The short answer is no, but one would be wise to read on before making any decisions.
Believers of the Church Age do NOT "go to Church", but ARE the Church (1Cor. 3: 16) that, gathers together (Hebrews 10: 25) for
corporate worship. Note that one can gather together by one of the many means of communication that modern technology offers to day.
The Church Age began at the Feast of Pentecost, in Jerusalem, shortly after being given its TRUE commission (Matthew
28:. The majority of what will be the Church in its entirety is already in Heaven and will be complete when the final generation of the Church on Earth is raptured (1Thess. 4: 16, 17).
The (Hebrews 10:25) command to gather together is NOT an option. It is one of 300 commands of the New Testament that apply to Church Age believers, and for which all believers are accountable to God (Romans 14:12). If one does not "get anything out of" going to "church", then there is something dramatically wrong with either the "church" one attends or attended, or there is something gone amiss in the post salvation
spiritual life of the one's involved. Just as a loss of desire to eat in the natural realm is an indication of something gone wrong in one's physical
health, the same can be said for a diminished desire to be fed the Word of God in the spiritual realm.
If there is not a fresh supply of spiritual food coming from the pulpit of one's choice, it time for a change. But before you run out the door, make sure that it is not a case of you being made uncomfortable and challenged to make changes in your own life that will be the result when the truths of the Word of God come from the pulpit. I,m not saying that there is going to be some life-changing revelation every time one worships God, but there should be ONGOING spiritual growth in which the doctrines in one's soul are refined and one's willingness to apply them increases.
The pastor-teacher behind ANY pulpit can not be used of God to bring anyone else beyond the level of spiritual maturity that he has first attained for himself. If the change is from God, He will always provide the advancing disciple with a new source of worship before leaving the one where he/she presently attends. "Attending", but not worshiping God, as the Bible defines worship, will accomplish NOTHING, and can be used by the devil to cause the believer to question the significance of doing so.
God has a specific plan for each believer, and a part of that plan involves identifying and worshiping God at a specific ministry (or via remote means of communication) at each stage of one's spiritual growth (2Pet. 3: 18). Keep in mind that one is not progressing in discipleship, he/she is regressing at any given time.
Choosing not to obey this command is just as much a sin as is any other sin that takes the ones involved out of fellowship with God. Note that I said that one's fellowship (1Cor. 13: 14) is in jeopardy, and NOT one's salvation (Romans 8:1).
One is saved from the wrath of God that will be experienced by ALL unbelievers (Rev. 20: 15) the moment he chooses to believe (John 3: 18) in a presentation of the Gospel. The moment of salvation can take place at ANY time or in any place or circumstances that God the Holy Spirit chooses. One can NEVER be any more or any less saved than he becomes at the moment of salvation. The work of God (Titus 3:5) is irreversible and the gift of salvation that is received are irrevocable (Romans 11: 29).
This is NOT a license to sin, as ALL post salvation sins have a corresponding form of divine discipline that God can impose during one's time here on Earth, including bringing one's time here on Earth to an immediate end Acts 5. Disobedience to the commands of 1Cor. 11: 24 to celebrate Communion and Hebrews 10: 25 to gather together are sins that can easily become a lifestyle of sin in which the believers involved live outside of the fellowship of God. Suchbelievers (assuming that they are) remain saved, but will live a life out of fellowship with God here on Earth, and will receive no reward for it in Heaven.
The true (John 4: 23) "worship" of God is a post-salvation issue. Like ALL post (after) salvation issues, failure to identify or to execute the TRUE post salvation spiritual life has its consequences, but the LOSS of salvation has NEVER been and never WILL never be one of them (1Cor. 3: 15). "Gathering together" for the worship of God does is NOT limited to the physical or geographical sense and can be accomplished via the many means of communication that have become available here in the End Times.
In the apostate stage (1Timothy 4: 1) of the Church Age in which we are living, it is getting harder and harder to find a traditional ministry where the true Church "gathers" together. Where and when available, the traditional setting is the preferred means of worship as it (should) provides the congregation with a distraction-free environment that is (should be) conducive to focusing on the celebration of the Lord Supper and the teaching of the Word of God. When one's personal circumstances, location, or environment do NOT offer the means for one to "worship" in the traditional
manner, one can still gather together, celebrate Communion, and be taught the Word of God via remote means of communication such as the Internet, radio, television, etc.. The bottom line is that it is NOT the location or the mechanics of worship, but what takes (or does not) take
place in the souls of those involved.
The TRUE worship of God consists of celebrating the Lord's Supper and the teaching of the Word of God for the development of discipleship. This is
what fulfills the "internal" half of the Great Commission concerning the making of disciples. It is the Great Commission, and not
the religious ideas of Man that defines the TRUE mission of the Church on Earth.
The celebration of the Lord's Supper, as it was established on the night of our Lord's betrayal, is for the purpose of bringing into remembrance (not to reproduce) the Person or the Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and does NOT require either an officiating priest nor an altar. When the "Church" was in its purest form, free from its arch rival religion), it gathered together in small groups in such places as private homes, market places, and outdoor scenarios. It did NOT have need for either an officiating priest nor an altar. In his capacity as administrative leader, it is customarily the pastor-teach who leads the congregation in the celebration of the Lord's Supper, but this function can be delegated to ANY believer.
The teaching of the Word of God is the spiritual gift, function, and duty of those believers that God calls for that purpose. The pastor-teacher must be Biblically qualified, which is often quite different from being qualified by the various seminaries that produce clergy for the promotion of the various religions denominations that Man has created. In larger ministries, others may teach sub-groups, but the pastor-teacher remains accountable to God for everything that takes place within his the ministry that God places him in charge.
One does NOT have to go to Church to be saved, but one must worship God, as worship is defined in Scripture, if he/she is to identify and execute the true post salvation spiritual life for God's glory and the believer's edification.
Believers of the Church Age do NOT "go to Church", but ARE the Church (1Cor. 3: 16) that, gathers together (Hebrews 10: 25) for
corporate worship. Note that one can gather together by one of the many means of communication that modern technology offers to day.
The Church Age began at the Feast of Pentecost, in Jerusalem, shortly after being given its TRUE commission (Matthew
28:. The majority of what will be the Church in its entirety is already in Heaven and will be complete when the final generation of the Church on Earth is raptured (1Thess. 4: 16, 17).
The (Hebrews 10:25) command to gather together is NOT an option. It is one of 300 commands of the New Testament that apply to Church Age believers, and for which all believers are accountable to God (Romans 14:12). If one does not "get anything out of" going to "church", then there is something dramatically wrong with either the "church" one attends or attended, or there is something gone amiss in the post salvation
spiritual life of the one's involved. Just as a loss of desire to eat in the natural realm is an indication of something gone wrong in one's physical
health, the same can be said for a diminished desire to be fed the Word of God in the spiritual realm.
If there is not a fresh supply of spiritual food coming from the pulpit of one's choice, it time for a change. But before you run out the door, make sure that it is not a case of you being made uncomfortable and challenged to make changes in your own life that will be the result when the truths of the Word of God come from the pulpit. I,m not saying that there is going to be some life-changing revelation every time one worships God, but there should be ONGOING spiritual growth in which the doctrines in one's soul are refined and one's willingness to apply them increases.
The pastor-teacher behind ANY pulpit can not be used of God to bring anyone else beyond the level of spiritual maturity that he has first attained for himself. If the change is from God, He will always provide the advancing disciple with a new source of worship before leaving the one where he/she presently attends. "Attending", but not worshiping God, as the Bible defines worship, will accomplish NOTHING, and can be used by the devil to cause the believer to question the significance of doing so.
God has a specific plan for each believer, and a part of that plan involves identifying and worshiping God at a specific ministry (or via remote means of communication) at each stage of one's spiritual growth (2Pet. 3: 18). Keep in mind that one is not progressing in discipleship, he/she is regressing at any given time.
Choosing not to obey this command is just as much a sin as is any other sin that takes the ones involved out of fellowship with God. Note that I said that one's fellowship (1Cor. 13: 14) is in jeopardy, and NOT one's salvation (Romans 8:1).
One is saved from the wrath of God that will be experienced by ALL unbelievers (Rev. 20: 15) the moment he chooses to believe (John 3: 18) in a presentation of the Gospel. The moment of salvation can take place at ANY time or in any place or circumstances that God the Holy Spirit chooses. One can NEVER be any more or any less saved than he becomes at the moment of salvation. The work of God (Titus 3:5) is irreversible and the gift of salvation that is received are irrevocable (Romans 11: 29).
This is NOT a license to sin, as ALL post salvation sins have a corresponding form of divine discipline that God can impose during one's time here on Earth, including bringing one's time here on Earth to an immediate end Acts 5. Disobedience to the commands of 1Cor. 11: 24 to celebrate Communion and Hebrews 10: 25 to gather together are sins that can easily become a lifestyle of sin in which the believers involved live outside of the fellowship of God. Suchbelievers (assuming that they are) remain saved, but will live a life out of fellowship with God here on Earth, and will receive no reward for it in Heaven.
The true (John 4: 23) "worship" of God is a post-salvation issue. Like ALL post (after) salvation issues, failure to identify or to execute the TRUE post salvation spiritual life has its consequences, but the LOSS of salvation has NEVER been and never WILL never be one of them (1Cor. 3: 15). "Gathering together" for the worship of God does is NOT limited to the physical or geographical sense and can be accomplished via the many means of communication that have become available here in the End Times.
In the apostate stage (1Timothy 4: 1) of the Church Age in which we are living, it is getting harder and harder to find a traditional ministry where the true Church "gathers" together. Where and when available, the traditional setting is the preferred means of worship as it (should) provides the congregation with a distraction-free environment that is (should be) conducive to focusing on the celebration of the Lord Supper and the teaching of the Word of God. When one's personal circumstances, location, or environment do NOT offer the means for one to "worship" in the traditional
manner, one can still gather together, celebrate Communion, and be taught the Word of God via remote means of communication such as the Internet, radio, television, etc.. The bottom line is that it is NOT the location or the mechanics of worship, but what takes (or does not) take
place in the souls of those involved.
The TRUE worship of God consists of celebrating the Lord's Supper and the teaching of the Word of God for the development of discipleship. This is
what fulfills the "internal" half of the Great Commission concerning the making of disciples. It is the Great Commission, and not
the religious ideas of Man that defines the TRUE mission of the Church on Earth.
The celebration of the Lord's Supper, as it was established on the night of our Lord's betrayal, is for the purpose of bringing into remembrance (not to reproduce) the Person or the Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and does NOT require either an officiating priest nor an altar. When the "Church" was in its purest form, free from its arch rival religion), it gathered together in small groups in such places as private homes, market places, and outdoor scenarios. It did NOT have need for either an officiating priest nor an altar. In his capacity as administrative leader, it is customarily the pastor-teach who leads the congregation in the celebration of the Lord's Supper, but this function can be delegated to ANY believer.
The teaching of the Word of God is the spiritual gift, function, and duty of those believers that God calls for that purpose. The pastor-teacher must be Biblically qualified, which is often quite different from being qualified by the various seminaries that produce clergy for the promotion of the various religions denominations that Man has created. In larger ministries, others may teach sub-groups, but the pastor-teacher remains accountable to God for everything that takes place within his the ministry that God places him in charge.
One does NOT have to go to Church to be saved, but one must worship God, as worship is defined in Scripture, if he/she is to identify and execute the true post salvation spiritual life for God's glory and the believer's edification.