Do you have to go to church?

[SpirallingInMyMind]

I hope this is the right place to post, I know that there is a philosophy and religion board but I'm really hoping to learn from Christians and there seem to be some very thoughtful and knowledgeable Christians here!

Even though I was raised in a Christian house, I turned from god at an early age and am not very knowledgeable. Lately I have been longing to learn and would really like to have a relationship with god and grow my faith in Jesus. My biggest trouble is that I suffer terribly with social anxiety. Even the school run is a huge strain on me and I really don't think I'm going to be able to make the leap of going to a church. Deep down I would love to go and I have lovely memories of that feeling of community and togetherness in the church but I feel completely trapped within these feelings and it's only getting worse.

So my question is, as a Christian, do you think attending church is a necessity in being Christian and having a true relationship with god?
Also another question I have is regarding the bible and how you read yours. Do you read yours like any other book, start to finish? So genesis through to revelation. Or do you pick a particular book to read through before moving on to another book? Or just search for chapters/verses each day that you feel will help you?

I'm so sorry if these are silly questions but I don't have anyone in my life I can ask and I'm sorry if I've worded my post poorly, I also get anxious posting and my mind goes blank! But I really appreciate anyone who can offer any insight.

So you don’t actually keep the biblical Sabbath. Got it. 👍🏻

I wrote a reply to someone on a Christian forum, it kind of matches this thread the topic so with editing of my post I will post it here-

If you read my two posts again above I didn't say that you need to attend church all the time, but that it is just promoted. I did write that people can be unwell and have grace or have life saving jobs/health and safety activities that may make this difficult. I also said that they can watch church online. They may not also due to other things but church going is still promoted. You can be a christian and not attend church, but that doesn't mean that church going is not desirable and promoted in the Bible.
I never went to church for many years in my life due to being unwell and was still a Christian with a personal relationship with my faith but I still knew that church going was promoted in the Bible and seen as the best thing to do. A truth is a truth and lived experience and personal thoughts are different. What you said to me doesn't seem scriptural. I am a spirtual person to and not just about the letter of the law.

Also, thanks for your thoughts on baptism-it was not pleasing to read for me what is being written online that we have our own temples and no need to go to church. That God isn't in church and we have no need for anything more-well, that is a misreading of Paul as it is not like that. I have taken the bit out about till I look into it further...I know of someone who has been baptised in a field alone they say. I believe what they say. The word baptised and born of spirit can be interchangable to me and these religious ordannces though seem today to happen through a church inside or outside.I have that taken out though as it seemed to be merging two ideas into one and just discussing church going now.
Lets work with the Bible and the spirit of it to.
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This is for here for thought. I will put in italics this as is this what in italics just thought to seeing if I have it right..what is in italics. I have my rector if this as so.

The Sabbath continues in this same assembly in the New Heaven and New Earth (Isa 66:23) just as it was on earth for the apostles decades after the Cross following in the example set forth by Jesus. (Acts 13:42), (Acts 13:44), (Acts 15:21) (Acts 18:4) (during this time the early church was undergoing change and this from a church minister- " (Acts 15 this part is what happened as the church developed and people worked out what it means to follow Jesus Christ from a variety of different perspectives (-confirmed by a church minister). The early church to went from taking place in small private gatherings where they went out to distribute the Eucharist taking place in more established church's today with online services to follow later.

Act 15 also discusses what we should not do as Christians (or new believers) and not what is promoted to do and it does not involve all spiritual law and guidance for Christians. I think of here a bit that all things are permissable but not expident to God.

To answer the op's question - Do you HAVE to go to church? - No. There are benefits to it, as others have said in previous posts: the church is the people (the body of Christ), not the building. It's good to be in community together and to come together for a common purpose and to worship God together. We can build up and encourage one another in faith together, pray for each other, hold each other accountable.
Aside from everything else, communal singing together makes people feel good.

As others have said, I'd advise having a look at local church websites to see what sort of church you might like to try, and see if any of them have online services that you could watch before deciding to go. If you don't want to speak to people, you could arrive just as the service starts, and leave during the final hymn - minimal interaction with others. In most Anglican churches there isn't a lot of space for interaction during the services, apart from sharing the peace, which can be excruciating for newcomers. (I still hate it after 6 years at my church!)

I do think there is a 'something' that you get from worshipping with others that you don't get online or on your own. A church service is participatory - it's not like the theatre where you sit and watch - and there's something special about doing that in community. We are social creatures, after all, made to be with each other.

In terms of reading the bible - as others have said, perhaps start with one of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) or dip in and out of the psalms, which are some of the rawest prayers out there and cover most human conditions. Apps and books can help with daily bible reading (lectio 365, daily light), and apps like 'time to pray' or 'pray as you go' can be helpful in getting into a rhythm of morning and evening prayer. Have a search around the internet and see what you find, but bear in mind that different apps / books have different 'slants' and will put forward different theologies - some less inclusive than others.

A poster leaningoneverlatingarms wrote this about Acts 15-
Acts 15 sets out the requirements placed by the Council of Jerusalem on Gentile believers.
Sabbath observance was not required.
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My rector said this about Act 15-"
Acts 15 this part is what happened as the church developed and people worked out what it means to follow Jesus Christ from a variety of different prior perspective".
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I looked at Gospel Coliation today the below page the bit about what is relevant to Christians. My rector pointed out this website before to use for information. The bit with reference to read is about Two applications for Christians today
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/christians-forbidden-eat-blood/

I came up with this about the Acts 15 discussion-
For Christians the message of Acts 15 becomes clear about effectively our bottom line as Christians through the works of Christ alone, what Act 15 points out is that salavation and grace by God are the most important things we should rest on as Christians-but the church remains promoted and spiritually enriching but if you are not able to attend it does not rest on your salavation. which rests on Christ alone.

I think the main point of Acts 15 is stopping people falling into legalism and trying to bring in other rules, plus stopping dissension amongst different believers.

Thank you so much ChristmasStars, this is very well explained and further brings light to it.

I only found this Christian page recently but can I suggest to the original poster that she tries a church called Coastlands who are based in Worthing? They do Sunday evenings and Tuesday evenings online as well as other meetings. They also meet in person but have people watching from around the world, I found them about three years ago. I've been house bound for over three years due to ill health so this has been a real help to me. They have a main pastor and several other women who take it in turn to do the services/meetings. At the end of each service you have a chance to be prayed for. They are a lovely bunch of people and can be found on Facebook or YouTube. Hope this helps someone.

I find church is like charging your phone. You can be alright on your own for a while but you need to go to church to charge your battery. Some people say it's like coals on a fire, more effective as a group and one piece of coal on it's own can't do much.

With the bible, I mostly pick a book and read it, in no particular order. Once every 15 years or so I will read the whole thing in order, otherwise I would read my favourite books like ecclesiasties and ruth loads and leviticus never.

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Welcome back to the fold. You are part of the Body of Christ, the minute you believe in Jesus and yes, personal relationship with Jesus, talking to Him, praying and loving Him is needed. Read the Bible in any and every way, book by book, sermons, daily verses, topical books, expositions or just videos on youtube.

you might be blessed to find a church that suits you, I never did. Volunteered, sang in choirs, cleaned churches - was always used and have not made a single friend. But your destiny might be different

Have not been to a church recently but will pop in for a mass
Also I do online fellowship with many people - I know if I need prayers or a chat, I have these people

Here a couple of ways you can explore your faith without attending church:

The Bible in a Year podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz is a great way to read the bible. Fr. Mike is really engaging and after he had read a section he summarises what he’s just said, tells you what it means and then he says a prayer for the day. I like to listen to that in the morning.

The Hallow app has lots of prayer challenges, prayers, hymns and presents then in an interesting way. It even has a kids section. This app includes the above podcast but that’s also on Spotify or YouTube too.