Finding a Home Church

A church is an assembly of believers and is made up of real spiritual people. When we look in the mirror, we are the part of the spiritual Church that we are not in harmony, we need to find a way to get back into harmony. We realized that the enemies to getting involved with a local Church is a harmful disharmony. Our own disharmony is when difficulties within our family that interferes our spiritual relationship with the local Church. For us to adjust so that we can be part of the spiritual family, we need to make some changes so that we can attend more faithfully and hopefully be more involved. The Scriptures teach every believers to be committed to a local church where he or she is loved and cared for, instructed in the things Christ commanded, encouraged to grow spiritually, and serving Christ effectively. The classes are intended to help every believer who attends a Church to come to that place of faith, commitment, and fruitfulness. The primary reason to become a participating member is not to gain a personal advantage, but to identify with the characteristics of biblical maturity and commitment to the mission and future of a local church. We have to realize that a local church's accomplishments will depend upon members' spiritual condition. If the people are submitting to the Holy Spirit, who will give them fruit. Quality is measured by the Christ-like living of a local church members. Let the Holy Spirit do what He will through you and see what He does with you. Just allow the Holy Spirit plant the desires to serve the spiritual gift or gifts and watch fellow members affirm your spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 14:12 "So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church." The idea of the spiritual gifts is simply that the Lord uses that gift in a unity, in a unifying way. God will use our spiritual gifts by His Spirit as He wills. Spirit-lead is outlined in Galatians 5:22-23 "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." That we should "not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30) That if we have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make our joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. (Philippians 2:1-2). Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God (Colossians 3:16). With that thought, we all need to understand how we can find a good "home church". I must have visited over 200 different churches in my life time. Visited almost all denominations and non-denominational churches. I have been reading and studying denominations over the years including P/C denominations. Its very interesting how quickly denominations have changed in the last 40 years. There are growing number of non-denominational churches which are hard to discern from where I am sitting because we have to know each non-denominational churches from within rather than from outer. My younger days were mostly Independent Baptist churches which is a mixer of Calvinism and Arminianism (in between) as well as Arminianism and Legalism. I attended Catholic school for 7 years. Other denominations I have visited over the years are Grace Brethren (Anabaptist), Missionary & Alliance, Mennonite, Methodist, Pentacostal, Congregational and many others. I also got mixed up with "Word of Faith" for a short time. No matter what denomination I go to, God will direct me if I aware of it or not. I am learning that God will always lead me to His providential circumstances for my own good, in His will and for His glory. God knows me so well that He will do His providential actions at the very moment of my need according to His will. For the longest time, I thought I have planned and executed my life all by myself but really never aware that my life have always been guided by God. In the last 25 years, I have been a member of two churches before joining my current Church (Northwest Presbyterian Church which is a member of PCA) and they were: 1. Anabaptist/Mostly Calvinism: Fellowship of Grace Brethren Church of Columbus, Ohio (in the 1980's and in the 2000's) 2. Independent Baptist: Mixer of Calvinism and Arminianism (in between) Liberty Baptist Church of the Deaf (late 80's to early 90's) I have chosen a local church for ONE reason, and that is a church is able to keep out false teachings. I have been in many local churches and I have seen false teachings creep into them. We should all take a long hard look at what things we consider to be important. Christians' conclusions are either ignorance or loyalty to a specific denomination, cause or person. Church divisions have been going on since the New Testament days As Paul wrote in1 Corinthians 12-13 "One of you says, 'I follow Paul'; another, 'I follow Apollos'; another, 'I follow Cephas'; still another, 'I follow Christ.' Is Christ divided?" There are false teachers who are within our faith and using Christianity to lead us from the truth. That is where the most dangerous teachings come from. False teachers can work their way into any denominations and Christ have warned us of those wolves who come into our "Spiritual Church" pretending to be one of us. 1 John 4:1 (NIV) Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Over the years, I decided to choose local churches that have strong "internal spiritual control" regardless of what denominations. I have a list of major spiritual criteria that I follow from the Word of God and if a local church meets all of my "major criterias",then she is a good local church. It is ALL of our responsibilities as Christians to discern and we don't want to be gullible. We either be gullible or discerner. We are to be watching for RED FLAGS. Even the disciples failed to spot the traitor among them (of course Jesus knew); the traitor was Judas himself. Clearly there are deadly deceitful practices exist within the very Christian circles that make pretense of the most advanced type of Christianity.