Interested in attending church, learning about christ and heaven?

Question

Growing up, the words God Christ Church Heaven and Bible were just not spoken. It was just not a part of our lives.. Now.. I have a daughter.. Ive lost my husband because he was unfailthful.. and Im just looking to make my like better.. Make my life more fufilling.. and Im interested in "checking into" Church, and god and seeing if it's something that is for me, something that calls to me. But I don't have the slightest clue HOW to begin. I guess my biggest thing is what denomination church will I fit best into? I'm already turned off by Presbyterian and Catholic. I'm not a fan of a church ruling over my life, I want it to be a support to my life. Any suggestions on how to approach this?

Also- If I wanted to go out and purchase a bible, aren't there different types of bibles?? That read differently? IS there a basic bible that is just understood by all? Is that just quite simply the Holy Bible?

Answer 1

Only a fool believes in post-mortem escrow closing. Live your own life, for you will die your own death.

http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/religion.htm

(physical reality) - (empirical reality) = faith

Faith is destroyed if it works. If you have faith you can only be denied. Test of faith! What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence.

Answer 2

I suggest seeking out a non-denominational New Testament Christian Church. The only things that should rule over your life are Jesus Christ and the words that are written in the Bible. I would also recommend beginning a personal prayer life with God and asking Him to guide your decisions here and elsewhere. You don't have to be a member of a church to begin your relationship with God.

Answer 3

My suggestion to you BEFORE joining a church would be that you pray to God to help you understand and interpret his word, read the Bible, then, see which church most closely matches your understanding of what you read. Yes, you will need to learn further interpretation of scripture and how to apply it to your life, but I believe that God will lead you to the place he wants you to be.

To really begin your journey with God, the most important thing you can do is to pray and invite Jesus into your life and ask for forgiveness of sins. Jesus will lead you through your choice of churches and life changes and always hear you and be there for you and your daughter. It sounds fairy tail like, but believe me, it is not. Someone who never seriously does this can never understand it or look at it as anything other than myth, etc., as they have not experienced it. One can only experience it if they are really from the heart, wanting to do this.

Good luck in your search and may Jesus grasp you by your hand and lead you into a peace and joy that none can compare to.

FYI, I am a Christian of non denomination. If you ever feel you have any questions, feel free to email me!

Answer 4

Do you read the bible ? If not , start in the new testament . Look up www.familyradio.com for a station in your area . They play old time gospel songs and read and study from the bible. Try to find a bible believing church ( usually independent or fundamental baptist church ) Google it for your area , see where they show you where there are some in your area . Romans 10:17 " So then faith commeth by hearing ,hearing by the word of god ".

Answer 5

I feel a small congregation is best. seek out a Bible Teaching Church with about 100 or less regular attendance. you will have to go more than once(usualy) and you need to speak to people... and they need to speak to you... If you are not greeted at the door or very quickly after entering you are not in a friendly church... I would recomend a conservative Baptist or Bible Baptist... look in the phone book and pick out some and dirve by and look at the building... if it is kept up, not fancy but well maintained then you probably will find active members who care... ask about their doctrin and get a copy of it... also a copy of their constitution if they have one... attend both Sunday school and the preaching service... if they have extra activities like a BBQ or family swim...that kind of thing... then go... learn about the people... if you want to get to know... then get involved...in a small congrigation there is always a need for someone to do something...be upfront with them... tell them you are not a believer and are not well versed in the God stuff... if they put a lot of pressure on you then back off... if they welcome you anyway and invite you to participate anyway.. and take it slow with you...then you have found a place to start...

If you have questions concerning "the basics"of The True Christian Faith . feel free to email me... I do not know it all by any means... I am 60 and have been a Christian for 7 years... one honest question will receive one honest answer to the best of my ability...

added note: I use The King James Bible in the Ryrie study format... but I would also say you could use a New American Standard Version(updated) it is in a bit more readable language for "modern" readers... But The King James is best in my opinion... the language is not that hard to understand... do not go with The New International Version(NIV) avoid that compleatly.

Church... The Church... is not about what we want... it is about God and His Word and Will for our lives... but God dose not want mind controled robots... those of The Faith willingly give of ourselves... God dose not "force" or "control" ... but if you do eventualy give yourself to Him you will find that hewill "rule over your life" and you will find that it is very much to your benifit...

Answer 6

Just start by praying and asking God where he wants you to go to church,he will lead you,and as far as a bible goes the King James version,new english translation will be better to understand,and if you would like further help feel free to e- mail me at [e-mail] Be blessed I am Godschild on 360 Lisa

Answer 7

The “church of Christ” is neither Catholic, nor Protestant. The church of Christ is not a denomination. The church of Christ identifies itself by name as a church that is trying to follow the “doctrine of Christ” (2 John 9). The “church of Christ” identifies itself by name as a church that belongs to Christ. The name points to the owner and builder. The name points to the one who purchased the church. (Matthew 16:18, Acts 20: 28)

In contrast to this the name of many denominations point to the name of a man, a particular practice, or the way they are organized. A member of a denomination identifies himself by name as one who submits to the authority of that denomination and tries to follow the doctrine (teaching) of that denomination. Why not just follow the doctrine and authority of Christ?

The church of the Bible is compared to a bride, with Christ being the groom. A bride honors the groom when she agrees to wear his name. But many churches today wear man made names.

Suppose, for example, Mr. Smith asks his girlfriend to marry him. She agrees, but says, “Our friend Mr. Jones is a good man, so when we get married, instead of being called Mrs. Smith, I want to be called Mrs. Jones.” Would Mr. Smith have a reason to question her loyalty to him? Would he feel honored? Why would a bride wear another man’s name? Why would a church want to wear a man-made name? The “church of Christ” wears a name found in scripture (Romans 16: 16).


The church of Christ wishes to restore the church to the teaching that was established and authorized by Christ and his apostles. We wish to be Christians -- nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. We wish to have Biblical authority for everything we practice and teach. (Col. 3:17)

The Bible teaches that Jesus is the head of the church and the church is his body. (Eph. 1:22-23) The church of Christ recognizes this, and therefore there is no “headquarters” on earth. Each congregation is independent and goes directly to the Bible to learn what should be taught and how we should worship. We believe the Bible is sufficient and we need no other authority or creed books. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:3) Christ has “all authority” and we wish to follow this authority by following the things He taught. (Matt 28:18-20) We don’t want to add any man-made doctrine. (If we follow the authority or teaching of men, then Christ does not have “all authority” in our spiritual lives.) If we teach as doctrine the commandments of men, this makes our worship vain! (Matthew 15:9)

Please do not confuse the church of Christ with the “United Church of Christ”, the “International Church of Christ”, the “Church of Christ Scientists”, or the “Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints (Mormons)”. These groups are not the same and they teach drastically different things!

If you wish to know more about those who simply want to be New Testament Christians (nothing more, nothing less, nothing else), I invite you to investigate the church of Christ by comparison to the Scriptures! I have included a few web sites below that you might wish to visit, or you can e-mail me with any additional questions.

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Additional Information.

As for Bible versions, there are different levels of accuracy among the translations.

Roughly speaking, some translators try to get an accurate word-for-word translation, some use a thought for thought approach, and some books that call themselves "bibles" are just paraphrases.

The paraphrase will be the least accurate and they may actually contain doctrinal error. These are basically commentaries, more than actual "translations".

Next in accuracy is the thought-for-thought. In these the translators may not try to translate each word accurately, but they try to convey the ideas the text tries to convey. Many of these are pretty accurate as a whole, but the danger is if the translators may interject their own bias. Also, if a translator does not correctly understand a passage, then the translation will also reflect that error, sometimes unintentionally. The most popular thought-for-thought translation is the New International Version.

The word-for-word tries to make sure every word is as accurate as possible. In my opinion, this is what you should look for. Let the Word of God speak with accurate words and the "thoughts" will convey what the writer intended. The best known translation that had this translation aim is the King James Version. The KJV, however, is difficult for some to read because it was translated in 1611 and it uses dialect from that period. Many find the New King James Version slightly more readable. Personally, I prefer the English Standard Version or the New American Standard Bible.

Your best bet is not to get one translation, but buy two (or more) of the more accurate versions. That way, if you have trouble understanding a verse, another version may be slightly worded another way.

Also, if a verse gives you trouble, find other verses about the same topic.

I commend you in your search for a good church and a reliable Bible! This is a noble goal!

Answer 8

As far as a Bible - I'd recommend a
Life Application Study Bible - New Living Translation.

If there is an Evangelical Free Church in your area, that may be a good place to start.
http://efca.know-where.com/efca/

The other way to find a good church is to look for Christian radio stations in your area - they usually have a directory of good churches.

One other way is to ask a Christian that you know and respect.

Answer 9

You could find a nondenominational church to attend. You could also talk with someone that you know goes to church that you respect and find out about their church. Another idea might be to see if you could find a church or two that are near to you that have a website. A lot of times churches will have a page that tells what they believe. You could see which church fits best with your beliefs. The website would probably also tell what activities they have going on that you might be interested in. I hope these ideas help.

Answer 10

I suggest a Unitarian Church, they are the most open-minded that I know. Just look one up in the yellow pages, then go there and check it out to see when services are. Talk to the pastor if you have the time.

Answer 11

NON DENOMINATIONAL -- were you are accepted for being you. come as you are, people will love and accept you and not judge you. experiece the movement and the power of the holy spirit, this is a place that meet the total need of man . fellowship with true men and women who really loves the Lord, speak in newness of tongues, lifting up of hands in worship, and laying on of hands while coming in agreement in prayer. your needs will be totaly met.