What Are the Churches Telling Us?

Brother, you're so blessed to have a local Bible believing church 🙏
My church is located in Columbus, Ohio. I'm in Pennsylvania. I only have virtual.
I’m involved with leading a couple different Mens discipleship groups on Thursday and Saturday mornings and I get much more out of that than listening to a sermon. I much prefer a dialogue over a monologue. We have some great questions and discussions. And we are not going through any material from a 3rd party or any books. Thursday’s a few of us rotate leading the group that meets at our church and Saturday’s are a smaller group of 4 that meets at my house. Both groups feel the same way as they look forward to those days over Sundays for the same reason. It’s the iron sharpens iron affect.
 
I’m involved with leading a couple different Mens discipleship groups on Thursday and Saturday mornings and I get much more out of that than listening to a sermon. I much prefer a dialogue over a monologue. We have some great questions and discussions. And we are not going through any material from a 3rd party or any books. Thursday’s a few of us rotate leading the group that meets at our church and Saturday’s are a smaller group of 4 that meets at my house. Both groups feel the same way as they look forward to those days over Sundays for the same reason. It’s the iron sharpens iron affect.
This is exactly what I'd be looking for in a Women's group! Although sermons do help in our understanding, & spiritual maturity, I too much prefer dialogue. Pastor David Reid does "Bible Q&A" each Wednesday. It allows for believers to send in questions, & he answers them via YouTube for those of us that are unable to find a local church.

What I love about him is that he's humble, doesn't expect anyone to take what he teaches at face value, always encourages us to study for ourselves, & tells us to decide for ourselves. This is rare in a pastor. Also, he's helped me during a very hard patch in my life back in 2021. However, I do NOT exalt any man over the Word of God. I always allow God to be my final authority in all matters b/c I'll be standing before Him alone at the Judgment Seat of Christ :)
 
What I've personally learned from God's manifold wisdom is this:

God is watching how well Christians listen, & obey Him. This will determine what types of responsibilities God could then entrust to us for His eternal purposes for both the nation of Israel, & the Body of Christ. Religion/doctrines of devils is Satan's attempt to thwart us from knowing this truth, thus making the vast majority of Christians ineffective in engaging spiritual warfare. Satan wants people lost,
& kept lost.

While many are distracted, bickering among one another, deceiving & being deceived, Satan gains ground. He accuses, & mocks believers to God's face before His throne day, & night. That there should give us pause.

Is Satan gaining an upper hand over us, or is his deceitful works being exposed by us?
Let's not be ignorant of Satan's devices. Romans 11:25
 
Are churches telling us what we WANT to hear or what we NEED to hear?
I think the Evangelical Church as a whole is a mess. I just left my church a few weeks ago because they allowed a woman into Church Leadership and she was beginning to preach every now and then on Sunday mornings.

Some churches are indeed little more that Christian positive thinking seminars. They teach God loves you just the way you are instead of in spite of the way we are...they teach you don't have to change instead of following Christ and growing in the newness of your creation and so forth.

Many don't like "sound doctrine." Some are anti-intellectual believing that thinking is contrary to true faith. They don't like the word "doctrine" at all. Subjective feelings and "God told me" trump Scripture, or at least Scripture is interpreted in light of them. Doctrines as basic and foundational to the Christian faith as the Trinity and the incarnation are butchered if they are used at all.

All that to say that in my experience it is difficult to find a good church. There are those (many) who say you shouldn't go "church shopping," and I say there is nothing further from the truth. You can find a good church but you have to check them out...watch them online if they have an online presence. Read their websites (statement of faith, "what we believe"). Visit the church and see how many children their are (while having children does not necessarily mean it is a healthy church, a lack of children is a red flag). Do people bring their Bible to church. Does the pastor exegete the Scripture? What are their priorities (are they a Sunday morning only church?) Finally, meet with the pastor with questions if you have them.

Blessings,
TheLayman
 
I think the Evangelical Church as a whole is a mess. I just left my church a few weeks ago because they allowed a woman into Church Leadership and she was beginning to preach every now and then on Sunday mornings.

Some churches are indeed little more that Christian positive thinking seminars. They teach God loves you just the way you are instead of in spite of the way we are...they teach you don't have to change instead of following Christ and growing in the newness of your creation and so forth.

Many don't like "sound doctrine." Some are anti-intellectual believing that thinking is contrary to true faith. They don't like the word "doctrine" at all. Subjective feelings and "God told me" trump Scripture, or at least Scripture is interpreted in light of them. Doctrines as basic and foundational to the Christian faith as the Trinity and the incarnation are butchered if they are used at all.

All that to say that in my experience it is difficult to find a good church. There are those (many) who say you shouldn't go "church shopping," and I say there is nothing further from the truth. You can find a good church but you have to check them out...watch them online if they have an online presence. Read their websites (statement of faith, "what we believe"). Visit the church and see how many children their are (while having children does not necessarily mean it is a healthy church, a lack of children is a red flag). Do people bring their Bible to church. Does the pastor exegete the Scripture? What are their priorities (are they a Sunday morning only church?) Finally, meet with the pastor with questions if you have them.

Blessings,
TheLayman
I would have left there to brother.
 
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