We do not "go to church" God never told us to build buildings like temples to go where God dwells as in the Old Testament. We are the church, we are His temple and we gather with anyone at any time of the week to edify one another in the Lord. We worship continually in our hearts even if we are alone.
Romans 14:5-6 "5 One person regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who observes a special day does so to the Lord; he who eats does so to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.…"
Sadly the idea of "going to church" has created a hierarchy the congregants go and see that paid pastor as their mediator between them and God, but leaders are plural and not paid, all believers participate in the gathering.
1 Timothy 2:5
"5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;"
Men teach and the others judge but they have no authority over any other believer, if they did that would mean they have authority over Christ Who lives in each of us.
1 John 2:27 "And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you remain in Him."
Born again believers are all priests with different functions but all are equal and all use their gift given to them by God.
In the modern hierarchy gathering many in the congregation are not allowed to use their gifts because of this false model of church hierarchy system.
1 Corinthians 14:26 "26 What 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."
1 Corinthians 12:15-26
15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
18 But now God has arranged the parts, each one of them in the body, just as He desired.
19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?
20 But now there are many parts, but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again, the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;
23 and those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor, and our less presentable parts become much more presentable,
24 whereas our more presentable parts have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked,
25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same care for one another.
26 And if one part of the body suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if a part is honored, all the parts rejoice with it."
Most of Scripture is being violated in our day because so much of God's word has been interpreted in terms of our western culture and the way people want it to be. It is easier to let the "pastor" up front do their spirituality for them, so they have nothing to do but sit and listen and in many cases the people go home and forgot what was said.
When we all participate we remember what was going on because we were a part of it.
Any time we elevate one member above another we are exercising idolatry, making that leader greater than the Holy Spirit Who l lives in us.
Those who follow people must repent and return to trusting in the Holy Spirit as they did when they first trusted Christ.
Matthew 23:15-16 "… 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. 16Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’…"
This passage could apply easily to the modern paid pastor system in which the congregation elevates the man in the pulpit to idol status and will not listen to anyone else but him or those who have degrees from human institutions.
Most Christians today do not seek the Holy Spirit, they seek that degreed person who has been elevated to god like status. They make the Holy Spirit under that man.
Acts 13:10
and said, “O child of the devil and enemy of all righteousness, you are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery! Will you never stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord?"
Galatians 1:7-9
which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ. / But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse! / As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse!"
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. / And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. / It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions."
Romans 10:2-3
"For I testify about them that they are zealous for God, but not on the basis of knowledge. / Because they were ignorant of God’s righteousness and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness."
When God opens our eyes to the truth we see how decided by this false system we were and it is a relief to be out of it.
