CPR - What to look for in a church.

In this CPR episode, Pastors Mark Tiefel, Neal Radichel and Nathanael Mayhew all join together to discuss the topic of Church Attendance and how to find a church home.  Why should we go to church?  In church the Lord offers sinners His forgiveness through His Word and Sacrament. So when we are looking for a church, we should be looking for a place where His Word is proclaimed in its truth, not based on how close it is to your home or the programs which are offered.  What about those who say "You don't have to go to church to worship God"?  We can see God in nature, but this is the natural knowledge of God which is limited and we need more than that.  We need to have God reveal what He has done with our problem of sin, and that is only found in His Word.  Consider this:  If we don't eat, we die.  The same is true for us spiritually.  If we don't feed our souls with the Word of God as Jesus says we should, we will die spiritually!  It isn't enough to THINK about eating food if we are starving.  We need to eat.  Similarly, it's not enough to think about going to church or reading God's Word. We need to feed on God's Word and receive His Sacraments to be spiritually sustained.  The true Church is about substance, not about style.  We shouldn't pick a church based on what we want it to be, but what God wants it to be.  That is what is important!  "Preach the Word!" Paul says.  The quality of what we take in is what is important.  It is easier in an earthly sense to go the big church that has many programs but offers no substance.  It is difficult to dig into God's Word and compare what a church teaches with what God says in His Word.  But it is very rewarding!  Finding a church isn't about the music, the programs, or even the pastor, but it is about how the church proclaims God's truth.  It is a lot of work to dig into the truth, but it is rewarding as we are pointed to Christ and the forgiveness He offers to us through the cross.

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