We cannot all belong to one church, denomination or ministry.

However, all born-again believers belong to one church, the body of Christ.

God has endowed His body, the church, with gifts that address all our tastes.

You’re aware that God gave humanity the power of choice.

He isn’t a dictator.

Because He is love, He advises us of the best path to follow.

However, it remains in our power to accept His guidance.

In choosing a church group to belong to, beloved, don’t deprive yourself of God’s gifts of grace because of blind allegiance to any man or ministry.

Should you do that, you will only have yourself to blame, and sadly so.

That’s what you get when you fail to use your mind and allow mind games to be played on you in the name of “defending” the body of Christ from attacks!

My brief in this column is to share the Grace of God, which brings unbelievers to the commonwealth of saints and truth to believers.

Apostle Paul guides in 1 Timothy 2:4: “Who (God) will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

I stand to solidify the church and not to scatter it.

That said, let’s proceed with guidelines for identifying a local church group to belong to (please refer to my last two instalments).

In your pursuit to choose where to fellowship, please ask yourself this important question: Do I want to walk in the will of God for my life?

If the answer is “yes”, then you must choose a local church that is in the will of God.

The issue then is how to gauge. It must be a local church where evangelism and reaching out to the lost is not treated with levity or taken as a pastime.

It should be a denomination or ministry that considers evangelism with a deep sense of purpose and responsibility.
Evangelism should be received as a commission of Jesus Christ, the head of the church.

Jesus instructs in Matthew 28:18-19, New King James, “[18] And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

“[19] Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’,” (please also read Mark 16:15-20).

Our sincerity will be questionable if we don’t have the urge to reach out to the unsaved.

The Gospel of Christ, the Grace of God, the Good News of Jesus Christ or the Glad Tidings of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ inspire desire to share.

You don’t receive good news and hide.

Light shines and travels.

Staying in the will of God for your life starts with obeying God in general instructions and paying attention to light in His Word.

As you do so, more specific instructions will come.

Romans 12:2 will take root in you.

It reads: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

As you do so, you will get direction even in the very minute details of your life.

The salvation of Jesus Christ delivered us from the shackles of darkness to the liberty of the Kingdom of Light of God.

In choosing a local church, you, therefore, ask yourself, do I want to live far above the forces of darkness of the world?

You must attend a local church, where there’s an atmosphere of love, joy and faith in God’s Word.

Romans 14:17 teaches: “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”

The church should not elevate darkness but glorify the Light of the Gospel.

The atmosphere should not instil fear, but love and peace.

The gathering of saints inspires confidence and security.

John, the apostle of love, says in 1 John 4:18, New King James: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.

“But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

We attend church service to fellowship with God the Father, Him speaking and us listening and us also speaking and He tilting His ear.

You don’t attend a church service and return more afraid of the devil than more comforted by the victory of Christ Jesus.

You may wonder and say, pastor are there no demons?

They, indeed, are there to be cast out.

We know that the devil was defeated by Jesus Christ.

Satan roams about to deceive.

We, therefore, put on the whole armour of God.

Because of faith and not fear, we’re always victorious and we’re more than conquerors.

The Bible, in 1 John 5:4, encourages us: “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

Remember we are in the Christianity faith, not fear.