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Post by GodIsLove on Oct 18, 2009 14:53:55 GMT -5
Hi everyone~
For those of you who have left meetings and have found other places to meet with like-minded believers (another church).. how did you go about taking those steps? It seems hard for me to know what to do- how to step out- it's probably mostly hard because I feel confused on a lot of doctrine and feel it's hard to step out and find a good church since I'm confused on doctrinal issues. Nothing was really made that clear to me growing up, except those things that we do NOT do that made this 'way' right and others wrong. Would like to know about your experience.
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Post by ScholarGal on Oct 18, 2009 20:33:01 GMT -5
If you have never really been to a worship service at another church, it helps to go with a friend who belongs to that church. Talk to some Christian friends you trust, and ask if you can visit their churches. Some churches have very casual dress codes, others are more formal, so ask before you go. When you enter the service, people will probably greet you and introduce themselves. The chatter that happens after meeting also happens before church services. There will usually be an usher who will hand you a church bulletin. The church bulletin contains the hymns, scriptures, and the participatory prayers and liturgy for the service. (Contemporary churches sometimes use projectors and PowerPoint presentations instead of printed bulletins.) The bulletin also contains church announcements and upcoming events. Some churches have adult Sunday School before the main service. Most will have a coffee hour after the main service (like the snack after the last meeting at convention) where everyone chats with each other. When you visit churches, they will often have a "guest book" where you can put your name, phone number, and whether you would like a call from the pastor. You'll feel a little awkward the first time you visit another church, but don't be surprised if you recognize some of the hymns.
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Post by learnedaboutgrace on Oct 18, 2009 23:19:40 GMT -5
True about the hymns. You could possibly just start by attending a bible study which would be just people sitting around in a group. And a lot of churches bible studies are not only for their members, meaning other church members attend other churches bible studies. In our area in the summer there are outdoor services and that is actually how I started attending. It was too hard to go into a church so it was a good place for me to start. Also, there are some churched that meet in locations that are not in a church building. So that might help. As far as the doctrine thing, that is really really important. Doing the bible studies in different churches, reading and studying, will help. Read Grace Awakening By Swindoll Here is a link to a ton of books that are doctrinally sound in PDF format. www.dovhost.com/grace-books.htmThen I would make a list of things you are looking for in a church. Some things I had on my list were: Does the preacher believe he has revelation exclusive to only his church? What does he teach is necessary for salvation? What does he teach about baptism and why? and so on. WIth all the debates here on the TMB, you should be able to pick up the hot topics pretty quickly. Then the next thing is does the preacher answer all your questions confidentally giving you bible references? But before you do the "preacher" visit, it is a good idea to just show up at some services, too. We visited a few churches and one was just too loud, one too "dreamy", they all kind of have a personality, one was a really "end times" scary prophesy type, etc. Then take the one you felt the most comfortable and start asking questions. For me, if I write them out, put my thoughts on paper, it helps be figure out what I believe, too. But actually the very first step is to pray. God will help you, but knowledge is power. Study the bible, through studying the bible, you will get to know the will and mind of God and through that He will help you find the right church for you.
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Post by Annan on Oct 19, 2009 10:49:05 GMT -5
Perhaps an appointment with the pastor of whatever church you are considering attending might give you an opportunity to get a flavor of what the church might be like.
I find Methodist churches to be the most casual and laid back, but it does depend on the pastor too.
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Post by learnedaboutgrace on Oct 19, 2009 11:19:39 GMT -5
Try names like Community, Bible, Grace, Faith
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Post by GodIsLove on Oct 19, 2009 12:16:30 GMT -5
Thank you very much for the suggestions!
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Post by sharon on Oct 19, 2009 20:28:38 GMT -5
I think if you're aware of how you're apt to interpret the Bible and believe what you've interpreted....search out churches that their belief statements pretty much follow yours. i.e. as I mostly Calvinistic but have some perhaps Arminism slants on my literal interpretations I'm finding for me personally the Presbyterian churches seem to be stacking up closer for what I think and believe, though I'm sure there'll be things even there that I've never approached before.
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Post by eyedeetentee on Oct 20, 2009 11:07:24 GMT -5
I think you should figure out what you believe before attending any church. Do you believe you need church and leadership to find god? I believe Jesus said to go to him, but that's just my simple interpretation. Going to a preacher will not solve anything if you don't know where you stand.
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Post by learnedaboutgrace on Oct 20, 2009 14:36:25 GMT -5
True, that is why it is a good idea to "interview" several different ones and have a list of basic questions ready. It usually leads to more questions and leads to you studying more. Don't forget to talk to your friends.
Somebody suggested to me to think of somebody I admired in my circle of people I knew and ask them about their church.
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Post by What Hat on Oct 20, 2009 18:06:52 GMT -5
Take your time. Don't rush.
Here are a couple of interesting verses, especially the first one -
1Jo 4:1 ¶ Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 1Jo 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 1Jo 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
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Post by placid-void on Oct 20, 2009 18:28:38 GMT -5
Since, I think of the spiritual quest as a journey inward (self-reflection) rather than outward (toward a fellowship), I like the words of Shakespeare:
"To thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man."
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Post by kiwi on Oct 21, 2009 1:02:14 GMT -5
looks like a shopping list to me I notice no one has mentioned to ask God what He thinks, or is God not involved in that decision?
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shushy
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Post by shushy on Oct 21, 2009 3:04:40 GMT -5
I was out 3yrs before a relative invited us to their church which in many ways was similar to the way a mission is run.The only difference was they owned a church building and had some praise songs included.
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Post by eyedeetentee on Oct 21, 2009 8:20:33 GMT -5
looks like a shopping list to me I notice no one has mentioned to ask God what He thinks, or is God not involved in that decision? Some people don't hear from that dude but feel they need a church to find him. Then what? Wait for the dude to reply? What if he never replies? Never go to church? Sounds like a plan to me.
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Post by learnedaboutgrace on Oct 21, 2009 9:16:22 GMT -5
looks like a shopping list to me I notice no one has mentioned to ask God what He thinks, or is God not involved in that decision? UMMM, have you read mine?
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Post by learnedaboutgrace on Oct 21, 2009 9:20:03 GMT -5
the 4 steps to decision making 1. what are the circumstances 2. what does your counsel say 3. what does the Word of God say 4. what does your heart say
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shushy
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Post by shushy on Oct 21, 2009 16:23:04 GMT -5
looks like a shopping list to me I notice no one has mentioned to ask God what He thinks, or is God not involved in that decision? Some people don't hear from that dude but feel they need a church to find him. Then what? Wait for the dude to reply? What if he never replies? Never go to church? Sounds like a plan to me. You should come to my church....
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Post by sharon on Oct 22, 2009 12:58:11 GMT -5
looks like a shopping list to me I notice no one has mentioned to ask God what He thinks, or is God not involved in that decision? I have asked God and He seems to think I should use my brain that He has given to me....and to test the spirits.....discern by the fruits one bears.
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Post by GodIsLove on Oct 22, 2009 14:04:15 GMT -5
I think you should figure out what you believe before attending any church. Do you believe you need church and leadership to find god? I believe Jesus said to go to him, but that's just my simple interpretation. Going to a preacher will not solve anything if you don't know where you stand. This is a great point.. and when reading my Bible last night.. I came to a very clear revelation from God through the scripture that I need only Jesus Christ to enter into His kingdom. And now I feel reassured that if I'm supposed to be a part of a fellowship group that God will lead me to that in time. He seems to be telling me right now that it's important to spend time with Him alone. I'm just coming out of a system of living and believing and I just feel He wants to break that and show me that I can rely on Him alone and not anyone or anything else. Praise to Him for that. Thank you Father for speaking to me. My struggle has been that I believed that being a part of a group was a great part of what made me right before God, but now I realize it means nothing. He is my All in All.
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Post by GodIsLove on Oct 22, 2009 14:16:31 GMT -5
The chapter I read that reassured me of entering ONLY through Christ is John 10. I want to say that I know with all my heart that this message is from God and it brought me peace and joy to read this and understand it.
John 10:1 "I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep."
9 "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved."
These are just a few verses from the chapter- but ones that stood out especially strong to me. This chapter speaks to me that it is ONLY through Jesus Christ that we have salvation. No person or thing or form, etc, can save us. Only our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, can! He is the gate and the only gate. When I was thinking of the thieves and robbers, the thought came to me that if we try to climb in some other way (to be saved) like through a certain group of people or a form, etc, then that is being a thief of God's glory. Because God gave us His Son so that we could be saved.. not anything else! I realize in reading this that I don't need to fear.. but keep trusting in my Saviour who has saved me.
I'm sure there's a lot more to this chapter too- about false shepherds and such. Feel free to add your thoughts..
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Post by emy on Oct 22, 2009 16:00:21 GMT -5
Good message, eyedee. And I'm glad you found peace in your own reading, GiL. May I suggest you buy a Bible that is really easy to read - maybe even NLT, or The Message. Then if you read it and it doesn't ring true with what you already know is true, check it with the version you learned from first.
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Post by GodIsLove on Oct 22, 2009 17:13:20 GMT -5
I grew up using King James Version, which is very tough to understand. I use NIV and ESV now and find them SO much easier to understand. I have definitely found better versions to read from.
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gells
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Post by gells on Oct 22, 2009 19:50:26 GMT -5
I like using a bible that has KJV on one side and NIV on the other.. That way if I don't understand it, I can look at the translation.
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Post by MsMarie on Nov 12, 2009 7:04:49 GMT -5
When at last we were both out of the Truth, then we just went from church to church - just walked in during a service, sat down and listened. We avoided any love bombing or even friendship attempts but just kept going until the things we saw and heard felt like coming home at last to the real truths of salvation. This took well over a year and my advice would be to take it slowly and calmly, warding off the persuasion of individuals, and doing a lot of reading of Christian books which was once forbidden to us, and to explore the orthodox churches which are out there. Don't look for signs and wonders but just solid bible based worship and teaching and good fellowship.
And where are we now? I would say non-denominational free evangelical reformed church, which I note many others here also endorse. We are not very clappy and never will be after all those sober years but we are certainly happy.
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Post by eyedeetentee on Nov 13, 2009 1:26:48 GMT -5
I grew up using King James Version, which is very tough to understand. I use NIV and ESV now and find them SO much easier to understand. I have definitely found better versions to read from. Emy told me years ago about www.blueletterbible.com . You can look up a verse in one translation. Then the whole chapter shows up and you can select different versions for the same chapter. I print out two or three versions if it is something I want to dissect. You can also enter words or phrases in the search bar. The nice thing is the information pops up as quick as your internet connection responds. So you don't have to thumb through several books trying to find something and get confused. There are many other uses at that site but those are the only two things I do there.
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Post by emy on Nov 13, 2009 19:36:04 GMT -5
Hey there, Eyedee.. My favorite Bible versions site is biblegateway.com . I have found it easier to use than blueletterbible for my purposes.
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Post by What Hat on Nov 16, 2009 11:09:38 GMT -5
A nice feature on BLB are the commentaries. Press the "L" button beside any verse. I like to use Matthew Henry which was written 2-300 years ago, but is very comprehensive.
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2fedup
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Post by 2fedup on Nov 19, 2009 17:51:35 GMT -5
If you want to be around people that are honest,do not go to church. I have found more honestey in people down at the local bar.It was so refreshing to be around people that was not trying to be somebody they were not.
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