Posted on 07/17/2011 11:09:48 AM PDT by cubsbearsnorthwestern
Let scripture be your compass. The book of Acts wrote about the beginnings of the Christian faith. Acts discusses: how the worship, the Church leadership, how to pray, what is baptism, and what is the purpose of Jesus’ ministry. Then the letters of Paul expands upon the book of Acts. Always, look to Bible scripture as your guide, while praying to Jesus, for direction. I live in No. California known for its secular liberalism. It has permeated into the Church unfortunately. It is very difficult to find a Church here that follows only Bible scripture. My wife and I have gotten up during many services and left when we were looking for a church. Don’t be intimidated to do the same during your journey.
There’s some good advice in the responses to your post:
Pray for God’s guidance
Read the Bible
Start visiting churches
Look for a church that teaches from the Bible and believes in the basic tenets of the faith, ie,
Jesus is the Son of God
Salvation is through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins
Jesus Christ lives; He is risen from the dead
Jesus will return to earth one day
All those who have faith in Him will be resurrected from the dead in the future.
If the church teaches these things, they will probably be OK. If you sense that you are having to bend your beliefs in order to align with the pastor or leaders of the church, be cautious. There are false teachers, and if you pray for God’s guidance, He will help you to discern them.
Love must be present there. You should sense a caring spirit among the people. Not just that they are looking for a new member, but that they really care about you.
There should be opportunities for fellowship, such as Sunday School or home fellowship meetings.
The Catholic Church is the one true church. “On this rock I build my church...” were the words Jesus spoke about Peter when he was made the first Pope.
>With all due respect, I believe this was an attempt to start a religious denominational war.
>Catholics flaming Protestants, vice versa, all the while he sits back and laughs about it.
Perhaps that was his goal when posting this thread.
It would not be the first time God used someone to serve His purpose even if their motivation was not in His interest.
Grace and Peace.
IMO, anyone who has a “problem” with a “religion” or a “Church”, usually has a problem with the people that “run” it. Your faith, or lack thereof should have nothing to do with the human component. I’m Catholic, and while I’m not thrilled with everything that goes on in the hierarchy and at Mass, it does not take away from the fact that my faith has its roots and foundation there and I will NOT let “people” who think they’re in charge chase me out. To me, that’s giving up and that means you have no faith to begin with.
Use Google for local churches. Go to their websites and take long looks. Churches with good Bible study groups especially. Find one that is gender-specific. Men discussing, studying and praying together is very powerful. So for with women. If married, also look for good married couples groups.
I’m fortunate to live in an area with lots of great churches. I wish I had been more forward-thinking when I was younger, and of course, would have benefited from information available on the net. Also, the net has lots of great programs. Again, Google for local Christian stations. Look at their “program guide” . . . Listen live or online, most have their own websites. The net is a wealth of information. I love Christianity.com and Biblegateway.com Also The Uppper Room and Our Daily Bread as daily devotional sites.
For radio/internet broadcasts, I suggest PowerPoint with Pastor Jack Graham, and In Touch Ministries with Dr Charles Stanley
Good luck and God bless. You also might want to get baptized again as a born again Christian in the church of your choice.
Nah, I think he/she will get the zot quite shortly.
Please ping me when it happens.
I have to go root for the American women in World Cup Finals now.
Go Team U.S.A!
Read Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. Also, take post #2 seriously.
No it wouldn't. Point taken.
Welcome to FR. If you do not respond to comments on this thread, people will suspect that you’re a troll and just want to start trouble.
With that said, I wish you well in your search for a church. I recommend that you attend various types of churches. Most churches have websites today. Review their statements on what they believe before you attend. When you find the right one, you will know it.
Don’t get discouraged if you try several and none seem to fit. A Catholic church service is very different from nondenominational services. So you shouldn’t expect the same environment.
Many chuches today have “cell groups.” Cells are small groups of church members who meet at a member’s house to have Bible study and socialize. They have cell groups for singles, married couples, teens, and many times for a specific interest, such as those who want to study a particular subject in the Bible. I recommend that you attend a few different cell meetings where you can get to know church members in a casual setting.
“For whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13
Pray and ask the Lord for His help in this. Repent of your sins; follow Christ in baptism and ask him to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
We haven’t been “churchgoers” over the years either; but we are now, for if we Christians do not support our churches and delight in fellowshipping with each other, soon there will be a mosque on every street corner with the Muslim “call to prayer” harangueing out over loudspeakers five times a day, and imams seeking to rule us all with Sharia law.
When you are free in Christ; you are free, indeed.
Twinkie
Sorry, I meant to say take post #3 seriously.
“Welcome to FR. If you do not respond to comments on this thread, people will suspect that you’re a troll and just want to start trouble.”
I’ll second that.
Ask God for Wisdom to find the church HE wants you at! Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you.
That’ll work. Change the subject.
Twinkie
Right. Instead of discussing this with your parish priest, just go to Google to lead you to the truth. Great suggestion!
What are your specific problems with Catholicism.
I think if you would sit down and talk with a priest you would find that Catholics ARE Christians.
The entire Mass is cenetered on the Word of God — the Gospel, the words of Christ
and the Liturgy of the Eucharist — the real presence of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
What do you know about Eucharistic miracles?
Just for the record. The Catholic Church does not hold “services”. The Catholic Church celebrates Mass. :)
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