Where Can We Fellowship in this Idolatrous Age?

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."  - Col 3:16

     Hello readers!  In this age of idolatry of self, it's a rare thing to find a congregation of believers that teach the FREE GRACE Gospel.  The city or area in which you may live may be filled with dozens of religious centers, but if you're like me, you've probably tried them out and found your experiences to be very distasteful.  You know enough to stay out of any pentecostal or free will baptist church.  So you decide you might look through online church directories and then you stumble across the words, "sovereign grace", "reformed" and think you found something.  Well I've got news for you.... probably not.

     But go ahead, and try them out.  Start meeting with them, paying close attention to what they are teaching.  Are they preaching the Gospel?  Is this the focus of most of their meetings?  If so, you've found something more precious than gold or silver; but most likely these "sovereign grace" churches are teaching their favorite subject for the week....  It differs from week to week, but you'll hear all manner of subjects taught.  Here is what you might hear about on any given Sunday: how to start spanking, christmas (Pro or Con), hot and holy sex for married couples (I kid you not, I've actually seen this!), dating, overcoming (fill in the blank of their favorite sin to talk about), the sin of watching TV, wives submitting to husbands, remarriage after divorce, children obeying parents, paying your taxes, paying your tithes or giving to the church, and the list can go on and on and on and on!  

     Now I'm not saying these are bad things to talk about!  I have my own opinion on all of those things.  But if they take the primary focus of a worship meeting, RUN, don't walk out the door.  You've found yourself in the middle of a legalistic church that probably doesn't know what the Gospel is.  When they do speak on what they think the Gospel is, they focus almost entirely on the conversion experience and base salvation on it... or they are telling you how you can do good works to get assurance or how you can progress in your sanctification.  You won't hear them talking about the finished redemption of Christ and how God calls all His elect and grants them all repentance from all forms of works-righteousness.  You probably won't ever hear them talking about this.    And so sadly, you might find yourself all alone in your area thinking there is no decent place to visit nearby.

     So what are you supposed to do?  I can't tell you exactly what to do.  I'm not in your situation.  But whatever you do, please do not compromise on the Gospel.  You can compromise on all sorts of stuff, like hymns with instruments or without, the use of sunday schools, other secondary issues like baptism, etc...  but the Gospel is something you just simply cannot compromise on.  You probably already know your options.  You can do one of the following:

1. meet together with other believers nearby privately,
2. talk on the phone or online with other believers - hey I'm available, you can contact me!
3. travel long distances to where the Gospel is taught.  I used to do this.
4. relocate to another area.  This is what I did.

     God will direct your steps and you will know what is right when the time comes to decide.   But let me give you some encouragement.  You won't remain alone forever.  God's people will be gathered together in this world and of course in the next.  Sweet fellowship in Christ awaits you.    

     Grace and Peace,
     Brandan