[staciec878]

Im new in my journey with finding god, now im trying to find a chuch. Im not sure what kind of church I should go to. Whats the difference in a baptist church and and a christian church, or is it the same thing??

[sockmonkey70]

lol a Baptist church is a Christian church..I love Baptist churches myself....They aren't so terribly formal.

[staciec878]

Do they not have different beliefs? Im sorry Im so new at this.

[walking2lose]

Hi Stacie,
Christians believe in God, but they also believe that Jesus Christ is his son, who was crucified. Then comes the Easter story, which I'm sure you know, that on the 3rd day after his crucifixtion, he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. To be a Christian, you have to believe not just in God, but in Jesus - that he is the son of God and died for our sins. That is the core belief of Christianity.

Baptist is simply a Protestant (as opposed to Catholic) denomination in the Christian religion. Catholicism (also Christian) had a firm hold in Europe for hundreds of years until the Protestant Reformation created a schism and broke away. Protestantism has many denominations - all are Christian; they just have slightly different ways of worshiping and sometimes different doctrine (different ways of interpreting the Bible). Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbysterian, Episcopalian are all considered Protestant. They are less formal ususally in their worship service than Catholics.

Good luck in your search for a church. Just try a different one out each Sunday until you find one you're comfortable with.

[staciec878]

Do baptist all believe that jesus is the son of god. That is what I believe.

[mom2fivesweeties]

Stacie,

Some people confuse "religious" with being a Christian. You can be "religious" and be Hindu, Muslum, Buddhist, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc. These people truly believe that their "god" is the true one. But being a Christian has the beliefs of the Holy Bible. It is very clear what a Christian is to believe through FAITH and FAITH alone. If you acknowledge that you are a sinner, Jesus died for your sins and arose again on the third day, and that you want to live for Jesus, then you are a Christian. There is something called the Holy Trinity which is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. They are One and the same. It doesn't matter the particular church as long as the doctrine of the church believes the above. Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic, United Church of Christ, Methodist, etc. SOME churches claim to be Christian and are not. They actually can be of a certain religion which claims Christianity, but they truly are not one with the Lord in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The new believer has to beware of the wolf in sheep's clothing. It would be a good idea to find a Christian friend or relative to help you find a Christian church. As I said, you don't want to make the mistake of thinking the doctrine is Christianity and it may not be.

I know there are others who will add to this -it's nearly midnight here in the Central Time Zone - tomorrow there will be others who will help you.
Lori

[staciec878]

I dont know anyone who goes to church. I was planing on going to the local church of christ. This just makes me very confused, Im sorry for asking so many questions.

[jennylou]

Why not get out your local phone book and call a few of your local churches up. Ask them about the church (what times are services, how formal, their beliefs, etc). Then, try a few of them out if you got a good vibe on the phone.

[bargoo]

Baptists absolutely believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

[kaplods]

I think you mentioned in another thread that your family is jewish. There are Jewish Christians, if you are interested in preserving your jewish heritage. You may have heard the term "jews for jesus," or "messianic jews." However, unless you're in a large community, finding a Messianic jewish church could be difficult.

[EZMONEY]

You can also research almost any church's doctrine on the internet these days.

I am Missouri Synod Lutheran...we are christians....you can research us at

www.LCMS.org

And yes Baptist are christians...as with any church...please make sure they are Bible based and teaching that salvation is a free gift because of what Jesus Christ did for us and not we do....prayers for your search.

Also, because of your family, what Colleen suggests may be a good choice for you...tradition...but also, not knowing them...it could be difficult. I dated a Jewish girl for 4 years in high school/college...it wasn't easy for her family...probably the biggest reason we broke up....I thank my Lord for that....Now...wink

[lots2go]

i totally agree w/ jenny, i'd go to the phone book and call around and talk w/ the pastor or someone...we're baptist, and i absolutly LOVE our church! there's no way i could accomplish all i have w/out their support! it's so wonderful to have a church family that you can count on to be there and to love you as though you were part of their immediate earthly family....you'll see what i mean when you get involved...***praying***

[LanMyers]

Quoting Mom2FiveSweeties from above: "Some people confuse "religious" with being a Christian. You can be "religious" and be Hindu, Muslum, Buddhist, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc. These people truly believe that their "god" is the true one. But being a Christian has the beliefs of the Holy Bible."

Just a quick thought here: Jehovah's Witnesses ARE Christians. There is no reason to put us in with Muslims and Buddhists because you haven't studied our beliefs. We believe in Jesus Christ and that he was Jehovah's (God's) son and that he came to earth and gave his life as a sacrifice for the sins of imperfect humans. Please research a little better before you condemn an entire group of people (about 7 million now I'd say?) to a belief that is not their own. We follow Christ and the Bible too. Just because we call God by his name, absolutely does NOT mean we don't believe in him. I'd say quite the contrary. Also, Christianity doesn't have just one doctrine, it has SEVERAL. That's why there are so many churches that profess to be Christian and all believe in something slightly different. BTW, The trinity doctrine is just one of HUNDREDS of doctrines that "Christians" subscribe to. It is not the only one. I mean no disrespect. Surely you can understand my need to defend my beliefs when they are displayed inaccurately. I respect any who truly strive to walk the path of Christ and gain the knowledge of his Father. I know this is an old post, but I saw something about my beliefs and found it necessary to clarify things a little.

[EZMONEY]

Thanks for sharing LANMYERS. There are a lot of doctrines out there, the following is what my church teaches and believes according to our God...


Of God

(St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, N.D.)
[Adopted 1932]

4. On the basis of the Holy Scriptures we teach the sublime article of the Holy Trinity; that is, we teach that the one true God, Deut. 6:4; 1 Cor. 8:4, is the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, three distinct persons, but of one and the same divine essence, equal in power, equal in eternity, equal in majesty, because each person possesses the one divine essence entire, Col. 2:9, Matt. 28:19. We hold that all teachers and communions that deny the doctrine of the Holy Trinity are outside the pale of the Christian Church. The Triune God is the God who is gracious to man, John 3:16-18, 1 Cor. 12:3. Since the Fall, no man can believe in the "fatherhood" of God except he believe in the eternal Son of God, who became man and reconciled us to God by His vicarious satisfaction, 1 John 2:23; John 14:6. Hence we warn against Unitarianism, which in our country has to a great extent impenetrated the sects and is being spread particularly also through the influence of the lodges.

I strongly believe that beliefs outside of the above are wrong. I firmly believe Scripture teaches us so.

I think one of your beliefs, that confuse some of us about our Jehovah's Witness neighbors, is that it is our understanding that they believe Jesus is Michael the archangel. We cannot find anything in scripture to confirm that. Can you show us where Jehovah Witness see that?

Thanks, Gary

[Kelli]

Hi Stacie878, How very exciting that you have started your journey with Jesus. Not only do your Christian brothers and Sisters rejoice but all of heaven does too. Stacie can you tell us how you came to know Christ??? I am sure we would all love to hear it. Did somebody pray with you? If so have you asked that person for help in finding a good Bible based church? That is the real key Stacie to find a church, that believes that the Bible is the infallible Word of the almighty God... some people think that God would have a hard time making sure the Bible is infallible, (that means every dot, every word) I promise God is that smart. The Bible (old and new testament) is God. Just like what you do or say is you. He wouldn't let anything come between us and it.