 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|||||||
|
|
 |
|
Take our quiz to see if you qualify...
|
Church – It’s for You Too! by Greg Albrecht I’m sorry,” my friend said, “but I’m worried about going to church. In the first place, I have had some bad experiences with churches in the past. What really worries me about going to church is the fear of the unknown. I don’t dance, so I don’t go to dances. It’s the same thing with church. I don’t know whether they will expect me to find passages in the Bible, whether they will chant, speak in tongues or raise their hands when they are singing.”It reminded me of a story I once heard about a group of American sailors who were on shore leave in Italy. Even though none of them spoke Italian, they decided to go to church, because it might be a good place to meet girls. When they arrived at the cathedral, they picked out a dignified gentleman to sit behind. They agreed to do what he did, because he looked like he knew what he was doing. During the service, the priest made an announcement, and the man in front of them stood up. All eight sailors stood up as well, only to be greeted by roars of laughter from the congregation. When the service was finally over, the sailors met the priest as they left. The priest, who also spoke English, shared with them what the congregation had found so funny during the service. “I announced a baptism,” he explained, “and I asked the father of the child to stand.” If you haven’t been to church for a while, don’t let religious convention and ritual keep you from attending. We need to go to church to worship God. We need to go to church to come to know our Lord and Savior, to have a personal relationship with the Lord of the universe. We need to go to church to find the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. So, if you are like my friend, and thinking about going back to church, what should you look for? • Look for a strong, healthy church where Christ is the center and focus of preaching and where the Bible is the final authority. • Be on guard for a pastor, congregation or denomination that tells you that no one else knows “the truth” except their group. Avoid churches and pastors who offer you esoteric “truth” that is hidden from everyone else and has been “revealed” only to them and/or their founder. • Examine the teachings of the church. Ask the pastor if the church believes in salvation by Christ alone, by faith alone and by grace alone. • Ensure that the church identifies with the broader body of Christ, and with the teaching, faith and belief of the historic Christian church. A healthy, well-balanced, strong church will identify itself and its roots with the historic Christian faith. • Look for substance, meaning and relevance rather than glitz, entertainment and feeling. Big churches with massive choirs and personalities are not, simply because of their size, any more likely to help you worship God than a small church of 20 or 30 people. Beware of exotic manifestations, guarantees of health and wealth, and unique prophetic insights. Such things draw crowds, but not necessarily authentic worship. Giving and Receiving When God helps you find a healthy, Bible-believing, Christ-centered church, become a part of it. We all need two things in and from a church. We need a church that will nurture and feed us. But we also need a church where we can find a place to be involved and make a contribution. And whatever you do, when you choose a church, make sure the pastor is speaking a language you can understand! |
Return to Recovering from Legalism Home Page Confessions of a Recovering Legalist |
Return to PTM Home Page
