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When people first become believers in the Lord Jesus it is important that they join a church fellowship and become involved. There are many good reasons for this. When a Christian is in a church group they are able to grow and learn quickly because of the help they receive. They are also able to learn from the godly examples set by those around them. They can also learn to serve and love by doing kind deeds back for others. In addition to this a believer is also protected from falling away by the loving believers around them who keep a watch over their soul. Contrast this with a believer who doesn't attend a church group and remains on their own. They will grow slowly, will often struggle with feelings and with faith, they will have few opportunities to serve and love. On top of all of this, they will never see godly examples of how to pray, give, love and care. Even worse, they may backslide and fall away totally and no one will even know. Basically, being a solo believer is hard and dangerous. The Bible says in the book of Hebrews that we "should not forsake the gathering of believers." This means that it is important that we frequently meet together with other Christians and it is good for us to do so. What kind of a church should we attend? How do you pick a good church? There are many diffeent types of churches in the world and many different flavours of Christianity and so your personal taste and preference will always play some part in where you choose to attend. However on top of that, there are a few practical hints that will guide you into choosing a good church to join.First you need to join a church that believes the Bible is God's word. Some churches don't literally believe the Bible and as a result have come up with skewed ideas about topics. If a church is Bible believing this is always a good start. Secondly smaller churches are usually better for you as an individual. This is because in a smaller congregation there is often a lot more love because everyone knows each other. If you are missing one week someone will probably notice. If you have a need someone will probably find out. In large churches however there are often many anonymous people in the pews who come and go. Their lives could be falling to pieces but nobody would know about it or care. Also, in smaller congregations there is a much higher chance you will find a way to contribute by collecting the offering, cleaning or other small tasks. Helping out in these ways is a great way to grow as a Christian.Thirdly, choose a church that believes in prayer and prays. A church that has prayer meetings or includeds prayers in its meetings in the week shows that it is a church that wants to grow and serve God. If you join this kind of church you will be able to learn to pray. The most sure way of choosing a good church is to look for a group of people who love one another. No group will be perfect and every christian will make mistakes at times, but if a group strives to love one another, then you have found a home in your faith. Finally, God will often put us in tests of small kinds to see how genuine we are. No matter what church you choose, there will always come a time when there is something you are unhappy about. It never fails to occur. In this situation, you have a chance to develop some godly character by staying faithful in the fellowship and not complaining but by loving and serving even though it is tough. That will be a part of your maturing as a Christian. Once you have picked a church, do your best to remain faithful and love your fellow believers in that place loyally and with trust. |
