Deer Hunting Forums banner

finding the right chirch

7K views 29 replies 8 participants last post by  Hellbilly 
#1 ·
i am feeling compelled to attend chirsh with my family. as iv stated so many times i have never liked chirch, and have never felt like god was there. but now realy feel the need to go back, and bring my kids. with all that said. i dont even know were to begin. i realize i would kinda need to dress up ( in my sunday best), but they also need to exept me as i am. ( tattoo covered, sleveless shirt wearing, dirty jeans wering red neck). i dont want to put on an act (like iv mentioned before, about people acting all perfect on sunday, and being back stabbers on monday). if im going to find i chirch, i need to be me wile there. also being that im not on the "normal" sleep scedual. ( i tend to get up at noon, or later and staying up till 3 or 4 am). the early moring thing just wont work for me. any ideas of were and how to start looking for the right chirch for me?
 
#2 ·
pick a good bible based christian church and go.You mite go to several differant ones before you find one that fits you.Just remember what your there for.worship GOD,not to inpress others or be like "look at me".The church I go to is a little country church and on a good day there mite be 50 people.I wear blue jeans and my justins with a nice shirt as do most of the other guys young and old.Its not what you wear,But what you reseave.And yes I have alot of tats also and have never been shuned because of it at this church,others I have been.Its all about you and your relationship with CHRIST.I hate to admit it but IMO not all churchs have the holy spirit moveing in it.One of the best churchs Ive ever been to was a cowboy church.It was held in a barn with dogs and chickens roaming around and horses in stalls.I can tell you the holy spirit was in that place and moving freely among us.It was not a look at me and what Ive done kinda place.They do not even pass a plate around.They have a box off to the side at the entrance and you can just drop off what you can.They even had a sign on it to leave what you can or take what you need.GOD bless you and your familiy finding the church for you
 
#5 ·
that would be exactly what i am looking for. mabee not exactly the barn thing and chickens. but that kinda environment were your totaly free to be you without anyone caring. not saying i care what others think of me, but i feel in a place were everyones trying to be perfect than gods not there.
 
#3 ·
If I were you, I would talk around. Find out from people where they attend and find out what it's like there. Most importantly, find a church where the pastor is going to TEACH from the BIBLE. I know that sounds weird to say, but seriously. Many pastor's have their own agenda or own way of looking at the Bible. Find one who does not CHANGE the Bible around to "meet the needs of the congregation". My wife and I once attended a church where every Sunday was a UP-beat feel-good message. Well that's fine, but what about everything else? The Bible has both good and bad stories. A congregation needs to hear about all of them. They need to learn about the touchy subjects and the subjects pastor's hate preaching on. Don't worry about wearing your best or looking your best, God wants you to attend. Also, don't worry about what other people in the church do or say. Yes, it is important to belong to a church body, but once they know you, tatoos and all, they will accept you. It may take a little time. We have a guy in my church who's name is Joe. Joe had long hair, a REALLY long goatee w/handle bar mustache, and he had tatoos all over. Plus he wore a leather vest. When he first started, yes he got some weird looks, but now, he is one of our best attendees and I'm happy to say he's my brother in Christ!
 
#6 ·
The easiest way to do this is to pray on it and GOD will lead you to were he wants and needs you.At first you may think its the wrong place ,but as long as he is telling you to be there it is for a reason.You may be the insperation that brings a dying church back or the only person that can talk to a brother in a special way that leads them to CHRIST.Pray on it,I will keep you in my prayers on this subject.>>>Hebrews 10: 24,25
 
#8 ·
I know I may get some flack from some of the others on here, but you may want to check out a"Crossroads" church if there is one near you. I took my son to the local one here after he asked a few times. There are people from all walks of life, social classes, ect.......... You have the sterotypical little old lady dressed to the hilt next to the recovering addict. We were amazed at the variety of people there and the casual atomosphere. Alot of people stay away from these kind of churches because they are "national chain" churches but I feel that it receiving the word of God is more important then the where you receive it. This may give you some insite on what place of worship is best for you and your family..
 
#12 ·
i realy havent been looking. been to buisy. working crazy hrs at work. funny thing though is right now i am working to help save a soul before its to late. a friend of mine from a interactive vidio game i play over the internet is fighting cancer right now. other than being a non believer, he is not so different from me. im trying to help him find god, but also trying not to push to hard. i cant aford to mess this up, by pushing to hard and have him reject the message. if i do there wont be time to undo that dammage, so i am proceading with extreem caution, so as not to push him ferther way. so far i have made it well known to him that i am a christan. that i would love to talk to him about god, and hopfully find god, but that i will not force him to talk about it. please pray for me. that god will give me the wisdome to know just have hard to push this. so that i dont make a mistake that could cost a man his soul. please also pray for him, that he will accsept the message, and jesus as his savior. and aslo that once exepting god that he beat the cancer. this has also kept me buisy
 
#15 ·
Hope this helps with bringing Christ to him.I know I have learned from this myself>>>>>>>>>
The Romans Road
The Romans Road is a group of Bible verses from the book of Romans that are used to help people to better understand Salvation, and to lead people to Christ. (Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:23, 10:9-10, 10:13)
· The First thing you have to realize is that YOU ARE a sinner. -Romans 3:23 states, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."
· We are ALL sinners. But, God loves us and He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins.
· Next realize that God Loves YOU. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."* There is no greater love than that someone would lay down their life for a friend. That's what Christ did for us.
· Without Him, you're literally doomed. Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ."
Yes, the wages of sin is death, but God has given us the privilege of Eternal life in Christ. It's a gift, you don't have to work for it, just ASK! What a gift!!!

· Confess your sins.... Romans 10:9-10, "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved" Romans 10:13, "For Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord, will be saved."
That's all you have to do! (Call on the name of Jesus and ask him into your heart, and you will be saved from the eternal pits of Hell!
THE PRAYER.... If you honestly, in your heart, believe everything that was said here, pray this prayer:
Dear Jesus, I KNOW I am a sinner. I know that you were sent by God to die on the cross, to save me from my sins. I ask you now to forgive me of the sins I have committed, and come into my heart. Thank you for dying on the cross for me. From this day forward, I will follow your will and serve you. AMEN.
If you prayed that Prayer, and believe, welcome to the kingdom of God! We wish you would share this with a friend or family member, and we would love to hear from you.
What Next?
Help and Make sure that person will:
· Find a Church. Now you will need to find a church, so you can join the family of God. They will be there to lead you down the path of Christian living. They are not only spiritual guides, but also can be very close friends. They will always be there when you need them.
· Get a Bible. A Bible is one of the most important tools for a Christian. I would recommend an NLT (New Living Translation) or the NIV (New International Version). A study Bible is the best. If you would rather read a more literal translation of the Bible, you should get a NASB (New American Standard) or KJV (King James Version).
· Pray daily. Praying is another important factor. Pick a time that everyday; you have quiet time to pray everyday. Such as before you go to bed, or when you get up in the morning. See our “Article Drawing Near to the Heart of God” and others on our Discipleship Channel for more information and helps!
Whatever approach you use, never argue or condemn the other person's beliefs. Focus on God's love for the person, Jesus' death on the cross for our sins, His resurrection, and the person's need to make a commitment to follow Christ. Invite the person to actually pray with you and commit his or her life to Christ. >>>>>>>>>>:boxing:for his soul,dont let the devil win.Tell him Get the behind me,for I am a child of GOD and dont have time for you.This is what I say when ever the devil is trying to get on me. Prayers for you and him
 
#13 ·
NH, my hats off to you and fully support your efforts, very noble cause. Please pass along my thoughts and prayers to your friend in his hour of need. Is he reading this collumn to see how we as hunters come to someone's need as a suppport group and maybe by sharing his troubles/fears we can provide him with some inspiration an comfort and help..
 
#19 ·
Hunt NH... Prayer was sent for you buddy! I think that's a wonderful thing you are doing. Just stick with it and ask for God's guidance from Him. He will help you with what to say, when to say it and how to say it. Too many times, when I'm witnessing, even on here, I say things that come out wrong or confusing. Talk to God and ask Him to help you through the whole ordeal. One thing that I think is 100% true is that you were meant to be the 1 person in this guy's life to speak to him about God.
DON'T GIVE UP! Trust in the Lord your God.
 
#21 ·
takeing it nice and slow, seems to be working. hasent rejected anything iv sead, or asked me to back off with it or anything. iv also made it know to the other christin friend of ours that i am trying to get him to believe. and he seems to be helping a little bit.
 
#22 ·
hunt NH,

One witnessing tool/method that my wife and I really like and that was used by Jesus is to use the 10 commandments. One organization that really takes this to heart and puts it into practice is Living Waters (google it). They call it The Way of the Master. They have some really good resources and witnessing tracts/tools that are cool. The ones that I keep with me all the time are the $1,000,000 bills and 10 commandment coins. I'm also praying for your friends soul.
 
#24 ·
verry slow. but it looks like iv got even more help. another one of our friends works at a chirch. so now that makes atleast 3 christians he talks to on a dayly basis. also he got good news at his docs office the other day. the cnacer spot on his lung is reducing in size. so all is going slow but well.
 
#27 ·
man tonight i thought i had a good chance. so many things came racing to my mind. unfortunaltly i have been drinking. and my first though was how can i help my friend find god wile im not even compleatly sober. the next thought was, im in way over my head. preachers can resite verses from ther heads. all i have is my understanding, and love of god. then i felt that god made me friends with this man for a reason, and that maybe ability to quote the bible may not save him. maybe a realy rough around the edges christain friend is all he needs. then he changed his mind about wanting to talk about it. please keep him, and me in your prayers.
 
#29 ·
im in way over my head. preachers can resite verses from ther heads. all i have is my understanding, and love of god.

That is all you need.... you don't have to quote scripture or talk the way preachers talk, you just have to show him how God has helped you in your life. That's all. Tell him about the things he's done for you and helped you through. It's been my experience that if you go quoting scripture and everything while witnessing to a close friend, it scares them off more than anything. Most importantly, be his friend. Let him know you're there for him and that you've been praying for him like crazy. He's your friend, he's going to respect your opinions and thoughts. I think you were right holding off talking about God b/c you had been drinking. Make sure you have a clear mind and that you have prayed for God's wisdom and words to come into your heart the next time you see/talk to him. You're doing fine huntNH, just keep it up! :thumbup:
 
#28 ·
Hey Hunt,
you're doing all you can and congratulations on that! The amazing thing is even though Jesus knows every fault and dark spot within us He still loves us, warts and all! I heard a good prayer the other day, Lord help me to be the person that my dog thinks I am! Simple but true, I think you are a better man than you give yourself credit for. At least you're trying to witness. I admire your spunk and your never say quit attitude. God will honor you for your effort and I will continue to pray for your friend and you daddus
 
#30 ·
sounds like your doing it right.slow and easy.Prayers for you and him. I also think your right.I would rather hear it from a friend thats alot like me and not just somebody that throws quotes from the bible at me and scare the crap out of me.That works for some but not for all.Ask GOD for guidance and to fill your mouth with the words he wants you to say. GOD Bless and stay strong:thumbup:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top