F

ellowship

Fellowship (paticipating and sharing) with other believers is a very important part of our new life that we have in Christ.  It offers many good things. We are built-up (strengthened and helped) and we also build-up others. We are comforted and we comfort others. We witness the example of mature believers. Eventually, we become an example for other new believers. The Bible says that a friend sharpens a friend like iron sharpens iron. The Bible refers to believers as sisters and brothers of one another. What a blessing to be in the family of God through Jesus Christ! 

Sharing

When we gather together with other believers we can share thoughts about our Lord with others who also love Him like we do. That's exciting because most of the time we may be around unbelievers or luke-warm believers. Most of them aren't interested in spiritual things. Christians are called to share their faith with others. Many will resist talking about spiritual things. Sharing with another Christian is different. Sharing our faith and experiences in the Lord, with another believer who wants to share, is like a cup of cool water on a hot day.

Comfort & wisdom

When you share your troubles with most people, you will usually get some advice. You will get advice that is usually not Godly advice. When you share your troubles with a brother or sister in the Lord, you have a much better chance of getting Godly advice or a word of true wisdom. Unbelievers can't always give good advice. The Bible says true wisdom begins with the knowledge of God. So even if an unbeliever is smart & experienced, he still isn't truly wise.

Balance

Fellowship with other believers helps to balance your life. There will be times when you are happy and full of praise for the Lord for what He's doing in your life. Then there will be times when you are sad or struggling with some things. The good thing is that these things don't all happen the same way to everyone at the same time. Can you imagine a big group of unhappy people? You see? We balance each other. Also, new believers are excited about the Lord and everything is new to them but they don't know the word of God and do not yet have much wisdom in the Lord. But, people who have been a believer for years may be wiser in the Lord but sometimes may have lost the excitement. Again we see balance.

What is the church?

"The church" is considered to be the whole "body of Christ". That is, all of those saved by grace through faith in Jesus.  The church consists of all believers everywhere.  It's not a building or organization like we use the word today.  Each believer is a member of the body of Christ.  Just like your physical body, each believer has abilities and gifts and can serve the body in different ways. When one member suffers, the whole body is affected. When a member doesn't serve it's purpose, the body is less effective than it could be. We are all connected and have become brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ Who has reconciled us to God by the shedding of His righteous blood.

About going to Church

Some would ask, "Do I have to go to church to be saved?". The simple answer is, "No". Remember how you were saved. You were made righteous by your faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. You cannot add to that. There is no act you must perform. He did it all. However, not going to church is a big mistake. You would lose and miss the fellowship and strength available to you. You would miss oportunities to serve the Lord and your brethren. You would miss being taught from the Bible by men with the gift of teaching (given to them by the Lord). You would miss being a part of what God is doing in the lives of your neighbors, in your community, and around the world. You would miss opportunities to meet other believers, strengthen others, and be strengthened. You would miss oportunities to sing to glorify your Lord in songs of worship with musicians and singers specially gifted for this purpose by God.

Where to go

This is extremely important.  Go to a church that teaches only from the Bible and don't trust any churches that use other books.  Many organizations say that they are Christian churches but they are not.  For instance, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints"(Mormons) and "Jehova's Witnesses" are not Christian churches although they claim to be.  So where do you go?  This will be discussed in greater detail but here's an immediate answer. 

A couple of hours of research was done to try find a Christian church directory site. Only the following resource can be recommended at this time. There are certainly other great Christian churches but finding and listing them is not a mission of this site. 

Calvary Chapel has a terrific search engine to locate Calvary Chapels and affiliates and can even plot them on a map for you.

Link:  CalvaryChapel.com

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." -2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV)

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