Where Should I Go to Church

Intro: 

I have been talking to several people lately about making decisions on where they should attend church. So, I decided to write this “little” post. I hope it helps people who are struggling with this decision. Please feel free to share it. It is a little long but I encourage you to read it all, even if you do so in several settings.

Where Should I Go to Church?

First I think there are few important things to know about church:

1. The church was really started by Christ. He was the official organizer of what we call “the Church.” So this gives “church” a great value.
2. We are commanded by the scriptures to fellowship with other believer, to worship God, and to learn about Him.
3. “The Church” is not a building but the universal brotherhood of believers. There are people who say they “belong to a church” but don’t really belong to the church. People find solace in belonging to a church and often feel that it scores points with God. But those who do not belong to the church, will find themselves coming up short when they stand before God.
4. The church is considered Christ’s body. One of the chief reasons, is that once Christ left this earth He commissioned the church to do the work that He had begun. We are now the hands, feet, the body, of Christ.
5. In the body (or the church) there are specific functions needed. Just as a real body needs systems to continue to live, so the church needs the members of the body functioning as they are suppose to. Try functioning without your heart for any amount of time. Can’t happen. Each organ/system is needed. Without certain people, the body may live but it will be crippled to an extent. Without functioning systems and members of those systems, the body is sick. Let your kidney shut down and refuse to work, and it affects the whole body. Refusing to, or just neglecting to, function as God designed you, does more than just affect you, it can have a detrimental affect on His body.
   God brings us into the body, not just to get us to heaven, but so that we function in the system He designed us for. You and I have been designed from birth with the personalities, gifts, and abilities that God wanted us to have. Why? So that we could use those abilities to keep the body (of Christ) functioning.

Comfort is often the only consideration as to where to attend a certain church. (Read that first line again and let it sink in.) Do I like the pastor? Do they have a good kid’s program? Do they have a clean ladies room? (Right ladies?) What kind of music do they have? But considering whether you should buy a house because you like the light

ing fixtures is just as fool-hearted as choosing a church based on some of these things. 

Should you want to comfortable at your church? Yes. But it cannot be the only decision making criteria. Because we are called by God to work as part of His body, chances are He has a specific place designed for you also. God may call us to places that don’t seem like just the right fit to us, but is exactly where God wants us. 

Why? The most important work of the body is people. Christ wants His love to be spread to people through the church. God could call us to a place where we don’t like the music but where we sit down next to someone He needs us to help. Like having a great friendship takes a certain chemistry, also, ministry sometimes takes that. God, at times, puts people in the path of others so that there is a match of the personalities. He may want to do that with you despite the pastor, or the music, or the distance you have to walk across a parking lot. 

It is important to note here one very important fact. If you are a christian, you are because you surrendered yourself to the Lordship of Christ. In real terms, that means, you gave God permission to own your life, to run your life. If you did not do that, then you don’t understand true Christianity. Christianity is not fire insurance, or a ticket to heaven. Christianity is about a lifestyle of serving Christ and allowing Him to make choices for you. The disciples were called disciples because the word “disciple” comes from the same root as discipline. Disciples are just that, because they discipline themselves to follow Christ. They discipline themselves to serve for Christ and follow His directions. 

Sometimes that means that our comfort is not the most important thing. Many people have been asked to do very uncomfortable things by God because He could see a bigger picture. Mother Theresa was only able to do what God called her to do by subjecting herself to discomfort. Yet, in her discomfort, she has become a symbol of true Christian love ... and success. Christ could only do what His Father had called Him to do by allowing God to choose discomfort for Him. He wrestled with that in the garden, but was able to see a bigger picture. Thank God He did.

So, are you willing to ask God for His plan for your life? Does God have a bigger picture than what you can see? Probably! Most of our plans would really end up in disaster. But God has plans that are about our success. (see Jeremiah 29:11) But, still, silently God stands and awaits our decision. God never takes control, He always waits for us to give it to Him.

Church, it is true, is not the pentacle of the gospel process. Or... at least it shouldn’t be. Waiting for people to come to church to be touched by God is not God’s plan. His true plan is for us is to be constantly and consistently making an impact on our worlds; Sunday through Saturday. Christ said “go into all the world” not wait for folks to come to your church.

Another consideration for choosing a church is based on another job of the church. The Bible says that the ministry is giving to do a couple of things in particular. One is to equip people to serve God (that means to do kingdom work for Him). The other is to provide a way for the perfecting of the people in the church. God uses the church as a springboard to prepare us to affect the world.

It is true that the church provides an opportunity to worship. We have gone as far as to call our time of singing in churches “morning worship” or to call church services “worship services. But there are issues here: 

The first is, one must be a Christian to truly worship. Jesus said that we must worship Him in “spirit and in truth”. (See John 4) The spirit part seems easy. It is very easy to get in “the spirit” of worship. (Sometimes just as easy as getting into the spirit of your favorite team winning a game.) But the truth part is more difficult. The truth part has to do with the way we lived our lives the week before Sunday. Real worship cannot come from someone who will not, live in, and obey God’s truths.

Secondly, the worship of the believer cannot be reserved for Sunday. Unless we worship God daily, there is a very real possibility that we are not worshipping Him on Sunday. Worship is more a lifestyle than an action. 

The third is: the ultimate form of worship is not singing songs, raising hands or even saying good things about God. If you read Romans the 12th chapter, you will find a definition of real worship. Read verse one and you will see that the true form of worship is about surrendering one’s self to God. Not only Sunday but each day of life. 

People can worship other things besides God when they go to church. (Did you get that?) There is very real condition that some people have. It is a false worship. It is a worship where people are, in truth, worshipping the feelings they get from church rather than God. This happens often when people use church as a sort of fix. They live lives that are not concerned with God, or His plan, so they don’t feel close to Him throughout the week. They go to church to get that good feeling that, somehow, they are closer to Him in a church or by visiting one. This feeling can be addictive and people will go to church to get that feeling. Soon it becomes about the feeling and not about God. 

Also, others get a good feeling because they think that they have done God a favor by showing up on Sunday. They feel that God gives more points to those who attend church. Showing up to receive anything is really about self, not about God. 

See true worship has nothing to do with us. It is about total focus on our heavenly Father and our Savior. Even singing songs, though the are good, about how good God makes us feel or what we are going to do because of God, is not the truest form of worship that can come from us in a church setting. There is nothing wrong with singing songs that tell about our overcoming, or our desires to be more like God. These are testimonial songs. But real worship is directed in one direction only - God and His greatness.

At church we do worship. We do find answers from God’s word. We do fellowship with others on this journey. These are all important aspects of church and should never be dismissed. The are biblical.

Because the ministry is given for helping us learn about God and about how to work for Him, I do think it is possible to go to the wrong church because of leadership or teaching. By that, I mean, that there is an aspect of church where church can be an intricate part of your christian growth. Here are somethings to consider:

1. If the church does not teach truth, then it could actually be a harmful place spiritually; especially if you are a newbie to church/christian life. If the pastor or teachers there don’t teach the truth, they could serve to lead you the wrong direction. This cannot be a healthy environment even for the seasoned saint.
2. “Practice what you preach.” This is an old saying but bears out a lot of truth. I would warn people who attend a church where the leaders (when teaching truth) don’t practice what they preach. This warning comes from the fact that pastors who don’t practice God’s truths, are highly unlikely to give you a message of truth from God. Preachers and teachers who are aware of their failure to line up to God’s word will, many times, not preach on those things because of the conviction they feel.
3. God does not use false prophets to spread His message to His people. Bear in mind that God’s word even if preached by a monkey is still that “God’s word.” It is powerful and will change peoples lives even if it comes through a unlikely source. But, God needs to reveal to pastors and teachers/leaders what they are to say. The pastor or teacher is suppose to become a conduit for God’s message to His people. God chose to do it this way. (see: i Corinthians 1:21) When a leader is out of sync with God, God is not able to use that person in the way He wishes. What generally happens in these situations, is that, the leader begins to do things based on his/her personal talents, abilities or knowledge. The message thus becomes the word of the pastor/teacher rather than God’s word.
   (Note: God’s word always will affect us. But no matter who we hear preaching or teaching God’s word, we should always be in a place that God can reveal what might be wrong in a message. The bible talks about wolves in sheep’s clothing; people who deliver a message but their motives are not pure.)
   Pastors, church leaders, and teachers, are commanded by God Himself to live as an example, before people, of the truth of God’s word. We do realize that people, even those in leadership in the church, make mistakes. But leaders who live mistakes is a different thing. It is very difficult for us to be told by someone doing wrong, not to do the things they do. I think this is because God has placed in us the “knowing” of right from wrong. When someone is living wrong and then denying it, this is not only lying to themselves but to everyone else, including God.
   Remember that titles mean nothing to God. God judges by the content of the heart. Just because someone wears the title pastor, overseer, bible teacher, ... etc., does not mean their hearts are right with God or that there message is one of truth.
4. Matthew 15:14, Jesus speaking, says if the blind lead the blind, they both will fall into a ditch. I am not interested in falling at all. So, there are some people I will not follow. Note, that this applies to anyone who is teaching God’s word, whether in a church, on TV/radio or in a book. Be careful about following people you do not know. And especially careful following people who do not demonstrate truth in their own lives.
5. One thing that God uses, to speak to others, that says we have Christ in our lives, is love. Christ himself said that people would know that we follow His truths by seeing the love we have for others. (see John 13:35) I suggest not following someone who doesn’t display love for others. Loving people is the second greatest commandment. People who do not show a Godly, genuine, love for people are not followers of Christ.
    
6. Character flaws are part of all of our lives. Yet, God is very concerned about character. When we see people who either seem to not be aware of character flaws, will not hear others who reach out to help them concerning the flaws, or seemingly are not addressing character flaws, this is a sign of spiritual immaturity. Flaws that are so evident in leaders, to those around them, usually will be addressed by God also. Someone who is not sensitive to God’s spirit about their personal issues will, most likely, not be sensitive to God when God tells them how to lead.
   The Bible is also adamant about fellowshipping (hanging with) people of questionable character. In fact, at one point we are told not to even eat with them. Paul talks a lot about the dangers of having relationships with people who are not true believers. Paul, basically, says stay away.
7. Fruit. Jesus said that you could know someone by their fruit. If you are not sure about following someone, inspect their fruit. The fruit will tell you what kind of tree they are. Look at their lifestyle. Are they genuinely loving with people, going out of their way to meet peoples needs. Does God seem important to them when they are out of the church environment? Do they talk about Jesus and what God is doing in their lives often? (They will if God is important to them.) Does it seems like they are more earthly minded than concerned with the Lord’s will or work. When you discuss an issue with them, is the first reaction to talk to God about it? Do they change? In other words, do you see them growing spiritually? When you grow you change. How do they treat others when then are frustrated or under fire? Do they always preface making decisions by saying, “Let’s pray for God’s direction on this!” Do they recognize their mistakes and ask forgiveness? Do they do things that one might consider non-christian?  Are they servants or bosses? Jesus said that leaders are to serve. Are they trying to emulate Jesus? (Yes we all fall short of being like Jesus, but you can tell if someone is trying to be like Him.)
   These are just few things to consider when looking at fruit.
8. God gives discernment. If you are connected in a good relationship with God, He will give you extraordinary abilities. One of those is discernment. Discernment is simply knowing some things about a situation that are outside of human reasoning. It is like intuition. Discernment is a way of God telling you something about a person or situation that is important for you to know. God can put a gut feeling inside you about a person or place.
   We should learn to discern whether a situation is good or bad. The first step to this is having a tight relationship with God, one where you are close enough to hear His voice. The second step is asking God to keep you aware of His voice, asking God about situations. Often we accept things as they are and forget to ask God what He thinks. When God gives you discernment, it is many times for your protection. He may send up red flags because He is warning of spiritual or physical danger.
   God can give you discernment when it comes to churches, leaders, authors, speakers ... etc.
9. Be careful of cults. Hear are a few things to watch for:

• Cults usually have strong leaders that may be considered or consider themselves 

     somewhat infallible. They put themselves above others and can’t admit to their own mistakes or short comings. They refuse to hear others when it comes to any criticism of them. Many times they feel that the have a monopoly on the truth and/or God only speaks to them.

• Cult leaders/churches may emphasize their teachings above the authority of God’s word. This can be done very slyly. Churches that emphasize traditions over God’s word are dangerous places.
• Cults tend to put pressure on people to submit to their way of thinking. If a church uses pressure tactics rather than relying on God’s spirit to change people, they are in the wrong.
• Cult will twist scriptures and will also emphasize the “works” mentality. By that, I mean they tend to say the things you do are more important to being saved than the things that Christ did.

You can find other signs of a cult on the internet. 

Look for these things when you visit a church. Be careful that churches you attend or might consider attending, do not manifest these signs. These can be dangerous places and it highly unlikely that God will choose to send you there.

God’s direction is the number one prerequisite when considering a church. Is God placing you there even if you are not sure why. Spend time talking with God about where you and your family should go to church. Be willing to wait on His answer but insist that you have it. Stay put until you have His direction. He may begin to reveal things to you, where you are, that are signs that you should leave or that you should stay. Keep your spiritual eyes and ears clear so that you can sense His messages and promptings.

Once you hear from God, don’t delay. Make the changes you need to make or stay put. If God sends you to a specific place, bear these things in mind:

1. You probably will not feel comfortable there at first. No one feels at home the first time  they visit a place. Just because you are not comfortable doesn’t mean this it is not God’s place for you. Be comfortable in the peace that you are following God’s direction despite being uncomfortable in the environment.
2. Continue to be aware of signs that this is not where God sent you. We all make mistakes. Look for God’s signs of approval.
3. Don’t sit on the bench too long. God had brought you there for a reason. He put you in that body to function. Don’t squelch God plan for you, and that church, by waiting to be ask to do something. Come forward and express why you think God wants you there. If you are not sure at first, find out! Find out by seeking God and His voice in the matter.
   There is very real desire to hibernate or to allow yourself to get lost in a crowd at a different church. The Devil would love nothing more than that respond to God’s  moving you, that you would fail to get involved. Remember, if you feel that God sends you somewhere, it is not for you to sit back and become non-productive. Do not let your fear of new circumstances or people inhibit the fulfillment of God’s plan. Determine before you step foot in the place( that God sends you) that you will go in ready to accomplish His plan.
4. Meet the leadership. See where their hearts are and express your desire to help. Don’t be surprise if you have to prove yourself first. Leaders need to see that you can be trusted before they put responsibility in your hands. Don’t be surprised if they mention something that goes hand in hand with things that God has already put in your heart.
5. Look for opportunities to help. People in a new place don’t know you, so they most likely will not ask for your help. This is one of the best ways to get to know people in a church. Getting to know people is the fastest route to feeling at home in a church. Again, do not let the Devil stop you because of fear.
6. Listen intently to what God says to you there. God may send you to a place so that you can hear something from Him. That could come from the pastor, a teacher, or someone sitting in service next to you.

The most important thing about choosing a church is knowing that God is in your choice. 

The most important thing you can do, is let church be a vehicle to equip you to do God’s bidding. Going to the greatest church in the world means nothing if you are not doing God’s work because of it. You should see people being saved, not because you brought them to church, but because you invested in a friendship, you shared the gospel and prayed with them. (Bear in mind that many salvations experiences in a church service are not truly a conversion of a soul but a start of a process in which God will use you to seal the deal. There are many reasons that people pray a sinners prayer at church and many of them are not because they need a savior.) That is more likely to happen at your backyard barbecue than at a church service. Look for opportunities to make relationships that will lead to someone accepting the Lord. Remember that the sinners prayer is the beginning of your work, not the end. Once someone accepts Christ, your next duties it to take care of that baby; disciple them.

Realize that this may not be your final destination. God often takes us different places to develop us for a final purpose. When you give God control of your life, you must trust Him to take you the places He knows is best for you.

Don’t wait for discomfort where you are to see that God wants you to move. On the other hand, don’t suppose that discomfort means it is time to move. There are people who are more concerned with finding comfort than God’s will. Don’t be one of them. They will never find satisfaction in a church but they will only find it in a relationship with God and doing His will, where He would have it done. Jumping from church to church, based on comfort, only does two things, prevents a person from finding their place in the body and knowing the fulfillment by doing so, and... robs the body (of where they should be) of that functionality. God is never happy with that.

So... talk to God about your church. Don’t settle, or base your decision on selfish motives but be determined to hear God voice. Watch for the signs He gives you and then do what He ask.

Once there, (whether moving or staying) you will have the peace that follows listening to God. You will also obtain the rewards for your obedience. God will bless you in ways you have never experienced, when you obey Him.

Then... get to work! God is counting on us. He uses the church to do His work. If we refuse to work, God will not come from heaven and do it Himself. That would go against the plan that Jesus set up when He established the church and left this earth. God was already here with us and He finished what He was suppose to do and left. Now we take the wheel and drive the church to success.

I pray that this message helps and that your greatest wish is “What does God want?”