CHURCH

I love church!  What?  Why would I say that?  Well, I have discovered through the years that my inner-self or soul or whatever you want to call it is most contented when I am affiliated with a church.  Does it have to be a particular one?  Of course not.  Here is the funny thing.  When you are a believer, a Christian, no matter where you are, you can be in fellowship with other Christian people and it seems like you have known them forever.

The Chapel of Christian Faith, The Villages, FL

Last year when we went to Florida, we went to a church and loved it.  

Portersville Bible Church

When we are away on weekends at home we go a country church in Portersville, PA and have such a great time with the people there.  http://www.portersvillebible.com/

Arizona Community Church

We have been going to a large (about 2500 members) church called Arizona Community Church.  (We needed a map of the Campus!) We love it. We are actually singing in the 60 -70 member choir.  http://www.azcc.org/ 

Calvary Baptist Church, West Mifflin

But of course nothing can take the place of our home church, Calvary Baptist in West Mifflin.

http://www.calvarybaptistwestmifflin.com/

Jesus wants us to go to church.  His Word tells us to do it – “Hebrews 10: 23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

Many people attend a church at the beginning and the end (birth – baptism, death – funeral), and a few times in-between – Weddings, Christmas and Easter.  But there is so much more to it than this.

The most important thing in choosing a church is whether the Bible (God’s Word) is central in every sermon – not stories or feel good motivation but genuine teaching from the Word.  It is God's Word that will get you through the week or months, through trials and problems, fear and worry.  There should also be a time of Worship and Praise of our Lord during the service.

As you get to know the people at church, you have a community with whom you can share the personal things in your life like prayer concerns and requests. Fellowship and food opportunities (we love our soup luncheons at Calvary) are important opportunities to get to know God’s family.

If you are a Christian and planning to spend eternity in Heaven with our Lord and all the other Christians, why wouldn’t you want to be in that place now?

Please test this if you are not attending a church.  And by the way, it is always good to find one in your own neighborhood or community.  It makes the fellowship part much easier.  And pray that God will lead you to the right church for you and your family.