A Conversation at the Checkout Counter
đź›’ A Chance Encounter
On August 29th, 2025, I went to a mall for something routine. I didn’t expect a conversation at the checkout counter to turn into a reflection on one of the most important questions a Christian can wrestle with.
The cashier’s name was Abigail. She had a warm presence. As she scanned my items, I asked her name, and when she told me, I said, “Abigail? That name is in the Bible. I hope you’re a proper Christian.”
She smiled but paused. She looked up from the terminal, her eyes full of hesitation. After a beat, she finally said, “Yes. I am.”
I followed with another question. “Are you a man?”
She laughed. “No!”
I pointed out the difference. “See how quickly you answered that? No hesitation. But when I asked about your faith, you weren’t sure.”
Then she asked me the question that inspired this entire piece:
“I don’t go to church. Am I still a Christian?”
The line was growing. I couldn’t say much more, so I gave her my number. But this blog post is my full answer.
đź“– What Makes You a Christian
Let’s start here. You don’t become a Christian by sitting in a church.
You become a Christian by receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
That happens in the heart, not the pew.
So yes, you can still be a Christian even if you’re not attending church — but only if your faith is real, alive, and personal.
Church attendance is not the root. It’s the fruit.
🏠What Church Is (And Is Not)
Church is not a club for the perfect. It is not a Sunday show. It is not a spiritual vending machine.
Church is a God-ordained environment where believers grow, serve, and sharpen one another.
And no — it’s not only for people who already believe. Many hear the gospel, come to Christ, and are discipled in church gatherings. The church is a place where both believers and seekers are welcomed.
So let’s be clear. The Church is not irrelevant.
🧒 Samuel: A Child Raised in Church
Take Samuel for example. One of the most important prophets in the Old Testament.
He was brought to the temple at around the age of four. He was raised in the congregational system. He learned how to hear the voice of God while lying near the Ark of the Covenant in a communal worship setting.
1 Samuel 3 tells us that it was in that environment — the “house of the Lord” — that God called Samuel by name.
So yes, the church system matters. Many great men and women of God were formed in that environment.
đź’¬ But Still, the Question Stands
Abigail’s question wasn’t really about attendance.
She was asking something deeper.
Can I still belong to God even when I’m disconnected from the system?
And the answer is: Yes. If your relationship with God is real.
Because the Church cannot replace your personal walk with Jesus.
🧮 Faith Must Be Personal
Scripture is full of personal instructions that have nothing to do with where you sit on Sunday:
Philippians 2:12-13 — “Work out your own salvation… for it is God who works in you.”
2 Timothy 2:15 — “Study to show yourself approved unto God…”
These aren’t group assignments. They are calls to personal responsibility.
🌍 Daniel: Faith Without a Temple
Daniel lived in exile. No temple. No church. No worship service. Yet he lived faithfully before God.
Daniel 1:8 — He made a personal decision not to defile himself.
Daniel 6:10 — He prayed three times a day, publicly and consistently.
Daniel 9 — He fasted and studied scripture.
Daniel 3:16-18 — His friends defied a king rather than betray their God.
They had no congregation. But they had conviction. And that was enough to carry the fire of God.
🎯 Not All Isolation is Consecration
Let me speak directly to those who have made a point of avoiding church entirely:
Yes, consecration sometimes calls you into solitude.
Jesus withdrew often. Elijah hid by the brook. John the Baptist lived in the wilderness. There are seasons when God calls you apart — to strip distractions, to forge character, to speak privately.
But not all isolation is consecration.
When separation is from God, it sanctifies.
When it’s from pride, offense, or fear, it isolates — and isolation makes you vulnerable.
Think of how wild animals hunt. They don’t attack the herd. They wait until one strays — tired, wounded, self-assured, or bitter.
That’s how the enemy works. He isolates to strike.
If your separation is Spirit-led, follow through. But if your isolation is self-imposed and sustained by your ego or wounds, then it’s not sanctification — it’s exposure.
Even lions avoid herds for a reason.
đź“™ Discipleship Is Part of Intimacy
Let’s also remember this:
Jeremiah 3:15 — “And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.”
God never designed intimacy to be without instruction. He raises shepherds — true ones, after His own heart — to feed His people with truth and understanding.
Intimacy with God doesn’t eliminate discipleship. It demands it.
A mature relationship with God will always draw you toward being taught, shaped, and held accountable. That might happen through a pastor, a mentor, a small group, or even a virtual fellowship. But it will happen.
Discipleship is not control.
It is God’s way of feeding you.
If your intimacy with God never leads to submission, teaching, or spiritual accountability, it may not be intimacy — it may just be spiritual independence.
Real intimacy makes you teachable.
Real devotion leads to structure.
Spiritual maturity requires input.
🧕 Psalm 23: The Shepherd of the Individual
Don’t forget that Psalm 23 is written in the first person:
“The Lord is my Shepherd… He leads me… He restores my soul…”
It’s not a group declaration. It’s the voice of one soul walking with God.
🧠The Sons of Sceva: Borrowed Faith Doesn’t Work
In Acts 19, some men tried to cast out demons using the name of Jesus — the one Paul preached.
The demon replied, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know… but who are you?”
They had no relationship with Christ. Only religion.
And they got humiliated because of it.
🤝 The Church Still Matters Deeply
Let’s return to the bigger picture.
Hebrews 10:25 — “Do not forsake assembling together…”
Yes, the church still matters. Yes, it is a vital part of the Christian life. Yes, we grow faster and stronger in community.
But the building is not the foundation. Christ is.
So if you’ve drifted, start with God. Let Him bring you into the right house.
💖 To Abigail — and to Everyone Wondering
Yes. You can be a Christian if you don’t currently go to church.
But not without God. Not without pursuit. Not without surrender.
The Church doesn’t make you a Christian.
But the Christian needs the Church.
Just not before they need Jesus.
🔥 Final Thought: A Christian Alone Is Still a Christian… But Not for Long
Fire burns hotter in company.
If you’re walking with God in a season of solitude, keep walking.
But don’t stay disconnected. Don’t confuse hurt with holiness.
Let God lead you home — to His presence, and to His people.
Because you didn’t become His in a pew.
You became His in your heart.
Now live like it. And never stop growing.
🖍️ Author
Adade — A Man of The Word
Seeker of Divine Truth
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