Sunday, March 26, 2017

How to Find A Church

First of all when looking for a church it helps to have a little Bible knowledge. After all there were several New Testament churches that God was not happy with. Not happy at all. So it makes sense to see what kind of church God did not like.
You should want to be a member of a church that will help you grow as a Christian. That kind of church will hold you accountable for when you are falling a little short and encourage you to do better. When you do good they’ll slap you on the back and be so proud of you and it will make you feel so good you’ll want to do even better.
You should also want to be a member of a church that doesn’t tolerate open and willful sin. I see plenty of churches where men and women are living together outside of vows of marriage. Thats just not right. God doesn’t like it and neither should we and you shouldn’t want to be part of a church that tolerates anything like it.
When you look at a church look at it’s people. A church ought to have people in it that have some long marriages in. People who are true to their vows. Sometimes divorce can’t be helped but a church should have some marriages in it that have weathered some storms. A Church should be full of friendly welcoming people. Hospitality is big with the Lord… real big. If a church doesn’t care about you when you visit, chances are she won’t ever care much about you after you are a member there. A Church ought to be full of people who have great Bible knowledge. After all it is just one book isn’t it? God’s people should love God’s book and know it inside and out.
In short look for a church that is producing people who look like Jesus Christ. If it’s not then, well… it’s not much of a church.

Sunday, March 12, 2017

True or Fake Faith?

In 1 Peter we read a letter that was written to Christians who were having their faith assaulted by persecution and trials.
In the first chapter we read of three actions of faith. In verses 4 and 5 Peter tells them that they have an inheritance that no one can take away because God is guarding their promised salvation through their faith. No one could take away their salvation (including Satan) because God promises protection to the faithful.
In verse 7 we read that faith is proved through the overcoming of trials and temptation. What happens if faith consistently fails in the face of temptation? It’s not faith… it’s fake faith because it has failed the test.
In verse 9 we read that we can receive “the end of our faith”… the salvation of our souls. Faith has a beginning and it has an end. It can’t stop half way through the race it has to cross the finish line to reach the prize of salvation.
There are three actions of true faith. True faith carries with it God’s promise of protection. True faith overcomes trials and temptations and true faith continues to the end to receive salvation.
Only true faith results in salvation. Don’t be deceived by the fake faith that Satan peddles.