Is God concerned with which church I go to?

Is God concerned with which church I go to?

Asked by Mbasa

I am a a Christian and Jesus is my Lord and Saviour, I grew up in an Anglican home but i changed churches churches because in my community it is believed that you are only saved if you attend the evangelical/baptist/pentecostal churches. My walk in Christ is very matured now and I’m asking myself if God is concerned about which church i go to?
The style of worship in Anglican appeals to me more that at the evangelical church.

Firstly we need to consider why it is that we go to church. The letter to the Hebrews puts it this way: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (10:24-25) We meet together to push one another to live out our faith in Jesus as the Day of his return draws near.

Secondly, how do we encourage one another? Ephesians 4:11-16 says that the church meets around God’s word. The church should be a place where the truth is spoken in love. This equips us to grow in maturity as we serve one another.

So, God is concerned that the church that we go to is one where the truth is proclaimed. Some questions you might consider are:
- Is the gospel declared clearly? That is, Jesus died for our sin and rose again to be Lord.
- Is salvation by grace alone made clear? That is, we’re not saved by anything we do, but only by Jesus’ work for us.

This applies to a person seeking Jesus, a new Christian and a mature Christian. At all stages we need to keep hearing the truth.

God is also concerned that the church we go to is one where the truth is lived out. Of course, no church is perfect. Every Christian still sins, so any church will involve some disappointment. But a church that lives out the truth of the gospel will be one where people work at relating to one another with love and humility, and repentance and forgiveness.

As long as the truth is proclaimed and lived out, we’re free to choose any church. The one we choose will most likely depend on where we live and our family background, as well as our personal taste. But we do need to remember that we don’t go merely to satisfy ourselves but to build others up (Heb 10:24-25 again).

We’re not saved by attending a particular church, but we’re saved by faith in Christ (John 3:16). The church we attend can help or hinder us in becoming a Christian and in growing in maturity as a Christian.

Answers are kindly provided by our friends at Christianity.net.au

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