As David Platt said regarding 'what to look for when looking for a church'…read more
"First and foremost look for a church that believes the Bible and proclaims the Gospel. Start there and then look for a church you can trust the leaders of that church to lead according to God's Word...on three different levels....1) Where you can be cared for like family, and you can care for others like family. 2) Where you can grow in Christ and help others grow in Christ, and 3) where you can lock arms together making disciples on mission in the world. So a church that is believing the Bible, is proclaiming the Gospel, being led according to God's Word, cares for one another like family, grows together in Christ, and makes disciples of all the nations together in the world. " - David Platt
This has been my family for many years, and I love it. It is DEFINITELY not perfect (no church is), but God is good and faithful and I love learning more about Him. I'm very thankful to be apart of it. If you are looking for a church family, we'd love for you to visit!
If you are not a Christian and you are just curious, please come see. Visitors are always welcomed. :)
If you unfamiliar with what "the Gospel" is, it simply means "Good News". To know what the good news though, you have to start with the Bad news. The Bad News is - No one deserves heaven or can earn it, because we can't meet God's standard of perfection "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23. [check out Exodus 20 the Ten Commandments - "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." James 2:10 NIV - perfect God asks for perfect obedience, but no one can do that 100%. The word "sin" is an archery term that means "missing the mark "] ,
The debt we owe for breaking an eternal perfect God's standard is eternal death in hell,
but GOOD NEWS! Jesus paid our debt!
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 NIV,
Eternal life is a free gift, but like all gifts, it HAS to be accepted or it isn't yours. And you can't pay or work for a gift - a gift is free.
"If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." Romans 10:9-10 NIV.
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13 NIV
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," Romans 8:1 NIV
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the GIFT of God-- NOT by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV
I'm praying for you, whoever is reading this, that God will lead you to Himself and a relationship with Him. If you need a place to start, I definitely recommend reading the book of John in the Bible to learn more.