Gathering Together in Church

I mentioned last week that we're gearing up for a busy season of traveling and being visited in our home. One person mentioned that it sounds like we run a tourism business out of our home. And, this is true. We love having people over and showing them places they either haven't seen before or spending time with them in our home. And, because most come on Saturday and leave late on Sunday, we take them to church.

Bet you didn't expect that huh? Neither do they, usually. Despite getting an itinerary with "Church" written on it.
Like we're joking.

Some of our guests don't like this, saying they came to see Manhattan, not a pulpit. A few love it, and then there are the majority who are fine attending as a novelty. A one-time fee they pay us for free room-a-board in a place where a hotel room is expensive. But since most of our visitors say that they are Christians, (they tend to be of the non-practicing, non-fruitbearing variety) it's not surprising they don't attend services, hear the preaching of the Word, or have church family. And they defend this tooth and nail, telling us all about how church membership is not required, and they are happy to be homeless Christians.

You might not believe you are sinning by being a homeless Christian, but you are being unwise and not heeding the Word on this matter.

Ephesians 5:19 
addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

Colossians 2:2 
that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ

1 Corinthians 12:12 
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.

Going to church on Sundays, attending bible studies, meeting with other women for coffee and even having them as Facebook friends has drastically improved my walk with the Lord. Before finding a church family to worship with- I had only a few areas in my life dedicated to God. Bible reading in the morning, prayer before meals and before bed. But when you are enjoying the company of other godly women and listening to biblical preaching- it's a support network, a blessing we are given from God, to help us be comforted in our Christian walk.

For those who attend with us and are not regenerated, we pray that God reaches them that day or in the future. 

And for those who are homeless Christians, we hope to instill a sense of longing. A desire to have a loving family of believers, where at least once a week we can run and seek refuge. This is not a Christian world, and while you can't 'loose your faith' once you truly have it, you will be severely limited in your growth by being a homeless Christian.

So tell me....
Were you ever a homeless (and proud) Christian like I was?
Do you have guests over, and take them to church?
How have you seen personal growth since finding a church family?

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