Is Church Hopping Good or Bad?

This is actually my view and experience on this as I am not BOUND to a specific church and feel leary of churches who force us to stay and are frowned upon if we do not commit to them and a service-BOTTOM LINE-FOLLOW the HOLY SPIRIT,for we are being led for a purpose and serve GOD only.

Church hopping' as we would understand it (going around to different church buildings or attending more than one but without 'commitment' to any one church building) was the usual practice of the early church!

Though they frequently met in different locations (like riversides, houses, synagogues and the Temple), they all remained connected to the church body at large. They were meeting in different locations to fellowship with other believers, to preach to a wider audience, etc. Church hopping made them more connected to the body of Christ at large, not less.

In Acts 2 we are given a couple examples of meeting styles. In verse one, they are "all together in one place" (Acts 2:1-41). These were followers of Christ, Jews, and gentile converts to Judaism, gathered to celebrate Pentecost. About 3,000 people were baptized - that's a large church service!

Yet, in verse 46 we see the practice of the church (same people!) meeting from house to house and also in the temple courts. These houses were not large enough to encompass the entirety of the local church in Jerusalem, though the temple courts were. (Acts 2:12-47, Acts 5:41-42) They met as smaller groups of believer and as a larger group of believers. House churches were very common, though usually the local believers of a city also had contact with each other.

[In fact, 'church' isn't even a word used in the NT. Rather, the term is "assembly" (ecclesia), and refers to both the one Church, and to any assembly of believers (two or more, any location!). Our english word 'church' comes from the greek 'Kyriakos' - "belonging to the Lord", which is also an apt description. Unfortunately, it tends to be used as a label for whatever building the church is meeting in].

In the modern church, it is harder to keep the practice of meeting house to house due to various fractured denominations, lack of home churches, almost nonexistent fellowship of christians outside of 'going to church', etc. As such, whether or not church hopping is encouraged or discouraged will depend on several factors:

#1 Connection with the larger body of Christ

Is church hopping isolating you/your family from the Church at large, or is it connecting you to a larger spiritual body?

#2 Depth of fellowship

Are you taking time to form deep relationships of fellowship and accountability, or is church hopping keeping you from worshiping with and getting to know other Christians at any level of depth? Do you find one church building or several to result in greater participation together in the work of Christ? (Heb 10:24-25)

#3 Motive

Are you church hopping because no church building is perfect and so you keep hoping for better [bad reason], or church hopping because every building has various strengths/weaknesses that help round out your spiritual life [good reason]? Are you church hopping because you are afraid of setting roots [bad reason], or are you church hopping because one building alone is stifling spiritual growth [good reason], etc.

#4 Spiritual gifts

Is church hopping making it difficult to find a ministry where one can use your/your family's spiritual gifts? Conversely, is church hopping making it easier by the larger selection or different slant of ministries?

#5 Learning

Are you church hopping because you want to better learn and discern the word by experiencing different teachers, styles, gifts [good reason], or are you church hopping until you find an entertaining preacher who's to your liking [bad reason].

#6 Contribution

Are you contributing to the edification and ministry of the Church at large? (time, talent, resources, spiritual gifts, etc) Or, are you hoping to avoid giving time, talent, or resource to anyone?

# 7 Unity

Does attendance at multiple locations promote or discourage unity with the church at large? (Eph 4:1-6)

# 8 Function

A lesser matter, but a simple analysis of which is more convenient (such as, if you live/work in two different states or travel frequently).

Article written by Jennifer Rothnie

Getting weary and losing joy as you wait for your prayers and hearts desires being answered and come to pass?

This was so wonderful and informative and gives insight to prayer and waiting for them to come to pass.. i wanted to share this with you all.

"For all the PROMISES of GOD in HIM(Christ Jesus) are Yea, and in Him Amen,unto the Glory of God by us"2corinthians 1;20

by Katie Stewart

Preface

Negative answers to prayer will never be given by the LORD-- IF His Conditions are met. The LORD can answer in a way that results differently than we had expected, but He will never answer with a "No," if we pray His Way. He can answer with a "wait", as in, "Therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you" (Isaiah 30:18), or He can answer with "be patient", as in, "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the Coming of the LORD" (James 5:7). He can give an answer that is better than what you had expected, as in, "Him that is able to do Exceeding Abundantly Above All that we ask or think, according to the Power that worketh in us" (Ephesians 3:20). But be joyful and confident in this Great Affirmation, that "ALL the Promises of God in Him [Christ Jesus] are Yea, and in Him [Christ Jesus] Amen, unto the Glory of God by us" (2 Corinthians 1:20). Every claim in faith upon every Promise of God results with a "Yes!" answer.

Conditions for Receiving "Yes" Answers

There are conditions, of course, as there ALWAYS are with God (i.e., "IF ye abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" [John 15:7]), but remember that "God is Faithful" (1Corinthians 10:13). Meet Him on His Holy Ground and you WILL be answered. "IF any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a Reward" (1Corinthians 3:14). Knowing God's Conditions for answered prayer means knowing God Himself. "Then shall we know, IF we follow on to know the LORD" (Hosea 6:3). We must "follow" to "know".

"These things saith The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, The Beginning of the Creation of God"(Revelation 3:14). Basically, "Yea" and "Amen" answers come if:

1. the petitioner is "in Christ Jesus".

[Note: If you, the reader, are not a Christian, please consider the pleas made on our "Topical Links On Salvation" ---New Window, that the Life and Joy in Him becomes your inheritance. "Thou wilt show me the Path of Life: in Thy Presence is fulness of Joy; at Thy Right Hand there are Pleasures for Evermore" (Psalm 16:11). "Thou hast made known to me the ways of Life; Thou shalt make me full of joy with Thy Countenance" (Acts 2:28).]

2. the prayer comes in the Authority of the Name of Jesus Christ (i.e., "Whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" [John 14:13]). And

3. the petitioner has, in faith, based the expectation of receiving solely upon the LORD's fulfilling His Promise (i.e., "I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me" [Acts 27:25]).

[Note: Please read "According to Your Faith" ---New Window, to find that "Faith is inescapably tied to the Promises." And that in answering, "What is the Prayer of Faith?" ---New Window, "an affirmative nod from Above" comes only by faith.]

When the Conditions are met, the Father in Heaven will NEVER say "No," to His child. He may say, "Wait." He may say, "Here's more than you expected." The answer may not be in the form you expected, but the Promises will ALWAYS reap "Yea" and "Amen" answers, if prayed in faith.

• (Matthew 7:7-8,11) "7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened... 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good things to them that ask Him?"
• (Romans 8:32) "He [the Father] that spared not His Own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"
• (Psalm 84:11) "For the LORD God is a Sun and Shield: the LORD will give Grace and Glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly."
• (1John 5:14-15) "14 And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His Will [which couldn't be known without faith], He heareth us: 15 and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him."

Wait

When the Omniscient LORD waits to answer us, rest assured in Him that there are good reasons. "And therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of Judgment: Blessed are all they that wait for Him" (Isaiah 30:18). What are some of these blessings?

1. Waiting for the LORD causes us to have an intense focus upon Him, with eyes "glued" to Him, say, for example, as our pet friends do in the dog world, when they know it is time for us to feed them. "Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters... so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that He have mercy upon us" (Psalm 123:2).

2. Waiting for the LORD causes us to realize that He is All Sufficient. "3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God... 12:9 And He said unto me, My Grace is sufficient for thee" (2Corinthians 3:5; 12:9). The LORD God is the Sum Total of all our necessity in life. "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him" (Psalm 62:5). "That God may be All In All" (1Corinthians 15:28).

3. Waiting for the LORD causes us to grow strong in faith and Christian character. "They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31). Waiting is an exercise that strengthens a faithful heart and is therefore able to conquer doubt with courage. "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD" (Psalm 27:14).

4. Waiting for the LORD causes us to be encouraged by His Word. "I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in His Word do I hope" (Psalm 130:5). "My soul fainteth for Thy Salvation: but I hope in Thy Word" (Psalm 119:81).

5. Waiting for the LORD causes us to rest, to be without anxiety. "7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass... 9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the Earth... 34 Wait on the LORD, and keep His Way, and He shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it" (Psalm 37:7,9,34).

6. Waiting for the LORD causes us to look for His Return. "I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth His Face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for Him" (Isaiah 8:17). "And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His Salvation." (25:9). "For the Vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry" (Habakkuk 2:3).

7. Waiting for the LORD's Coming causes us to desire His Judgments. "Yea, in the Way of Thy Judgments, O LORD, have we waited for Thee; the desire of our soul is to Thy Name, and to the remembrance of Thee" (Isaiah 26:8). "Therefore wait ye upon Me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for My Determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them Mine Indignation, even all My Fierce Anger: for all the Earth shall be devoured with the fire of My Jealousy" (Zephaniah 3:8).

8. Waiting for the LORD causes us to have a confident bond in Him as our Answer that results in a Salvation which lasts Forever. "Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my Salvation: my God will hear me" (Micah 7:7). Salvation from our day-to-day trials by the Promises are the stepping stones that lead to our total Salvation from this Earth. "It is GOOD that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the Salvation of the LORD" (Lamentations 3:26). The LORD is Good, and His Answer is Good. "The LORD is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him" (Lamentations 3:25).

Above Expectation

When the Omniscient LORD gives us more than we asked, rest assured in Him that there are good reasons. "Unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above ALL that we ask or think, according to the Power that worketh in us" (Ephesians 3:20). [Please read "Exceeding Great and Precious Promises" ---New Window.] What are some of these blessings?

1. Receiving more than we asked from the LORD causes us to experience His Great Power, the Person of the Holy Spirit. "And what is the Exceeding Greatness of His Power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His Mighty Power" (Ephesians 1:19). "Whereunto I also labour, striving according to His Working, which worketh in me mightily" (Colossians 1:29).

2. Receiving more than we asked from the LORD causes us to realize His Generosity. "I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour" (1Kings 3:13). "I am come that they might have Life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).

3. Receiving more than we asked from the LORD causes Faith in us to have His Grace (or, Help) in abundance. "And the Grace of our LORD was exceeding abundant with Faith and Love which is in Christ Jesus" (1Timothy 1:14).

4. Receiving more than we asked from the LORD causes us to see His Love revealed Supernaturally. "As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the Deep Things of God" (1Corinthians 2:9-10).

5. Receiving more than we asked from the LORD causes us to know His "Ableness". "And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was Able also to perform" (Romans 4:21). "The LORD is Able to give thee much more than this" (2Chronicles 25:9). "Wherefore He is Able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him [Jesus], seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).

6. Receiving more than we asked from the LORD causes us to receive more of the LORD. "The LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, Merciful and Gracious, Longsuffering, and abundant in Goodness and Truth" (Exodus 34:6).

Conclusion

Humanly speaking, we affirm something is true, or is not true, saying that this or that may happen, or may not happen. "Do I [the Apostle Paul] purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay [yes, yes, and no, no]?" (2Corinthians 1:17). But Spiritually speaking, that is, applying the Principles and Promises of God's Word to any given situation led of the Spirit to address, we must adamantly affirm, "Yes! Only God states Absolute Truth. This WILL happen!" "As God is True, our Word toward you was not yea and nay" (1:18). Why? Because Jesus,Who is our "Yea" and our "Amen", secures ONLY "Yea [Yes]" and "Amen [Verily, Truly]" answers to our faith. "19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Who was preached among you by us, even by me [Paul] and Silvanus and Timotheus, was NOT yea and nay [yes and no], but in Him was YEA. 20 For ALL the Promises of God in Him are Yea [Yes], and in Him Amen [Verily, Truly], unto the Glory of God by us" (1:19-20). It is this very fact that allows the LORD the liberty to offer freely His Blank Check Promises-- with strings attached, most certainly-- but none the less LIMITLESS.

• (1John 3:22) "And WHATSOEVER we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His Commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight."
• (Matthew 21:22) "And ALL things, WHATSOEVER ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."
• (Mark 11:24) "Therefore I say unto you, WHAT THINGS SOEVER ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."
• (John 14:13) "And WHATSOEVER ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
• (John 16:23-24) "23 Verily, verily, I say unto you, WHATSOEVER ye shall ask the Father in My Name, He will give it you. 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My Name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."

He Whose "Name is called The Word of God" (Revelation 19:13), offers Himself to us as our "Portion", for "Thou art my Portion, O LORD: I have said that I would keep Thy Words" (Psalm 119:57). He is All We Need, and rightly so, for "Thou art worthy, O LORD, to receive Glory and Honour and Power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy Pleasure they are and were created" (Revelation 4:11). What is a wonder to understand, is how can such worms, as we most certainly are, give the purest of pleasure to the Ultimate Person, "the LORD most High... a Great King over ALL the Earth" (Psalm 47:2)? We can, and do give Him pleasure, "for the LORD'S portion is His people" (Deuteronomy 32:9), when we OBEY Him. "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His Commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight" (1John 3:22).

"Now I say that
Jesus Christ was a Minister... for the Truth of God,
to confirm the Promises made...
Jesus Christ The Same yesterday, and to day, and for ever"
(Romans 15:8; Hebrews 13:8).