Hey Friends, I have been talking with many of you who believe in God all Mighty, but struggle with the church home. From my understanding many people have either been hurt by false doctrine (teaching) or found that many people who attended their church Judged them at their particular point in their journey where they felt they were not accepted and left their place of worship.
Which leads me the importance of choosing a church home! We’ve all heard that the choice and purchase of a home is one of the most significant decisions a person will ever make. In this temporal world that may be true. However, choosing where you and your children will learn the things of God and serve the Lord Jesus Christ has eternal ramifications.
1. Is This Church Right for Me?
Choosing a church home is a lot like buying a home or car, there are things to consider, you need to consider its foundation, structure, function, and environment. Before we consider those important components, please realise that no church is going to be perfect.
Seek God’s will and be led by the Holy Spirit in selecting a church also you need to evaluate how you and your family can contribute to that ministry.
Here are some of components that make up the foundation of a strong local church:
A Proper View of Scripture: Pay particular attention to how it views the Bible, does it hold to the inspiration and inerrancy of the Scriptures and does it believe the Bible is the only rule for faith and practice.
An Emphasis on Bible Teaching and Preaching: Observe what kind of preaching is done. Is it primarily expository, topical, or evangelistic in nature? Is the main diet repetitive salvation messages each week, or are believers being fed from the Word.
Doctrinal Practice: Observe whether the church practices the doctrines it claims to believe and teach. As James said to the church at large, “Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (James 1:22; cf. Luke 6:46; John 13:17).
Emphasis on worshipping God: See if the leadership stresses the importance of honoring and glorifying God in all things. Also observe the involvement of the individual members. Do they exercise their spiritual gifts among the Body of Christ, or do they seem to expect the pastor to do everything?
Emphasise evangelism as one of its primary functions: investigate whether is home and foreign missions an important part of its ministry ? What about discipleship? Do you see church members and leaders seeking to make disciples and reproduce themselves in the lives of others?
Spirit of Unity: This is often the most obvious attitude radiating from a local congregation. An outsider is usually able to sense very quickly whether a church is unified in its ministry. That has a great effect on its testimony to the community and reflects on the name of our Lord.
2. Am I Right For This Church?
Now look at yourself and ask, Are there opportunities here for me to serve and exercise my spiritual gifts? Does this local body have a need that by God’s enabling I can meet? Am I willing to get what the church can do for me, but also what I can do for the Lord as I serve Him in this church? Am I willing to give of my time, money, energy, and prayers to contribute to the success of this church?
The decision you make about what church to attend will greatly affect your spiritual life and the lives of your children. In fact, the decisions you make now will affect your descendants and the generations to come. That’s a sobering reality.
Remember that no church will ever perfectly fulfil all these criteria. There is no perfect church. Also, remember that every church is going to have its own special blend of the characteristics.
The key is to find a church that has them in proper balance, not overemphasising some or de-emphasising others.
A balanced ministry is a Spirit-controlled ministry. If you find a church that possesses most but not all of the characteristics, don’t immediately disregard it. Consider whether God wants to use you to help improve that local body as you exercise your own particular spiritual gifts.
Choosing a church home is one of the most significant decisions you will ever make–one that reaches into eternity. May each of us spend at least as much time and effort making that decision as we do deciding on our earthly dwelling.
If you would like more information about finding a church please email the team Click lifessesnceuk
