Want to go to church but have doubt/fear

[kwikphilly]

Blessings Redsteel

Welcome to Worthy.....So,you say you asked God for a Sign?If I may ask,a Sign for what? He has given you(all of us) Evidence of Himself since before we were born if in all of His Creation,He Gave not only a Sign but He Himself came to talk to us in Person,as a person & then gave His Very Own Sinless Life  as a Sacrifice for our sins that we may have Redemption through His Blood & be Reconciled back to Him......all these things He Inspired men to Write down that we may come to His Truth & know His Will & His Ways....His Timeless Truth in the Living Word & yet,you look for a Sign?I mean no disrespect my friend but have you a Bible?

   The very next day you ran into 2 men that asked you,"have you heard of god the mother?".....They may well have asked you if you heard of of the god baal,the god buddha,the god lucifer or any other false gods......if you are seeking Him you begin in  your heart,on your knees & at the foot of the cross,which you say you have....so next you go to His Word,if you had then you would have known those 2 men were merely flesh & blood with principalities that they serve beneath the surface

    Everyone can cry Lord Lord,Save me but you must be willing to also say"Jesus,I need you to Lord over my life & so I surrender mine"   Is a sign to much to ask? Well,yes,,,,,Sovereign God Almighty owes you nothing....He Loves you,He desires that you have Eternal life with Him but He Will not force you to Love Him,,,,,just for WHO He is,,,,,,,we can ask God anything,He Will hear our request but sometimes no answer is the answer ,sometimes the answer comes in His Perfect Time-not ours,sometimes He answers & we ignore the answer(orSign) and sometimes we are simply asking the wrong questions.....    With love-in Christ<Kwik

[7thseal]

On 10/12/2016 at 0:11 AM, Redsteel said:

There is so many groups. What if I wind up on the wrong side of history?

It's not about history, but about Jesus Christ and what He provides through His blood shed for us?

Now you decide by hearing Word,  whether you're in the right 'seat'.

[BK1110]

13 hours ago, Redsteel said:

well the thing is in the beginning of the year, in February, I was feeling very depressed and on my worst day appealed to god for a sign, anything really. The next day two guys asked me "have you heard of god the mother?". I though wow I must be on to some secret knowledge or something. I spent the next several weeks socializing with the cult of ahnsanghong. It felt so real.

what kind of cruel joke was that? when will I get that discernment? I guess I am somewhat angry. Am I really supposed to be that trusting of humans?

As for committing myself, I am willing, but considering my trust issues, is a sign too much to ask? do I pray Privately? Go to as many churches as possible? drive to a secluded location and bawl my eyes out?(I'm not being sarcastic by the way).I accept you holy spirit so come in, please! what direction do I go in? Tell me what I'm doing wrong!

Matthew 7:15 - Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

The Bible is God's revelation of Himself and His will to us. It is our authority. Through study of the Bible, we learn to be discerning over time and are able to spot false teaching. As soon as I read "god the mother" it was a like a giant alarm went off in my head. That comes from years of study and knowing the truth; false teaching become readily apparent. You are not to trust humans; you are to examine what humans say against what God says (the Bible) and cast aside things that don't line up with God's word.

Read the Bible. Ask God each day to teach you through His word. There are excellent resources like Bible commentaries out there, many online, many for free even. These will help you not only read but understand. Ask God for His wisdom and understanding. Ask him to lead you to a church that teaches His truth alone.

If you live in North Hollywood, I believe you're very close to John MacArthur's Grace Community Church. I'd recommend you go there.

[Ezra]

On 10/11/2016 at 11:11 PM, Redsteel said:

In worried I might be jumping into a frying pan.

Redsteel, Welcome.  That's better than jumping into the fire any day.

Anyway, all jokes aside, you are troubling yourself unnecessarily.  If you are a genuine Christian, and you know your Bible and Gospel truth, it should not be a major issue to find a sound Bible church.

Nowadays most churches have websites, and sound evangelical or fundamentalist churches have a Statement of Faith posted. Study that closely, and if it corresponds to Bible truth, then go and visit that church.  If the true Gospel is not being preached, or if Bible truth is being set aside, you will know that very quickly.

If there is no Statement of Faith, and you are looking at a mega church, then move on.  Most of the mainline denominations have gone liberal, so you can bypass them anyhow.

[Dok]

Check out Grace Community Church. Make an appointment with the Pastor or church counselor. Tell them about your comment that you might look into the occult. "god the mother" is not where it's at. 

Open a Bible to Romans 10:8-13. It calls for a sincere confession.

 

 

Edited October 15, 2016 by Dok

[Leonardo Von]

On 10/12/2016 at 2:11 AM, Redsteel said:

Fear of winding up in the wrong place I mean. It seems like an arduous task looking for the right place. I mean when I think back historically, to indulgences, and the origins of the southern Baptist convention, and the puritans, many of the normal people really thought they were right, and many in leadership understood but remained unprincipled. There is so many groups. What if I wind up on the wrong side of history?

I know it's probably my ocd/ scruples sowing self doubt telling me that I am not good enough along with my fear of putting effort into something that could be wrong, but what experience do you have with this. How can this generation of Christians be sure they are more right? In worried I might be jumping into a frying pan.

Hi, Redsteel,

Grace and mercy and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ:

At first, I want to ratify what my dear sisters RustAngeL and Kwik said:

On 10/12/2016 at 3:09 AM, kwikphilly said:

There is only one kind of Christian & that has remained the same since Jesus walked the earth as a man.....it is the kind that are not "more right" they are just 'right" ,,,,Right with God       There is only ONE Way to be right(reconciled) & that is in Relationship with Jesus     He is the Way the Truth & the Life.                                                  

On 10/12/2016 at 2:16 PM, RustyAngeL said:

Giving your life to Christ is the first and foremost thing to do.  Then get into God's word. 

 

As to your doubt, I comprehend perfectly. After all, with each one speaking something different (many are capable of killing or dying for this), it is difficult to know who is right.

Fortunately, there is three wonderful promises to who desires to know, to live, to keep and to teach the truth:

• ·        1ª - “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find [ me ], when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD:…” (Jeremiah 29.11-14).

 

Nobody better that the own God to say:

• ·         who He is;
• ·         who we are;
• ·         what He wants of us and for us;
• ·         where (or “in what”, or yet “in who”) we can find His truth.

If we search Him with ALL our heart, 100% of it (99,99% doesn’t serve), we will find Him (personally). Not that it is difficult to find Him:

• ·        “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.” (Acts 17.24-28).

 

Without counting that:

• ·        “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, [ even ] in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10.8-10).

If we don’t meet Him is because we insist on seeing only that what we wish. In this case, whatsoever He does, always that our wishes don’t materialize themselves, we will accuse Him of having abandon us.

Yet, if we call to Him and accept what He has to us, we will see the accomplishment of the promise below:

• ·        2ª - “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” (Jeremiah 33.3).

 

And you can be right that there isn’t possibility of being confounded:

• ·         3ª – “For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” (Romans 10.8-11).

If you really crave the Truth, you can reach it now, at this very moment, while you are reading this post (wherever you are). It is enough you to lend an ear to the voice of Jesus speaking to you and to open the door of your heart to Him and He will fulfill all His will in you (Revelation 3.20).

Even more: you will discover who is you and for what you are here in this world. Thenceforward, you will know exactly what to look for. You don’t more will be anxious because, to perceive that the only thing you need is of the company of Jesus, you will see the reason of all that happens around you.

Edited October 16, 2016 by Leonardo Von

[7thseal]

On 10/12/2016 at 0:11 AM, Redsteel said:

Fear of

Not when you understand truth?

[Guest Myrtle&Palm]

I understand. I've been there and I've tried to find good places but I can't seem to find them either. This place is good and always being with the Lord is best. Believe me,  I have huge waves of loneliness that come and go often.  But the Lord will open doors if it is his will in His timing.

You are Not Alone

 

Best Wishes

Myrtle&Palm

[TheMatrixHasU71]

7 hours ago, Myrtle&Palm said:

I understand. I've been there and I've tried to find good places but I can't seem to find them either. This place is good and always being with the Lord is best. Believe me,  I have huge waves of loneliness that come and go often.  But the Lord will open doors if it is his will in His timing.

You are Not Alone

 

Best Wishes

Myrtle&Palm

The problem too with finding a "good" church is keeping in mind that men are not God; they are fallible, and every church makes mistakes once in a while. We should always avoid churches with serious doctrinal errors but then too it is far too easy to get nitpicky and reject a church for one little mistake.

[7thseal]

On 10/12/2016 at 0:11 AM, Redsteel said:

I know it's probably my ocd/ scruples sowing self doubt telling me that I am not good enough

Oh you need to meet Jesus,  paid all for all willing to believe. Self doubt is really questioned once this is revealed.