But do we? That’s why I question the items in this list! I’d much prefer a smaller church, but this is the one I’ve felt called to attend and have seen God opening doors to serve (Mommies group and refugees). BuzzFeed Staff. Teaching, perhaps. It always seems to come back, for me, to the fact that religion is man-made while God is not. The Bible rejects the idea of reincarnation; therefore, it does not support the idea of karma. Paul taught publicly, in large gatherings and from house to house, Acts 20:20. The Bible makes this very clear. Also, we should derive our methods from the Bible, so to teach any method properly it’s necessary to teach the Bible, which women are prohibited from doing with men. And i agree with you Lydia. But we do acknowledge that these are not things the Bible prescribes, suggests, or models. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Sign up for Beliefnet's Bible Reading newsletter. We do not interpret the Bible in a vacuum. I have to constantly watch out for the bible teachers I listen to. The Bible does say we are not be drunk (Ephesians 5:18), and that elders (1 Timothy 3:3), deacons (1 Timothy 5:23), and respectable older women (Titus 2:3) should not drink too much wine (which some interpret as not drinking alcohol on a regular basis). When our man-made traditions trump the ways and intents of God, we need to backtrack. Sermons. Or both? The idea that church is a building and some place we go to once a week is possibly one of the most harmful. What then, brothers? Yes! Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. There is only one word and truth makes anybody uncomfortable. No other book has any such credentials. I’ve wondered about that side of it, too! Acts 2:42. And evaluating. Thanks for sharing at the #LMMLinkup. Preaching of the gospel took place outside the church gathering. Most churches should have at least a few people who have been doing these things officially or unofficially for decades. Not saying I disagree with them all. “While it is personal, it is not private,” an article from the Southern Baptist Conventions’ journal says. You make some challenging remarks! This core teaching is found most clearly in Paul's letters to the Galatians and the Romans. "This, too, shall pass." These types of practices are dangerous because they open the mind of the practitioners to the influence of the devil. Baptism is not a requirement for salvation and many churches do not subscribe to infant baptism Instead, Baptism in the Baptist church is a public expression of faith. I’ve always been very weary of the corporate church model which seems to have originated with the Catholics. Christians hold the Bible in particularly high regard, but that does not mean that they cannot get themselves turned around. It’s actually attributed to Benjamin Franklin, one of the nation’s founding fathers. Not saying I agree with them either! If it’s because the Bible says so, we’re always on good ground. Instead of the church being the body of Christ and living day to day as followers of Christ, we’ve raised generations of Christians who think church is a building you go to. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. "Touch your neighbor" You ever sat next to somebody in church that was fine and you couldn't wait for the preacher to say, "touch your neighbor"? Choosing to follow Jesus means choosing against our old sinful patterns and lifestyle. Some sayings are simple rewordings of biblical truth, but others are dangerous heresy. Anyway, thanks as always for the feedback. Honestly I think we’re missing something very big in the way we gather nowadays, which seems to be the corporate model or we’re on our own? Lydia, I really enjoyed the thoughtfulness behind this post and your desire always to bring everything back to Scripture. We would be comfortable with a couple team-teaching some of these things, with the husband taking the lead in explaining doctrinal issues, and the wife contributing her insights into methods or people-skills. While the Bible is often quoted, it is just as often misquoted. Thanks again for taking the time to comment! | My Favorite Bible-Study Method {in 7 Easy Steps} | 5 Reasons Children’s Bible Stories Are Dangerous. The Bible is the single authoritative text on morality and good values in the Christian faith - along with the Quran for Islam and the Torah for Judaism. Of course, I’m just joking with you, it’s what’s in the heart that matters. Thank you for pointing us back to the word of God and not being legalistic in your approach. If there are ever disagreements among church members, it isn’t whether or not the wording of a service was incorrect. And to keep considering. I pray when I’m looking for a job and pray for the unsaved daily. I really wish everyone would leave their phones at home on Sunday. This is very interesting! is things that the church DOESN’T do that are in Scripture. Or 8am? Idolatry is forbidden. No other book even comes close. But that way of thinking may not be helpful, true or even Biblical after all. The Bible is full of wisdom, but it is often misquoted and misunderstood. My church has almost all of these things. Thanks for the great observation! I liked your post and I’m all for following the Bible. It’s another phantom scripture that appears nowhere in the Bible, but many people think it does. And I do believe that the more we follow God’s design laid out in Scripture, the closer we’ll be to following His ways which are so much better than ours. While the Bible is often quoted, it is just as often misquoted. WOW! And that the sermons we see today are likely very different in nature/method/practice than the preaching/teaching we see in the Scriptures. When it starts to deviate from that journey is when I grow concerned. Like I said I am not saying that those things are bad. No verse demands 10:45am-12noon, and no verse suggests multiple services in a day. And while these things may or may not be helpful to the practice of our church gathering, they are certainly unhelpful if we can’t let them go. It has alway seemed to me that the vast sums of money it takes to build and maintain some of these buildings would be better spent elsewhere. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. I pray for guidence and help within my life. But came with weeping, in persecution,in the Spirit and in power.He didn’t want to add anything to the gospel that has not been revealed to Him or lived it.” Thats all. As do so many traditions also have similar roots, though not all. No shiny offering plates passed by ushers while pretty music is played. Though we do not like the idea of eternal suffering in hell, Greear argues that it exists for a reason. | The Greatest Showman & The Brainwashing of the Modern Soul Thanks for stopping by. Once again, it all comes back to “why.” Why do we do the things we do? I like how you said all of this is okay, as long as there is Biblical sound doctrine being taught and that remains the focus. I am not saying in because of our modern ways. | Your Single Days Are Now Nice article, we need to question ourselves and our traditions far more. Or pipe organs. If you are unselfish, kind, and holy during your lifetime, you will be rewarded by being reincarnated into a pleasant life. Beliefnet is a lifestyle website providing feature editorial content around the topics of inspiration, spirituality, health, wellness, love and family, news and entertainment. However, there are many things that Jesus-following, church-going, Bible-believing Christians believe that are completely unbiblical. | The Value of Colored Pencils We like the flesh we enjoy it, we want things that are so far away from God. Worship Sets. The Bible could not be clearer on this point. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. But I am sure there must be people who leave having been unnoticed (I had that happen to me in the beginning): horrible thought. Visiting today from intentional Tuesday! . Because these churches met in homes, they could only grow so large. And questioning. Thanks for encouraging readers to search the Scriptures and examine why we follow traditions. Certainly, not all growing churches are healthy. If so, you may have noticed a number of things the church has that the Bible doesn’t. The criteria for determining which church to attend should not be based on internal feelings or comfort zones. I’m not fussed how we do it…Biblically I think it’s a heart matter: are we there to worship God or just sing. Thanks for sharing with #SocialButterflySunday! It assumes that since these things didn’t exist (and sermons most definitely DID exist), that they therefore shouldn’t be used. Today, readers and carriers of the message often hear particular verses and passages in ways they were not intended to be heard. Whereas my own personal views are that our relationship with Jesus Christ is one on one as Christ being the sole mediator between God and man. First Peter 5:8 warns us to “be self-controlled and alert. Check out Acts 2:46, Acts 5:42. ( Log Out /  Very good post, by the way! In other words, you reap what you sew. ( Log Out /  Traditions can be very healthy and helpful, as long as they are not anti-biblical in nature and as long as they aren’t based upon pagan worship practices from Babylon – which God does not want us to worship him in those ways. And what if they met for 2 hours or more? Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us that God’s ways are different from ours. I just thought about this. You always have such thoughtful posts – thanks for joining us again at #FridayFrivolity! Read every description of the church’s gathering, and you’ll find no mention of a sermon. Isaiah the prophet spoke of astrologer’s with derision: “Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you” (Isaiah 47:13). By attending “church” in a building, I have met many wonderful people, and long time friends. Who’s to say the early church didn’t meet at 6 pm? In the Old Testament, God instructed His people to tithe – give ten percent of their income to meet the needs of the religious, economic and political system of ancient Israel. “Believing in Jesus is all it takes to get to heaven” Actually this phrase is Biblical. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. Great to consider these things. People need to study their bibles instead of just listening to what others say. Question: "What are the most common things people think are in the Bible that are not actually in the Bible?" Here are six things Christians like to do that aren’t biblical. Often, we’ll hear someone quote a statement that sounds nice to us, and we’ll begin repeating it as though it’s biblical truth without ever researching it in the Scriptures. Thanks for encouraging us to continue to reevaluate and change as needed to be more like our Lord. His truth is found in the Bible. No programs, classes, or curriculum. Worship: I loved reading about God setting aside a whole tribe for worship (the Levites)…this says to me that God places great value on our worship of Him. Not that those are bad things, but what’s going on here is much deeper. The Bible was taught more in small circles than in large crowds. How easy it is to equate our experience or tradition with the Bible’s instruction! Karma is based on the theological belief in reincarnation. Thanks for the reflection and for sharing it on the Cozy Reading Spot. Power of the Holy Spirit and filled by the Spirit! In the New Testament, Jesus set the higher standard, though it was a less precise standard. And questioning. I doubt if the home churches in the Bible had drums and a keyboard, and an alter, but they are nice at a church building. Loved reading the info you gathered from Scripture. Or a salvation. But that’s me. The same goes for Jesus’ words. Why do some churches have a history of church splits? It’s not the “church system of man.”. But Lutheran and Reformed Christians in particular have taken this to mean that Christians do not in any way participate in their salvation. We interpret the Bible as the church. The fascination with astrology and horoscopes undoubtedly reflects people’s desire for wisdom beyond their own and direction for the future. I would like to point out that Jesus and the apostles reached people in the language of the day, their native tongue, something they could easily understand, so if today that includes video, lights, and big music, who’s to say God can’t work through that? This doesn’t make me some type of nut that believes in fairy tales. I read the Bible and teach my children of the Bible. I enjoyed your take on the Bible church and thank you for sharing with us here at Tell me a Story. I can understand and perhaps agree with your comments on the “church” as a building. Nothing more than an observation in that regard. God left us the Bible as written testimony of His Word. What an unspeakable gift that we have the Holy Spirit as our Guide, and that He leads us into all truth–the truth of our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! It’s important that our words and actions align with our faith. This was an extremely thought provoking and insightful post! Video is the media/language of the day. They bring their phones and have their heads in them. 4. The problem is the churches that are doing all of these things because it is cool or because they have always done it this way, and there is no Bible or scripture being taught or spoken behind this. I didn’t come to bring you with flare or with words. I would say, We need the Bible and the methods it gives to grow our faith. Definitely not the Acts Church. Karma is a theological concept found in Buddhist and Hindu religions. I’m not necessarily disagreeing with my church’s use of them. It’s one of those true-ish statements, but it’s not a Bible verse. God Bless:). But even in the midst of these questions that run through my mind, I pray my concerns don’t color my love for the “church” as a people. I understand your point, though. They didn’t have pants, either. I simply think they should evaluate these things on a regular basis. Giving money to help those in need is a beautiful thing to do, but it's only a first step in helping. By Cory Barclay Published Feb 23, 2016. Thanks for sharing! Just wondering if the church of today has, consciously or unconsciously, drifted from God’s design, that’s all. Now, do we scratch it because it’s not in the Bible? If this sounds familiar, it’s precisely what the early church had to do. The Lord bless you, Lydia; I’m glad that the Lord led me to this post! Thank you for encouraging us to question things. Of course, no church is perfect. . It saddens me to see people alone, unnoticed…where my kids don’t take all my attention, I move to pursue. Sing the Bible: Paul told the church in Colossae, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16). Something that has always intrigued me (and your post made me think of this!) 9. Cursing. On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. If it’s because the Bible says so, we’re always on good ground. The concept of reincarnation and karma is incompatible with what the Bible teaches about life, death and the sowing and reaping of eternal life. The Bible was originally written in Hebrew and Greek, not English. No children’s church, youth groups, or “age-appropriate” learning. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), 10 Things the Church Has That the Bible Doesn’t, https://journeyoftheword.com/2014/10/02/religion-vs-relationship/, End Times Prophecy Headlines: June 27, 2016 | End Times Prophecy Report, 10 Things the Church Has That the Bible Doesn’t | North Fifth & Grape, | 10 Things the Church Has That the Bible Doesn’t, | The Greatest Showman & The Brainwashing of the Modern Soul, | My Favorite Bible-Study Method {in 7 Easy Steps}. Lets just say.. it always has been the heart since the beginning or creation. Acts 2:45. when the sound doesn’t work for a certain part of the song or the sermon. Col 4:15. It doesn’t say anywhere in Scripture that we should only do things that the Bible itself tells us to do. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Imagine the experience of a few families sharing their lives together, as opposed to hundreds, even thousands, who don’t even recognize others who attend the same church. Most would rather not talk about it at all. The Bible says, giving is to be done cheerfully, rather than as obligation (2 Corinthians 9:6-7), and not for the purpose of public recognition (Matthew 6:1-4). People shouldn’t hold a festival, or make a church gathering and.. then will add the gospel. Their conclusions have been summarized in what we call Creeds and Confessions. But not all churches have systems in place to commission and celebrate these leaders, much less the systems to identify and train future leaders. He didn’t just want them to obey and say do this and don’t do that. Thank you so much for sharing with gentleness and love. But no sermon. God is the one who established the pattern for “church” with the tabernacle and then the Temple. God says so Himself through Paul. We base our worship to much on things to make it to our liking. The Bible is the single most important book ever written. Beyond that, no “church membership” is distinctly defined in Scripture. Astrology is offensive to God because it attributes to planets and stars the power that belongs to God alone and because it tries to find the Will of God by other means that God has appointed. Another word for superstition is “idolatry.” The Bible does not support the idea of things occurring by chance, but nothing is done outside of God’s sovereign control. And evaluating.” I so agree with you. Thanks, Steve, for your thoughtful input! LOL! I have a feeling that those thousands soon met in various homes, but, you’re right, we don’t know exactly how they handled the large crowds. The church is not primarily a concert. If it’s because it’s the way we’ve always done it, that’s no good reason at all.” “The way we’ve always done it” can surely become an idol we need to lay down or a comfort zone from which we need to be discomforted. ( Log Out /  I did not at all mean to convey that these things shouldn’t be used. Acts 2:47. Instead, we see church leaders addressing children directly in the worship gathering: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Or ping pong tables. 8. Some Christians buy into the notion of karma, but this concept isn’t biblically based. Buildings. There are multiple versions out there that do not necessarily say the same thing. Culture. Not very many people are comfortable talking about the ways they give monetarily to the church. sometimes it creates a chaos. If it’s because it’s the way we’ve always done it, that’s no good reason at all. 11 Things Everyone Thinks Are In The Bible, But Aren't. We home church and have been for 8 years! | Beware of Bible Journaling I have been to churches where more than a few don’t even bring their Bible. The Bible mentions the astrologers of the royal court at Babylon and their inability to tell or interpret royal dreams (Daniel 2:10-11 and 4:7). Have you observed the average evangelical church of today with Bible in hand? (Yesssss.) Yet, they have a whole list of other things they’re doing, or ways they’re functioning, that they’ve come up with entirely on their own. Y'all lyin! How does what we do in our neighbourhood church follow the mandate of teaching and being taught, so that we would be prepared to fulfill the great commission. But if we recognize that these are man-made ideas which may {or may not} help us to accomplish God-given instruction well, then that’s something to consider. “All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. What an intriguing post, Lydia! I even said, “Now, do we scratch it because it’s not in the Bible? We have been talking about this same subject a lot at church lately! Bible translations. “God tells us about hell to demonstrate to us the magnitude of his holiness. Thanks for your input. Nothing of the sort is to be found. There is only ONE Father and He is Sovereign. The Christian Bible Reference Site describes it this way: “Giving is to be done cheerfully, rather than as an obligation (2 Corinthians 9:6-7), and not for the purpose of public recognition (Matthew 6:1-4). Great point! Even though Christians share a certain set of beliefs that they hold as essential to their faith, there are a wide range of interpretations and opinions when studying the Bible. There are a lot of things we do as “church” that were never done in the Bible. Thank you for a great post. ” and “Let all things be done to edify.” I think that is the take-away message of the primary article, and that principle can’t be bettered. I get that. Something is missing and needs to be restored. You need to talk about some of those dangerous cultures.” Sadly, according to numerous statistics, more churches are in decline or have plateaued than are growing. Outside of that, I would be pretty wary. The Bible does teach that we are saved by faith, apart from works of the Law. Sometimes we get so hung up on our traditions we forget the true meaning. Offertories. Sure a decked out building with beautiful art and architecture help can bring people to the Lord. I think the churches that teach the Bible and adopt the catholic ways of the Eucharist and confession of sins where pastors have the Holy Spirit’s power of forgiveness is ok. Oh and calling a Catholic Priest “Father” never made sense. This article is foolish. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. No appeal for unbelievers to walk down the aisle to accept Christ. It amazes me the amount of Christians and churches who do not follow the bible correctly. Astrology is the ancient belief that a person’s destiny can be found in the pattern of the stars and planets at the time of one’s birth. Which is not. While the teachings of Jesus only lasted around three years prior to His death, in that short amount of time a tremendous world of truth, myth, legend and superstition was built around Him. by Jessica Misener. I am Christian but do not go to church. Sometimes people don’t like that, or what do we do now. There are many types of superstitions in the world, ranging from benign – such as not walking under a ladder – to magic, divination, voodoo and sorcery. It is an eyewitness account of historical events of such magnitude that they have literally shaped the world in which we live. The right amount to give may be more or less than ten percent, depending on one's circumstances (Matthew 19:21, Luke 18:22, 21:1-4, Heb. Who knows how many things occurred in one city, or one house within a city, that did not occur in others. We know from Scripture that swearing is a sin. Coming to you from the Kelly Balarie link up . — Jonathan YPJ Miller (@PastorYPJ) February 8, 2011. However, it seems to me that a better way to bring people to the Lord is by foregoing the window dressing and showing them God’s love by spending that money doing what scripture tells us to by feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, protecting the weak and ill, and simply loving one another. No building campaigns, mortgages, custodians, and carpet discussions. But the gospel is simple. It’s important to know facts about the Bible and that we take God seriously, particularly if you are living by the Word and professing it to others. God can with with any medium we throw at him. Acts 20:7. Just my own thoughts from my own journey and observations. When we get drunk, we are serving a master other than the Lord. | Why I Wore Skirts for 10 Years Not necessarily.” I’m simply asking that these things (and others) be evaluated, as we should with anything we do…rather than simply incorporating them in our churches “because that’s what churches these days do.” That is my point entirely. and what we should really be doing. Maybe we do, but maybe we don’t. And it seems we don’t often consider the alternative. Very sad. 1 Cor 14:26. First Corinthians 6:10 lists drunkards among those who “will not inherit the kingdom of God.”. Age Segregation. Altar Calls. There are good reasons for modern believers to abstain from alcohol if they so choose, but the Bible does not require it. | 10 Do’s and Don’ts of Bible Study With the shift toward postmodernism, practices that were once discouraged by the Christian community have been embraced and even promoted. Perhaps most obviously, the early church was not confined to a church building with steeple and pews. This is good to keep us thinking on how we should do what the Bible teaches and not just follow traditions. All followers of Christ are members of the same Body. Peace. Hate the sin. Despite how clever or even edifying a quote may be, if it isn’t in the Bible we have no guarantee that it is the Word of God. Nowadays, people just pick and choose what they want to hear and then just follow that. 1 Cor 12:27. Jeff Titterington says: November 26, 2016 at 9:09 PM. The purpose of the commandments and customs were because we’re really really evil. It is the idea that how you live your life will determine the quality of life you will have after reincarnation. Thank you for linking up to Cisneros Cafe for Open Mic Monday. Thanks for sharing your perspective. Superstition is based on the faith of an object having magical powers. But spiritual and how things were. Eph 6:1. Large Gatherings. I’ve seen people and experienced how in the little they had.. physically ,, they had more spiritually.. and that’s the church.