What are We to Do?
Be a Disciple
Have Fellowship
The last three steps of the preparation and defense against the enemy can be done in any order. Typically, a maturing believer will start with fellowship to learn to discuss the topics and issues faced by Christians. This helps build up the body of Christ (the believing Church) and provides support resources for each other. Let’s take a closer look at what that involves.
Church
Finding the right church is a great way to get involved, learn the Word from a different perspective than your own, and meet fellow believers. The key is finding the right church. You may already be attending a church you like, but in the event you are looking or aren’t sure if the one you’re attending is right for you, here are some key things to look for.
- Focus on the Word of God – Do they go through the scriptures and study what they actually say and provide insight into what that means? Be careful of any church that allegorizes any passages that are intended to be interpreted literally. Do they focus on Jesus Christ and the message of the gospel? If you aren’t sure you can look up their mission Vision and Values on their website or just ask the preacher directly.
- Spends more time in the Word and less in everything else – Does your church spend 45 minutes in songs, prayers, praise and other ceremonial tasks and only 10 to 15 minutes discussing a topic for learning? If so, find another church. All of that is great, when not the primary focus. The Word should be the focus.
- Adherence to Key doctrinal issues – While we at LearningGod.org do not want to get into squabbles about doctrine, there are a few that are deal breakers. The biggest one is belief that Jesus died for our sins and that salvation is entirely a gift from God that we do nothing to earn. There are many Christian varieties of churches that when pressed, will admit they do not hold to this doctrine. The other one is that Jesus is the Son of God. Again, there are so called Christian denominations that do not hold this to be true. Avoid them as they are misleading people away from Jesus. As far as all of the other doctrinal issues, you can decide for yourself how your church’s position on those affects your belief in Jesus. If they move you closer to Jesus, that’s good. If they move you away from Jesus, then avoid them.
Organized Outreach
Most churches will offer some form of organized outreach. Joining one of these that best suits your needs is a great way to develop fellowship and meet other like-minded believers, in addition to helping your local community or world, if it is something like a mission trip. Ask your church what they offer.
Bible Studies
It’s a good idea to join a weekly bible study. This can be a formal one in a church, or an informal one in someone’s home. The focus of it should be on reading and understanding what the Word is saying to you and the other members. This is a great way to fellowship and build relationships with other believers. If it is informal, make sure there is a selected book and/or chapters that are the focus and there is an organized way to go through it. It is helpful to use a study guide, of which there are many available.
Mentor
Asking someone who has been a believer for some time and knows the Word well is another great step in spiritual maturation and establishing fellowship. The intent is to have this experienced person help you grow. They will be more than willing to help you if they have the time to do so. We are charged to help each other and build up other believers. This gives them a chance to do so!
Support Buddies
As you do any of the above, you will meet other believers that you can buddy up with. It can also be a family member that is also a believer. The idea is to have someone you can call or text when you need to or just want someone to talk to about spiritual matters. This is all about helping each other.
All of the above ways to fellowship are valuable in helping us learn and grow and giving us opportunities to help others. This gives us the experience in dealing with spiritual issues with other people, which is very helpful practice when heading into the last two topics, spreading the Word and defending the faith.
