If you’re looking for a good church, what should you be looking for first and foremost?
Should you look for a church that’s fun? Do you look for a stage, flashing lights, and a dark place where you can’t even open your Bible to read it?
Do they have basketball courts, a coffee shop, fitness center, and child care so you don’t have to take care of your own children (since they are such a bother)?
Think about these things. Are you allowing your flesh to take over when looking for a church, which is supposed to be spiritual?
Yes, I would love a free fitness center too, but I love to worship God much more than going to a fitness center. Fitness centers, concerts, solo performances, flashing lights, darkness, merchandise stores, coffee shops, and basketball courts don’t belong in a church.
If you want a fitness center, go to a fitness center. NOT A CHURCH.
Please understand this and don’t fall for these things. These churches are feeding off your fleshly desires and this should be a sign to you that it isn’t a good church.
But this isn’t the most important test for a good church.
What’s The Most Important Test For A Good Church?
Each church you visit must be put through this test for a good church:
- Ask the people around you who are normal attendees of the church how to be saved.
- Ask the pastors or preachers how to be saved.
All of the regular attendees should know how to tell you how to be saved. EVERY ONE OF THEM. Even the children should be able to tell you how to make it to heaven.
The pastor especially should be able to tell you how to be saved.
Here’s The Important Part Of The Test For A Good Church
Now, here’s the important part of the test:
If anyone teaches you that you must do anything other than believe “IN” or “ON” Jesus Christ to be saved, you do not have a good church.
For example, if the pastor tells you that you must be baptized to be saved, that pastor does not know the truth. A good pastor should know the simplicity of the Gospel.
A good pastor will teach his (notice I said HIS as in MALE because the Bible says only men can be pastors) congregation how to be saved.
A Godly pastor will be teaching that Jesus Christ ALONE saves you. His death, His burial, and His resurrection saves us. It’s all Jesus before, during, and after salvation.
If anyone adds any type of works to salvation, such as repenting of sin, this is not a good church.
Some Scriptures You Should Know For This Church Test
The entire Bible teaches from front to back that faith alone saves you. Do not trust any church that adds works or anything else to salvation (being saved).
Here are some Scriptures you should know that proves salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God.
John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Acts 16:30-31 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Please read all of the Scriptures above and understand them before you choose a church. Believe on Jesus Christ first. Be saved. Receive everlasting life. THEN, choose a good church.
Additional Advice For Finding A Good Church
Do not choose a church that adds ANY WORKS to salvation.
The sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for your sins is enough. He is “THE” sacrifice for sins. We are not. Our works are not. Jesus Christ is the sacrifice. There is no other sacrifice for sins BUT Jesus Christ alone. Please understand this right now.
Once you put all your trust on HIM ALONE, then you are saved. This is called faith. When you’re about to die, there is no one else who can take you to heaven but Jesus Christ. No one else can save you. Your good works can’t save you. BUT JESUS CAN.
What does this mean to be “saved?”
Notice that saved is past tense. Once you believe on Jesus Christ, you are saved. It’s over. You have everlasting life. You are not going to hell. You are 100%, without a doubt, going to heaven. There’s nothing you can do to change that. But, you must make sure you’ve trusted in Jesus Christ. Don’t add anything else to salvation. It’s Jesus alone.
A Good Church Will Teach You Have Everlasting Life Once You Believe In Jesus Christ As The Savior Of The World
Many false churches (bad churches) will teach that you can lose everlasting life.
This doesn’t make any sense at all. If you have everlasting life right now, then, obviously, it lasts forever. God wouldn’t have called it everlasting life if it ended.
And no, DO NOT wait until you are dead to find out if you’re going to heaven and hell. It doesn’t work that way. God says that you can know RIGHT NOW.
1 John 5:10-13 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Trust the words of the Bible over any church. You can know right now that you have everlasting life that never ends.
Make sure the church you are testing understand this. Ask the pastor if you can lose everlasting life. If he says anything other than “NO,” you need to try a different church.
And yes, finding a good church in this country is difficult. But don’t stop searching. There are some good churches scattered throughout this country.
Find a good one and stick with it as long as they are teaching and preaching God’s words. And make sure they are actually teaching God’s words and not their made-up religion.
I hope this helps. If a church can’t pass this test, they have no business at all being a church.
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