Journey Into The Unknown, part 10

This journey has been “into the unknown” because when we felt it necessary to leave our former church home, we didn’t know where the Lord would lead us. Not being an active church member is not an option. So, we have sought the Lord’s leadership in finding a place where we could be at home and become involved.

Sunday’s experience was a confirmation that the place we’ve been considering is where we will join.

In part 6 of this Journey blog, I outlined the 5 things I was looking for in a church. This one meets all those criteria—it just doesn’t have the name Baptist attached to it.

The music was superb, and sitting close to the choir and singing the hymns in a sanctuary that has great acoustics for music literally gave me goose bumps. It is definitely the “The Language of Music” that speaks to me.

Through the sermon, the Lord spoke to me about what He expects of me. I took notes, and notice that someone in front of me was taking notes as well. I like exegetical sermons. They provide a superb opportunity to dig into the scripture and understand what God said to His people then and to us now.

Then, in the Sunday School hour, we attended the first of five in a series of their new member classes. Looking over the material that will be covered, I am excited to become a member of a church where both the church’s doctrines and its openness about salvation by grace through faith are openly taught.

If someone who doesn’t believe the core doctrines of Christianity and who has never had a time when they personally accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord goes through these classes, they will either have a conversion experience or they will decide this church is not for them.

One resource that is used in the class is “Steps To Peace With God” from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The four steps outlined in this booklet are similar to “The 4 Spiritual Laws” that Campus Crusade for Christ uses. The first “law” or “step” is “God loves you and wants you to experience peace and life—abundant and eternal.”  That is a critical place to start sharing the Gospel, but it’s only one of four steps.

What frustrated me in another church was that they wanted to stop there—just tell people that God loves them—leaving out everything about the need for grace (because we are sinners) and God’s provision of grace (the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ), and the need to appropriate that grace (by personally accepting the gift God offers in Jesus).

Grace is free, but costly (just ask Bonhoeffer—oh sorry, you can’t ask him. He was martyred for his faith.)

To tell people that all that is needed is love and that to be a Christian is just to “follow Jesus” does people a disservice. They need to hear the truth of the gospel, including the parts where repentance, accepting Christ as Savior, and committing one’s life to Christ are required.

Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church meets the 5 requirements I posted in part 6 of this series. We’ll gladly worship and serve with them in the Lord’s Kingdom.