By the Book
Member
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2025
- Messages
- 2
For those of you who no longer attend dedicated church buildings, what were some of the reasons that compelled you to leave?
For me personally, I became increasingly distracted by the division caused over seemingly superficial issues such as which translation we ought to be using, dress attire, and worship service music, even to the more extreme matters, like the misuse of Old Testament scriptures related to financial contributions.
But the reasons went even beyond these.
I see a big difference between how it's done today (at least traditionally) and how it was done in the early churches that we see in Acts and the epistles. There, believers met in their own houses, and the money that nowadays goes towards maintaining a commonly owned building (and especially paying for a full- or part-time staff) was spent meeting the needs of the poor among them and doing good works...like giving to the poor of this world. Secondly, the time was spent gathering together and sharing the Scriptures, being taught the things of God by those the Lord gave that gift of teaching to, declaring doctrine, singing hymns, and otherwise following the prompting of the Holy Spirit within them to do what He had them do.
What I see traditionally, I would almost characterize as not that overly much different than going to a professional baseball game and watching the players do what they're paid to do while the rest of the people sit and watch them. I firmly believe that that is not how it's to be among us, which is why I made the decision to stop "going to church" and instead assemble together with my brothers and sisters in Christ as the occasion presents itself.
In conclusion, I would like it to be known that the last thing I wish to do is to discourage anybody from doing what is the most spiritually edifying for them, but I am strongly convicted that what we see today is not the model that is found in the New Testament.
For me personally, I became increasingly distracted by the division caused over seemingly superficial issues such as which translation we ought to be using, dress attire, and worship service music, even to the more extreme matters, like the misuse of Old Testament scriptures related to financial contributions.
But the reasons went even beyond these.
I see a big difference between how it's done today (at least traditionally) and how it was done in the early churches that we see in Acts and the epistles. There, believers met in their own houses, and the money that nowadays goes towards maintaining a commonly owned building (and especially paying for a full- or part-time staff) was spent meeting the needs of the poor among them and doing good works...like giving to the poor of this world. Secondly, the time was spent gathering together and sharing the Scriptures, being taught the things of God by those the Lord gave that gift of teaching to, declaring doctrine, singing hymns, and otherwise following the prompting of the Holy Spirit within them to do what He had them do.
What I see traditionally, I would almost characterize as not that overly much different than going to a professional baseball game and watching the players do what they're paid to do while the rest of the people sit and watch them. I firmly believe that that is not how it's to be among us, which is why I made the decision to stop "going to church" and instead assemble together with my brothers and sisters in Christ as the occasion presents itself.
In conclusion, I would like it to be known that the last thing I wish to do is to discourage anybody from doing what is the most spiritually edifying for them, but I am strongly convicted that what we see today is not the model that is found in the New Testament.
