Marks of a safer spiritual environment :
The Bible and preaching as a priority:
Multitude of elders:
Diverse in leadership:
Family friendly
Instructions in righteousness:
Prayer and concern approachable:
Bible instruction in Sunday school
Encouraging growth in grace
We had tremendous expectations for a church when we were young christians, starting our family. Not as much consumer oriented, as we are now, but, doctrinal expectations. I think we should have had a greater expectation for ourselves and our service to the Lord in this regard, but we were young spiritual consumers, so to speak. And we wanted truly bang for our buck, as it were. I speak this to my shame.
I dont think we were totally off. But selfish to be sure. Good preaching, notwithstanding, doctinally sound, a history of biblical leadership and diversity in the makeup of the church, were important to us.
With all of these things in our discussions for what we expected we searched and searched to much dismay, sunday after sunday, until the day we were smitten with spiritual infatuation with what was to become our church for our early formative years of family building.
Seek ye first the kingdom...
That was a right priority, i do think in retrospect, seeking a good and godly church to rear our family in, but, probably way too mentally focussed than it ought to have been.
His word was our guide and historical confessions Heidleberg and 1689, we were definitely believer baptists and so as comfortable and a few of the Presbys were they were out of the question for that reason alone.
We dont want our children deceived into believing that the decision was made for them by their parents and lulled into an expectation that they have nothing to do for their own spiritual development. You are not some specially presaved individual that doesnt need to trust Christ yourself. We may have been deceived like that, but we dont want that for our children.
The privilege of having the Bible in your home makes you more accountable.
"I set my feet on Gods road"
We set out to seek God in our family rearing and He has led us thus far and we are still trusting him...
