needs to realise that going to church doesn't make you a better believer, but a better church-goer. Our Lord said that when two or more are gathered in HIS Name, then HE is with them.

Our Lord isn't ashame of you, therefore, you need not to feel shame for not going to church.

We do need fellowship with other like-minded believers, and a friend said to me that a church is a bundle of heat beads in a fire, and as they leave the church each Sunday, the heat bead during the week begins to reduce in glow, and so it goes back to church the next Sunday to be put into the fire to reheat. The longer you stay away from church the bead will become black and lose its glow.

I have found one thing about not going to church is that you may lose the glow for church, but if you are a believer then you will not lose the glow for our Lord Jesus Christ.

We may ponder on our future, because our future is unknown, but we know HIM who holds the future in HIS Almighty Hands. We don't know the road, but we know our Lord Jesus Christ will always lead the way: "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" (1 Cor. 13:12). Sadly, we all only have a partial understanding of God, but that will change when we come "face to face", and continue in faith, hope, and love.

Blessings to you all.

 

[Enid]

And isn't "church" in one's own home - I've mixed denominations ( and studied comparative religions) none so far seek any sort of guilt as far as I can see.

 

[Wifi123]

And isn't "church" in one's own home - I've mixed denominations ( and studied comparative religions) none so far seek any sort of guilt as far as I can see.

Yes Enid, where two or more are gathered in His Name. I meet friends and have a coffee with them and around that table is His church.

Blessings.

 

[SilverbladeTE]

Wifi
oh if reffering to me, I encountered "Holy spirit/god/heaven...hard to put into words, just too damn BIG"
I believe in "God", just not in a dogmatic, or "religious organization's exclusive" sense
And Jesus I think was the most perfect of all prophets, beloved of God, not "God" (that was added later to make him compete with the ROman "gods", sigh. Go read up on early Christian history for evidence of that change)
none of which is worth fighting over, all such are purely *personal* , everyone has their own path, be it church, chapel, kirk, mosque, Eight fold path, Ygaddrasil or curling up in comfy chair and wondering about the beauty of it all
*NOBODY* owns "God".

 

[Little Bluestem]

When I was well, I was an active church member. Now I am not. I enjoy listening to Christian radio. One Sunday when I was unable to go to church I was dialing around the radio dial and found a Christian network that I like a lot.

I have also found a Christian website that I like. I am sure that there are a lot of really bad “religious” websites out there, but I bet you could find one that you liked. You could probably find one/some for your children, too.

Do you play Christian music in your home? A mix of traditional hymns and contemporary Christian music would probably be good for your children. Some of the “contemporary” music is just modern settings of scripture or traditional hymns. Christmas is a good time to listen to and sing carols as a family. You can find lyrics and music of hymns on the internet.

 

[AFCFS]

I had found a church about a year ago and had been going to services three times a week - Sunday morning, evening, and Wed night prayer service. I taught and attended Sunday school. I was a member of the Sunday morning men's prayer group. I enjoyed volunteering for church activities and was part of a prison ministry program. I had been approved by the church to attend graduate seminary school and was accepted and slated to start this past summer.

I was interested in chaplaincy and always loved academics. I wanted to get a jump on the program and found myself immersed in studying Biblical Greek and prepping for other courses that I was looking forward to taking. When I was not in church, studying, or exercising (I used to love riding mountain bike), I found myself visiting a nursing facility to see people that were unable or unwilling to go to church.

Then I fell ill with CFS and eventually became bedridden. I had to postpone graduate school. Now I do not think I will be able to attend.

Initially the church sent cards to me and I received a few calls, which I responded to and also with email to my pastor, a man who had called me his friend and a brother in Christ. The letters and correspondence from the church were all hoping that I got well so I could come back to church, but no offer of visitation.

Through email, a family member had scheduled a lunch for my pastor to come over one day. He canceled with an odd reason 30 minutes before lunch, which had taken a family member 3 hours to prepare (French onion soup and Reuben sandwiches). He never contacted after that. I never tried to contact after that. I can post about, but human interaction seems too draining for me at this time.

In retrospect, I think I should have seen the writing on the wall. The people I visited at the nursing home, about 5 minutes from the church, had essentially been abandoned by the church - some apparently obligatory visits, but that was about it. Everything was fine in the church as long as one showed up, but they do not seem capable to effectively work beyond the confines of their walls. But of course they have no problem sending out the offering envelops.

It’s pathetic really, but it has opened my eyes even deepened my Faith in that I see now that I do not need a Shepard beyond Christ. God knows all things, my needs and my condition.

If anyone wonders why churches in America are dying, look no further than the hypocrisy they spew.

- from the Bible Belt

 

[SilverbladeTE]

AFCFS
*nods in agreement* but it has ALWAYS been so, as time goes on and further folk get from amity and compassion...

Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

 

[Wifi123]

Hi AFCFS,

Your sharing is typical of many believers, and it’s only believers who gain the insight and discernment that all isn’t well in most churches. Many talk the talk, but don’t walk the talk.

As sad as it is most churches are carnal, and the flesh controls their mindset, and while they are tickling itchy ears, then all is well. But, when a trial comes and it’s their test to show who they are in our Lord, they fall beside the wayside.

But, when you fall ill and are no longer in the physical presence of those who believe are in control, their memory is very short.

You are blessed by wanting to do those many things, and possibly in belief that what you were doing was God’s Will.

The sad thing about us humans that we don’t see our Lord in most things, we see God, but not our Lord. Our faith is in our Lord Jesus Christ, and when I fell sick, way back in 1984, I never knew that I was going to met HIM full on seven years later, even though I had been a wandering Christian since 1959. My encounter in 1991, has made my faith so strong, that even though my illness as gone from ME and CFS to now suffering extreme sickness from wireless and Wi Fi, that I left my church, because of all the wireless instruments, sound equipment, and all the cell phones still turned “ON” during the service.

It had taken me from 1984 to 2000 to realise that my ME and CFS was caused by electromagnetic radiation (EMR) and electromagnetic fields (EMF).

The church knew that I was suffering, and I asked our pastor if he could ask the congregation to please turn OFF all cells phones, to pay respect to our Lord, as it’s not necessary to have them turned “ON”, but that couldn’t be accepted, so I had to leave church, and have become an out-of-church believer.

I was hospitalised for 53 days and I had one visit in the first two weeks, then after that it was just the Lord and I. Another time I had another surgical procedure, and heard from no one. As sad as it is, that’s life as a believer, a Christian’s can be in many flavours, and in fact there are six such flavours. Being a believer is what keeps us going, in faith.

Your only friend in the time of need and during trials and tribulation is our Lord.

But, it was our Lord who gave me the discernment of what is the causation factor of my debilitating illness. I had a 2 ½ break from an area of EMR and EMF, and my health came back to me and my ME and CFS disappeared. But, when I returned to my home town in 2000, wireless technology began to boom. As it increased by 1500% over the next few years my ME and CFS became worse, I suffered intensely, and my doctor said that I had FMS. Every time my wife turned her cell phone on my symptoms became worse, every time I walked into a large shopping centre my symptoms became worse.

There is no cell phone, DECT phone or any wireless computer in our home and that is a bonus, but all around me now and very close by, our next-door neighbours radiate me with their wireless technology.

Continue your good fight of faith, and if you are an avid wireless technology user, then get rid of it all and go back to cable, and I believe that your health will improve. PM me if you wish. Regards, a true-blue believer! J

 

[Wifi123]

Wifi
oh if reffering to me, I encountered "Holy spirit/god/heaven...hard to put into words, just too damn BIG"
I believe in "God", just not in a dogmatic, or "religious organization's exclusive" sense
And Jesus I think was the most perfect of all prophets, beloved of God, not "God" (that was added later to make him compete with the ROman "gods", sigh. Go read up on early Christian history for evidence of that change)
none of which is worth fighting over, all such are purely *personal* , everyone has their own path, be it church, chapel, kirk, mosque, Eight fold path, Ygaddrasil or curling up in comfy chair and wondering about the beauty of it all
*NOBODY* owns "God".

Hi Silverblade,
Sorry, I didn’t comment on your posting, as I missed it.

One of the hardest things for most who have an encounter with God, we tend to get mixed up with who is God. The normal dogma of churches are mad-made, and the Scriptures have been so distorted, corrupted, and changed by man that only the Holy Spirit will bring your attention to the truth and facts.

Man made it a RELIGION, not our Lord Jesus Christ, because He came to heal, to deliver, and to set people free, but the churches have placed their congregation in bondage.

Sorry Silverblade, I can assure you that our Lord Jesus Christ is no prophet, he is the Son of God, our Heavenly Father, and that’s not dogma, but truth, which is the truth that will set people free.

Early Christian history is man, man’s beliefs, man’s falseness, man’s pride, and we can go on and on. Early Christian history began in and around 300AD, which was the beginning of the Roman Catholic religion.

Yes, so true, and sadly many great warriors of old went out fighting the world under His Name, when in fact they were fighting under their own name, such as Richard the third.

I do walk with our Lord, I do see all His great creations, I do know Him personally, and Satan tried to own God, and looked what happened to him.

When you read His Word, then you will know who our Heavenly Father really is. When you personally know our Lord Jesus Christ, then you will know God.

Blessings to you Silverblade!