Down here where i live churches are on every corner. Too bad they are all just hangout spots where people gather to virtue signal their "blessings" to each other and talk about all them "sinful" bad things folks are doing, like drinking and smoking! Ermergerd! Meanwhile they all over fakebook bragging about cruises, disney land, how proud they are of their family members, lots of chrismas photos showing all their presents and just how fucking blessed they all are! Lukewarm swill spat out of the mouth of my God Jesus Christ. I came away feeling more filthy and bewildered than before i tried "going back to church". I had actually left the Church of my heart where i felt God's peace and guidance without confusion. Mayhap God has an assembly of believers i could fit into, i'm not going to pray about it anymore, all i need is His Spirit guiding me right now. Sorry end rant, past two years got me close to losing all hope.
Hey man, if I can encourage you a bit...find a church without all the bells and whistles. Lights and smoke shows with a coffee bar and a full band on stage was never the intention and in no way represents the church that Jesus died for. Of course the church are the people and we know from Matthew 7 that the amount of people entering heaven is not as many as are entering hell so you are right to be discouraged but do not give up because there are many false teachers and thereby false groups of people claiming to be Christians. However there always is a faithful group of Christians out there somewhere because God's church will always exist...sadly however...with the warnings of Paul and Peter, many have turned away to false teachings. The entire book of II Peter is about false teachers and false doctrine and yet so many of those that you just mentioned walk around never opening their bible, "But my pastor said!" And old preacher I knew said these people are only in church for "fire insurance." Check the boxes so they don't go to hell but they are not worshipping in Spirit and truth as Jesus told the Samaritan woman. They think they can fool God.
Like I said...I feel your pain because I have been there until I started searching. And now, I have a family away from home.
If you'd like, and I welcome it, you can message me privately on here and ask anything, or if you'd like to take this and run with it, I will pray for you tonight.
Down here where i live churches are on every corner. Too bad they are all just hangout spots where people gather to virtue signal their "blessings" to each other and talk about all them "sinful" bad things folks are doing, like drinking and smoking! Ermergerd! Meanwhile they all over fakebook bragging about cruises, disney land, how proud they are of their family members, lots of chrismas photos showing all their presents and just how fucking blessed they all are! Lukewarm swill spat out of the mouth of my God Jesus Christ. I came away feeling more filthy and bewildered than before i tried "going back to church". I had actually left the Church of my heart where i felt God's peace and guidance without confusion. Mayhap God has an assembly of believers i could fit into, i'm not going to pray about it anymore, all i need is His Spirit guiding me right now. Sorry end rant, past two years got me close to losing all hope.
Hey man, if I can encourage you a bit...find a church without all the bells and whistles. Lights and smoke shows with a coffee bar and a full band on stage was never the intention and in no way represents the church that Jesus died for. Of course the church are the people and we know from Matthew 7 that the amount of people entering heaven is not as many as are entering hell so you are right to be discouraged but do not give up because there are many false teachers and thereby false groups of people claiming to be Christians. However there always is a faithful group of Christians out there somewhere because God's church will always exist...sadly however...with the warnings of Paul and Peter, many have turned away to false teachings. The entire book of II Peter is about false teachers and false doctrine and yet so many of those that you just mentioned walk around never opening their bible, "But my pastor said!" And old preacher I knew said these people are only in church for "fire insurance." Check the boxes so they don't go to hell but they are not worshipping in Spirit and truth as Jesus told the Samaritan woman. They think they can fool God.
Like I said...I feel your pain because I have been there until I started searching. And now, I have a family away from home.
If you'd like, and I welcome it, you can message me privately on here and ask anything, or if you'd like to take this and run with it, I will pray for you tonight.
Thank you fren.