ASK THE EVANGELIST!!

Evangelist McTyre, with all the different church denominations around, how do I pick the right one?? Everyone seems to have a different set of rules.

This is one of the classic deceptions that can be found in Christianity. For you see, as the body of Christ, all of us should be operating by the same set of rules and be on one accord, so this question won't pop up. But, sad to say, that is not the case.

When Jesus Christ was on this earth, He picked people from all walks of life, and taught them all the exact same thing. He wanted all of them, regardless of their backgrounds, to become as one, preaching the same message, of salvation through repentance, and Love towards God, as well as our fellow man.

He said, in [Lk. 9:49-50], when His disciples, saw others, that were not of their group, casting devils out of some people, they wanted Jesus to stop them. Jesus remarked by saying, "They that are not against us, are for us.' This simple statement, shows that, just because someone does not belong to your particular denomination, but does follow what Jesus says, is actually doing what the church should be doing, and that is bringing the sinner to God, through Jesus Christ.

In [St. Jn. 17 entire], Jesus prayed for His disciples, that they, as well as those that were converted, would be as one. Each working toward the same end, in one accord, preaching the same doctrine.

The problem is, that today, in many churches, that doctrine, has been mingled with man's own way of thinking (philosophy), and bears little similance to the doctrine which Christ preached. If Christ preached and prayed for unity in the church, then denominations have splintered the church in to individual groups, each going a different way, and thinking they are the ones with the right message, while everyone else is wrong, or not as enlightened as they are.

When I ask some people are they saved, which is the core of the gospel message, they respond with, "Of course I am, I am a Baptist, (Catholic, Presbyterian, Church of God, Church of Christ, Church of God in Christ, Lutheran, Episcopalian, or one of the other denominations).

Being a member of a church, no matter what the denomination, DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU ARE SAVED. On the contrary, you are most likely lost. I say its because if you don't know the difference between the two, then you are unsaved, no ifs ands or buts about it.

No one accidentally gets saved. It is by choice, and by choice only that you are saved.

Denominational doctrines, can so skew the message of the gospel, that people will remain in a church all of their lives, being a faithful member of that church, and still end up in hell.

Certain denominations, so openly violate the bible doctrine, that everyone can see it but the ones that are part of it.

One example, and no offense meant to them, but Catholics, do many things that God, in the ten commandments, outlined as wrong, in the first few verses.

God says you shall have no other gods (idols) before Me. He said you shall not bow down to them, or pray to them. Not man, not beast not anything above, on, or beneath the earth. [Ex. 20:3-5]

Yet, the Catholics, consistently pray to saints, Mary, statues, crosses, and other man made things, as if they have some power to bless them.

Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by Me. The bible also says there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. When people start going to priests to get them to pray to God for them, especially in forgiveness of sins, they think the priest is able to forgive them. That means they have put an extra mediator between themselves and God. This is totally against what the bible says.

The reverence given to the pope, borders on hypocrisy. When Peter, who many Catholics consider, the first pope, was met with people, wanting to worship him, and hold him up as a god, he rebuked them. Today, they are doing the same thing and the pope says nothing.,

However, they do have a good moral code that makes them more respected, in my opinion than most other denominations. My daughter, was educated in their schools from the time she started school until she graduated from high school. They have good disciplinary procedures, and they almost demand that parents be involved with the kids.

Then we have the Baptists, who even though they adhere to a lot of biblical doctrine, seem to not be too interested in righteous living.

They have all the appearance in church, of being God conscious, but, out side the church, it's a whole different story.

Half the time, you can't tell them, from the world. They seem to think, that as long as they go to church, they can do what they feel like doing, outside, and still be all right with God.

This, doesn't apply to all of them, but even though the ones that are serious about their relationship with God, their denominational affiliation is brought in to question, because of the actions of the few.

My point is, there is really no church that is without its faults, but you should be trying to find one that is striving for perfection, and that is not comfortable with sin, of any type, in its midst.

The church you should be looking for, is one where Jesus Christ, is the center of all of their doctrine.

Some churches, put their doctrinal beliefs on their bulletins, for you to read.

They should believe that Jesus Christ, is God, manifested in the flesh, in the position of the Son of God.

They should also believe that He died on the cross for our sins. That He rose again for our justification, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He was born of a virgin. That salvation is a gift, made available through His shed blood on the cross.

They should teach also, that the bible is the infallible, unchangeable word of God.

There are other things that help in our belief, but these are the main things.

There are Catholics that believe this. There are Baptists that believe this. There are those of all denominations that believe this. So, denomination, is not the problem, unless its doctrine, contradicts what the bible says. Many people have started attending non denominational churches, to get away from the splits that denominations cause.

It may not seem like it, but in reality, denominations, in their base sense of meaning, are really cults.

When we talk about the Jim Jones cult, and the people's temple cult, and other extremist organizations, we usually call them cults, because of their radical beliefs. Many of these beliefs, are taken out of the bible.

Some person, or persons, get together and come up with a certain, narrow minded interpretation of a passage of scripture in the bible, and begin to espouse that belief. Others, who hear it, that agree with it, join in, and a new cult is formed.

Well, believe it or not, denominations, are formed the exact same way.

The bible, presents all sorts of areas where a person, if not led by God, can misinterpret a passage of scripture, and think they have it right, and find others that feel the same way, and, presto, chango, a new cult or denomination is formed.

As I mentioned earlier, there are no churches, or denominations in existence, that it can be said of them, 'they are flawless.' However, there are some that are a lot closer to the truth, than others.

Even in the catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and other denominational institutions, there are those that know the truth, and are walking in it. They know that the beliefs of their particular church, are off, but they stay there, for what reason, only God knows.

Also, as I have said, I fellowship with other church denominations, even though I am a member of a non denominational church

The reason I do this, is quite simple. If you have brothers and sisters, and you fall out with each other, or don't agree with each other, you still have them as part of the family, and therefore, you get past that difference of opinion, and move forward.

Well, those that sincerely believe in Jesus Christ, irrespective of some of their beliefs, I will fellowship with them. Because, if by chance I have something wrong, with my beliefs, I would certainly want to know about it, and the only way to do that, may be to get exposed to a different way of thinking. There are things I used to believe, that I have been more enlightened, than back then. And I am sure, 10 or 20 years from now, I will probably look back to today, and say, 'man, I thought I was knowledgeable back then, but I wasn't even scratching the surface.' If you stay within one denomination, and their way of thinking, you run the risk of missing a lot of things that God may have for you.

Some churches, try to discourage you from visiting other churches, sometimes in the same denomination, because they say, it will cause you to be confused. Well, maybe, and maybe not. Growing in the knowledge of Christ, which is what I seek, and any other Christian should be seeking everyday, will cause you to be, not confused, so to speak, but rather challenge you to continue to move forward.

Churches that try to restrain you, could be causing you to become stagnant in your growth, and limited in the things that God has provided for His children.

One of the main things to look at, is the rules that they, the church, have instituted. Do they line up with the bible, or are they man made??

You would be suprised at how many churches carry on with rules that are too lax, or too strict. The extremes, on either end, will lead to disaster.

So, in closing, I would say, start with a church that has their beliefs printed on the bulletin, or ask one of the elders or the pastor, just what those beliefs are, and then, go from there. If they line up with what I have said, stay there. If not, then you would do well, to find another one that does.

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