Re: How to Find a Good Church
| Posted On: 02/02/07 08:54:52 AM |
Age 71, MO |
When I read question # 19. When you distribute the Lord's Supper, do you emphasize the need to examine yourself? Paul did (I Cor.11:27-32).
My mind went to:
Mat 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Therefore I suggest adding one more question and numbering it # 20
20. When you collect the offering, do you emphasize the need to examine yourself? (Jesus said to. Mat 5:23-24)
This may be too much to ask any Pastor. But we are living in a day in which some Christians accuse others of not being good Christians because they do not want big government welfare programs.
But the big government welfare programs are not a Biblical World View
The big government welfare programs take away my choosing how much to give. The big government welfare programs take away my cheerfulness.
2Co 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
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Re: How to Find a Good Church
| Posted On: 02/02/07 08:41:24 AM |
Age 44, MN |
Perhaps we should first ask ourselves some more fundamental questions. What kind of church did Jesus attend? How many Sundays did Jesus church-shop before He found an acceptable one? How does one know that they are saved according to Jesus? What is 'meat' according to Jesus? Did Jesus teach expositionally? Was Jesus a theologian, if so, what theology did He teach? What kind of 'youth program(s)' did Jesus propose? Are churches responsible for saving people, or is that God's responsibility? Did Jesus introduce a new sacrament called the 'Lord's Supper,' or is Paul speaking of an oneg or community meal in 1 Corinthians 11? What were the core beliefs of Jesus' Sunday school teachers? Did Jesus propose that a cross be the 'central focus of every church?' My opinion, I don't think that more than the first 2 questions are necessary, relying upon the validating criteria of questions 16 and 17.
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Re: How to Find a Good Church
| Posted On: 02/02/07 08:34:16 AM |
Age 44, PA |
The most freeing experience I have ever had after comming to Christ was realizing the I am the Church. For 20 years I attended institutions on Sunday, sat down, listened to a Sermon and for the most part went home. I looked around at many different denomintaions and worship styles and was finnaly freed when I realized I am the Church. What most people think of when they hear church is really a conglomeration of traditions. When you look at the way people gathered in the New Testament it was really different. Group participation, full meals, small intimate settings was the norm. The way we meet today is more like a college lecture than the loving "one anothering" that took place in the 1st century. No don't look for the right church, realize if you are born again you "are" the Church! If you gather, look at the book of Acts and gather Biblically. P.S. The church is "only" for believers, it's the enemy who plant the tares in with the wheet.
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Re: How to Find a Good Church
| Posted On: 02/02/07 08:05:08 AM |
Age 50, WI |
I will be forwarding this article to my college aged daughter. She has found a wonderful, bible based church in her state university town (and Intervarsity is a gift in itself, to both parents and students alike) but we are from a small denomination. My daughter will always have the issue of 'finding a church'. Thank you for some good bible based criteria.
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Re: How to Find a Good Church
| Posted On: 02/01/07 10:50:36 PM |
Age 50, WV |
I was asked why Jesus came on the fisr day of the week, which as one young man pointed out would be after sun set Saturday. He asked where was Jesus on Saturday. well my boy he was with his father our God. What were they doing well being worshipped. keeping the Sabath day and remembering it. then when it ended he appeared to the gathered and broke bread.
For if we teach that to break the least is acceptablee the we are least in the kingdom. the least of the commands was remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. do we really keep it holy or has and have all church slightly erred in order to welcome in the unrepent sinner. as is pointed out in the article. Any one who has eyes and can read.
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Re: How to Find a Good Church
| Posted On: 02/01/07 10:01:36 PM |
Age 52, WV |
Thanks for the article. These are also good questions for a pastoral search comittee.
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Re: How to Find a Good Church
| Posted On: 02/01/07 06:47:15 PM |
Age 52, VA |
Thanks for the thought provoking questions. Having changed churches recently, these would have saved me a great deal of time had I asked them all up front. It took 6 months to get to the church I have now. I'll save these for future reference when I move to a new area again.
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Re: How to Find a Good Church
| Posted On: 02/01/07 05:01:32 PM |
Age 53, WI |
Oh my...such good intentions, but I suspect a lot of very good pastors would get the old "heave ho" using this tool. I would suggest fewer questions and a bit less pointedness in what answers are allowable. If failure to use the word "repent" is the unforgivable sin you have nixed the man with a pastor's heart who may say "turn away from one's sin." Babes in Christ may not have the ability to reason through the verbal variables to the degree your test demands. I would strongly suggest that people who are looking for a church also seek counsel from wise and discerning Christians.
How about a bio on Mr. Friel? Any pastoral experience?
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Re: Re: How to Find a Good Church
| Posted On: 02/01/07 03:33:37 PM |
Age 60, OH |
The questions are convicting, probing and searching, and therefore EXCELLENT for choosing a Bible believing and preaching church. Probably, no one church would answer all of the questions satisfactorily, but the more the better!
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Re: How to Find a Good Church
| Posted On: 02/01/07 02:33:24 PM |
Age 75, WI |
If possible private answer please. Thanks
Maybe I am tired or something, but I don't understand #10. You say they SHOULD say their sermons are relevant, but what I am supposed to be looking for is, "if they teach theology," I think I got lost somewhere in reading that.
10. Do your sermons emphasize theology or are they relevant?
Everyone should say their sermons are relevant, what you are looking for is if they teach
theology.
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Re: How to Find a Good Church
| Posted On: 02/01/07 01:57:43 PM |
Age 22, IN |
This is great! My father is a pastor and if people would use this to find a good church, ours would be quite large. Unfortunately, most people do not desire such a biblical church. Very sad!
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Re: How to Find a Good Church
| Posted On: 02/01/07 01:48:52 PM |
Age 59, GA |
The church I pastor passed all of your questions except the last one, "do you have a cross in your Sanctuary........" In our church we are the "sanctuary" and we meet each week in our main "auditorium." And we don't have a cross but we preach the cross frequently. If you are ever in south-east Georgia check us out...we are a good church! We even have a "good" name, My Father's House Church...Ha!
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Re: How to Find a Good Church
| Posted On: 02/01/07 01:38:58 PM |
Age 51, GA |
That seems like a good start, but a few more questions will most likely be needed for discernment. Unfortunately, many become "pastors", because they wanted to be in the church business. Many use the term pastor, because the Biblical title of Bishop is too restricting, which was usurped by established church hierarchies long ago (Catholic, Episcopal, etc.).
The purpose of the church to encourage and equip believers, often takes a backseat to catering to the comfort zones of the parishioners and the pastor. The whole idea of a pastor leading a flock often sets one up as a false christ, leading away from Biblical authority, and the opinions of the pastor become nearly sacrosanct. The Bible says many will flock to those pastors, because of their itching ears. It gives them a way to skate through on Sunday, without upsetting the rest of their week. The whole idea to give sole authority for one person to sermonize on Sunday from a pulpit, is a distortion, causing the focus to be put on the preacher (pastor, reverend), and not the Word. The only time the Bible refers to anyone speaking from a pulpit is in Nehemiah where Ezra read from the Book of the Law, and did not sermonize, but the emphasis was put on the Word of the Lord. Sadly, there are many preachers, pastors that love to hear themselves sermonize, taking the focus off the Word, and putting it on themselves. Jesus gave a sermon on a mount, therefore they can give one from a pulpit. Here's a couple of subjects you won't hear most preach on, women in leadership positions, and divorce, not in a Biblical fashion anyway. So you might ask if there are women in leadership positions... it is not uncommon to run across a pastor that has his wife as a co-pastor, or the leader of the congregation may even be a woman. How does that fit into the qualifications for bishop? The second subject, is the "pastor" willing to tell the truth about divorce? Certainly a sore subject - a Christian man does not put away his wife except for one cause, fornication, and a Christian woman should not initiate divorce proceedings at all, otherwise she should remain unmarried or reconcile (1 Cor. 7:10-11). If true followers of the Word, would follow the Lord's command not to get divorced, and not to marry a divorced woman, the rate of divorce would rapidly decline. So will the pastor or the so-called reverend tell the truth in these areas? Not if they're enjoying their church businesses, which is why sadly many have started down that broad road called compromise (see Luke 16:14-18 re: justification - compromise). That is why there are many large churches seen as revolving doors, and numerous groups of small home churches popping up, seeking to worship the Lord in truth and in spirit. May the Lord bless them and keep them.
Porter
+++
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Re: How to Find a Good Church
| Posted On: 02/01/07 01:31:51 PM |
Age 44, NY |
Yes, good questions of which all should be asked but I might have an issue with you using Matthew 19:4 as a reference for the Lord verifying a 6 day creation. What version of scriptures are you using? If you would entertain this further, the verses in Genesis 1:27; 5:2 also do not include a specific time frame. I DO believe that God created everything exnihilo and that he crafted everything into existance in 6 days. I just ask that you be a bit more careful when using specific verses to back up what could be a confrontational question to any man who has studied the scriptures and might not agree with using that verse as a validation.
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Re: How to Find a Good Church
| Posted On: 01/31/07 12:38:48 PM |
Age 39, CO |
Thank you for these questions!
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