What to look for in a church: - Catholic Excuses - Dialogue and Discussion - EX-CATHOLIC and saved by grace - Message Board - Yuku

RSS
Email

0 Kudo

<< Previous Topic Next Topic >>

What to look for in a church:

Author	Comment
Sid	What to look for in a church:	Lead	[-]
Posts: 6322 (07/02/04 09:25 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Tags : None This article is solid food for thought: *Quote:* The purpose of this article is to provide some practical suggestions for finding a Bible Teaching church, whether you are new to an area or trying to help a friend or relative find a church. The following are some suggestions: In this discussion we expect that the churches being considered are: Evangelical (believe the Gospel of grace for salvation) . Bible believing (believe that the Scrip-tures are inerrant and sufficient for believers). What to Look for in a Church
Loose Nut	Re: When should a person leave a church?	#1	[-]
Posts: 140 (07/26/04 08:30 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	We have had people leave our church because they don't like the more modern music, like praise. For every one that leaves more than 10 replace them. I may not like the music as much as the old hymns, but I don't go just for the music. The teaching here is tops, and has not been watered down! People learn the bible here and that is what it is all about. Reaching people for Christ, and learning to be more like him! Loose Nut
Sid	When should a person leave a church?	#2	[-]
Posts: 6322 (10/23/04 10:02 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	*Quote:* Americans should not condescend to the troubled Catholic Church. The nation and the religion are enshrouded in the same moral fog. For years, Catholics - both bishops and laity equally at the mercy of a corrupt clericalism - looked the other way while pathological priests abused children. Now some would like to restrict blame to the cowardly leaders, fire them, and get back to normal. But what if ''normal'' is the problem? What if the entire system of church triumphalism (sex-hating, woman-hating, power-mad) must be dismantled? Thank You, Philip Berrigan When everyone agrees, somebody is not thinking. --Gen. George S. Patton
Sid	Finding A Church	#3	[-]
Posts: 6322 (10/31/04 09:19 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	*Quote:* The most essential issue is this: Is this a place where God and his revelation in Christ's person and work is clearly declared, and where people are serious about growing in Christ through Word, sacrament, prayer, evangelism, and missions? Is this a place where my children will be trained in addition to the instruction they will receive in the home? Will they grow up hearing the Gospel? Finding A Church by Michael Horton When everyone agrees, somebody is not thinking. --Gen. George S. Patton
Sid2	When should a person leave a church?	#4	[-]
Posts: 21862 (05/01/06 07:01 AM) Inner Guard Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	*Quote:* Leaving a church is not something that should be done lightly. Too many people abandon churches for petty reasons. Disagreements over simple matters of preference are never a good reason to withdraw from a sound, Bible-believing church. Christians are commanded to respect, honor, and obey those whom God has placed in positions of leadership in the church (Heb.13:7, 17). However, there are times when it becomes necessary to leave a church for the sake of one's own conscience, or out of a duty to obey God rather than men. Such circumstances would include: If heresy on some fundamental truth is being taught from the pulpit (Gal. 1:7-9). If the leaders of the church tolerate seriously errant doctrine from any who are given teaching authority in the fellowship (Rom. 16:17). If the church is characterized by a wanton disregard for Scrip-ture, such as a refusal to discipline members who are sinning blatantly (1 Cor. 5:1-7). If unholy living is tolerated in the church (1 Cor. 5:9-11). If the church is seriously out of step with the biblical pattern for the church (2 Thess. 3:6, 14). If the church is marked by gross hypocrisy, giving lip service to biblical Christianity but refusing to acknowledge its true power (2 Tim. 3:5). When should a person leave a church? I would rather be honestly blunt than diplomatically untruthful.
Sid2	Picking a Good Church	#5	[-]
Posts: 20534 (06/18/09 07:11 AM) Inner Guard Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Picking a Good Church The question arises, How can I pick a good church? This can be hard, especially in rural areas (or many countries) where the selection is limited or absent. Here are a few guidelines. • No church is perfect. Christians are just sinners saved by grace. • The atmosphere should be accepting and nurturing. Love and positive relationships should be present and promoted. People need to be friendly toward you. • The Bible should be taken seriously, and preached faithfully. They need to live by faith. • The people should believe and practice prayer, and genuine worship. • The primary focus needs to be on spiritual things, with Christ at the center. • The church needs to have a reputation of helping the community - of being good neighbors. • The church should be serious about evangelism and missions. • The church must be geared to meet the needs of the people. • The church should believe and teach the traditional, essential doctrine and morality of the Christian church. • The church should be organized to provide avenues of Christian service. As the old adage goes regarding people coming into church, "Use 'em or lose 'em." More . . . I would rather be honestly blunt than diplomatically untruthful.
Gods Trombone	FRom the above link	#6	[-]
Posts: 4503 (06/22/09 10:46 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Bible teaching about mastering Christian theology and Bible commentary is very important in living a successful life. Why? The world around us swirls with a gaggle of voices and opinions, like a dust storm in Kansas, or a hurricane in the Philippines. We get confused - at least I do. When crisis looms, or decisions have to be made, where do we turn? We all want to be successful, but how do we define success? I agree with the above but would like to have it include the condition that the church needs to recognize that Paul had a "dispensation of the grace of God" that he revealed in his letters.
Sid2	How do I go about finding a good church?	#7	[-]
Posts: 21853 (11/08/09 08:16 AM) Inner Guard Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Actually, church should be: Practical and relevant to today's world. Use normal language. Follow the Bible, using it as their only source of God's truth, and their final authority. Let the visitors know that they are not expected to give any money. Have good music. Allow people to visit the church without putting them "under a spotlight" or have them do something they would not normally do in public. Teach the truth, not existentialism. "Existentialism" probably needs some clarification. The formal definition is "each person exists as an individual in a purposeless universe, who must oppose the hostile environment through the exercise of their free will." Put simply, this says that since we are "on our own" in the universe, we can believe anything that seems right to us. But does believing something make it true? For example, if someone told you to use the brake on your car instead of the accelerator because it "made sense to them," how far would you get? Obviously, you need to be told the truth, so you can use the accelerator to make your car move. The same thing is true of Christianity. Since it is true, verifiable, and provable; we need to know the truth-not some person's opinion or interpretation. It just makes sense-if God is really God, He should know exactly what we need and how to tell us using the Bible. More . . . I would rather be honestly blunt than diplomatically untruthful.

<< Previous Topic Next Topic >>

Quick Reply