JOHN 4:23-24
"A time is coming—and now is—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth,
for the Father seeks such people to be His worshipers.
"God is spirit—and His worshipers MUST worship in spirit and in truth."
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How to choose the right church—Tips #2 and #3
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RELIGIOUSLYINCORRECT.org
If you've ever thumbed through the church section of your local yellow pages, you've probably noticed what I have:
a befuddling selection of seemingly endless choices.
Practically every flavor of "Christianity" imaginable is available to you.
From motorcycle churches to homosexual ministers and everything in between beckon the modern
church-seeker.
This wide selection of "customer-oriented" congregations gives people the ability to choose just the right fit for
their traditional upbringings,
social desires, and comfort zones.
And, in the midst of this "anything-goes" atmosphere, people have
lost complete sight of Who they're supposed to be pleasing and worshiping: God—and our Lord Jesus Christ.
But—as mentioned in
part 1
of this series—if you really want to make a responsible church choice, it's imperative that you take the time
to "do your homework"—for your decision will likely affect you and your loved-ones far more than you think.
So, here's a continuation of the series "How to choose the right church."
Go back to part 1.
Tip #2: Find out how God wants you to worship—disregarding human traditions
"What's God's will on worship," you ask?
Jesus said:
A time is coming—and now is—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks
such people to be His worshipers.
God is spirit—and His worshipers MUST worship in spirit and in truth.
(John 4:23-24)
This is clearly bad news for a lot of religious people today, who apparently think how one worships is unimportant to God.
Please notice that Jesus didn't say "God would PREFER" we worship Him "in spirit and in truth." Nor did He say
"it would be a good thing" if we worshiped that way. He used arguably the most demanding
word of human language: MUST.
We MUST worship God not only in spirit, but also in truth.
Of course, what this means is that, if we are "true" followers and worshipers of Christ—then instead of telling everyone
about how Christ is our "Lord"—we will show that we have submitted to His Lordship by actually doing what He says. We will
set about making sure our worship to God is BOTH in spirit and in truth.
Remember, to the well-intentioned masses who weren't doing His will, Jesus said:
Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?
(Luke 6:46)
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven.
MANY will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not [do many things for your cause]?'
Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you; Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'
(Matthew 7:21-23)
Instead, like those who are highly commended by God, we should seek to truly please God in everything
we do. That means worshiping God the right way, even if we're the last people on earth
doing it.
To be, as Christ said, a "true worshiper," we're required to meet a higher standard. We must keep that
standard as high and God set it.
Too many today, instead of seeking to change a bad situation in a "truth-worshiping" church, seek instead to abandon
God's will and make compromises with false teachings or practices. Instead of being part of the solution, they contribute to
the continuing modern erosion of truth and practice. And, like all of us, they will be accountable
for this seemingly small sin.
But we must never forget that the mandate to worship God in truth is serious—just as is the mandate to worship in spirit.
We must therefore be determined to meet BOTH of God's requirements: spirit (the right attitude of focus and love),
AND truth (public teaching and practice that match the word of God).
Tip #3: Don't compromise proper practice
Although God clearly requires that we be part of a spiritual church with truth in spirit, teaching and practice,
lots of modern church-goers are finding themselves in a predicament:
Should they support a dead church that seems to have
truth in teaching and general practice (but lack "spirit"), or should they cave to one of the multitudinous "thriving" liberal churches who seem to be enjoying themselves
but aren't at all concerned about getting too technical with the Bible (in other words, modification of God's plain teachings are common).
Of course, when you bend the rules a little, bending them a little more seems innocent enough.
For example: Many of us perhaps never thought we'd see the day homosexuality was accepted in society,
much less so-called "Christian" churches.
Now it's embraced, even to the extent that gay men and lesbian women actually lead such pseudo-churches.
Such churches view homosexuals according to the perverted world view: persecuted
individuals who need to be elevated in society as a form of reverse-discrimination. Thus, modern gays and lesbians are actually honored for
their perversions.
Even some the grossest of liberal "Christians" cannot embrace this utter disregard for God's teachings and principles, not realizing their
micro steps from the truth constructed the very environment causing this to happen. They will likely soon follow.
I'm certain this gigantic divergence from truth made its appearance long ago in digressions from the Bible that seemed
innocent enough at the time.
Additional recommended reading:
How to start a home church
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