HELP: Does submission under an unbiblical church affect your prayer life?

[ImplicationsAbound]

Does submission under an unbiblical church affect your prayer life? Or is that shifting blame from my responsibility as an individual? I ask because i plan on leaving my Church. The only thing stopping me is unrepentant sin in my life and a poor prayer life. I want an answer fromm God and i feel sin may be clouding my judgment because i consider that maybe its selfish and moving to another church won't help with my problem. any advice would be helpful. Thanks !

 

[Von]

Does submission under an unbiblical church affect your prayer life?

1) An unbiblical church will teach unbiblical doctrines / views of God. This will affect your worship (which includes your prayer life), since you are not worshipping God as the God of scripture. You will worship a god that was fashioned according to the teaching of the unbiblical church and you know the commandment states: "You shall have no other gods before me" (Exo 20:3) - So yes, it will affect your prayer life.

2) Just remember that if it affects your worship, your prayer life is not the only thing that you should worry about. Your whole being as a christian is affected, because your whole life should be an act of worship. " The Apostle Paul says in 1 Cor 10:31 "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Every aspect of your life should be an act of worship, ie to the glory of God.

unrepentant sin in my life

1) The fact that you are worried about unrepentant sin seems to indicate that your own knowledge of God and scripture is sufficient to cause conviction. If this is the case, Scripture is clear and have given a clear answer from God already: God commands people to repent. (Acts 17:30). It is a commandment, it does not hinge on church membership.

2) To repent is to confess your sin and turn from it to Christ. Proverbs 28:13 says: "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." The commandment from God is clear, your conscience is convicting you, so the road is clear - repent.

And yes - I think sin is clouding your judgment by obscuring the real issue (repentance) with church-moving (not that this is not important).

 

[arapahoepark]

Does the church promote heresy?
Does it have the three marks of a true church?

So far as I know the Foursquare church for all its flaws is not unbiblical. If you feel the need for a church with greater doctrinal clarity that is Reformed by all means go for it.

 

[Jack K]

Yes, your church has some role in strengthening your spiritual life. You can expect that God will use a good church to encourage you in prayer and to help you repent of sin. These are reasons to join a good church. And they may be part of the reason for leaving a church for a better one.

But I don't think you should expect that joining a better church will automatically, or quickly, solve your spiritual problems. The difficulties you have are your responsibility too, and your fault. And the growth you desire is first of all the Holy Spirit's work, not something any church can just make happen.

The teaching and accountability a good church provides starts with you, the church member, having an attitude that's willing and eager to be taught and held accountable. This, in turn, comes from the Spirit's work in you. The fact that you are concerned about your spiritual struggles is a good sign. It suggests the Spirit is working, even if the growth he gives is not as quick as you sometimes would like. He is your true hope for spiritual growth.

So don't place your hope in a better church; place your hope in God. Keep pursuing him, even though you do it imperfectly. When he graciously makes you want to approach him, grab hold hard and beg him to work in you. Never give in to the temptation that because you "know" you will eventually fail or give up, you might as well give up now already. That is an especially wicked temptation that keeps you from coming to God now, today, which is what you need.

That said, one way to rely on God for Christian growth is to make use of his church, both its teaching and the accountability you get from being close to Christian brothers. If your current church can't give you this and you know a church that can, this might be a reason to change churches. But do so as an act of faith in God: prayerfully, begging him to work in you, asking him to make it not just a change of churches but a change in your willingness to submit and be held accountable. And don't expect the change to be an immediate cure-all that requires little from you. Coming nearer to God is a delightful reward, but it usually involves struggle.