Okay John, it's time the gloves came off.
You wrote the following:
To the Editor, there is nothing wrong with Christians gathering in a building and there is nothing wrong with Christians gathering in a home. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, where ever the body of believers are is the Church of Christ. Jesus is the Head and we are the body
I never said there was anything "wrong" with Christians gathering in a home or a building. Those are your words of choice. What I said was, that something seems to happen (not positive) when you put them in rows. What I said was, fellowship was, in the first century, an intimate thing shared usually by a family or two, and any others. Alot of these folks were slaves, just how free do you think they were to trot off to a mega-church? Why do you think so many of the admonitions in Scripture about sin confession and table fellowship seem more institutional and difficult to practice in a mega-church? Its one thing to go to a handful of close friends in a home to confess your sins. It's another when an embarassed woman has to go to a man she hardly knows to bare her soul. If our contemporary paradigm about church seems to cause difficulty in practicing the intimacy of the first-century fellowship, maybe we need to re-examine our contemporary structures and not "shoe-horn" that intamcy into a church building.
By the way, you never addressed those verses or the quote from the Didache. I didn't expect you would.
but we need a pastor or a group of teachers that we know
You would "know" them if you were their close friends. I dare say, moat parishoners do not "know" their pastor. What they have done is taken the word of a group of men charged with handing out diplomas and trusted their judgment.
Lastly, The real problem is why should you and I fellowship?
I don't know that we should as we have never met. If we did meet, and you wanted to read the Bible together, I would have no objection however.
The next question is are you a Christian?
I guess you'll either take me at my word or you won't.
This all depends on your view of Jesus. If you think he was created by the Father then we cant fellowship, and it is safe to say you are not a Christian
It's safe to say you haven't read alot of history. You may be surprised at the roster of names that you have come to admire, that by your criteria you can't fellowship with.
I cant call you brother if you think Jesus is not God or a man, or the Holy Spirit is not God. This would also call into question your motivations and your salvation.
I'll ignore the "not calling me brother" line, as I have become inured to this sort of thing. But I really have to wonder about the line about my "motivations". What exactly does that mean? I am sure there are several that regularly post here who would want to know exactly how you call into question their "motives" if they do not call the Holy Spirit "God".
John, at the outset of this post I said that it was time the "glove came off", don't take this the wrong way, but here goes: I'm sure you are well-meaning. I am sure you volunteer your time in good works for the right reasons. I have no reason to doubt that you love the Lord. But you are either, a.) A young man in his twenties or, b.) one of those annoying men in his late thirties or forties that tries to be a "hip" young Christian, all heart and no mind. Either way, it's time to grow up. It's time to do some reading and study. It's time to learn about WHY many people have varied opinions. It's time to address some of these issues in an honest manner. These issues do not go away because you plug your ears and close you eyes and make noises. It's time to step out of your comfort zone. No growth comes without pain.
Regards, Brenden.