Finding a church is an amazing challenge in the world we live in--especially in America and similar western-world countries where variety is so broad. It is a challenge for two reasons: the churches have so many variations and the people have so many expectations. Some people seem to begin with a checklist of expectations as long as the greedy-child's Christmas list. They imagine the church that would be perfect for them and then go out to find it. They want it to have all the strengths of their previous church and none of its faults. This time, they are sure they will get it right. Unfortunately, many people soon discover that the new church lacks some of the strengths of their old one and they have not learned to appreciate the strengths of the new one. They long for the leeks and garlic of Egypt and look back to the old and familiar. Everything in the new church seems wrong. Some believers even turn to a spiritual pillar of salt while they linger. They lose their spiritual life and godly luster. For this reason, my requirements for church-hunting is quite short. Here it is:
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It must have the right doctrine. I will not give a list of crucial doctrines here. However, it must have biblical doctrine and not be caught up in any crazy doctrinal error.
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It must have the right book. That is, the King James Bible. Many would disagree with me here, but to me this is paramount.
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It must have the right emphasis. That emphasis is to please God, reach the lost, and minister to the saints. If the emphasis of the church is to be the biggest in the land or to entertain the world and worldly, it is the wrong emphasis.
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It must have the right leadership. It should not be deacon-run or family-run. Also, the pastor needs to be a man who listens to God first while listening to the wisdom of the people in the church. Christ is still the head of the church.
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It must be God's choice for you. Do not expect God to reveal His choice to you if you are not willing to listen.
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First, submit to God's will in the matter. Tell Him that you are willing to go where He wants you to go no matter what.
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Second, ask God to lead you to the right church and confirm in your heart that it is the right one.
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Third, pray each time you go to a church that God will reveal to you if it is the one.
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Fourth when you think you have the right one, ask God one more time to show you if you are wrong.
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Last, when you have submitted to God, sought His will, and allowed yourself to be led by Him, join with the church of His choice and become faithful and active in that church.
Unfortunately, there are now many areas where a decent church cannot be found. However, it is better to be in a church that does not have all things right than to be out of church completely. In those cases when there no church even comes close to being biblical, this is also a message from God. In some cases, He may expect you to pray a good church into your area. In other situations, you should either move to where you can go to a decent church or start a church in your home. This is not for everyone, but it certainly the answer for some. I hope these comments help.
