What attracts you?

Hi all,

I am hoping you can help me out. Regardless if you are in fellowship at a denominational church, small house fellowship or searching - may I ask, what attracts you to a fellowship? Authentic preaching, Holy Spirit emphasis, genuine love?

I am working on a sermon series, and if you are willing; maybe give a two line response it would help. My intention is to not debate what is better, but pull out what is important.

Thank you in advance,
Steve

I had to think about your question for a while but then it came to me. I want to be part of a church that is BALANCED. I've been to churches that practice cold, dead formalism and I've been to churches that were "swingin' from the chandeliers" wild and crazy. I been exposed to harsh legalism and I've been exposed to hyper-grace license. The truth of the matter is that often the Bible portrays the truth by displaying it in opposing ways that are in "tension" and it is very difficult for our human minds to hold them together at the same time. Examples include how God loves us so much yet "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God". Also, the whole God's sovereignty versus man's responsibility (Calvinism vs. Arminianism).

-Daniel

Hi Pastor Steve:

A few things.

1. If you want two liners, ask a 15 yr old between text messages, adults think more.
2. If you really don't know what God wants for his people, you wont find it here. If you're not a man of prayer, you are useless and your congregation will be prayerless uselesses just like you. If you are not a man of the word, your congregation will be people of the world and worldly philosophies will rule their lives.
3. If you do not actually engage the lost world with the love of Jesus and the gospel as a manner of your own life, your congregation will emulate a man who does not love the lost or go after the hurting in the world.
4. If in fact you are so shallow that 'attraction' is what you believe creates a desire for people to attend your congregation, the last place you need to be is in the pulpit with any sermon series.

This country needs men of God, not pulpiteers, it needs genuine Christians who love God and love one another. It needs Christians who are true worshippers, true prayer-saints, true lovers of the lost and hurting.

Finding out what 'attracts' is what the false prophets do.

The Spirit of God calls, He convicts, He captures the mind and heart of a man or woman. The soulish things of American religion look for the soulish ways to attract the human soul with human cleverness and ingenuity.

Where is your faith? Is it in soulish methods or Holy Spirit workings in people.

Whatever answers you get that encourage you in finding 'attraction points' so as to incorporate them into a sermon series will be hazardous for you. What better are you than the false prophets who read the people and give them what they want?

A real man of God hears from God and delivers to them the words of God. False teachers read their people and feed them only what they want to hear. We have churches everywhere doing this, you need not add one more.

Be a man of God and deliver to the congregation the truth as straight-forward as I have this admonition, God himself will add as he wills, call as he wills and build as he wills.

If you read what I wrote and seek to find what attraction points is he really getting at? You've missed it altogether, God knows what he wants to be said, find out what that is and say it without apology, without fear and with love.

It is a very good question. I am part of a fellowship for past 10 years, moved from one place to another but always connected to the same chain of fellowships. All these are fellowships that voluntarily submit to one 'Man of God', but have local elders. I believe this Church movement is an initiative from God, because I have seen the full Body of Christ work where every part was doing their jobs. So I know this works and this is from God.

Before we go into what one needs to look into a fellowship, lets see what is needed from a person.
1. Based on my experience of being in small fellowships, only people who are willing to stay with a fellowship are those who recognize the fact that they need Fellowship. They recognize that no matter how perfect they are, they are still only one part in a body of Christ and need other parts to make a full Body of Christ. But as far as I see most people who visit fellowships do not have this need in them, and that is why they keep jumping from one to another without ever being committed to one. Or giveup being in any Church because they are too perfect to fellowship with imperfect people!
2. Unwilling to submit. A truly broken person will always be willing to submit to authority. But most people who think they are perfect will never submit to another person. They keep deceiving themselves saying that they will submit only to Christ etc! But Bible is clear when it asks every disciples to submit to local authorities in Church (1 Peter 5:5).

Now what to look in a fellowship. Only thing that is worth looking for is the Presence Of Jesus. But most people look for perfect doctrine, acceptance from Church members etc. It is because they never had relationship with Jesus. If a person is a true bride of Christ, will only look for Groom (Jesus) wherever he/she goes. If there is no Jesus then even the most perfect doctrine is of ZERO value. If Jesus is present then even if they are not perfect in doctrine, it does not matter. No Church is perfect in doctrine neither is mine.

It is also important to have Godly leaders whom you can trust and submit. Again our attitude should be to submit then only God can take us to Godly men who are leaders appointed by God.

ALL THINGS THAT I HAVE WRITTEN ARE BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE OF OBSERVING MANY STRONG BELIEVES WHO KEEP JUMPING CHURCHES AND NEVER STAY COMMITTED. I AM NOT GENERALIZING HERE. THIS IS MY OBSERVATION.

I just realized that I answered 'Who attracts you', instead of 'What attracts you'. I think that is the right way to see the subject. If Jesus is the head of every Church then we should first be attracted by the head and not by body parts or the pattern!

There are many pastors today that want to see their church growing numerically so they will attend church growth seminars on how to attract the people. The measure of success is often determined by how many were in the service on Sunday morning or
Wednesday night. There are mega churches that are compromising the Word of God in order to attract the people

The question should not be, what should we do to attract the people, but what is the Lord’s will for the local church? Are we Ministering to the Lord? Is the presence of God there? Are we making converts or making disciples? Does the Holy Spirit have the freedom to move beyond a planned and structured church service?

What is the priority given to prayer in the church that I attend?

Sree, Great feedback. Thank you for the answer. Appreciate the time you gave to this.

Gloryandgrace Thank you for the answers. I will use some of what you said here in my series.

Mike, Thank you for the answer. I appreciate the second paragraph. Clear and to the point.

Daniel,

Thank you. You hit on many things in few words. Appreciate the time you gave with this.

Steve

SREE said: "I just realized that I answered 'Who attracts you', instead of 'What attracts you'. I think that is the right way to see the subject. If Jesus is the head of every Church then we should first be attracted by the head and not by body parts or the pattern!"

Beautifully said.

It's why I didn't think the question was the right thing to ask because the result misses the purpose of God.

Jesus is wonderfully attractive. But when we are looking for 'what attracts' and seem to bypass Jesus, our whole purpose in coming together has been lost.

Herein lay the tremendous difficulty.

Human cleverness cannot replace the 'call' of the Spirit felt in the hearts of God's people.
Human programs cannot replace the unity and spirit of co-laboring given by the Spirit of God.
Human intelligence and education cannot replace Holy Spirit revelation and faith in God's word.
But yet, this is what is being offered every Sunday all over the nation, programs, intelligence and education with cleverness. Jesus stands like an outsider knocking on the door to come in.

We would see Jesus...Worship, preaching, fellowship and works are all designed by God's wisdom to display Jesus Christ to the man who can see and the man who is blind.
This is a theological fact most every church will pay lip-service too, but it seems few actually see Jesus, but those who do see Jesus know what attracts them and why they do what they do.

maybe the question should be a prayer "Jesus are you on display in my life?" Can anyone recognize you in me?
When we see Jesus by revelation we don't need to ask what attracts people to Church...we already know, but we do ask "Lord, how can I be involved in helping people see you"?

This switch-up is the difference between a religious humanism and true godliness.

I will jump in for a quick second.

1) The sermon series, has not been disclosed at this point.
2) The question is specific. I want to read comments such as dedication to Christ, Spirit driven, transparent, A Christ centered focus. NOT - what attracts me on a selfish basis.
3) Lastly, the question what attracts you to fellowship with others -who is it you associate with in your Christian walk and why? Not how to attract people to church. That is lame and has no bearing on the question.

Once again, thank you to everyone for your time.

S

Dear Brother,
as Gbile Akanni say,... and is so true,..
"The Opening Charge, Not I But Christ "
~~~~~~~~~~~
In man’s beginning w/ Christ, (an opening charge),.. there has to be death to self, in order to bring forth the true Life of Christ.
....and then the the Resurrected of Christ IN him.

Not an acasional death, but a beginning and continuing.

””””””””””
elizabeth

I will jump in for a quick second.

1) The sermon series, has not been disclosed at this point.
2) The question is specific. I want to read comments such as dedication to Christ, Spirit driven, transparent, A Christ centered focus. NOT - what attracts me on a selfish basis.
3) Lastly, the question what attracts you to fellowship with others -who is it you associate with in your Christian walk and why? Not how to attract people to church. That is lame and has no bearing on the question.

Once again, thank you to everyone for your time.

Thank you for clarification. Again good points. I have already answered my views on 2nd point.

Regarding fellowship with others (3rd point), what I look for is,
1. Is there a love for Christ in the core believers in the fellowship. I do not check every Tom, Dick and Harry in the Church! I Only check those who form the core of the Church, do they love Jesus. They may not be perfect but are they willing to follow Jesus faithfully. In the Church of Jesus, the core was Peter, James and John. If I had to join that Church, I will observe these guys and their devotion for Christ. I will not observe Judas and then decide that the Church is worthless and full of thieves!
I have seen people leave fellowship because they did not like certain people in the Church. It is like those who left the Church of Jesus because of Judas! Who was at loss?

2. Are the bothers humble who form the core of the Church. If they are humble then there is a great hope even if they are not perfect.

3. Family values of the core of the Church. How strong their families are. How much importance they give to raise their Children in Godly ways etc.

Amen Sree, thank you!

Hi Pastor Steve.

I know I probably sound like I'm playing a one string fiddle (I say this a lot) but if I walk into a church or go to a home fellowship/Bible study and cannot sense the presence of God there I'll make for the nearest door. All the theology can be right, the people can be loving and genuine, the preaching powerful, but if Jesus isn't there it's all for nothing.

Thank you Nigel,

Praise God - and I would be right on your heels for the same exit. Thank you for the answer. Appreciate it.

Steve