Hurt by Christians: 8 Days to Bring Healing and HopeSample

Discerning with church decision

“The day we find the perfect church, it becomes imperfect the moment we join it.” Charles H. Spurgeon

A church is the corporate gathering of the body of believers to worship God and then GO and do His work. Too often Christians use church as the one and only chance they have to hear the Word of God and be in community with believers. We should use our time at church to edify each other and learn from the Word so that we can then be the hands and feet of Jesus during the week. 

Knowing that we cannot find a perfect church does not mean we should give up on church altogether. The Bible instructs us to not to give up meeting together as some do, but encourage one another (Hebrews 10:25). We should use discernment when we have a conflict with someone else, knowing that it is perfectly natural. It will happen. Sometimes we are called to leave a specific church (again with God’s wisdom and not human emotion). 

Unfortunately, the reasons that some Christians choose a church can be very shallow. They may range from the programs offered, the friends who attend, the celebrity status of the lead pastor, the types of lighting and fog used in worship, the proximity to their house, etc. These may be benefits and are not wrong in and of themselves, but we need to first ask God where He wants us to attend. Sometimes we are called to attend a church that needs help, that doesn’t have it all together and other times we are called for a season to be planted so that we can grow and be discipled.

A person may also blindly follow their denomination out of tradition without fully understanding what they believe and if the Bible agrees with it. It’s important to know what a church believes and why and, most importantly, if it aligns with the Bible.

We have to make sure the church we select has a sound doctrine and believes in the inerrancy and authority of the Bible. However, we are personally responsible to disciple ourselves. A sermon cannot replace our time with God or reading the Bible during the week. We would not eat physical food once a week, and likewise, we cannot eat spiritually once a week either. 

Psalm 133:1 says “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” When we fellowship together as the apostles did in the book of Acts, it was more than just one day a week, they lived life together! We should spur one another on, strengthen our faith, comfort each other during grief, and sharpen each other in the knowledge of God.

It is not fun to “shop for a church” but, more importantly, it is damaging to not be connected with a body of believers. We should not take a decision in the church we attend lightly, but we also cannot run away at the smallest offense either. When we are led by the wisdom of God and not our wavering thoughts, we will have God’s peace about our church decision.

Tomorrow we will look at what it means to "be the church."

How do I know I am in the right church now? 

What has God told me about where I am at and how I should be serving or continue to serve?