What Should I Look For In A Church? John MacArthur answers

Jonny Ardavanis is the Lead Pastor at Stonebridge Bible Church in Franklin, TN and the President of Dial In Ministries. He formerly served as the Dean of Campus Life at The Master’s University and as a Camp Director at Hume Lake Christian Camps. Jonny’s heart is to see people understand and love the Word of God and more so, to love the God of the Word. Jonny is married to Caity Jean and they have two precious daughters.

Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis: Big Questions, Biblical Answers, is a series that seeks to provide biblical answers to some of the most prominent and fundamental questions regarding God, the Gospel, and the Bible

In this episode Pastor John MacArthur from Grace Community Church answers the question: “How does a believer find a healthy church?”

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[abrahamdaniel]

John MacArthur's illustration is amazing 😍😍😍😍

[demetrisemper]

I left my old church that I served for 6 years in college because I was not cared for by the leaders and had zero accountability and barely saw any of the members during the week, the church also had zero community groups during the week for fellowship. I barely knew my pastor and felt like he didnt care about me because he evidently showed little interest in me, I served on the worship team for 3 1/2 years. Its amazing how you can be serving publicly on stage and be invisible to the leadership. God provided a great church transition and community after college which was a God send. Praise God. Your spiritual health is everything. The Church of Jesus Christ is not shallow, yes it is broken but there is no excuse for Church leadership to not care for the spiritual health for its members.

[Rocku]

I legit though he was gonna say reformed period.

I may not be Calvinist but I love my brother john. God bless you.

[sheenanicolecapus]

wow! now this made me feel grateful to the LORD for leading me to a church that truly demonstrates who He is! <3

[AprilMay.]

Amen! We left a church that is all about theology but weak friendship/family relationships in Christ.

[heinsteyn]

Thanks for these shorts with your guests answers. Love your show and so blessed by it. Thank you Lord for the love of your children for each other. You're so special Lord and so so worthy of our love. All glory to you Jesus Christ our Lord 🤍✝️🤍 Lastly uncle John has blessed my life in ways I thought unimaginable. Praise the Lord for him and his devotion to the word of God. "Legend in his own right". Love you pastor Johnny Mac ❤️

[rhaponzehopetanqueidi]

It's hard to find a church like that nowadays. I desire to be apart of that church that Pastor John described.

[dwashington]

A healthy church is a church without cliques. Also a church which believes in the finished work of Jesus Christ. What I mean is Jesus actually saved his people on the cross, most churches teach that Jesus only made it possible to be saved that you have to do good works also or else you can lose your eternal salvation. Jesus actually saved us on the cross, our good works save us from corruption in this life it has nothing to do with eternal salvation. Nothing but the blood of Jesus,

[TheLastSaneAmerican]

“Look past the music” is a great call. As a related question for anyone who can provide me with any links to related videos or resources… Why is modern Christian music so, for lack of a better word “bad”?

I can appreciate trying to make a joyful noise and at church most people like myself are not trained musicians, but…. Even if we’re talking a production quality of infinity (e.g. Hillsong Churches), they just seem to crank out very schlocky music. It’s almost all one genre (slow contemporary) and none of it is catchy. We do not generate “earworms” type songs that get stuck in your head.

It’s if we’re being honest kind of painful for most people to hear Christian music not because they hate the lyrics but because we are content to turn out really really lackluster sounds with which to praise the Lord.

Meanwhile “Rockin’ Robin” that’s an innocent song, I don’t think it’s creator made some devilish pact to get the lyrics, etc…. And we don’t have anything on par except for maybe Spirit in the Sky but that was a while back.

What musical quality makes Christian music so very not catchy? Why doesn’t it make people dance?

[ciscopaco]

Every church I’ve gone to with my Protestant wife all the pastors have said they are all a bible believing church. And yet I have noticed that they all disagree on different things. what those pastors should say instead should be “this is a bible believing church according to my own personal interpretation of the bible”

[moniesincere]

My former church was undermining itself by allowing the pastors wife to use charismatic study material for the womens group and conferences. Furthermore, my former church was sadly about black excellence. Im here for the Word, not black excellence and feminist driven Women Groups and Women Conferences

[kathleenwharton]

I never found such a thing as a healthy Church. Jesus is My Teacher and Provider..He is All and Everything I Need. ❤

[terrysitar]

Wish there was a church like that in my area. I watch sermons on TV or on YouTube

[joshl]

Listening to john macarthur and his calvinist teachings only made me doubt constantly whether or not I was saved.

[DanielParvin]

Greetings from Westwood Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee!
3:28 "You desperately need that--you need shepherds in your life."
Yes! You cannot obey the commands to submit to elders if you're not a member of a local church. And you cannot obey the commands to love one another if you're not a member of a local church. You need the local church. If you claim to trust in Jesus but keep his bride at an arm's length, you're deceiving yourself and must repent.

[towerdefender]

how do you evaluate a church which handles the Word of God accurately, a pastor that fits biblical qualifications, but however, love among the members are very noticeably missing? assuming there are no other church in the area where I live

[LucianC]

"Look past the music" 100% music is so overrated in the church.

[kawtulu]

so denomination doesnt matter? im having such a hard time looking for a church because some say calvanists are bad others arminians are bad and it makes finding a church difficult.

[alexanderdubois]

Only thing I disagree with is the statement to look past the music. The lyrics of the songs in the mouths of the saints matter. A church should sing theologically sound music focused on the glory of God, in addition to receiving strong teaching to the glory of God.

[mikec]

What about if your church welcomes gays and has a woman senior pastor?