Ketsuyin
Niniva
Antiockus
The verse in Hebrews could be interpreted as a command to go to church.
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.
I would interpret this the same way as what I said above is. Assembling together doesn't have much to do with going to a set place on a set day, so much as just gathering together wherever whenever.
I'll have to disagree with that.
As far as the whole Sunday thing goes, it clearly states in the Ten commandments "Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy." Also, God rested on the seventh day, symbolic of how we should spend a day of quiet rest with Him. However, I don't believe the Jews celebrated the Sabbath on sunday, I think they did it every saturday. However, Jesus said at one point that the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath. But I'm pretty sure he was only rebuking some pharisees for being to stingy with their man-made regulations of the sabbath. Of course there is no set day on which one can have acess to God. He's always available whenever we wish to pray to Him. But still I think having a set day of worship is more effective in sheer terms of allowing poeple to gather together.
As far as a set place, temples and holy places of worship have been a christian tradition since the days of King Solomon if not before. Once again, it's not necesary to go to a church to get ahold of God, but it helps because it's a symbol.
I will go further to say that disgussing God online with a bunch of people does not equal worshipping Him. I don't think it's absolutely necesary to go to church to have a close relationship with God. However, as Paul pointed out, it's easy to stop worshipping altogether if we do it alone.
And I'll dissagree right back for a few reasons here. The first of which is the interpretation of "Keep it holy". I'm sorry I don't interpret that as setting the day aside for heading to a building on some specific hour to do what is humanly agreed is worship. That sounds a lot like work and traditionally the jews didn't work on the sabbath.
Secondly, the seventh day was not Sunday, and technically speaking the Jews of the old school didn't worship on what we now call Saturday either, I believe the original Sabbath was on what we now call Wednesday.
Fourth, tradition or not, that doesn't make it a commandment as something to do. Even Paul himself whom you referred to does state that where TWO OR MORE ARE GATHERED in my name there also is the Lord. So I take that to state anywhere....meaning down the street, in my room, in the lobby of hotel....or yes...even the internet. We refer to the internet as a place where we hang out, why is it not also fellowship or worship? Do conversations online with genuine questions not lead to some answers that you have not also had before? They do....which is worship. People issues prayers on myspace and facebook, there are email chain letters....is that not worship? There is hymns and praise and worship songs posted on youtube, are those not worship?
If nothing that is done via the internet is worship then where do we draw the line? Is it then not worship to listen to praise and worship in my car on the radio? Is it not worship to discuss God over coffee at Starbucks? Tell me how it is different.
The arguement I am posing here is that any time two or more people are gathered together in reverance seeking after God (which is how I interpret the verse) then they are having what would be refered to as church. The first churches were not at all what we have today. They were discussion forums and places where you would rotate speakers and they would answer questions based on their own beliefs. Not where a pastor got up and told you what is right and wrong or you stood and sung hymns out of a book that were written in an Irish pub in the 16th century.
I believe your definition of church to be flawed first of all, second of all we weren't discussing worship we were discussing church the two are not the same...third of all why is the internet not a viable place to have church?
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