Where…
By now I hope you can see that the life I’m talking about is something that is far greater than just attending a Sunday morning service. It is a 24/7 deal! However, with that said, the choice of a church is of vital importance. Our lives are hugely affected by the people we live with – family, work, socially, etc. What we become as a Christian will be greatly affected by those we choose to join with in a local church. Here are a few things to think about when finding a church.
There are obviously many churches around. Some of them have subtle differences, some of them have not-so-subtle differences. What is important is that they worship the God That Is, and not the God that they would like to have. Practically, this means that they take God at His word. Put a simpler way, they believe that God is what He says He Is in the Bible. Most churches say that they believe the Bible, but the important thing is to test that. God says that we are all priests, so we all have access to God through His word and through prayer. We should constantly be testing what we hear by the truth that He gives us in His word.
This
said, I don’t believe that every doctrinally sound, firmly
grounded-in-the-Bible church is a good place to be. Some other key things to
look at when choosing a church…..
1.
Commitment
to living God’s purposes, as opposed to simply keeping away from evil.
2.
Christlike
character in the pastor, the leadership, and the membership – unconditional
love, gentleness, integrity, patience, peace, grace, many others.
3.
Does
the church match your personality? I don’t want to say that it is all about
you, but I don’t think it is profitable to be with people that you can’t really
relate to.
4.
Style
of worship. Does the service clear your mind of the emptiness of this world and
bring you into God’s presence? This could be about the music, the style of
preaching, the atmosphere of the church, or many other things. Again, it isn’t
that it is all about you, but God has just made tremendous diversity in His
people, and we don’t all come to Him in the same way. We all come through
Christ, but some of us come in a very logical way, while some of us come
shouting and screaming. Some of us come in both ways.