About Churches

by Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2012.

Dear Mr. K:

You asked me about a good church to go to.  

I've been praying about what church to go to for years, and I still don't know a really good one.  I have church with people on a one-to-one basis when two or a few Christians meet, for it is written, "Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them," says Jesus.  

But in the package of things I handed you yesterday, there was a piece of paper listing a few churches.  Some of them I got by going to www.Rhema.org.  There's a place on that website about "find a church," or something like that.  If you pick a church from their list, I don't think you'll go very far wrong.  The original founder of Kenneth Hagin Ministries is Kenneth E. Hagin, who is the best Bible teacher I know of, (of the well-known teachers, but I like to think I’m pretty good, too.)  His books and CD's are available at that website.  

There is also a Kenneth W. Hagin, but I don't seem to get as much out of his teaching as I do from Kenneth E. Hagin.  

Of course, any church you go to, you have to listen to what they say, and compare what they teach with the Bible.  If they're teaching contrary to the Bible, then probably God has a better church for you.  

Before looking for a church, pray and ask God to help you find the right church for you.  When you pray, believe that you receive the things you ask for, and you shall have them. (Mark 11:24)  But if you don't believe, then you don't receive.    

Another possible source for churches is at www.kcm.org   They have churches listed there, but they have a problem in their alphabetizing.  I was looking for a church in a certain state, and the state was found on the list, but not where you would expect in the correct alphabetical order.

Another church I mentioned there is from some young people I met who go there.  But I understand that that last church on the paper is an Assembly of God church.  I know about AOG because I grew up in one of their churches.  

They're pretty good about basic Bible doctrines, but don't seem to be very good about the "signs following" of Mark chapter 16, where Jesus said,   

"And these signs shall follow those who believe, in my name they'll cast out devils, they'll speak with new languages,  They shall pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it won't hurt them.  They shall lay hands on the sick, and they'll recover."

Notice that the very first sign is, "In my name they'll cast out devils."  I've never in my life seen that done at any Assembly of God church that I've gone to.  But I'm sure they would tell you they believe in that.  They just don't seem to do it.  

Dr. Norvel Hayes said the Lord told him, "Now these are the most important words that ever came out of my mouth..."  and he meant the words of Mark chapter 16, verses 17 and 18, as I've just included above.  

Foursquare is rather like Assembly of God.

And so I look for those signs following in a prospective church, and am disappointed if they don't have them.  But among those five signs following, I don't believe we're intentionally supposed to handle poisonous snakes, except like the Apostle Paul, by accident, after the shipwreck in the book of Acts.  And so, too for drinking deadly things.  But if we accidentally drink the wrong thing, or if someone tries to poison a Christian, then we have a right to expect God's help.  

"They shall speak with new languages" means the speaking in unknown tongues when that Christian receives the Baptism with the Holy Ghost with the speaking in unknown tongues.  

Dr. Norvel Hayes has a website at www.nhm.cc
and he is one of the better Bible teachers, and casts out devils from people.  He learned some from Lester Sumrall of LESEA Broadcasting.  I believe they have a website.  

I also included for you some pages out of the yellow pages in the phone book.  

You'll see Catholic churches listed in the yellow pages, but don't go to a Catholic church.  They have a prayer called "The Rosary," which is addressed to Mary.  Anyone praying to Mary is committing the sin of idolatry.  ("Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.")

Also, when they pray the Rosary, they use prayer beads to count the repetitions of the prayer.  But Jesus said, "When you pray, don't use vain repetition..."  But, you see, they'd rather follow their Catholic customs than obey the Lord Jesus Christ.  It will go ill with them on Judgment Day.  

There are churches listed with "Apostolic" in their name.  I'm not against the apostles, I'm for the apostles.  But churches that use "Apostolic" in their name are generally "Jesus Only" churches, that is, they have the false doctrine that God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are all different forms of Jesus.  Wrong.  God the Father and Jesus are two different individuals.  

United Pentecostal Church has the same false doctrine.  

Lutherans, Baptists, and Presbyterians generally don't have the Baptism with the Holy Ghost with the speaking in unknown tongues.  The unknown tongue is a language unknown to the person speaking it.  The Holy Ghost gives him the words to speak, then that Christian adds his voice and speaks those words out.  

Baha'i is not Christian, nor is Buddhist, nor Muslim (the religion of Islam), nor "Christian Science," even though they have Christian in their name, they're not Christian, nor is Religious Science, nor Scientology, nor Jehovah's Witnesses, who have also removed things out of the Bible, nor Eckankar, nor Hindu, nor "Science of Mind." 

I think that Seventh Day Adventists generally don't have the Baptism with the Holy Ghost with the speaking in unknown tongues.  

Brother Fred