Forsake the Assembly? Does Online Church Violate Scripture?

by Stephanie A. Mayberry

I recently had a robust conversation with several people over the validity of online church and church deserts.

It all started with this post:

I personally found this very off-putting. It is antagonistic and off-putting. I have a plethora of concerns about believers posting this, especially without any context.

We have people who live in various places across the country as well as Canada and England who join us. They live in “church deserts,” meaning that they do not have a truth teaching, Sabbath keeping body of believers near them. There may be churches that teach Apostolic doctrine or churches that are Sabbath keeping, Torah teaching bodies, but none that teach FULL biblical truth. Attending services online is usually their only (or best) option.

At TOA we believe that we must serve people where they are. If they are not able to come to the building where we are, we go to them. If that means going to them by utilizing technology, so be it.

The verse that the original post is supposedly based on (albeit rather loosely) is Hebrews 10:25

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Hebrews 10:25

I don’t disagree with the scripture, we absolutely should be in fellowship with other believers.

I do however strongly disagree with the application. I firmly believe that we should do everything in love (1 Corinthians 16:14) and there is no part of that post that reflects love. It is snarky and unkind and could discourage people who can’t get to a physical building for whatever reason. It could also drive someone who wants truth to just go to the church that is closest to where they live instead of examining the doctrine and finding a body that lines up with what they believe.

None of those scenarios is good.

I was not the only one who was rubbed the wrong way by the abrasiveness of the post.

Some commented that it “doesn’t sound very Christ-like.”

Others mentioned that it could discourage people who can’t physically get to church and online is the only way that they can attend. And one even pointed out how illogical the post was.

The truth is, the people who attend online are still getting fed like those who are attending in person. I know that in our case, we take time at the beginning and end of service to fellowship with the people attending online. We try to foster relationships so that it encourages them to pursue a deeper, more meaningful relationship with Yehovah.

Sitting on a church pew is not the only way to gain biblical knowledge and wisdom. There are plenty of pew warmers out there that can prove it. While hearing the word taught and preached as well as reading it does increase knowledge, it can be done via virtual means with the same or better results.

“Assembly of yourselves” is a phrase that is often taken out of context. Unfortunately, it is often used as a control mechanism to compel people to be at church, sitting on that pew like a good little Christian every time the doors open.

Making people feel guilty because they can’t find a body of believers that lines up with what they believe is manipulative and abusive. If they are looking for something more than what their local churches offer, something deeper and with more substance, then they should not be shamed into attending just so they can say they filled a pew in a church building.

Some people care about what church they attend. Some people want whole Bible teaching. If there is no church around that teaches those things, what are they supposed to do?

If they were willing to go to any old church just so they could fulfill the twisted interpretation of this scripture, their attendance would be useless. There is too much reliance on a building than the Acts church was “from house to house.”

So what are they supposed to do if they do not have access to a truth teaching church? Do they just give up and not go at all? Do they just go to the church closest to their house, regardless of what is taught? Should they be shoved in a corner and denied fellowship because they don’t have a truth teaching church near them?

THIS is one of the primary reasons that my husband and I became ordained. We wanted to feed His sheep. We wanted to bring Biblical truth into church deserts and minister to the hungry. THAT is biblical.

Shaming them for not being in a building is not.

Scripture does not say “forsake not attending a church service, in a church building, wearing fancy clothes, and getting your little dose of Holy Ghost.”

No, it says forsake not the ASSEMBLING of yourselves. That single verse has been taken WAY out of context.

Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

It does not say “in a church building” or even “at church.” It just says to gather.

And it doesn’t say how.

Now I realize that there was no internet back then, so there were no virtual services, but there were people meeting in homes and that was perfectly acceptable. In fact, it was the norm.

Hungry people will feast wherever they are when offered bread. People truly hungry for a relationship with Yehovah don’t need a building to cultivate that relationship. They do it wherever they are because THAT’S where He meets them.

When you are publishing things for the general public, you have to be very careful how you word them. A few careless words can turn you into a serious stumbling block for someone who is seeking but whose only option for a truth teaching church is online. People who are seeking the truth in scripture, who are seeking God, don’t deserve to be discouraged like that. These types of things hurt people and turn them away. It kills babies.

My husband and I were without a “church” for several years because there wasn’t a church anywhere near us that taught biblical truth. In fact, that type of church is quite rare. There are not many churches that teach people how to walk as Yeshua walked (1 John 2:6) even though they may claim to. But most do not, leaving us VERY few choices.

They celebrate the pagan holidays and worse, REQUIRE members to participate regardless of their Holy Ghost convictions. They hold services on Sunday which is NOT the biblical Sabbath and actually links them to the Roman Catholic church. They belittle members who try to be obedient to Yehovah and keep HIS Sabbath and feast days JUST LIKE YESHUA DID.

We do our very best to walk as Yeshua walked and there are very few churches that actually do that.

A church family is important, but biblical truth is MORE important. It is more important to be taught how we are biblically commanded to live. If you have to drive three or four hours to get to an actual church building that teaches that, it’s going to be a little difficult to show up in person every Sabbath and during the week. Online services are the ONLY thing that makes sense in that case.

Yes, it can be fun to attend in person, but if that is the only (or best) way that you can experience the Holy Ghost, then you have a relationship problem that a church building is not going to fix.

And if you are going to that building in pursuit of that feeling, well, that’s an even bigger problem. Having a relationship with Yehovah is so much more than getting a little touch from the Holy Ghost, if you’re doing it right, it doesn’t matter where you are. It’s always right there for the taking.

My husband and I teach people how to untwist the twisted scriptures. We teach them how to truly study scripture and understand it without illogical, abusive, or inaccurate interpretations. We teach them to study to show themselves approved.

And we take the gospel to them.

If you read your Bible, you will see that Yeshua went TO the people. He did not DEMAND that the people come to Him while He remained in one place throughout His ministry.

He met them where they were.

He walked from place to place and sent His disciples to do the same. When He stopped, the people in that area would gather, but He went to them.

We are not able to travel, but we can bring people in and reach them through technology. They don’t want to sit on a pew hearing watered-down gospel and playing pattycake with Jesus.

They want WHOLE Biblical truth.

And that is what we do – what we teach.

Are you interested in online church?

Would you like to be a part of our online Sabbath services and online prayer services? Then TOA OnLIFE is for you!

We also record our services and make them accessible online via the TOA website and on our YouTube channel.

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