dear cedric brother..
this is a good question...
i a gree with sister Sonny but also with some things the others say brother kente said some good things to..
here is my own answer and apinion to you.....
first i like to say....
that what i think is inportent ...
is youre personal relationship with god...
cause trough this life he is the only one who knows youre heart..
and knows all the hair on youre head....
its inportent that that relationship is tight and good and grows..
how it grows...
you will know and feel...
First i want to say that the body of christ is sumthing different than just
The "'building "' The Church"' but i know you already know that...
you can have even a little church service with ........even 2 people comming together ...You know that saying ..like where 2 peopl will come together in his name he will be there...............or 3 or 7 or 100 ...
correct me if i am wrong..
but youre personal relationship that is what is inportent...
youre walk with him..
It can be by expariances..
reading the bibel...
talking with brothers and sisters people..
and going to church....
can help you to...
somthimes not...
because no church is perfect and it willl never be Untill the
new jeruzalem comes down of the heaven...but that is not the church ...
there were cases that like jesus said ....there were people who ..
acted that they were so called servants of god...but they poisened some beautifull souls.... it became more bad with these people than before...
and than again....he also talkes about brothers and sisters comming together and ..think about him and share his love..and give praise to god...
you know think about the song of bob marly One love...
me personaly ...
i will never totaly turn down the gathering of brothers and sisters in by and trough his presance...
means i am not dirty of church....
but i can also say that it is not perfect human are not perfect they make mistakes , also people in the church ....
when god says you have to pray for youre brothers and sisters that means also for the people in church..
all people....We pray the ""OUR "' father...
, i have experanced also things ..
that made me leave..and and cry but also somthimes to stand up and speak... ...(wich was not easy ,cause i was on my own on that moment...
and if my personal relationship was not strong at that moment...
i wasnt even able to speak.....)
asspecialy when people were driffting away from the most inportent thing and that is gods love and the walk of jezus...
I am baptised in the church...last year...
that is somthing that had to happen..
but i had a relationship with god before but now it becomes stronger..
i grew because of experiances there and some strong preaches and reading the word and the word that come trough some brothers and sisters in that church...
but i also grew and learn from people who dont go to church ...
somthimes the word comes trough a person you dont expect it from..
God just picks his people..
you just have to be carefull with wisdom....
if you want to check it if this advise and wisdom is true even if it comes trough person who not believes.....
you always have the bible the book of life........
and here it comes.....
i just found out ....
it all is balance.....
For example...............
i have this uncle who does not go to church ..
i learn from him..
actualy he has sumthing against churches..."'he says somthimes people are thinking that they are doing it al right while they doing it wrong ""
and he explains me why......
i understand where he is comming from.....
i learn a lot from him.....
and god also used him to help me with things that i didnt learn by going to the church or that the brothers and sisters there had no time or notice to teach me..or to show me...........
but also the other way around.....
he also said ...you grew so much ..
the last years...and he even said to my father....
that church where youre dauhther is going is doing her well.....
than i tell hem also its not the church but God ....and he chooses his people...
and they are in church they are outside the church they are even here on this site somthimes...
the reading the listening ..the watching around you...
the practtising of the word ...and the obadiance to him and his voice..
and his laws....
so the actualy both sides can fill eachother up.......in growth..
in other words we can learn from eachother...
i have realy also experianced beautifull things...
one time the was this conferance ...
and i sat down and i had my hair ..just natural wich is afro with no pot of pomade in it......
(wide and i was just in my kinda back to my roots spirrit you know exept you as god made you) ) and some of the sisters of that church sat beside me and in front of me....
but there was stil place behind me..
than there were a few other sister of an other church came and sat behind me.....
i heart they started to gossip ..but i didnt mind and than the sisters of my home church wich are older than me..
told me .....that they were talking about my hair loooooool
that it disturb them .......in other words they didnt have sight.....The sisters of my home church said "' that is rediculles"
So i said to my the sisters of my church its ok thy are gast and i dont mind ......going and sit in the back..
we have to give them the good example.....
than i wanted to stand up...
and than they took my hand...
and they pressed me down Like ""LANCE "' did with TAY DIGGS "' when he wanted him to kneel down ....and go to pray to the father..
only they did it a little softer....
they said ..."'are you crazy sister SIT DOWN GOD BLESSED YOU WITH THAT HAIR"" halelujah....loooooool
let them that is their problem...
lol it feld i was the revolution of the 70,
It was also a great experiance to me to sing in the church ..
i sing also outside the church...
but this time it was realy special..
and i was totaly open...and i sang notes and did things that i normaly would not even come near with..
and that was not me but the the holy spirrit...
and people were touched..and one man came to me and he said that he was stuck and that after the singing and song he was liberated
and i told him that that was not me but god who did it and the holy spirrit...
i have also learned and saw things in church ..
on wich i know now that somthimes we not deal with the flesh but things in the spirrit...
If you are lucky you have good and nice teachers in the church...
on wich you realy can learn from.....
for that you can pray to..
so if you go to church...
just pray that the ..
True word of god will be spoken there..
pray for a good service...
for protection..
and that his will shal be done and not ours...
so that trough youre visit ....
you will experiance and get and learn what youre father wants you to get and learn ...
so that you will grow in him and his love ...
and you purpus here...
actualy ....this is also in the prayer ...'our father who is in heaven""
wich jezus gave us..
we all have to stand in front of him... "'and not in front of a building""
that day..
and actualy everyday..
cause he just looks at our hearts and our walk and our way...
if we follow him and keep his love ...
(the walk of jezus)
and he wants us to be happy also .cedric ....dear brother...
and be free cause he made us totaly free.....
so i its beautifull and good to go to the gatherings of brothers and sisters (that is what i call it now)
just walk with him...
when you walk inside the church...
as you leave church...
cause...he is all round us...
much love to you brother and a Big BIG HUG!...
stay close to him and walk with him...
Loveauroraflower