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With a church on every street in town and an opinion on everyone's lips, it's difficult not to get caught up in our own Siskel and Ebert discussions. In fact, many people don't see it as a problem at all to "church shop" and then list the reasons why, upon first impression, a church didn't suit their style. Some church seekers aren't believers...and some are believers with no roots, but they need the same thing: a church that bears fruit. Matthew 15:5 says "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." This verse is true for individuals AND groups of individuals who form a church body. Finding a church is not about finding a place that will make you feel comfortable, it's about looking for the fruit that it does or does not produce. Are lives changing? Are yokes being broken? If so, then the rest is just details.
13:11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say; but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. |
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