Sketcher
Born Imperishable
My church uses ESV, so I think you're good there. KJV is good for deeper study because it is older and therefore the more classic resources for study (i.e. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance) use it. My general advice is to go with the translation your church uses because it is easier to follow along that way, but since you don't have a church yet, use what you have.I've been sticking to my bibles and i've been trying to find the best version to read. I own a king james, an english standard, and a Good News bible (catholic). I'm currently trying to get my hands on a copy of the Halleluyah Scriptures (sorry if i spelled that wrong) and I'm curious to know what you guys recommend I should read.
There are liturgical and non-liturgical Protestant churches. The Gospel can be found in both kinds, though going from Catholic to non-liturgical can be a bit of a culture shock for ex-Catholics. Some of them like it, others prefer the more liturgical setting and go to a Lutheran church or other liturgical church. Both have Biblical reasons for their respective approaches.On to the church part- I'm having trouble figuring out what kind of church I should go to or if any at all. I'm a bit afraid because all i've ever known is Catholicism. I really want to do things right and become born again.
I'm non-denominational, so I can't really recommend any particular denomination unequivocally (or any non-denominational church I have zero familiarity with, for that matter). Instead, I can give you an incomplete list of red flags to avoid.
- If they say Jesus is just one way of many to get to Heaven, leave.
- If they deny the Trinity, leave.
- If they have another holy book other than the Bible, leave.
- If they push "prosperity teaching," leave.
- If they're King James Only, leave.
- If they say you have to have a certain gift of the Spirit (tongues is a popular one) or else you're not saved, leave.
- If there seems to be a cult of personality about the pastor, as in the church is named after him or he is given an exalted title, leave.
- If the church does not disclose its finances to its members* upon request, leave.
* Membership is different from whether or not you attend. It may require taking a class and making a commitment to go to that church. This is fine.
What you should do is look up their statements of faith on their web sites, as a starting point. They may also post sermons or services, which you can use to preview the church. Before you judge the church based on its style though, you would do well to actually go through its doors and meet its people. There's more to a good church than just what happens in the Sunday service.
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