Personally, I worship God and not a denomination. Here is all you need to know in finding a church. (1) Jesus is the head of the church not any man or denomination. Eph. 5:23 (2) To follow Jesus one must deny himself and all others. True religion does not consist of what pleases us. It is entirely a question of what pleases God. Mat. 16:24 (3) Man's whole duty is to fear God and keep His commands. We should be determined to do God's will, not our own or any denomination. Ecc. 12:13 (4) Each denomination has practices that contradict and disagree with the practices of other denominations. One says only immersion is true baptism; another says sprinkling is acceptable too. One says a child of God can fall from grace; another says this is impossible, etc. Obviously, this constitutes religious division and confusion. (5) Jesus prayed for all who believe on Him to be one as He and His Father are one. Jesus, the Head of the church, prayed for unity. Joh. 17: 20-23 (6) Be careful not to practice division! 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 - Paul pled with the Corinthians that there be no divisions among them (verse 10). Is Christ divided (verse 13)?
I attend a FWB church because this is where God has sent me. I do not worship the denomination. Nor do I worship the building, pastor, entertainment or anything else in that church. This is where God lead me and that is God's will not mine. I am seeing the manifestation of obeying God by being at this church. I am happy just pleasing God and not focusing on the denomination or GPS coordinance. Hopefully, I will be obedient until God tells me to move! If God sends me to another church 300 miles from my home, I will have a decision to make. God's will or mine? What if God called me to be a missionary or to assist a missionary in Brazil? It's easy to preach stuff to others... I hope I am not tested by being called to another country! That would be challenging and I hope I would do the right thing. Try trusting in Him, not yourself, any man or denomination. Everyone aligns with beliefs and doctrines of a different denominations. This is simply being in agreement and this is good. If you can overcome the denomination stronghold, the mileage woes and prepare yourself to go into a place that does not totally agree with you then God can take charge and use you. He may send you to a strange place as a witness. Understand, I mentioned a witness and not an adversary. You must first decide what you believe in, God or denomination. Secondly, I have been around enough to know not all churches are orthodox to their denomination. I know of a Presbyterian church who denounces the Presbyterian USA acceptance of same sex marriage. I know of a Catholic church who does not practice confessions to a priest but to Jesus Christ only! I also knew a Southern Baptist preacher who preached that one can forfeit their salvation in a backsliding state. That man was my father! Focus on being a child of God and being part of the body of Christ and He will take care of the rest! Be careful to not allow denomination to blind you to God's will. Lean on the Holy Spirit for spiritual growth and fulfillment. Look for unity in Christ and be ready to serve God when he opens the door. God wants you somewhere right now if you are submitting to Him! Let that sink in, put Him behind the wheel and you will be fine.
