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## jw (Dec 27, 2011)

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## jwithnell (Dec 27, 2011)

This makes me feel a little less out of the Twilight Zone with my perception that the word preached in public worship is so much more efficacious. 

Perhaps because of excellent teaching early in my walk with Christ, I have had a love for public worship. Quite frankly, the struggle for me is the other way around. We almost never travel over Sunday to avoid missing worship with our congregation, but the times of private worship ebb and flow. And it seems that the two circle each other: if public worship lacks, we have no want for private worship. If little private worship, our (OK, my) heart is just not tuned to God on Sunday.



> Public worship is more edifying than private, ergo, &c. In private you provide for your own good, but in public you do good both to yourselves and others.


 If I may be perhaps out of place here, I would have serious problems with this statement. Spiritual warfare, that pleading before God for others in the congregation, is a 7-day a week engagement. Seeing God's word lived out in front of us, comes in our caring for each other in our every day lives.

Whatever my musings, this piece certainly shreds the "I'll just worship God privately" mode that has become so popular in our day and age.


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## Rev. Todd Ruddell (Dec 27, 2011)

Dear Sister, 

I believe the preacher has in mind the good that we do by way of example and encouragement to others, as we take our place early, preparing our hearts, praying for the community as a whole, and in sincerely taking part in all of the service. I believe we do not take seriously enough the discouragement poor participation, or unnecessary absence is to the assembly as a whole.


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## jwithnell (Dec 27, 2011)

I may well have been reading too fast. Thanks.


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## KMK (Dec 27, 2011)

Sent to my kindle for easier reading...

Thanks, Joshua!


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## Scott1 (Dec 28, 2011)

While not worshipping individually or in a family is a necessary attribute of the Christian life in its own right, one of the diificulties with not engaging in corporate (public) worship is that it is a way of denying Christ's Body.

He chose the elect and adopted every one into His Body, and to live apart from that reality is serious.

Not only does one "not in fellowship" (not going to church), deny that important truth, but is likely not tithing, not taking the Lord's Supper, not serving His people, not keeping the priority of Lord's Day worship (fourth commandment), and not receiving the authoritative teaching of the Word of God.

So people who are not committed and accountable to a local body of believers are really walking a disorderly life pattern as believers. 

That can also be true for people who make a pattern of church hopping, looking for pefection that they do not demand of themselves.

That needs to be repented of, and restitution made by first changing the underlying attitude- a casualness toward Christ's Body, and really toward Christ Himself.


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