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The Church to Look Out For
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Titus 1:9 An elder must be faithful to the same true message we teach. Then he will be able to encourage others with teaching that is true and right. And he will be able to show those who are against this teaching that they are wrong.
Listen to the radio broadcast of The Church to Look Out For
Download audio fileI don’t know where you’re at in terms of your relationship with Jesus, but an integral element of that relationship is being part of His body – part of the family of believers.
One of the questions that I’m often asked is ‘how do I choose the right church to belong to?’ And because that’s such an important question, it’s something that I speak and teach about rather a lot.
It’s easy, when you’re looking for a church to be part of, to focus on the visible things. The demographics of other church members, the style of worship music, the kids’ program, the ease of actually getting there, car parking availability, even how soft the seats are.
But in an age where we seem less and less concerned with the truth and more focused with our comfort and convenience, we’re at risk of missing the most important thing.
Titus 1:9 An elder must be faithful to the same true message we teach. Then he will be able to encourage others with teaching that is true and right. And he will be able to show those who are against this teaching that they are wrong.
The original Greek text of that passage talks about “sound doctrine” – yich! Who’s interested in doctrine? Well, it’s a way of saying that we need to make sure that the church is teaching God’s truth. There’s not one of us who doesn’t need to let God’s truth, God’s love, God’s power loose in our hearts, because there’s not one of us who doesn’t have some sin or other to deal with in our lives.
As someone once said, don’t look for the church nearest to your house. Look for the church closest to the Bible. That’s where you’ll find healing for your soul.
And that’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
Comments
Kerri-anne Hibberd
Thank you for this message Berni. I was part of a Church (CoE) here in the UK for 8 years! I choose it because of the “modern” approach to worship. It started off with a great love message, but over the years this ebbed. I even attended the homegroup for 7 years. After Covid, because my church just simply seemed to refuse to open its doors and hideaway, I felt a shift, that God was telling me I need to move on. I joined the Pentecostal church 1 mile further away. Not once in my old church in all those years had they mentioned being born again, not in communion (which was once a month), and never in my home group set up for the new believers. Not even at my reaffirmation of baptism ceremony! The new church invited me to the Alpha course (which I completed) and this year, despite being a believer in God, I gave my heart to Jesus and was born again. This devotional has really bought home the gift God gave me that day he set my feet walking that little bit further. Even though I am moving out of the area in 3 weeks, I plan to still make the 15-minute car journey to keep attending my new Elim Church and I don’t think I have ever learned so much from sermons in all the 8 years at my C of E church despite the fun videos they would play instead of talking and interacting with the parish. Thank you for this blessing.