The culture of almost all churches does not include much instruction on the value of Christian friendships, Christian families, and Christian marriages. Yet these close, frequent and trustworthy relationships are the basic building blocks for conforming the spirits of Christians more into the image of Jesus Christ (spiritual growth in the true sense). Most churches work hard at developing your mind, hoping that is all that is needed in God's work of transforming you.
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, ...
Rom 8:29a
Rom 8:29a
As you are finding out in the Getting Ready to Go Home to Heaven curriculum, mind development and knowledge growth falls short of changing one's spirit, the deep part of who you are that goes to heaven.
Finding a church to help you change your spirit to live for Jesus and glorify God as you are being taught in the Getting Ready to Go Home to Heaven curriculum might be difficult. Churches spend a lot of time on teaching the Bible, but too many of them spend very little sermon time or discussion on application. And when they do, they are talking all too often of individual application, not application in friendship groups, families and marriages where "faith together" has much power to serve God and change individuals, friendships, families and marriages.
The kind of Christian adviser or church you want in your life is one that recognizes the power of "faith together". Presently, the primary indication that a church will encourage you and other believers to walk with Jesus together will be that they have small groups, especially if those groups are not just for learning the Bible but going on to apply it with the help of the other group members.
In short, you should go to a church and recognize some agreement with what you have been learning and applying in the Getting Ready to Go Home to Heaven curriculum.
If you got to HeavenBeckons.com through a promotion card given by a friend or relative, they might have acquired that promotion card from their church. If so, that church is a good one to try.
If you have Christian friends, ask them if the sermons at their church teach how to live the Christian life, rather than just doctrine. Or you can call or visit a number of churches to find one that is friendly and regular people are interested in you (not just staff people or people leading church programs and/or functions). In other words, does a person in the pew show interest in you? Better yet is if they are interested in your spiritual life.
It is probably best to ask friends if their church, or ask the churches directly, if they believe all of the basic truths contained in the Apostle's Creed. Christianity is well-rooted in history, and the Apostles's Creed is solid and been used to define the essentials of the faith for hundreds of years.
Finding a church to help you change your spirit to live for Jesus and glorify God as you are being taught in the Getting Ready to Go Home to Heaven curriculum might be difficult. Churches spend a lot of time on teaching the Bible, but too many of them spend very little sermon time or discussion on application. And when they do, they are talking all too often of individual application, not application in friendship groups, families and marriages where "faith together" has much power to serve God and change individuals, friendships, families and marriages.
The kind of Christian adviser or church you want in your life is one that recognizes the power of "faith together". Presently, the primary indication that a church will encourage you and other believers to walk with Jesus together will be that they have small groups, especially if those groups are not just for learning the Bible but going on to apply it with the help of the other group members.
In short, you should go to a church and recognize some agreement with what you have been learning and applying in the Getting Ready to Go Home to Heaven curriculum.
If you got to HeavenBeckons.com through a promotion card given by a friend or relative, they might have acquired that promotion card from their church. If so, that church is a good one to try.
If you have Christian friends, ask them if the sermons at their church teach how to live the Christian life, rather than just doctrine. Or you can call or visit a number of churches to find one that is friendly and regular people are interested in you (not just staff people or people leading church programs and/or functions). In other words, does a person in the pew show interest in you? Better yet is if they are interested in your spiritual life.
It is probably best to ask friends if their church, or ask the churches directly, if they believe all of the basic truths contained in the Apostle's Creed. Christianity is well-rooted in history, and the Apostles's Creed is solid and been used to define the essentials of the faith for hundreds of years.
The Apostle's Creed
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I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; The Holy catholic [means “universal”] Church, the Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body, And the Life everlasting. Amen.
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What to do if you already have a church but it does not emphasize the kind of growth of your spirit as does the Getting Ready to Go Home to Heaven curriculum.
Meet with church leadership and show them the Getting Ready to Go Home to Heaven curriculum at HeavenBeckons.com. Ask them to listen to some of the podcasts within the four courses and increase their emphasis on friendships, families, and marriages walking together and implementing the Togethers of Scripture.
Meet with church leadership and show them the Getting Ready to Go Home to Heaven curriculum at HeavenBeckons.com. Ask them to listen to some of the podcasts within the four courses and increase their emphasis on friendships, families, and marriages walking together and implementing the Togethers of Scripture.