which church should I attend?
Moderator: grand_puba
which church should I attend?
I was just wondering what kind of church of church I should go to... there's a presbyterian church a block away from my house and an episcopalian church about a mile down the road. I have attended both of them and right now I am leaning towards the presbyterian church. There is one other church in the area, the blood down the cross victory center... I went there twice with a friend of mine and they really seem a little cooky. The main problem with them is all they wanna do is run around the church like a bunch of beavers being chased by mountain lions. I'm new to this stuff and i don't know a lot about theology... I just want to find a good church to attended... I really like the way the preacher the presbyterian church teaches what seems to be the truth from the bible... one other thing... when I was at the BDTCVC I was having trouble "speaking in tounges" I asked a bishop why I had to say these crazy phrases that don't mean anything to be saved... he told me I just don't love God enough.... I'm confused...
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Who is "email"?
Who is "email"?
any one that is truly following Jesus' will, as in the Bible
This is a very good and crucial question! We actually have an article series devoted to this very question:
"Which Church Should I Attend" - http://www.insearchoftruth.org/articles/church.html
I would encourage you to meditate on the Scriptures and thoughts in those articles, introduced by the above one; however, please allow me to offer a few immediate suggestions for your urgent consideration:
The most fundamental question to ask is, "Who am I trying to please?". Are we trying to find a church that will make us happy? Or, God? Of course, God does not need our worship (Psalm 50:7-15, 23; Micah 6:6-9), but He does know what's best for us. If we find a church that follows the Bible, in deed - not just word, then it will ultimately make us happy too. ... It seems you are already thinking this way, because you are leaning toward a church that you believe uses the Bible. ... God has expressed His pattern for the church all throughout the New Testament, and it is important that we build according to the that pattern (I Corinthians 3:10-17). So, here are a few things I have learned about God's pattern for the church:
Over the years, many people have come up with many reasons to wander away from the Bible pattern. However, if you listen closely, and press them for the reasons, eventually you will find that many churches ultimately operate based on what makes sense to them, or what drives up attendance. However, God's "true worshipers" ultimately "walk by faith" (John 4:20-24; II Corinthians 5:7). That means they do what God says, even when it does not make sense to them. That is what trust is! If we only obey God where it makes sense to us, then who are we really worshiping? Not God!
I hope this introduction helps! Feel free to pass along this note to anyone else, let them challenge it if they wish, and then bring their responses back to me. I would be glad to answer any questions and diffuse any doubts.
To answer your question, I would not attend any of the churches you mentioned. For starters, I would not attend any Presbyterian church, because I believe their creed is contrary to Scripture (supports Calvinism), and you will be required to believe it to attend. I would not attend any Episcopalian church, because they are primarily social institutions, who have abandoned the inspiration of the Scriptures and anything taught therein. They have embraced homosexuality and women preachers, both of which are contrary to Scripture, but they have rationalized away those concerns some time ago (Romans 1:22-27; I Corinthians 6:9-11; I Corinthians 14:34-35; I Timothy 2:11-14). I would not attend any "charismatic" church (like the BDTCVC) for the very reasons you mentioned. They emphasize emotional worship, mistaking emotions for spirituality. Furthermore, they require miraculous tongue-speaking, which was used in the first century, but ceased near the close of that century, shortly after Jesus was sacrificed on the cross (I Corinthians 13:8-10; Zechariah 13:1-6; Daniel 9:24). What is left today is a people who try whip themselves up into a froth, and mistake their emotional, ecstatic babbling for miraculous speaking in a foreign language. Just compare their modern practice with the regulations for the ancient practice: Do they look like New Testament churches (do not speak in tongue unless interpreter present; no women speakers; only one at a time; no more than 3 in a single service; and emphasize orderliness, not chaos - I Corinthians 14:26-40)? Or, do they produce visitors who believe they are mad, which Paul condemned in the Corinthians church (I Corinthians 14:22-25)?
BTW, many New Testament saints could not speak in foreign languages (tongues), yet they were not condemned (I Corinthians 12:28-30)! In fact Paul said it was the lesser of the miraculous gifts, and they were to desire other gifts instead!!! After all that, he said true love was better than all the miraculous gifts (I Corinthians 12:28-13:3)! So, I would not attend "charismatic" churches who require pseudo-tongue-speaking, because they are fooling themselves, they don't do it right, and they are heretically requiring it for salvation, which the apostles never did!
So, which one do I attend? One that does everything in its power to look just like the New Testament church. For starters, we at least use one of the names used in Scripture (Romans 16:16), which emphasize the owner, Savior, and Lord of the church (Ephesians 5:23). It's not the only Scriptural name, and just because some get a name right, you should not assume that they got everything else right - but, it's a start.
One last piece of advice - you should love truth above all else! God has warned us that if we do not want to do His will, we will be able to find a reason to do what we want, even thought it will be a lie (II Thessalonians 2:9-12). Just because somebody quotes Scripture and gives a reason, that does not make it right (Matthew 4:5-7). You must test it for honesty, uniformity, and consistency with Scriptures (I John 4:1-6; I Thessalonians 5:21; Revelation 2:2). If the Bereans were commended for testing the inspired words of Paul against Scripture, shouldn't we do the same for our error-prone brethren (Acts 17:11)? If some preacher or teacher does not expect or appreciate you doing that - well, that should be a clue too (I Peter 3:15).
I pray this letter helps. May God help us both to have a sincere love of truth above all else!
"Which Church Should I Attend" - http://www.insearchoftruth.org/articles/church.html
I would encourage you to meditate on the Scriptures and thoughts in those articles, introduced by the above one; however, please allow me to offer a few immediate suggestions for your urgent consideration:
The most fundamental question to ask is, "Who am I trying to please?". Are we trying to find a church that will make us happy? Or, God? Of course, God does not need our worship (Psalm 50:7-15, 23; Micah 6:6-9), but He does know what's best for us. If we find a church that follows the Bible, in deed - not just word, then it will ultimately make us happy too. ... It seems you are already thinking this way, because you are leaning toward a church that you believe uses the Bible. ... God has expressed His pattern for the church all throughout the New Testament, and it is important that we build according to the that pattern (I Corinthians 3:10-17). So, here are a few things I have learned about God's pattern for the church:
- A church should have a Scriptural name (I Corinthians 1:10-13; Romans 16:16 - http://www.insearchoftruth.org/articles ... hurch.html ). Do either of the 3 churches have a name used to recognize Jesus as the head of the church? Or, do their names glorify a peculiar doctrine, tradition, or person that makes them stand out from the rest? Does their name promote differences rather than unity?
- A church should teach the truth about salvation (I Timothy 3:15; Philippians 4:14-18). Do either of these 3 churches teach belief, repentance, confession and baptism as critical components of salvation (Hebrews 11:6; Romans 10:10-11; Acts 2:37-38; Romans 6:1-6; I Peter 3:21)? Or, do they teach human creeds? Presbyterian churches are the source of Calvinism, which is a heinous false doctrine that is diametrically opposed to the truth in the Bible. We have a concise article series refuting this heresy beginning here:
An Introduction to Calvinism - http://www.insearchoftruth.org/articles/calvinism.html
Briefly, Calvin proposed that man has no free will. God makes all the choices so as to maximize His own glory. He even determined who would be saved and who would be lost, independent of their own will and actions. He taught that all of mankind was condemned by Adam's sin. This is contrary to the nature of God described in the Bible, which is fair, just, and loving. Although it is unreasonable to expect us to understand everything God does, God made a special point of highlighting His justice and love in His plan of salvation (Romans 3:23-26; I John 4:6-10); therefore, we should expect any teaching regarding salvation, especially concerning who can be saved, to illustrate the pinnacle of fairness, such as God promised (Ezekiel 18:20-32). - A church should worship as God has proscribed - both "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:20-24; Colossians 3:17). Do these churches limit themselves to singing as did the New Testament church, or do they use instrumental music (Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:18-19 - http://www.insearchoftruth.org/articles/music.html )? Do they partake in the memorial supper, the Lord's Supper every first day of the week (Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 11:17-34 - http://www.insearchoftruth.org/articles ... upper.html )? Does their worship service focus on entertainment or study of God's Word (Acts 17:10-12; Acts 20:7; II Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17)? Do they use the gospel to motivate people or pop-psychology (I Corinthians 2:1-5)? Do they offer self-help groups or prayer (Acts 2:42)?
- A church's mission should be to spread the gospel, help its membership grow spiritually, and provide for the benevolent needs of the saints (Ephesians 4:11-12). Are these spiritual institutions focused on the Lord's work, or are they primarily social institutions providing baby-sitting services, sports leagues, hospitals, etc with some spiritual food on the side. (I Timothy 4:8; I Corinthians 11:20-22, 34; Matthew 8:18-22 - http://www.insearchoftruth.org/articles ... hurch.html )? Do they use the gospel to draw people, or do they get them in the door through some carnal service and try to slip the gospel on them once they are in the building, also known as "bait and switch" (Romans 1:16)?
Over the years, many people have come up with many reasons to wander away from the Bible pattern. However, if you listen closely, and press them for the reasons, eventually you will find that many churches ultimately operate based on what makes sense to them, or what drives up attendance. However, God's "true worshipers" ultimately "walk by faith" (John 4:20-24; II Corinthians 5:7). That means they do what God says, even when it does not make sense to them. That is what trust is! If we only obey God where it makes sense to us, then who are we really worshiping? Not God!
I hope this introduction helps! Feel free to pass along this note to anyone else, let them challenge it if they wish, and then bring their responses back to me. I would be glad to answer any questions and diffuse any doubts.
To answer your question, I would not attend any of the churches you mentioned.
For starters, I would not attend any Presbyterian church, because I believe their creed is contrary to Scripture (supports Calvinism), and you will be required to believe it to attend. I would not attend any Episcopalian church, because they are primarily social institutions, who have abandoned the inspiration of the Scriptures and anything taught therein. They have embraced homosexuality and women preachers, both of which are contrary to Scripture, but they have rationalized away those concerns some time ago (Romans 1:22-27; I Corinthians 6:9-11; I Corinthians 14:34-35; I Timothy 2:11-14). I would not attend any "charismatic" church (like the BDTCVC) for the very reasons you mentioned. They emphasize emotional worship, mistaking emotions for spirituality. Furthermore, they require miraculous tongue-speaking, which was used in the first century, but ceased near the close of that century, shortly after Jesus was sacrificed on the cross (I Corinthians 13:8-10; Zechariah 13:1-6; Daniel 9:24). What is left today is a people who try whip themselves up into a froth, and mistake their emotional, ecstatic babbling for miraculous speaking in a foreign language. Just compare their modern practice with the regulations for the ancient practice: Do they look like New Testament churches (do not speak in tongue unless interpreter present; no women speakers; only one at a time; no more than 3 in a single service; and emphasize orderliness, not chaos - I Corinthians 14:26-40)? Or, do they produce visitors who believe they are mad, which Paul condemned in the Corinthians church (I Corinthians 14:22-25)? BTW, many New Testament saints could not speak in foreign languages (tongues), yet they were not condemned (I Corinthians 12:28-30)! In fact Paul said it was the lesser of the miraculous gifts, and they were to desire other gifts instead!!! After all that, he said true love was better than all the miraculous gifts (I Corinthians 12:28-13:3)! So, I would not attend "charismatic" churches who require pseudo-tongue-speaking, because they are fooling themselves, they don't do it right, and they are heretically requiring it for salvation, which the apostles never did!
So, which one do I attend? One that does everything in its power to look just like the New Testament church. For starters, we at least use one of the names used in Scripture (Romans 16:16), which emphasize the owner, Savior, and Lord of the church (Ephesians 5:23). It's not the only Scriptural name, and just because some get a name right, you should not assume that they got everything else right - but, it's a start.
One last piece of advice - you should love truth above all else! God has warned us that if we do not want to do His will, we will be able to find a reason to do what we want, even thought it will be a lie (II Thessalonians 2:9-12). Just because somebody quotes Scripture and gives a reason, that does not make it right (Matthew 4:5-7). You must test it for honesty, uniformity, and consistency with Scriptures (I John 4:1-6; I Thessalonians 5:21; Revelation 2:2). If the Bereans were commended for testing the inspired words of Paul against Scripture, shouldn't we do the same for our error-prone brethren (Acts 17:11)? If some preacher or teacher does not expect or appreciate you doing that - well, that should be a clue too (I Peter 3:15).
I pray this letter helps. May God help us both to have a sincere love of truth above all else!