The Best Christian Church for Your Faith Journey

 

The Best Christian Church for Your Faith Journey

Many years ago, I heard a priest of the New Apostolic Church make the following statement: "A religion should fit like a good raincoat. If it doesn’t, you are in the wrong place." While this may seem like an awkward analogy, there is some truth to it. After certain fundamental requirements are met, we can indeed consider this approach.

Our Lord and Savior made it clear that a church is a gathering of true Christian believers. In Matthew 18:20, Jesus says, "For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them." A church can exist in a building, but it is not defined by the building. It is a community of people who are Christ-oriented and believers in His word and the future to come. So, what should the basic requirement be for this church? First and foremost, the church of your choice should be centered around the Holy Trinity: God the Father, Our Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Anything else is simply unacceptable.

A sound and safe doctrine will always have, as its primary goal, the worship of the Holy Trinity and our beloved Redeemer who paved the way for us - He who made it possible for sinners to reconcile with the eternal, faultless, and all-loving God. While there can be variations of doctrine and how we experience our religion, we must ensure to stay away from those religions that claim exclusivity or demand loyalty to a doctrine based on additional man-made holy books or fictional arguments from a single individual. The Bible alone should suffice, without the need for extra books. A church leader who permits himself to make additions or changes, or believes in free interpretation, should be avoided, and consequently, the church he leads should be shunned.

Let's look at a few examples of dangerous persuasions. A successful writer named L. Ron Hubbard founded Scientology. Most of his writings were science fiction, specifically about missions into space - themes that would later appear in Scientology's unbelievable ridiculous theory of how the world began. His many controversial ideas are introduced in Scientology.

The Jehovah's Witnesses discovered a simple truth: their personal beliefs were not in line with the Bible. Rather than conforming their beliefs to Scripture, they altered Scripture to agree with their beliefs. It is of utmost importance to preserve the integrity of God’s word. In Deuteronomy 4:2, we read: “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.”

Once the basic requirements outlined earlier are fulfilled, we can begin to focus on the mode of worship. Yes, there is a wide range of Christian worship styles, from loud and outgoing to humble and quiet. This is where we can find that "raincoat" the priest spoke about. Do we feel that we should return to basics and leave earthly obsessions behind, or are we convinced that the new covenant allows us to enjoy life with all its extras to the fullest and participate in everything we encounter?

A key piece of guidance is to listen to your heart. Does joy fill you when visiting a particular church, or do you continually feel uncomfortable and insecure? If it’s the latter, you may want to visit another church. It’s also possible to feel uneasy with certain customs. For instance, where the Pentecostal church exhibits physical responses to the Holy Spirit and members speak in tongues, the Lutheran church may be less demonstrative but significantly more focused on precision in worship.

I strongly emphasize that those who already believe and are baptized should listen to the Holy Spirit without hesitation when deciding where to attend church services. Of course, there is also the obvious advice: Pray and pray again. And when you pray, make sure to also listen; our God works in mysterious ways, and it may well be that He wants you to visit a specific church for reasons unknown to you.

If you are a non-believer but curious, know this: our God is the Alpha and Omega. At the end of it all, He will have the final word. Don’t lose valuable time, for the time is at hand. Please come to the Cross now and accept Christ as your Savior. A word of caution: If you are in emotional distress, be very careful. You are in a vulnerable state, which can result in hasty decisions. Visit several churches before deciding. It is one of the most important decisions you will ever make in your life. Do not be turned off by overly zealous Christians; instead, experience Christianity for a period of time and see what happens. If you do, you are destined to discover amazing things and an inner peace unknown to many in our hurried society.

I understand that many experienced Christians and theologians may consider this article too simplistic. Yet, sometimes it is beneficial to adopt a simple and fresh approach to a subject before exploring the many viewpoints our religion offers. The basics need to be in place before addressing more in-depth theological discussions.

I hope to see you in the most amazing place a true Christian will experience: Heaven!

Thank you for reading this article.

With love,

Gus B.

 

 

 

 

 

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