Hey, I recommend getting through the New Testament, ESPECIALLY the gospels first (Matt., Mark, Luke & John). That is what guarded me against false religion - reading through myself, before I even thought about going to church - E.G. Matthew chapter 23.
Keep reading where you are if you like but you'll potentially struggle once you get to the books after Exodus. These books were written for Jews (still scripture and valuable for a Christian) and so not as important to us as the ones written directly about Jesus Christ and then Paul's letters to the Gentile (non-Jewish) church. If you start believing in Jesus' death burial and resurrection, Romans 1-5 are perhaps the most important chapters in the entire Bible to wrap your head around.
There will be plenty you read that makes not much sense but I'd encourage you to keep reading and just accept it might be your lack of understanding for now. If you're open to praying or become open, pray to God that he would show you the truth.
Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. (Proverbs 23:23)
Buying the truth can cost a lot - time, family, friends, church, beliefs, pleasures - do you want the truth above other worldly desires?
Satan does his best to keep people from looking at Christianity but just because you decide to become Christian doesn't mean it's going to be on the side of the truth. There are countless denominations so not to discourage you but to warn you, the way is narrow:
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)
The stakes are the eternal lake of fire or heaven.
The Bible has many warnings about wolves in sheep's clothing that will deceive the simple (not saying you're dumb! just that you lack the knowledge to discern truth from error right now).
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. (2 Peter 2:3)
Please take this warning to heart. Many people have been swallowed up by false Christianity and will never recover. The BEST counterfeits look exactly like the real thing.
Jesus is the way!!! Churches are a place where we gather to worship - our priests should be Shepards to us, the flock. They should Shepard us to Christ - following Christs word! If they aren’t, we should be able to tell because we follow Jesus AND his word!
One thing I’d be careful of is a lot of Protestant churches (especially in Texas where I am) are being corrupted by the Christian Nationalist movement and are becoming extremely political and veering far from Christs teachings. I’m not trying to say anything bad about Protestant churches there are plenty of great ones to choose from but you want a Church, not a pseudo-political think tank in disguise. So I’d explore and go to services and converse with some of the pastors afterwards.
When looking for a congregation be sure it's grounded in Scripture.
And, remember this:
There are no denominations within the body of Christ.
One is either within or without the body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:4-6 LSB There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; [5] one Lord, one faith, one baptism; [6] one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
The fact that hundreds of denominations exist doesn’t mean Scripture recognizes them.
Plenty of things exist today that the New Testament rejects:
- false gospels
- false teachers
- divisions
- man-made traditions
- churches teaching contradictory doctrines
Paul warned these would appear (Acts 20:29-30, 2 Pet 2:1).
So their existence isn’t evidence of biblical legitimacy.
It’s evidence of exactly what Scripture predicted.
The question isn’t “What options exist?”
It’s “Which congregations actually follow the apostles’ teaching?”
Acts 2:42
They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine.
Ephesians 4:4-6
one body
one faith
one baptism
So yes - many groups exist.
But only those grounded in Scripture are part of the one body of Christ.
That’s why you choose a congregation based on the Word, not the label.
I agree with this. Jesus did not come in peace, he came with a sword to divide earth between believers and non believers.
““Do not think that I have come to bring peace on the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword [of division between belief and unbelief]. [Luke 12:51-53]”
Matthew 10:34 AMP
2 camps of people. 2 sides to the story. And if you want to boil it down to one statement. There is a winning side and there is a losing side. There is no middle men, or gray area. In fact, someone who chooses not to believe or to be neutral is in fact choosing a side; the unbelieving side.
“And you will know them by their fruit.” Find a church or group of men and women who bear good fruit of the spirit.
But to answer your question: Pentecostal all the way!
There’s a lot of diversity within Protestantism. Mainline churches like the United Methodist Church (UMC) are where I’ve tended to go; they’re generally supportive, love-based, and relaxed. I’m less keen on churches for evangelicals that like to wag their finger at everyone and saying “You’re going to hell!” because of a few hyper-specific Bible passages they’ve decided matter more than the rest (which they ignore). Go to the more positive ones and see how it goes?
I would say first look at the churches that are a close commute to you.
Its hard to drive to another city or to the other side of town regularly and still love going.
Next look up their websites and read about their profession of their faith.. many have an "about us" section or something that writes down what they believe. If any of that sounds good try going. if none of it sounds good then maybe still theres some cool people that are friendly and you can find a place where you feel welcomed atleast.. or loved at best.
+1 to the commute distance. Not only do we want to gather on sundays, ministry throughout the week is important. The further distance you are from the church, the less likely you are to go to ministry throughout the week.
Well, you know, what particular denomination is not the most important part...
maybe United Methodist?
YESSSSS get in here! :)
I do think that we're a particularly good church for just being church. We'll get inspiration and borrow practices and cooperate with just about anybody, because we're not attached to keeping some identity separate from other Christians - we're all just Christians, all worshiping Christ.
Don't feel shy about visiting multiple churches between settling into one, either. It can be a really interesting learning experience.
So glad you're feeling God's call to return! God bless you!
A lot of churches have been captured by MAGA sadly.
UMC is good, Roman Catholic is good, Episcopal is Roman Catholic with half the guilt… any mainstream church where you feel welcome and the sermon is more focused on following Christ than on hating others is better than not going to church. Adjust from there
Just simply praying. Talk to him and let him know that you wanna know him more. I know there’s a version of Bible says knock and you will find right, so not gonna do or talk to him and he will show you what to do. I’m Catholic. Gotta show me that the Saints are my friends. They could be your friends too.
After years away from church, and not being in the right church for me, I just started going back to church a few months ago. I watched the sermons of a few local churches on line and visited a few. I go to a Pentecostal Church now, and I love it. If you like a lively sermon and worship music try a Evangelist or Pentecostal church. If you like a more reserved atmosphere try a Methodist or Reformed church.
A lot of churches have Bible study groups, men's and women's groups, prayer groups and other focused groups that meet other than the Sunday service time.
Good luck and God bless you.
God is calling a lot of us back to church these days.
I would recommend picking a range of churches from a range of denominations and going to them. I would recommend not going to a new church or a church that’s too small. A nice mid range church with a few hundred people in it.
Find a Calvary Chapel (there should be one like in every city)
Or find another bible teaching verse-by-verse church, not one that does “topical” sermons bc it’s too easy for them to cherry pick verses to support their message
Also make sure the church doesn’t restrict you to reading the King James Version only of the bible - there’s a scary sect of “Christians” that believe the KJV is the only true word of God and that all other translations need to be burned 🙄
Most of all, pray for God’s will to be done in where you land and serve
I’d recommend looking into the reasoning behind the Protestant split, from both sides, I recommend CatholicAnswers, yes I am biased as a recent convert myself.
You may find this useful:
Maybe start back digitally, right now. I recommend searching YouTube for the 2819 Church. Pastor Phillips sermons are amazing to me, especially as a new serious believer of Christ. I know you may not be interested in the gospel or acts, but he preaches the gospel in a very serious and direct manner, breaking down the text and how it applies to modern day life and understanding to where it may be meaningful to you. You can do this now while looking for something in person to jojn as well.
Charismatic or non denominational however attending is the important step in obedience over a specific church. How you attend daily outside of church is where 99% of the work is done. Adapting a lifestyle that properly follows jesus the way he instructed is crucial. Here is a website that provides tools and guidance on what that process looks like which includes attending church, bible studies, and proper interpretation of scripture.
https://biblexydemo.work
Be well
You don't 'try out' churches. You're not going on holiday. If you don't already have a denomination, just go wherever is nearest, and go humbly to learn, not criticise.
You’ve a lot to choose among. Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church, Baptist, Southern Baptist Convention, American Baptist Churches USA, National Baptist Convention, Methodist, United Methodist Church, African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), Free Methodist Church, Lutheran, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS), Presbyterian, Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), Anglican/Episcopal, The Episcopal Church, Anglican Church in North America, Pentecostal, Assemblies of God, Church of God in Christ (COGIC), Reformed, Christian Reformed Church, Reformed Church in America, Adventist, Seventh-day Adventist Church, Orthodox Christianity, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Orthodox Church in America (OCA), Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), or Non-denominational?
Here's some advice I wrote to someone else:
Amen!!!
Jesus is the way!!! Churches are a place where we gather to worship - our priests should be Shepards to us, the flock. They should Shepard us to Christ - following Christs word! If they aren’t, we should be able to tell because we follow Jesus AND his word!
This is solid advice but honestly just pick whatever church feels right when you walk in the door - you can always church hop until you find your fit
The reading part is clutch though, having your own foundation before getting influenced by whatever denomination's spin is huge
One thing I’d be careful of is a lot of Protestant churches (especially in Texas where I am) are being corrupted by the Christian Nationalist movement and are becoming extremely political and veering far from Christs teachings. I’m not trying to say anything bad about Protestant churches there are plenty of great ones to choose from but you want a Church, not a pseudo-political think tank in disguise. So I’d explore and go to services and converse with some of the pastors afterwards.
Yes a lot of Protestant churches today do seem obsessed with trump and Israel. The obsession with Israel in particular really annoys me.
When looking for a congregation be sure it's grounded in Scripture.
And, remember this:
There are no denominations within the body of Christ.
One is either within or without the body of Christ.
Learn Scripture, follow Jesus, praise God!
I mean I guess so but there is still hundreds of denomations to choose from tho.
The fact that hundreds of denominations exist doesn’t mean Scripture recognizes them.
Plenty of things exist today that the New Testament rejects:
- false gospels
- false teachers
- divisions
- man-made traditions
- churches teaching contradictory doctrines
Paul warned these would appear (Acts 20:29-30, 2 Pet 2:1).
So their existence isn’t evidence of biblical legitimacy.
It’s evidence of exactly what Scripture predicted.
The question isn’t “What options exist?”
It’s “Which congregations actually follow the apostles’ teaching?”
Acts 2:42
They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine.
Ephesians 4:4-6
one body
one faith
one baptism
So yes - many groups exist.
But only those grounded in Scripture are part of the one body of Christ.
That’s why you choose a congregation based on the Word, not the label.
Learn Scripture, follow Jesus, praise God!
Probably a much smaller number near your home, though!
I agree with this. Jesus did not come in peace, he came with a sword to divide earth between believers and non believers.
““Do not think that I have come to bring peace on the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword [of division between belief and unbelief]. [Luke 12:51-53]” Matthew 10:34 AMP
2 camps of people. 2 sides to the story. And if you want to boil it down to one statement. There is a winning side and there is a losing side. There is no middle men, or gray area. In fact, someone who chooses not to believe or to be neutral is in fact choosing a side; the unbelieving side.
“And you will know them by their fruit.” Find a church or group of men and women who bear good fruit of the spirit.
But to answer your question: Pentecostal all the way!
There’s a lot of diversity within Protestantism. Mainline churches like the United Methodist Church (UMC) are where I’ve tended to go; they’re generally supportive, love-based, and relaxed. I’m less keen on churches for evangelicals that like to wag their finger at everyone and saying “You’re going to hell!” because of a few hyper-specific Bible passages they’ve decided matter more than the rest (which they ignore). Go to the more positive ones and see how it goes?
X2
I would say first look at the churches that are a close commute to you.
Its hard to drive to another city or to the other side of town regularly and still love going.
Next look up their websites and read about their profession of their faith.. many have an "about us" section or something that writes down what they believe. If any of that sounds good try going. if none of it sounds good then maybe still theres some cool people that are friendly and you can find a place where you feel welcomed atleast.. or loved at best.
+1 to the commute distance. Not only do we want to gather on sundays, ministry throughout the week is important. The further distance you are from the church, the less likely you are to go to ministry throughout the week.
Be sure you have your own priorities straight.
Learn Scripture, follow Jesus, praise God!
Well, you know, what particular denomination is not the most important part...
YESSSSS get in here! :)
I do think that we're a particularly good church for just being church. We'll get inspiration and borrow practices and cooperate with just about anybody, because we're not attached to keeping some identity separate from other Christians - we're all just Christians, all worshiping Christ.
Don't feel shy about visiting multiple churches between settling into one, either. It can be a really interesting learning experience.
So glad you're feeling God's call to return! God bless you!
A lot of churches have been captured by MAGA sadly.
UMC is good, Roman Catholic is good, Episcopal is Roman Catholic with half the guilt… any mainstream church where you feel welcome and the sermon is more focused on following Christ than on hating others is better than not going to church. Adjust from there
Quaker meeting tbh.
Just simply praying. Talk to him and let him know that you wanna know him more. I know there’s a version of Bible says knock and you will find right, so not gonna do or talk to him and he will show you what to do. I’m Catholic. Gotta show me that the Saints are my friends. They could be your friends too.
After years away from church, and not being in the right church for me, I just started going back to church a few months ago. I watched the sermons of a few local churches on line and visited a few. I go to a Pentecostal Church now, and I love it. If you like a lively sermon and worship music try a Evangelist or Pentecostal church. If you like a more reserved atmosphere try a Methodist or Reformed church. A lot of churches have Bible study groups, men's and women's groups, prayer groups and other focused groups that meet other than the Sunday service time. Good luck and God bless you. God is calling a lot of us back to church these days.
Yes that is true, the world is crazy and depressing these days!
I would recommend picking a range of churches from a range of denominations and going to them. I would recommend not going to a new church or a church that’s too small. A nice mid range church with a few hundred people in it.
Find a Calvary Chapel (there should be one like in every city) Or find another bible teaching verse-by-verse church, not one that does “topical” sermons bc it’s too easy for them to cherry pick verses to support their message Also make sure the church doesn’t restrict you to reading the King James Version only of the bible - there’s a scary sect of “Christians” that believe the KJV is the only true word of God and that all other translations need to be burned 🙄 Most of all, pray for God’s will to be done in where you land and serve
It’s not the church building that you go to but being a born again believer
I’d recommend looking into the reasoning behind the Protestant split, from both sides, I recommend CatholicAnswers, yes I am biased as a recent convert myself. You may find this useful:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Vm2otqyXmlTJ2iAZP5ZnINbT0x_kimNVqowRPTjTKBo/edit?usp=drivesdk
Maybe start back digitally, right now. I recommend searching YouTube for the 2819 Church. Pastor Phillips sermons are amazing to me, especially as a new serious believer of Christ. I know you may not be interested in the gospel or acts, but he preaches the gospel in a very serious and direct manner, breaking down the text and how it applies to modern day life and understanding to where it may be meaningful to you. You can do this now while looking for something in person to jojn as well.
Charismatic or non denominational however attending is the important step in obedience over a specific church. How you attend daily outside of church is where 99% of the work is done. Adapting a lifestyle that properly follows jesus the way he instructed is crucial. Here is a website that provides tools and guidance on what that process looks like which includes attending church, bible studies, and proper interpretation of scripture. https://biblexydemo.work Be well
You don't 'try out' churches. You're not going on holiday. If you don't already have a denomination, just go wherever is nearest, and go humbly to learn, not criticise.
Sadly, more currently, it depends on your morals and political views at many churches now then ever.
Well I’m definitely not a trump supporter
You’ve a lot to choose among. Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church, Baptist, Southern Baptist Convention, American Baptist Churches USA, National Baptist Convention, Methodist, United Methodist Church, African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), Free Methodist Church, Lutheran, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS), Presbyterian, Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), Anglican/Episcopal, The Episcopal Church, Anglican Church in North America, Pentecostal, Assemblies of God, Church of God in Christ (COGIC), Reformed, Christian Reformed Church, Reformed Church in America, Adventist, Seventh-day Adventist Church, Orthodox Christianity, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Orthodox Church in America (OCA), Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), or Non-denominational?