Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Kneel with 2 or more and in His name, pray. You have a church. A house of God.

Just make sure it’s a conservative church and just go. You won’t find a church that digs in as deep as you will on your own, but you will find a nice sense of community there of good people. And maybe a few people who know the “deeper” understanding of the Bible.

Read your Bible, make sure the church conforms to sound doctrine.

Church can be in your house it does not say in the bible you have to go to a specific place just that you need 2 or more people.

Steer clear of rainbows.

The Reformation was based on these Solas, 1. The Bible Alone 2. By Faith Alone 3. Through Grace Alone 4. In Christ Alone 5. To The Glory Of God Alone.

If the congregation actually uses a viable translation, are they being taught verse by verse contextually, historically? Is it an effort/works for righteousness Church? Is it in Christ alone or based on man, church traditions? Is the motive of the leadership and flock for God’s glory or is it mixed with ambition and wanting a name in Christendom?

With those qualifications, the odds of finding a healthy church is possible but sadly getting more rare.

I like your point “meeting together” I think I have come across one scripture that says dwell in the house of the Lord, but I do not know of another. It It does say that where two are more are gathered there I will be, but most importantly the church is not a building, it is the God’s people. Surround yourself with Godly people, that is a very common theme in God’s word. Who were God’s people, really? It definitely wasn’t the church those in days, they killed him! I agree wholeheartedly that we should surround ourselves with like minded people, the Bible even suggest that for marriage, saying we should be equally yoked. I am very careful about who I spend time with outside of my family. My close circle of friends are all Bible believers and practice loving those around them, which is what God wants from all of us.

Ask whether they willingly shut down for Covid. If yes, walk the other way. Seek a church that put God's law first.

Christ doesn't tell you to attend anything.

He mentions it's good to be around other like minded folk and to also go out into the world too.

There was no church back then. The closest thing was synagogue.

And he wanted to pull people OUT of that Babylonian system.

The Holy Spirit will not only bless and guide you with discernment, but He can red flag your spirit when you are hearing false teachings.

If it is part of a church holding company be wary. Some of these cool hip churches are basically giant corporations

God led us to start a home church in January 2020 when the church we were attending closed their doors. We have learned so much in the past two years, more than we ever did in a “public” church. We give all our tithing to the local community shelters or to families that are in need. None of us have ever attended a seminary school. We take turns facilitating & the facilitator brings the worship music. We have a weekly prayer night for our community, our families & our nation. We have seen many answered prayers. God’s preparing us for the harvest.

"church" can be anywhere. Inside, outside. Doesn't matter.

you dont need to attend church to be close to God....

All the churches gave up their free speech for tax exemption. They are mostly gutless money hungry cowards pretending to be Christians.

Think about your understanding of how people are saved. Write down a short definition/statement of that. Contact some churches and check their understanding to see if it matches yours. My personal standard: Pastor must be a free grace preacher. For me, free grace = gospel.

My church is part of the ARC (Association of Related Churches), where the money is all open-book, salaries are decided on by a board separate of the church itself, and the doctrine is strictly Bible-based. Granted, YMMV, because everyone grew up with different emphases in Christianity, but I have found ARC churches to be some of the best around.

Give it a shot - there may be one near you, and it's at least worth looking into.

https://www.arcchurches.com/about/map

Read your Bible. The more you dig into what God’s word actually says the better your discernment will be for other things. Gives you a ruler to check everything else against.

1 God wants a relationship with you which gets blocked by sin.

2 repent (turn away) of your sin and reject it, because you need God.

3 believe that Jesus accomplished on the cross the atonement for sin.

4 be baptized on your own faith into Jesus Christ for the remission of sin.

5 receive holy spirit and operate in spiritual gifts (1 corin 12, 13 & 14).

6 go out, preach the gospel (steps 1-5) make disciples, teaching them to obey all that Jesus has commanded. (love the lord with all your substance etc...). heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead.

7 repeat step 6, read the bible and get closer and closer to God in your relationship.

if people don't receive you at step 2, kick the dust off your feet and look for the next person of peace.

most churches muddle the steps, so people struggle with their faith and sin, and almost never get to step 7 let alone step 6. (but the music & cookies might be snappy) because churches are businesses selling something. what happens when you sell the body?

look for people who can do all 7 steps, they likely wont be part of a denomination.

"wise as serpents, harmless as doves"

My church is a very diverse and accepting place, but that is not discussed or demonstrated in woke terms, ever. My pastor is very anti-woke, anti-"your truth". He is very "the truth" and preaches from that perspective. The atmosphere and realness and normalness attract a wide variety of people to it. It is a large church, with a widely known worship ministry and several campuses across the country. Some might be put off by that, but I've found it to be very personal, despite its size, very community-aware and involved, and am proud to say that it partners several times a year with organizations whose mission it is to feed and help people in need, including single parents, those in prisons, and those whose lives have been turned upside down by natural disasters and such. They actively pursue ways to be the "hands and feet of Jesus". On top of that, it is run and structured well, and has been very organizationally smart in navigating the muddy waters that are the societal landscape we live in.

My pastor preaches on broad categories of things, but the way he communicates has a way of speaking into my specific situations. I personally believe he is a based individual, because of certain words/phrases he uses, but he's a smart, relatable, and normal guy with a gift for communicating. He knows how to say just exactly enough, but not too much. He's a lot like PDJT in that way.

Elevation Church, Pastor Steven Furtick, I watch online and attend a small group that has been life changing for me. I'm a busted human like everyone else, and I need grace and forgiveness everyday. I've had to come to a different understanding of what Christianity is, from the severe rules-based and "thou-shalt-not" idea of what I grew up with. This church has helped me do that in many ways.

Hope that's worth a look.

Go to BSF: https://www.bsfinternational.org/

Ask the old timers for recommendations.

Judge the church by comparing what they say to what’s in the Bible.

1 Timothy 3:15 But if I delay, I write that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth. Hebrews 3:6 But Christ was faithful as a Son over His house, whose house we are if indeed we hold fast the boldness and the boast of hope firm to the end.

We are the church. In the Bible the church is identified simply by the place in which it exists. It is the believers in a certain place. "The church which is in Jerusalem", "the church which is in Antioch", the church which is in Ephesus: etc. Look for a local church, which is the local expression of the Body of Christ. You will find the local church to be neither based nor cucked, but full of the enjoyment of Christ. An internet search should reveal a local church near you.

Dr Chuck Baldwin has a few videos on this. I particularly like his style. https://youtu.be/HsyFfhccoOc

I don’t go to church per day but I congregate with the people at my wife’s church and I consider it just as good. I volunteer and participate in the church activities but I don’t usually attend service; sometimes from the patio outside after helping with parking/traffic. To me church is not in the box man tries to put god in. It’s just not for me and the pastor understands. We each love Jesus in our own way. Church can be the box or it can be your own temple. Congregate wherever suites you.

Jesus never told people they must congregate in a church.

God has been telling me to avoid going to Church for some time now, not in so many words but in happenstance. The taxi's don't turn up, the buses are not there and/or I am too ill to walk there unaided.

I want to a chapel a bit closer to hand and caught what very well could be Covid, I got rid of that with NAC, quecertin, zinc and ivermectin.

The best bit about that is that God has made me immune to C-19 but I will certainly listen more closely to him from now. Praise you Lord, to the highest.