jacksonruiz

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Hello -- my name is Jackson and I am currently exploring my relationship with faith and God. I grew up with no strict religion or belief system, but in my ongoing recovery work in AA I have come to believe that a relationship with God is as important as one's relationship with their mother and father. I hold a personal belief in God but I would not know how to explain God as I understand Him other than with the words Higher Power.

I do well in fellowship communities and I am very interested in attending local church services. I have never been to church before and am wondering what a first time attendee should know or expect beforehand. Any insight or advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
 

PeterJames0510

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Hello -- my name is Jackson and I am currently exploring my relationship with faith and God. I grew up with no strict religion or belief system, but in my ongoing recovery work in AA I have come to believe that a relationship with God is as important as one's relationship with their mother and father. I hold a personal belief in God but I would not know how to explain God as I understand Him other than with the words Higher Power.

I do well in fellowship communities and I am very interested in attending local church services. I have never been to church before and am wondering what a first time attendee should know or expect beforehand. Any insight or advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

That's a hard question without knowing which church you might visit.

Things to look for:
* Strong belief in God's word
* Worship songs that both stir emotion **as well as** teach scriptural truths to your heart
* Brothers and sisters who will pray for you and for whom you can pray for and you can become a fellowship of believers, not a member of a clique.

I feel these would be a good start wherever you go. :) Blessings to you.
 
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St_Worm2

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Hello @jacksonruiz, first off, WELCOME TO CF :wave:

As for how a church service will go/what you should expect, do you know what kind of church or denomination you are planning to attend?

Praying for you!

God bless you! (John 3:16, 5:24)

--David

Romans 10
9 If you confess with your mouth, Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
10 for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

.
 
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Dropout_Theologian

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Welcome, Jackson. You're going to get different answers from different people. I as well advise an emphasis on Scriptural Truth, though you're probably going to have to do some online research to find a church you're looking for.
 
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redleghunter

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Hello -- my name is Jackson and I am currently exploring my relationship with faith and God. I grew up with no strict religion or belief system, but in my ongoing recovery work in AA I have come to believe that a relationship with God is as important as one's relationship with their mother and father. I hold a personal belief in God but I would not know how to explain God as I understand Him other than with the words Higher Power.

I do well in fellowship communities and I am very interested in attending local church services. I have never been to church before and am wondering what a first time attendee should know or expect beforehand. Any insight or advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
It seems you are seeking the right standing and peace of God. This is found in Christ Jesus.

You seek redemption and restoration.


Creation

God
The story begins with God, who has always been. He has always existed, and He has always existed exactly as He is now. If it seems confusing, it’s because He’s beyond what anyone can fully comprehend.

Genesis 1:1 Psalm 90:2

Creation
In the beginning, God spoke and everything came into existence. By His command, the entire universe was created and filled with a dramatic display of galaxies, stars, and planets— including Earth, on which was a perfect garden of paradise called Eden. Of all the beauty He created, the masterpiece was a man and a woman. God made Adam and Eve in His image to reflect Him. They were created with the grand purpose of worshipping Him by loving Him, serving Him, and enjoying relationship with Him.

Harmony
By God’s design, all of creation was in harmony and was exactly the way it was supposed to be. During this time there was no pain, suffering, sickness or death. There was complete love, acceptance, and intimacy between God and man, between Adam and Eve, and throughout creation. But something tragic happened...

The Fall

Disobedience
Adam and Eve were far from being equal to God, yet He lovingly placed them in charge of all He had created in Eden. He gave them the freedom to make decisions and govern the earth with one rule: not to eat fruit from a specific tree. One day, God’s enemy, a fallen angel named Satan, wanted to overthrow God so he took the form of a serpent and lied to Adam and Eve. He deceived them into thinking God was not good and did not have their best interest in mind. As a result, they knowingly disobeyed God. In rebellion, Adam and Eve ate the fruit, deciding that they, not God, would determine right and wrong.

Consequence
The consequences of their actions were devastating! Like a virus, sin entered into all of creation and into the hearts of Adam and Eve. Sin, suffering, and pain were passed down from generation to generation; all of creation was distorted from its original design. We have all read or heard the stories of war, poverty, disease, greed, and scandals that plague our world today. Those are all a result of sin.

Romans 3:10 Romans 3:19

Need
When we think about the perfection and love that existed at the beginning of creation, we realize “we are far more flawed and far more sinful than we can dare imagine.” Just think of the grudges we’ve held, the lies we’ve told, the thoughts we’d never dare say aloud. An honest glance into our own hearts reveals the truth: We are all guilty. Everyone has sinned, and the ultimate consequence, even worse than physical death, is eternal separation from a loving God, in terrible misery and unhappiness. Because of all this, we need to consider the questions: Can anything be done? Is there any hope?

The Rescue

Promise made
God removed Adam and Eve from Eden as a result of their sin but left them with a promise of rescue and hope. He promised them one of their descendants would someday rescue mankind from sin. Over the next centuries, God prepared the way for this person who would become the Savior of the world. Exact details of His birth, life, and death were recorded in the Bible many centuries before His coming. In fact, the whole Bible ultimately points to this one person as the focal point of all human history. His purpose in coming was “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). So who was He?

Promise kept
The promised Savior, simply, was God. God became human in the person of Jesus Christ almost 2,000 years ago, fulfilling all the predictions in the Old Testament. Jesus’ birth was miraculous since His mother was a virgin. His life was unique: He perfectly enjoyed and obeyed God without sin. This ultimately led to His agonizing death on a cross as He willingly, obediently, and sufficiently died to pay for the sins of mankind, according to God’s plan. In the greatest display of mercy and grace the world has ever known, Jesus’ life and death became a substitute for all who would trust in Him. The perfectly innocent died to rescue the hopelessly guilty from sin and Satan.

But the grave couldn’t hold Jesus. Three days later, Jesus emerged from His tomb, fulfilling His earthly mission to defeat sin by dying on the cross and to defeat death by rising from the dead—just as God promised. Forty days later He returned to Heaven where He reigns as the rightful King.

But the story doesn’t end there...

1 Peter 3:18 Galatians 1:4

The Restoration


All Things New
For all those who trust in Jesus alone, God has also promised He will make all things new. The new heaven and new earth will be completely free of sin and selfishness—a place of perfect friendship with God, others, and all creation. No more shattering earthquakes, devastating tsunamis or violent storms will plague the earth. No more pain, broken hearts, sickness or death to trouble us.

Everything will be restored to the way it was meant to be. The new earth will once again be the perfect home God intended for His creation. God’s original purpose will flourish, as those who trust in His rescue will enter into the grand purpose of worshipping Him by loving Him, serving Him, and enjoying relationship with Him forever.

Revelation 21:4

Forever with God
The most wonderful part of this new world is that we will be with God forever, experiencing complete joy. We will be restored to a perfect relationship with the One who created, loved, and died for us. C. S. Lewis, scholar and children’s author, compared the first step into this new world as “Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”

Rescue by Faith Alone
Faith is simple trust in Jesus Christ alone to save you. It means instead of believing you can rescue yourself from the consequences of sin, you transfer your trust to the rescue He purchased for you by His death. Your allegiance is now to Jesus, The King. Those who place their trust in anything other than Jesus will find themselves forever separated from the loving God who gave His one and only Son to set us free from the bondage of sin. This painful separation is called Hell.

Ephesians 2:8–9

 
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Rescued One

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Welcome! I lived in a home where the family didn't even pray (ever). But I prayed in German without knowing the translation because a wonderful German person taught me to pray before I ever went to school. God bless her! I became a Mormon when I was in high school and stuck with that until God opened my eyes. I had no idea what to expect from a non-Mormon church service. You could call the pastor and ask him about it. Whether or not your first experience is good, start reading your Bible and look up questions online. God bless you in your walk with the Lord. I have alcoholic siblings who haven't sought help.

Here's a link I've found helpful:

Frequently Asked Bible Questions | GotQuestions.org
 
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Emmylouwho

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Hello -- my name is Jackson and I am currently exploring my relationship with faith and God. I grew up with no strict religion or belief system, but in my ongoing recovery work in AA I have come to believe that a relationship with God is as important as one's relationship with their mother and father. I hold a personal belief in God but I would not know how to explain God as I understand Him other than with the words Higher Power.

I do well in fellowship communities and I am very interested in attending local church services. I have never been to church before and am wondering what a first time attendee should know or expect beforehand. Any insight or advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
I’d suggest doing some volunteer work. Soup kitchen, habitat for humanity, meals on wheels, etc. Secular, faith-based, try both.
 
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jacksonruiz

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That's a hard question without knowing which church you might visit.

Things to look for:
* Strong belief in God's word
* Worship songs that both stir emotion **as well as** teach scriptural truths to your heart
* Brothers and sisters who will pray for you and for whom you can pray for and you can become a fellowship of believers, not a member of a clique.

I feel these would be a good start wherever you go. :) Blessings to you.
I will definitely be looking for those things -- thank you! A few local churches post their sermons in podcast form online, so I am going to have a listen and hope to find a community that speaks to my heart.
 
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jacksonruiz

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Hello @jacksonruiz, first off, WELCOME TO CF :wave:

As for how a church service will go/what you should expect, do you know what kind of church or denomination you are planning to attend?

Praying for you!

God bless you! (John 3:16, 5:24)

--David

Romans 10
9 If you confess with your mouth, Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
10 for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

.
The church I am leaning most heavily towards doesn't say specifically on their website, other than that their beliefs are rooted in The Gospel. I'm not familiar with the different denominations, but they seem to have a very strong following in my age group and that makes me feel more comfortable.

I suppose the two branches I'd give to my original question are is business casual attire acceptable? and is it okay to carry a water bottle with me into a service? These might seem like trivial questions but I really would like to be respectful of any environment that I am walking in to.

Thank you!
 
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redleghunter

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The church I am leaning most heavily towards doesn't say specifically on their website, other than that their beliefs are rooted in The Gospel. I'm not familiar with the different denominations, but they seem to have a very strong following in my age group and that makes me feel more comfortable.

I suppose the two branches I'd give to my original question are is business casual attire acceptable? and is it okay to carry a water bottle with me into a service? These might seem like trivial questions but I really would like to be respectful of any environment that I am walking in to.

Thank you!
Casual business attire is usually the standard. If you have a link to the church or want me to PM you to get it let me know. If the focus is a young ministry then attire and water bottle is no problem from my experience. When I first attended a Bible church which was contemporary I dressed in slacks, button down collar shirt and shoes. When I got out of my car I saw variations. Even one older dude in shorts and open toe sandals. Texas of course and it was hot outside. In the winter the dude just put on a pair of socks with the sandals. :)

If you are really concerned about dress, then dress in the business attire and when in the parking lot just look around.
 
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PeterJames0510

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I think most churches would nix the water bottle.

Business casual sounds perfect. A lot of men do that.

I honestly don't see why most would nix the water bottle; I mean, we wouldn't want our people to be hydrated or anything! (And I go to a conservative indie fundie Baptist church, and we're not going to say no to water!)
 
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Dottie/Lucy's Mom

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Hello -- my name is Jackson and I am currently exploring my relationship with faith and God. I grew up with no strict religion or belief system, but in my ongoing recovery work in AA I have come to believe that a relationship with God is as important as one's relationship with their mother and father. I hold a personal belief in God but I would not know how to explain God as I understand Him other than with the words Higher Power.

I do well in fellowship communities and I am very interested in attending local church services. I have never been to church before and am wondering what a first time attendee should know or expect beforehand. Any insight or advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Hi Jackson,
I am very excited to hear that you are seeking God and that it came to be as a result of AA! The best way to get a feel for any church is to visit their website before attending. Some churches have multiple services and each service offers something different., i.e., one may have contemporary music while another has classical, and that sort of thing. Some churches also offer services during the week - it really depends on what area you are from. Also, unless there is unsound doctrine being taught, you should attend a church a couple of times before you choose to check out another.

Please feel free to reach out with any more questions and welcome to the family of God!

Praying that all goes well for you as you reach out for a new home!
 
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Rescued One

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I honestly don't see why most would nix the water bottle; I mean, we wouldn't want our people to be hydrated or anything! (And I go to a conservative indie fundie Baptist church, and we're not going to say no to water!)

Who said anything about being dehydrated? If you have water before the service, are you going to become dehydrated during the service? Maybe in a hot climate outdoors or in a building that has no air-conditioning.
 
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Emmylouwho

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Who said anything about being dehydrated? If you have water before the service, are you going to become dehydrated during the service? Maybe in a hot climate outdoors or in a building that has no air-conditioning.
Dress your best at church.
 
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PeterJames0510

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Who said anything about being dehydrated? If you have water before the service, are you going to become dehydrated during the service? Maybe in a hot climate outdoors or in a building that has no air-conditioning.

Still, out of all the problems that exist in life ... churches are going to enforce that one?

Just clean up after yourself I say.
 
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PeterJames0510

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Dress your best at church.

Try to dress nice, neat, clean, modest. Doesn't mean you have to wear a 3 piece suit and tie.

Unfortunately, some don't have clothes that are separate for church due to financial reasons. That's okay, still go to church. :)
 
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