Trust AND Obey » Essential Christian Doctrine

Searching – Choosing churches in your pajamas

Dave Miller — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 13:00:13 +0000

This is part five. Here are parts one, two, three and four.

I live in an area of Ohio where there are more than 100 churches within a 20 minute drive. I was able to narrow down my list of potential new church homes to about a dozen while sitting at my computer.

The first thing I did was eliminate every church that has “UNI” in its name (Thanks, Todd Friel). United Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalist (double-whammy!) and Unity Church are not worth wasting your time considering because they either tolerate/allow sinful teaching and behaviors or even celebrate them. This is also true to a lesser degree with Evangelical Lutheran, Episcopal and some Presbyterian (PCUSA) churches as well. Elimination of these falls under the heading of “Lack of Biblical Church Discipline.” (See 1 Cor 5:1ff for more information.)

Write down what you believe and why. Be sure to cite scriptural reasons for them if you can. This is not a “preferences” list; it is a list of biblical truths that cannot be compromised. Keep secondary issues out of it for now.

Here is my list (Note the words, is and must):

One God, three persons, all are God, holy and set apart (Deut 6:4, Matthew 28:19 Isaiah 6:3)
Man is sinful by nature and separated from God since Adam’s fall (Rom 3:23, 1 Cor 15:22)
The person and work of Jesus is the focus of the church and the ONLY WAY to reconciliation with God for those he elects (1 Cor 1:2, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, Eph 1:4-5 )
Jesus lived a sinless life, died an atoning death on the cross, rose from the dead and went to the Father. He’ll be back to collect His church someday (2 Cor 5:21, Acts 2:32-36, 1 Thes 4:17)
The Bible is God’s word, infallible and inerrant (2 Tim 3:16, John 17:17)
The church is to preach the whole counsel of God, observe His sacraments (both of them) and foster discipleship (Mat 28:20, Rom 10:17, Luke 22:19, Mat 28:19, 2 Tim 3:16-17, Mat 18:15-17, 1 Cor 5:1-13, Eph 4:11-32 Phil 2:1-18.)
There must be gospel and monetary outreach to the lost, poor, sick, lonely, hungry, etc. (Mat 25:35-40, 28:19-20, Acts 4:34)

Your list might be a little different from mine, but the basics of Christianity are always the same. This list will be most helpful to eliminate churches from consideration. If they don’t meet these criteria, there’s no reason to even attend a Sunday meeting. A prospective church’s stance on these issues can usually be easily determined with a visit to their website, or with a phone call.

Usually, churches that are affiliated with a particular denomination will say so or provide a link to their parent church on their website. Some do not, though, and it takes some sleuthing to find out if a Presbyterian church is PCA or PCUSA. (Hint: There’s a BIG difference.) Most non-denominational churches spell out what they believe in detail on their websites.

Now, write down a list of secondary issues and preferences. Remember, these are non-essential, personal preferences (so please don’t take offense if they don’t match up with yours). Here are mine (note the word should and the absence of is and must):

Preaching should be expositional, verse by verse teaching more often than topical
Prayer should be a big part of worship, not just reciting the Lord’s Prayer
Music should be God-honoring, not man-centered. Hymns sung from hymnals are preferred to projected lyrics so I can figure out the tune
Pianos and organs = good. Drum sets and electric guitars = not so good *
Bible reading should be a part of worship, (and not just one or two verses)
Creeds (ie. Apostles, Nicene) should often be a part of worship
There should be lots of young families and old people. A good mixture of all ages
There should be plenty of opportunities for Christian growth for the whole family (ie. Bible study, Sunday school)
There should be plenty of opportunities for fellowship for the whole family

This will help you narrow down your list of prospective churches prior to visiting. Depending on your relationship with your current pastor, you might share these lists with him and ask for a recommendation for a new church for you. This could also be presented to a trusted friend or mentor who knows and understands your reasons for leaving.

Here are a few good resources for the Christian in Search Mode:
What Should I Look For When Choosing A New Church Home?
What To Look For In A Church
The Nine Marks Of A Healthy Church

* A few more words about music – Music is a very important characteristic of a church. It prepares your heart for worship and it is itself worship. If you love traditional hymns, it is likely that contemporary music will not put you in a worshipful attitude. Likewise, those who love praise choruses will probably find organ music and hymns put a damper on your mind-set of worship.

Do not pick a church just because it is the only one that offers the kind of music you like. Remember, music in a church service is an offering to God, not entertainment for your enjoyment.

Next up: Visiting is the hardest part.

Discernment Q&A – Part II

Dave Miller — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:45:11 +0000

We now continue the Q & A on Biblical Discernment. I hope you’ve studied; there is a test at the end. Seriously!

Q. How and when should biblical discernment skills be used?

A. Let’s take the last part of the question first. When should discernment skills be used?

The most important times that they can be used is when you are listening to a sermon or reading a book or an article on religion, or when you are involved in a conversation about Christianity. When listening to a sermon even your favorite, most trusted minister can get things wrong. If you have studied your bible and have prayed fervently for wisdom you should start to trust your instincts a little more. If a minister says something that doesn’t sound quite right, something that sets off your “Spidey Sense” or that might not be supported by scripture – write it down.

Now we get into the “How?” part of the question. The first thing you should do when you have a question about a sermon is to ask your minister about it. Give him a chance to explain it better. It is possible (hopefully even probable) that you have just misunderstood him. If it is not a misunderstanding, don’t back down if the truth is at stake. Tell him that it still isn’t clear to you. Respectfully ask him to cite the scripture from which he gets his statement. (Acts 17:11) Don’t put him on the spot in front of others and be sure to give him time to research the matter and get back to you when it is convenient. In the meantime, research the matter yourself. Dig into the Bible and research what various commentators have said on the subject. The Blue Letter Bible and Crosswalk.com have excellent Bible study tools available online.

Remember, the whole point is to come to a better understanding of God’s word; for you and for your minister.

Q. Sounds like a good plan, but what about when you read something that bothers your “Scripture Sense?”

A. The same goes for when you are reading a book or an article about religion, write down the statement that strikes you as wrong and take it to your minister or a trusted elder in your church. Ask them to help you understand what is being said. Rely on godly people you trust to guide you to the scripture that explains your question. Oftentimes, researching things on your own will answer your question, but sharing it with a brother in the faith can often help strengthen the discernment skills of both of you.

Q. What about when you are involved in a conversation about Christianity? It’s not as easy when you’re on the spot and have to defend something controversial.

A. That is true. You should rely on what you are certain that you know. Again, don’t back down when the truth is at stake. In the Bible, the main things are the plain things and the plain things are the main things. You should have a solid understanding of the “main things” before you engage anyone in serious discussions relating to Christianity.

Something that should not be forgotten is that you should always be respectful and loving in your dealings with brothers in the faith. We are called to speak the truth in love. (Eph. 4:15) If the question involves an issue that is secondary to Essential Christian Doctrine, be sure to point that out and don’t argue with brothers over issues where we have the freedom to disagree without breaking fellowship.

Discernment Test #1. What we believe.

Don’t get all worked up, this is just a practice test. Take a look at this statement from an American Mainline Protestant church.

We believe that the persistent search for God produces an authentic relationship with God, engendering love, strengthening faith, dissolving guilt, and giving life purpose and direction. We believe that all of the baptized ‘belong body and soul to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.’ No matter who – no matter what – … no matter where we are on life’s journey – we all belong to God and to one worldwide community of faith. All persons baptized – past, present and future – are connected to each other and to God through the sacrament of baptism.

On the surface, this looks like a solid theological statement. Who could possibly argue with a persistent search for God or an authentic relationship with God? Who could disagree that baptized people are all part of a worldwide community of faith?

But here are some questions I had after reading it three or four times: Where in the Bible does it say that simply searching for God produces an authentic relationship with Him? Is baptism what binds believers together or is it something else?

John 3:3 states very clearly what is necessary for somebody to have a relationship with God. Searching for knowledge of God is a good thing, but the search doesn’t produce faith or a relationship. Only by repenting and believing can one be born again to new life in Christ Jesus.

And about that baptism thing… I don’t deny that all believers are part of a worldwide community of faith (aka The Invisible Church), but it isn’t a sacrament that makes it happen. Believers’ baptism is an outward sign of an inward change. (Acts 10:44-47) There are probably millions of non-believers who have been baptized. The thief on the cross can attest to the fact that baptism is not absolutely necessary for salvation. (Luke 23:42-43)

The above statement is part of the “What We Believe” statement of the United Church of Christ – or at least it was at one time. The UCC changes what they believe the way the wind changes direction in a tornado. This was taken from the UCC’s old website. This statement is not on their current website as far as I can tell. If you have time, read the whole thing. Tell me if I missed the place where it says you have to repent of your sins and believe in Jesus. The statement is also available here.

Discernment Test #2. Faces in the Clouds – A message from God.

Watch this video and then read the page at the link below.

Interpretation of the above video.

What do you think? Use your discernment skills. Is this a biblical interpretation of the clouds in the video or not? Is it a message from God? Are you sure?

Nancy Bush certainly does seem to know the bible, she even quotes Latin and Greek. She is obviously not an opportunist who sees the Virgin Mary in a partially eaten grilled cheese sandwich and sells it on eBay for $28,000.

What do your discernment skills tell you? Please post a comment. I’ll try to approve comments within a few hours and once you’ve had one comment approved, your subsequent comments will post immediately.

One last thing: please remember to speak the truth in love. Thanks.