Coming out of the blocks
Quickly
The Quicker the Better
To start out of the blocks in the quickest of fashion requires surrounding yourself with Community. Community in the Body of Christ (The Church) is built on two things:
Foundation – Christ the Cornerstone, the head of the Church
Fellow Believers – Parts of the Body of Christ, the Church
The order above is important. As a believer in Christ, you are a part of the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27), but you are founded on Christ (Ephesians 2:20), the rock on which we stand (Matthew 7:24), and the head of the Church (Colossians 1:18). This means, that cultivating community with who secures you and leads you is of paramount importance. In other words, staying connected to Christ (John 15:5) is the primary in Christian community. Without Him, the community would become “Christian” community. And that community is just a country club, not a Body of Believers that are following Christ with all they are…
Foundation
Community with Christ
Community with Christ, like community in general, requires time with Him. One cannot hope to cultivate community with Jesus without spending time with Him.
Your starting point is God’s Word, specifically, the Gospel accounts of Christ (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Here is a Daily Bible Reading Plan to help you on your way to knowing your Savior and Lord more.
A few important notes as you begin your journey through the Gospels. Take your time. Soak it in. If something is confusing. Write it down and come back to it later. Stay away from extra-biblical resources (e.g., commentaries, other books, etc.). Reading it through once without these additional resources will keep your first read pure, unblemished by what others have to say about the Gospels, just Christ and His Spirit He sent you when you accepted Him as Savior and Lord.
Next to God’s Word, another important tool in your arsenal to cultivate a deeply rooted relationship is prayer.
If you are wondering how, where to begin, etc., we have some resources for you to start off your race further ahead than most seasoned Christians:
Framing
Community with Other Believers
Community matters. First with God through His Word and prayer and second with other believers.
Forsaking gathering with other believers eliminates a major element of the Christian race of faith—encouragement (Hebrews 10:25). Life is, well, life. And life is, well, hard. We are promised trouble (John 16:33), suffering on account of Christ (Philippians 1:29), and hate on account of Christ (Mark 13:13). Meaning, consistent encouragement from other believers is crucial. Not doing so will leave you isolated and more prone to discouragement. There is strength in numbers (Acts 9:31). Plus, overcoming is through Jesus’ blood and the word of “their” testimony (Revelation 12:11). Hearing how God is moving in, around, and through others is not only encouraging, but also something God intends for us to hold on to. We are all one in Christ (Galatians 3:38), so a testimony in one is a testimony for all!
Finding a Church
Finding a church in the United States has become more and more consumeristic over the last few decades. Most looking for not the right theological fit, but more concerned with programmatic fit. That is, features over doctrine.
A Church is not defined by programs. Rather a Church is defined by those who gather and in whose name. In fact, the Greek word for “Church” is “ekklesia,” which means an assembly or gathering of God’s People. Yet, the gathering is incomplete with people alone, it also needs Jesus. He promised that He would be with groups of two or more that gather in His name (i.e., for His purposes). When we emphasize program over Jesus’ presence, we are not gathering at all.
All to say, you should not be looking for church features. You should instead be looking for whether or not God is present in the gathering. How would you know?
Four things:
Pure Worship
Piercing Preaching
Potent Prayer
Present Spirit
Pure Worship is about One and One only—God
Piercing Preaching is about conviction
Potent Prayer is about 1) praying how God teaches and 2) level of unity in the gathering during corporate prayer
Present Spirit is about God’s Presence
How would you be able to tell if a church has each of the above four things?
Worship cultures and music that is about us, the believer, instead of God (while not necessarily wrong) is not worship. Worship is only about God. So look for a church who choose songs that focus on who God is, what He has done, and what He has said He will do, instead of songs that are self-focused.
Preaching isn’t about how well the preacher is communicating, it is about the undiluted teaching of God’s Word that cuts the heart and brings conviction. If you leave a service feeling like you just had a pep talk and not a convicted heart leading to change. Chances are, the preaching is lacking power.
When we pray how God instructs, mountains move. This matters greatly to Kingdom Advancement. One can tell the level of potency of corporate prayer by 1) what is being prayed for (Matthew 6:9-13) and 2) unity in the room for what is being prayed for. Prayers that are aimed to move the heart of God, calling on Him to advance His Kingdom every time one prays in a corporate setting sets the tone. If you attend a gathering and prayer is full of asking God only, and little to no inviting His Kingdom to come, the level of prayer power is less than it should be. If you attend a gathering and prayer is full of invitation from the pastor, but little to no engagement from those gathered, the level of prayer power is less than it should be. Invitation and unity increase the level of power in the room as the body of Christ corporately seeks God to move His Kingdom in their midst.
What do we mean by presence? We mean God’s presence. Is God present in the gathering or not? How can you tell? Atmosphere. God’s presence manifests during the gathering (or at least it should), meaning, you will encounter His presence and this experience will change you. Plus, it will change the atmosphere in the room. This might be the most difficult to learn to discern. A few helpful insights. One, Christ says He will be there in a gathering in His name (i.e., for His purposes, not just in name only). If the gathering is for Christ’s purposes, in worship, prayer, and preaching of the Word, there will be a noticeable difference to a gathering without such. Two, clarity. What do we mean by this? When God’s presence is closest, there is laser focus on Him. Distractions cease. Thoughts are clearer than ever. Emotions are in check. And, there is a physical reaction. One of the ways we know we have just walked into His presence is when our bodies are completely overcome with chills or overcome with heat. God’s presence encounters each of us differently, but when you learn the unique way He encounters you, you will have a spiritual check added to your arsenal of discernment.
Researching a Church
Many churches these days have a presence online, whether via a website and/or social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. What to look for here is what is said and not said.
Specifically, does the church publish their doctrinal statement. Do they publish stances on the hot topics of our century (homosexuality, gender, etc.). Why does this matter? It matters because we are not to be ashamed of God’s Word. When He makes it clear that homosexuality is not His design and is sin (1 Timothy 1:10; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Leviticus 18:22), then we should not be ashamed to stand by such words, regardless of what the culture surrounding says.
Such topics should also be taught on, or the body of Believers could be lulled by the doctrine of the world and succumb to the temptation to take the easy way out and cave to culture. Meaning, you should also look for what is being taught and what is not.
This is simpler these days as many churches post sermons going back several years. A quick review of the topics should give you a pretty good idea of what is important to the church—God or culture.
Here is an example of a church that does all the above better than any other we have seen. They happen to also be our home church.
Doctrines are stated outright
Beliefs are stated outright
Past messages reveal no topic is off limits
Each message uses an abundance of Scripture
These reasons, and many more, were why we pastored there for a season and still attend after God called us out.
What to watch out for
Since there is so much content you can access without even setting foot within a church, one thing to specifically do is watch a sermon from the lead/senior pastor. You are looking for one specific thing—utilization of God’s Word. Do they use God’s Word at all? If so, how many verses? Do they use both Old and New Testament Scripture? If they are light on Scripture, they are light on power. Period.
If they use God’s Word and a lot of it, we would recommend visiting to see if the above four things (pure worship, piercing preaching, potent prayer, and present Spirit) are present as well.
Final Encouragement
We hope this information is helpful as you look for a community of faith to run with in this season.
A few encouragements for you as you begin the race of faith:
You are never alone (Psalm 46:1)
You are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
You are a child of God (1 John 3:9-10)
You have been called for great purpose (Jeremiah 29:11)
You have much to do with the time you have (Ephesians 2:10)
And this just scratches the surface. You will find countless encouragements as you delve into God’s Word, prayerfully spend time with Him, grow in your worship of Him, and gather with other Christ-followers.