So I was raised in a Vineyard Church, which is essentially a massive Non Dem, close to Evangelical/Charismatic. When I first started going in the 80's with my mother it wasnt huge, but in the 90's-2000's it exploded and became what everyone would call a Mega Church. I dont know too much about how it functioned in the 80s I was too young but in the 90's-2k it definitely was on what I would now call watered down nonsense, with a massive focus on Self and supposed healings ect.
I moved from one part of my State to another and just ended up going to another Vineyard because that was what I was comfortable with. However as I began attending more, and also since I was older and had studied the Bible independently for years at that point, I began to feel uncomfortable with how everything was ran there. To be honest I enjoyed the singing but as soon as the "preacher" got up I felt nothing. These "sermons" were nothing more than feel good self help topics, feeling more like a teaching you can buy off the internet, generic, with an outline. It honestly was boring and not too helpful in confronting my Sins, or becoming a better Christian or knowing Christ more intimately.
Then they started bringing in "preachers" from out of state and they brought one that was straight up TV Evanglistic supposed healing stuff. Just like you see on TV, bring the people you have in your life that are sick, we will heal them, bunch of pomp and circumstance. I brought my mother in law, my mom and my grandmother with me, because of course I would love to see the people in my life who are sick healed. Of course nothing really happened because I dont believe God operates in that manner in those venues.
A few months after that they brought someone from Bethel Church out in Redding California. I dont know if anyone has researched them but they are just complete trash, so unbiblical and outright Demonic, and I remember the day that that "preacher" came to the Church. He seemed like a nice guy and all, and he was very Charismatic, and I remember God spoke loudly to my heart. Like in all the time I had been at that Church never had God spoken like He did this time.
And it was actually Easter Sunday Services, and the guy got up started talking and whatnot and God spoke clearly to my heart and said look at your family, and looked over and I saw my wife, my daughter, my niece and my brother in law just mesmerized by this dude, they were totally into what he was saying, just cracking up. Do you want them to be lead astray by this guy, by this Church? And I heard clearly, get up and leave now. So I got up and left right there in the middle of Easter Sunday Services and never looked back...
I have a pretty amazing testimony of how I ended up at my Church you can read it in the Thread I made with my Testimony, or I can reiterate it here if others would like to know, but I now attend a smaller Missionary Baptist Church and it is completely opposite of the Churches I attended in the past. Some people pick and choose their Church, do Church shopping and what not, and I was in the middle of such a thing but I have zero doubts that this is the Church God wanted me to go to, He Himself lead me there in some Divine Circumstances.
When I first started attending just over 3 years ago, we had 9 preachers there, we are down to 3 because most of them went on to become Pastors of other Churches, but this Church and now our other 4 sister Churches are amazing. The people are exceedingly loving and caring, bend over backwards to help and love and pray for one another. My life has had some major twists and turns in the past 3 years and I cant imagine not having my Church there to support, love and pray for me and my Family.
Since I have been there my entire immediate family except my Father has been saved, when the preacher preaches, he preaches, not just some dry weak self help garbage but we read directly out of the Bible and the Spirit moves.
Thunder spoke about wanting to shout Amen, well that is the normal thing at our Church, you wouldnt be out of place there at all!! We all shout (dont think Charismatic/Pentecostal) and testify and sing about the Lord. There is true freedom at this Church, if God puts a testimony on my heart, if God lays a verse on my heart, if God puts it on my heart to open up, I have the liberty to at any point (save when the preachers starts preaching until he delivers his message) stand up, testify, sing, shout, read the verse, whatever it is God wants I can do. The entire congregation is like that, its open to everyone at all times (save preaching) to sing, shout, testify, read Scripture ect.
It literally is the complete and total opposite of all the other Churches I have ever been in, I couldnt imagine at the Vineyard standing up and testifying about what Christ had done for me that week, I would probably be shouted down or at the best made to feel awkward. There is no way I could open up for the preacher there if God laid it on my heart to do so. No way I could sing whatever was on my heart or ask the Congregation to sing with me.
And the most important part is the Gospel is preached EVERY SINGLE MESSAGE 100% of the time, absolutely nothing comes before preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ when the preaching begins. In 3 years I have yet to sit during a Services where the Life Death and Resurrection isnt somehow preached and part of the message is given to call the Lost to Repentance and Salvation. Even when the focus is on the Church and saved people, at some point the preacher will preach on Christ and Salvation!!!
There are no weak Self Help Christless Sermons, in this Church you are forced to grow, forced to step up in your Faith and given the opportunity to exercise that Faith. I love my Church, do I always want to go? Not every time but I can not deny how amazing my Church is, how Christ centered it is, how loving it is. The Spirit is always there and you can get something from God every service if you go in there seeking Him.
Its amazing and breaks my heart to read those of my fellow Brothers and Sisters who dont have Churches like this. We do broadcast online via Facebook if anyone is interested in watching PM and I can send you the link or invite. I help to run the streaming services at the Church.
Praying everyone can be placed in a Good Gospel Preaching Church where they can actively participate in!!
