In the context of the Bible, the gathering together was not centered around a building called a church; it was centered around the people who are the church. According to Scripture these believers can meet anywhere at any time and all who attend are encouraged to participate. The teachers or elders lead but do not dominate nor do they forbid others to interject as led by the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 14:26 "26What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a psalm or a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done to build up the church." Please read the rest of this passage for context.
Ephesians 5:19
"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord,"
Colossians 3:16
"Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."
Romans 12:6-8
"We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If one’s gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith; / if it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; / if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is giving, let him give generously; if it is leading, let him lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."
When a gathering, calling itself a church, meets in worldly fashion under the cultural Christian idea that one man should lead and all those attending should listen, we are not obligated to meet in such a way since it is not Biblical and has created a hierarchy system God never intended.
It is foolish to join any gathering, no matter what they teach or how they act, simply to be able to say you are in a gathering. When the scripture tells us to meet together, His intent was that all of us participate and edify one another in the Word. Not that we complement one another or build up pride in one another, but rather that we encourage one another with Scripture to obey God, learn His ways, seek Him for counsel, and then in our daily lives grow in holiness. The purpose is to be equipped to live out our Christian lives in a way that glorifies God through obedience to Him. In doing this we will be a wonderful family who helps one another in all areas of our lives.
I have heard many times from people the stories of how they are doing something for God. The language ought to be "what God is telling me to do."
When we do something for God that He never told us to do, then we are operating in the flesh. We are to seek His will for our lives so that whatever we do is directed by Christ. He knows His own purposes and the hearts of those we serve far better than we ever could.
John 16:13-14 "13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.…"
When we hear from God and obey, we will be fulfilling His purpose, even if we don't fully understand it. This is what trusting Christ is all about: believing Him and then obeying.
Those who devise strategies of their own thinking that they are doing God a favor are actually in rebellion against Him, in that it is an act of their own will to elevate themselves. It is possible to do what we think is good, that is, disobedience, because God didn't tell us to do it.
The modern church thought it could help God out by making their own plans on how a "church service" should look, when God's way was much simpler, edifying, and grew believers in holiness.
The modern church system has created a hierarchy system in which the people see the "ordained by men pastor" as the authority over them instead of the Holy Spirit.
In this system, the people have become lazy with prayer and Bible reading at home to depend on the spirituality of that pastor to be their righteousness for them. They seem to think just knowing some things about the Bible is enough; actually living out what they think they know is not important, they are satisfied with the knowing. And, sadly, they are depending on the "pastor" instead of the Holy Spirit.
And sadly, the paid-pastors have fostered this thinking by subtle intimidation of the people to look to them rather than each believer seeking the Holy Spirit for themselves.
I have even heard of cases in which the pastor forbade the attendees from having Bible studies in their homes because they would not be led by the paid-pastor. This is not only unbiblical, but it is demonic domination and control over the people.
My suggestion is to get out of any gathering in which there is pressure to do things you are not led by the Holy Spirit to do and when others will not listen to the truth.
It is good to listen to others when they speak, evaluate it and only obey what God said was true in the Bible. If someone speaks false doctrine and will not listen while having the support of the congregation, it is time to leave.
Being at home alone with your family is Biblical and without the worldly expectations of those who love their religion based on human ideas. It is lovely to be with a few who love the Lord and are seeking Christ.
Read the Bible for yourselves, set aside and reject all the cultural pressure to follow the traditions that God never commanded, and you will notice a heavy burden fall from your back as the joy and simplicity of the Christian gathering returns to you.
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