Looking For A Good Church

          So you find yourself looking for a good church to go to and hear about God and Christ. You are looking for a place where perhaps you can experience Christian growth. Or where if you are not a Christian you will have a chance to accept Christ and become a person God will spend time with.

     Reasons

       There are many reasons a person seeks out a church. A list of sorts is given below..

              I had a special need.............2%
              I just walked in.................3%
              I liked the Pastor...............6%
              I visited there..................1%
              I liked the Sunday School........1%
              A friend or relative invited me..79%

         It is important also that the preacher be preaching from the Bible.  And not just any Bible but from a version that is sound. There are mnany sound versions. The New king James Bible is a good one, as is the old King James. The New American Standard and the New International are aslo good. This is only a suggestion.

       Dress

         In some churches t-shirts, jeans, and even shorts, are appropriate. In others a suit and tie or dress would be more appropriate. In some churches anything goes. So, ask yourself, "What is right for me--dressy, casual, or both?"   

     Worship

   As for the worship you should be seeking, consider this: worship is the way we express our love and appreciation to God, as well as our awe of his works, and wonder of his ways. Consider what style of worship will allow you to most freely express adoration to God. Some churches have contemporary music, some have traditional. Some sing hymns, others sing choruses. Some have full bands, others have orchestras and choirs. Some sing gospel, rock, hard rock, etc. Since worship is a key part of our church experience, be sure to give the style of worship serious consideration.

      Doctrinal Belief    

     Also as to doctrine,it’s important to understand the doctrinal beliefs of the church before joining. Many people become disillusioned after investing a great deal of time in a church. You can avoid this disappointment by looking closely at the church's statement of faith. Before joining be sure the church effectively teaches the Bible. If you’re not sure, ask to talk with someone about this. Some churches even offer classes or written material to help you understand the church’s doctrine.

      This also is important to consider. You want your church to be a place where you can connect with other believers. Some churches offer a very simple ministry approach and others extend an elaborate system of classes, programs, productions and more. So, for instance, if you’re single and want a church with a single’s ministry, be sure to check into this before joining.

    Hang on. There is a bit more to consider when looking for a chuch.Make sure you make a checklist of the most important things you hope to see or experience. Then rate the church according to your checklist when you leave. But don't look for that perfect church. As the saying goes, any church that accepts me isn't perfect because I am not perfect. I am still growing in Christ likeness and it is a journey.

        If you still don’t know where to begin your search for a church, ask people you know—friends, co-workers, or people you admire, where they go to church. Satisfied customers, thery say, are the best source.

Effort Makes One Enlightened

    So now we look at another Eastern system.Since we in the United States are slowly forgetting our Christian  roots  we are allowing strange systems to creep in to fill the void.
   Man is a religious creature. He is made up of three parts. He is a body. He is a Spirit. He is a soul. The body eats and is satisfied. The Spirit comunicates with the unknown. The soul is what gives him the urge to seek something out there.
   Not all adherents to the Eastern mind set are Hindu. More to the mindset is the teaching of  the Buddha. Unlike the Hindu the followers of the enlightened one or Buddha hold to the theory of a 'middle way'. that is a path between the complicated religion of the Hindu and the world of sensuality. They have a clear firm rule for the followers.
   There are the Noble Truths:

• Suffering is universal. The very act of living is suffering But in each reincarnation (there it is again.) there is suffering. You will be looking for the Nirvana or release from the endless cycle of suffering.
• The cause of suffering is craving. The endless cycle occurs because we are attached to the world.
• The cure for suffering is to eliminate craving. Simple. No craving. No suffering
• Eliminate craving by following the Middle Way--the Noble Eightfold Path.By isolating the cause of the inability to escape the cage of birth, suffering, rebirth-- something called tanha --you can work out the solution.

        The system they came up with has a eightfold path.

1. Right viewpoint
2. Right aspiration
3. Right speech
4. Right behavior
5. Right occupation
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right meditation

     In the twentieth century and now into the twenty first we can see Buddhism in a variety of forms.
     In Tibet it appears as Demon Worship. In Japan it shows up as the new militant, nationalist  cult of Soka Gokkai.
     But the two main forms we should be aware of are Hinayana that holds that only a fortunate few make it to Nirvana, and Mayanana which is that all will make it, salvation is for all. There is a savior god. Hinayana  said that man must save himself. But Mayanana sees Buddha as the savior
       The problem is that its gods are beyond man's ability to reach.
        On the other hand, Christianity gives us Jesus who will give us the strengh to live a righteous life. God can be reached because God first reached down to us.  

Change in Thought

    Western thought began in the Greek culture many many years ago. A long time ago. It can be traced back to Socates, Plato, Aristole. They saw the universe as having a purpose and a plan for being.
   Judaism and Christianity added to thier belief system the teaching of the Bible. There was an energetic and rational  God behind it. A God who created the universe. There was a law giver. This was a basis for science because there were laws in nature. Man believed in the God of the Bible.
   That was the Western view. Over in the East the view was different. Their view tended to be that all things that exist in the universe, including man, are of no importance and therefore are temporary.Only the realm that was outside the world exists. They saw that the only way to reach it is to deny the world around them.
      Japan  and China have made some scentific progress since they have adopted some Western thought
    . But I am not looking at science here. In this blog and in this posting I wish to lok at Hinduism. It had its beginning in the Indus valley. The teachings can be found in their sacred writing, the Vedas They see these as "Revealed Wisdom".
    . For them they can go back to  about 2000 B.C. They have many gods who can cause death and disaster. In their sytem they have Brahmans or priests. They have become a high social class.
   They see the  Vedas as teaching that four classes of people came from the head, the arms, the thighs, and the feet of the creator god, Brama. The four classes then became the Brahman or priest, the Kshastriya or warrior and nobleman, and the  Vaishya which is the peasant, and lastly the Shudra or slave.
     There are four stages and four goals to be attained. But not for the girls. They are considered worthless.
     The stages are initiation, and after initiation he is considered "Twice-Born"  Now he has to go through four stages.

• Student
• Head of a house with wife and children
• A meditating hermit seeking enlightenment
• A homeless wanderer

    From here he is given four goals.

1. To become righteous and virtuous
2. To have material goods
3. To enjoy life through love, pleasure, and appreciation of beauty
4. To have spiritual victory over life

   And we must not forget reincarnation. You get another chance to get it right.
   
    This makes man himself god.

    The Bible that the Christian has says there is no second chance. "It is appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgement." No reincarnation.

   Stay with me. We are getting there. How are you? Any comments or questions? 
   Actually Hinduism is a philkosophy not a theology.

One god- Allah

    But the Jew isn't the only one who holds the belief in one god. This movement is based on the leadership and teaching of one man called Mohammed. Mohammed  was trying to lead his followers out of a life of ideolatry. In doing so he proclaimed himself a prophet and designed  his religion around rules and regulations. He placed man under a terrible burden of responsibility.
   This is in contrast to Jesus who said "Come to me, all you who labor, and I will give you rest. ..My Yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28,30
    The Islam belief systyem has five doctrines.

1. There is one god and his name is Allah.
2. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mohammed. There is an evil angel also called Shaitan as well as dijinns. 
3. Moslems have four sacred books- God inspired books they call them.  The Torah of Moses ( the Pentateuch), the Zabur (Psalms of David), The Injil (gospel) of Jesus, and the final words of Allah to mankind, the Koran. This Koran is seen by them as superseding and overruling all that went before.
4. They hold to twenty-eight prophets of Allah with Mohammed being the last and greatest prophet.
5. On the last day when the dead are resurrected Allah  will be their judge and send the people either to heaven or hell.. Heaven will be a place of sensual pleasure. On the other hand hell will be where everyone who opposes Allah and his prophet, Mohammed, will be.

      On top of that there are pillars of faith to be observed.

• To become a Moslem you must publicly recite the Shahadah."There is no god but Allah and Mohammed is the prophet of Allah."
• You must pray five times a day knelling and bowing toward Mecca.
• You must give one-fortieth of your income in alms.
• You are required to fast on Ramadan which is on the ninth month of the Moslem luner year
• And you should not forget the pilgrimage to Meccca. This you can do once in your lifetime.
• There is another pillar which we here in the United States, since 9/11, are very aware of. That is the pillar of the Jihad.. It is a Holy War to defend Islam ( doesn't seem to be the case in the USA) or a reason to conquer other lands for Allah.

        That is well and good. But as I looked deeper into the subject I found that they read the Koran to say that Christ never died on the cross. It was Judas who died there. The Koran in Surah 4:111 states that man must take care of his own sin. Sin to them is failure to do Allah's will or follow the pillars which detail one's religious duties.
     Please. Am I helping you? What would you like me to clarify? What are your needs? How can I help?

Searching For Meaning

  Hi. Welcome to this posting. After that series of postings on  study methods you may ask, so, I have all this information and what do I do with it? Simple. Knowledge without a way to give it out is useless. And while you are busy applying the methods you will need a place of nurturing. A good church can help you.
   So what is there to look for in a church?
   One that is Bible teaching and Bible believing.
  Yes, Dane, but there are so many out there that claim to teach the Bible.
   That is true. Therefore I would like to spend some posting helping you see that not all who report to teach the Bible are teaching the Bible.
    When I became a Christian in 1968 I had only the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church to fall back on. But I also had the Bible.It was the version that the church gave you and usually sat on the shelf gathering dust. You would let the priest tell you what it said.
     Now, I have always been a reader. Put something in my hand and I will read it. The Roman Catholic Church at this time did not want you to read the Bible or if you did you were not to interpret it.. that is, determine what it said. That was the Priests'  job who got their understanding from the Pope. More about that later.
     I was alway at college.I picked up a King James translation and start reading. Now, I have before this moment had religion classes. I was a product of Roman Cathollic education. We would use the Bible as a text book.more likely the book of Matthew. It has that great passage where, they say, God gave the keys to Peter who was the first pope.
    I did not know that was not found in the Bible. I accepted that as true because my teacher said so.
    Well, anyway. I was away at Taft, California attending college.
    Have any of you read 'The Hound Of Heaven"?.
    God found me there and I became a Christian then. Asked Jesus into my llife.
    I needed to have a church to worship in. I was no longer a slave to the teachings of the Roman Catholic church  This book, the Bible, was starting to make sense. I needed to be under the teaching ministry of a pastor/teacher.
   I returned home and started to look for a church fellowship. I stumbled for a while. I heard about a group that taught nothing but the truth and the truth they claimed, came from the Bible alone. But they added more to it. They were the World Wide Church Of God. They were teaching straight British Israelism. they were also teaching there was no Hell. They were teaching they were the true church. That you had to be baptized by one of their followers to be saved.
   I will get into that more later.
   Luckily I found a good Bible Believing fellowship shortly after I wrote the trainers of the World Wide Church and informed them of how unbiblical  they were and that they were teaching the doctrine of demons.. More about that in another posting.
    The church I found was strongly Bible Teaching and firmly Bible believing.
     So I plan to take my time looking at other belief systems and trying to help you be a workman who does not need to be ashamed.
     And I haven't finished with the Roman Catholic Church.

Church Attendence

I just want you to know it is important for you to be in a church somewhere on Sunday. Not just any church now, but a Bible believing and Bible preaching group.

  Let me tell you what I mean.
  The church is not the building but the people gathered. When I say a Bible believing I want to point out that there is only one authority that should be used to  teach the people.. If the Bible is not being taught from, the truth is not being transmitted.
  Why go? Because it is a duty. "Do not forsake the assembly of yourselves together",God says. But not only a duty. It is a privilege. Where else can you go and be in the presence of a Holy God? You can't see Him. No. But you can hear what He has to say and you can respond in worship through songs and action. And you can serve. That is a part of worship too.
  And you can listen to what the preacher says. As long as he is saying what God says, he is okay. But you must test what he says. As long as what he says squares with what God has said in the Bible the test has proved him true. Prove all things. Hold fast to that which is true.