Selecting a Church - Considerations

Some Considerations in the Selection of a Church.

How did you choose one over all the others?
Do you know Jesus' teachings enough to identify false teachings and false churches?
Did you know the Apostle Paul broke down in tears many times, warning the people against false teachers? -Acts 20:29
Did you know that Jesus said that many false teachers, "wolves" would come in his name, wearing "sheep's clothing?" -Matthew 7:15

Let's begin with examining what God's Son, Jesus, said about this:

In Jesus' own words:

John 8:51 51 I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."

John 14:21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

John 12:46-50 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. 47 "As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. 49 For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."

Executive Summary of this text: Whoever knows what Jesus said and does it, will make it to Heaven. People who make no effort to find out what God wants from them, and especially if they reject Jesus' word, will be condemned. We will all be judged by Jesus' word.

Surely, at this very moment, someone is asking, "But what about people who have never heard of Jesus?"

Firstly - who has never heard of Jesus in an age where CNN takes films of bushmen and prairie dogs in every deep hole on every continent?
Secondly, yes, although the Bible is the most translated book on earth by far, there are a few languages and a few people who have not heard the specific Gospel of Christ in any coherent fashion. So what becomes of them? Click here to find out how ALL CAN BE SAVED.

II. Is Any and Every church okay?

1. What did Paul say would happen to the church Jesus founded?
Acts 20:30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

Summary - Men love power. Churches are a good way to get power. Many churches are led by men who distort God's word to make it more appealing, cheery, eeeeeasier. Like "quick and easy" diet pills, this attracts more disciples.

But people don't want to hear false teachings...do they? Paul addressed that issue:
2 Timothy 4:1-4 2 Timothy 4:1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-- with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
Summary - There are many false teachers and many people who love their teachings.
What do false teachers look like?
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 3 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.
Matthew 7:15 15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
Summary - Do sheep seem evil or out to get ya? Okay...maybe some. But mostly they don't. Neither are most false teachers obvious.
How can I tell then, who is a false teacher and who is teaching what Jesus said?
Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Summary - Those who are intimately familiar with God's Words will be able to tell who is distorting it and who is teaching sound doctrine.
But is accurate teaching, also known as "Doctrine," that important?
1 Timothy 4:16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
But is the Bible really from God or just the thoughts and words of men?
2 Peter 1:19-21 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Summary - Man didn't make it up or create it but spoke the words of God faithfully with the help of the Holy Spirit. Remember when Jesus said:
John 15:24 If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin.
In the same way, if the Bible had not done on earth what no other book has done, you wouldn't be as obligated to give it your full attention.
But the Bible has done on earth what no other 100 books have done. I suggest to you that if you ignore God's message, you will likely find yourself in an untenable position on judgment day.
Would you like a quick and easy preview of Judgment day? Read Revelation chapter 20, chapter 21, and chapter 22.

Are you saying the Bible has some supernatural power that other books don't possess? Are you saying Jesus' words are alive or can save my soul or something?

John 6:63 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
2 Timothy 3:14-17 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
James 1:21-22 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Summary - Jesus' words are Alive and can SAVE your SOUL

Yes, but how do I choose a church?

You can pick a foundational and elementary teaching, a really clear and important one, and see if they teach this correctly.

What is an example of a "foundational and elementary teaching?"

Hebrews 6:1-2 NIV Hebrews 6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

Since the above considers instruction about baptism an elementary and foundational teaching, and since Scripture says it "clothes us with Christ," "washes our sins away," "saves us through the resurrection of Christ" and let's us enter participate in Christ's death, burial and resurrection, this is a good place to do a Berean comparison between what Scripture says and what the church's leaders say.

To make this super easy, just print out the document here: Instruction about Baptism

Read it. Understand it. Print it out and bring it with you to church. Then ask the church leaders a few simple questions as listed on the page, just to compare what they say with what is in the Bible.

One day soon, it will be of inestimable value to know what Jesus said. If you don't know, find someone who can quickly walk you through the basic teachings that Jesus and his Apostles said we needed to know to be saved. The person who lead you here can help. All Christ's love awaits you.

By the way - just so you know - people who haven't heard about Jesus specifically but have followed God can be saved too. This is discussed here: Even the guy on the Island Can Be Saved aka. Whoever said all God loving Non-Christians are Going to Hell?

Didn't God send a messenger to Sodom and Gomorrah, to the pre-flood world, to Nineveh and "to every creature under heaven?" Yes - but still in the event someone has no chance (discounting ignorance from lethargy and apathy) to hear the Gospel, consider these passages:
Romans 2 - Romans 2:6-16 God "will give to each person according to what he has done." 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.
12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
1 Peter 3:18-20 18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.
1 Peter 4:5-6 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.
Clearly God is in the habit of making a provision for everyone so that they are without excuse, just as Jesus said:
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. -John 15:22

Jesus first spoke to them, loved them and warned them. It's implied and inferred that people would have an excuse without hearing Jesus' words. God does not change.(James 1:17, Malachi 3:5) He will give everyone a chance. But consider what Jesus said about "not knowing":

Luke 12:47-48 "That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

What do you notice? 1.) Both the servant who didn't know and the one who did are both beaten. But the one from whom more was given had the greater punishment. Why is the servant who didn't know what the master wanted beaten? Because, just like you, my gentle reader, the servant probably could have known what his very own master wanted. And you - can't you find out what God wants from you. Have you tried? Let's hope the Apostle Paul is not talking about you when he says:

Romans 1:18-23 Men suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-- his eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened...

God is not above arguing with you about your innocence either:

Isaiah 43:26 6 Review the past for me, let us argue the matter together; state the case for your innocence.

But try to have a good defense. If you are reading this, a plea of ignorance and insanity may be out. Most anyone in most any church of Christ can quickly walk you through the Bible so that you can make an informed decision. Call 'em up - they're a friendly knowledgeable lot :-)

Examples of how people became Christians

notes:

Test everything. -1Thessalonians 5:21

Jesus said, "I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. -Revelation 2:2