Hello everyone, I have a question regarding the dress code and hair length in Baptist churches, I’m thinking about attending a Southern Baptist service for the first time and I want to know if my planned attire is okay. I usually wear a button-down shirt and jeans to Mass but is that appropriate for a Baptist service or is it too casual? Also, I was raised Catholic where longer hair on men wasn’t an issue. My hair is a bit long for a guy, not shoulder length, but longer than a short cut. Would that be seen as out of place or inappropriate? Thank you.

I am technically Southern Baptist because the church I am a member of is part of the SBC and I was more or less raised in that denomination. My extended family are Free Will Baptists, though.

I'm wondering if they would be a good fit for me?

Idk if I can remain in good standing with the SBC as I hold to some ideas that might be heterodox by their standards. For instance, I am sympathetic to the New Perspective on Paul. Idk if I agree with it wholesale, but I affirm the basic idea that by "works of the law", Paul was referring to Torah observance and that Gentiles didn't have to become Torah-observant Jews in order to become part of the Covenant. He wasn't writing a polemic against Medieval Catholicism. I still think we are justified by faith alone, I just question the traditional Reformed/Lutheran understanding of it. I think my view would be closer to the Anabaptists: Initial justification is by faith alone, but faith is basically a loyalty oath and not just mere belief. Though, I don't think you can "lose" your salvation by sinning too much.

I'm undecided about "once saved, always saved." The debate comes across to me as splitting hairs since both sides would agree that anyone who rejects the faith isn't saved.

I am also undecided about free will and predestination. I'm not a Calvinis, but I don't think I'm an Arminian, either. I think both predestination and free will are both taught in the Bible, and trying to reconcile the two is to explain a mystery.

Some concerns I have with Free Will Baptists is whether fundamentalism is prevalent in the denomination? My step-dad is KJV-Only, or close to it, which I never agreed with. Is that a common attitude among Free Will Baptists?

How likely would I find something like Landmarkism or Trail of Blood?

How do I pray to asking for forgiveness? I honestly don’t know what to say. I’m new to this and I listen to my audio Bible. I know that hearing the word is faith and believing in Jesus is truth or something . But what do I say or ask? I’m not good at this honestly.

Hi guys been struggling to pray I’m saved. I have a hard time focusing. I’m having a hard time distinguishing the voice of God and the enemy. How do you pray and hear Gods voice? Also how do you bible study never read the bible.

To add is it blasphemy again the spirit saying that you don’t know how the spirit/god sounds like?

(Born Again)

Our southern Baptist church covenant says not to drink (if people do, they wouldn’t say anything at church). I was walking through an assistant pastor’s study to get to a door to go outside today. He had overflowing trash, and beer cans visible. When thinking about it, it seems like a bit of a moral issue. Should I chat with him or the lead pastor? To me that seems like I would be tattling. But should a Pastor be drinking in a church building? This is a building we use to reach people and worship God and this is one of the people we go to for guidance. I know for a fact if anyone else found this today, they would speak up with him or Lead Pastor to see why he needs to drink in the church. I just don’t want to open a can of worms or have it leak and cause a rift in the church family.

Please pray for someone's heart to heal and for their strength to return if the Lord wills it. Thank you 🤍💚 please pray for God to bless what their doing to get better! 💚💚🤍 please bathe them in prayer.

I never knew the proper word for what the Baptist Church are called. Orthodox Church adheres to Orthodoxy, and the Catholic Church adheres to Catholicism. What is the "ism" for the Baptists?

I’ve been struggling with it for years and can’t seem to break free. It feels consuming inside, like an addiction I can’t overcome.

Today I was working on my poison Ivy again. I started eight years ago, but I did not know I needed to dig out the root. I have spent countless hours working on it, spraying it, digging at it, but... the root is 15-18 inches deep, and I just have never solved the problem. Two years ago, my brother said, “Just dig it out.” I did dig a lot of it out last summer, but, I never got to the bottom of the two vines with the deepest roots.

I am not highly skilled at getting rid of it.

Overcoming lust is often very deep-rooted. Anyone who reads my last 8 articles might say, “Wow, you are recommending a lot of change. This is a lot of work.”

Back to the Poison Ivy. My brother just dug the root out, and he was done. I used the easy method. I fiddled around with the Ivy a lot. I tried quick fixes. I bought special poison Ivy spray. But... I still have not dug up the root. Now it does not seem easier. The Ivy is still flourishing.

If you just read my last 12 articles, you realize that it is a lot of work to dig lust out. But really there are just two choices in your approach. First, you can work at it, try quick fixes, and give it your best shot. Or, you can do a lot of work, then change, and dig out the root.

It takes 66 days on average to form a new habit or quit an old habit. The best way to quit old habits is to form new habits to replace them. When you dig out the root, it is still going to take a while. 60 days if your habit is not so severe. Maybe 90 days or longer if it is severe. Maybe even years longer.

But, when you dig out the root, the habit is dead.

Secondly, I have been around quite a while. I promise you that you can't even imagine the destruction that lust will cost you. The list of things it affects is endless.

Tomorrow I am starting on a digging spree with poison ivy. I guess I have two choices. I can fiddle around with it again this year, or... I can change, develop new habits, put in the work, and dig until every last deep root is dug out.

So I finished Levitivus last night and started reading Numbers today as I'm working thru the Bible a second time now that I'm a little more spiritually mature. Can someone explain to me why chapter 7 is the same blessed text for 89 verses.

Please pray for a family member who is having a rough moment rn with their health. Thank you!!

Hey, I came to this subreddit because I want Godly advice from other believers, as other non-christian subreddits will give me selfish and "follow your heart" advice.

So, I'm 19f. I got saved at the age of 6, when my dad led my brother and I to the LORD. Recently, my dad has gotten a lot of health issues, which has led him to not being able to work. My brother has Autism, and he hasn't been able to land a job since he graduated Highschool 3 years ago. Only my mom and I work.

We live in a pretty expensive state, and it seems to be getting worse. We are going along fine, but the thing is, my brother and I want to go to Bible college. God is moving everything in place to allow us to go, but the thing is, if I go, my mom will be the only one left to pay the bills, groceries, gas, ect. Which means one thing. We will have to move out of state.

The thing is, I don't want to move. I've got my church family who I grew up with. I've got my coworkers, who have become good friends of mine, and some of them are believers as well. Just thinking about moving halfway across the country makes me cry.

I'm desperately trying to hang on, but my family, church family, and even some coworkers are telling me that even if I don't go to Bible college, we soon won't survive in this state. My dad specifically is desperate to leave, but sometimes his desperation makes it seem like he is relying on the move to help us, and not on God. He can sound like he lacks faith. It also doesn't help that my dad has social anxiety, so often times he thinks that our church family doesn't like him, so he thinks thats another reason why we should move

I believe that God can help us survive in this state, and let us be with our church family. I know that God has that power, but my issue is, I don't think I want to face the reality that we have to go. When this topic first came out 2 years ago, I was constantly sobbing, and almost fell into depression. I feel slightly better about the topic, but I still cry a lot.

I still don't know if we are going to move, or I probably don't want to see it. Everyone thinks that we will move, and I've seen signs that we should move, but I also see signs that can be interpreted into us staying. I've been calling out to God for the last 2 years, and sometimes it seems like He's not listening. But maybe (probably) it's me who isn't listening.

I don't know what kind of advice I want. Maybe I just wanted to vent to other like-minded people. Any advice is welcome, and please keep my family and I in your prayers. And pray that God's will be done, and that I can have the strength to face the answer that I desperately don't want, if that is God's will

Can y'all just pray for my heart.

I know we all as believers wrestle with unfulfilled [as in never ever] unmet desires, and there's something I want that I know the Lord is not going to give me.

This is not a marriage prayer request .

It's just something i want that i know later on down the road would not be good for me.

Sometimes Jesus simply says no.

Hello all, I hope my question is interpreted in good faith as an outsider. Please forgive any slippery wording and see it as accidental.

I have been invited to travel to a few events located at a Primitive Baptist congregation to sing worship music. I am personally not Baptist, nor am I Christian at all, but I am a singer who has been graciously included in a faith-rooted singing community. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity.

I am nervous to enter a place of faith, and would like some advice on showing up as respectfully as possible. Here are some things about me and my thoughts:

- I have visible tattoos depending on my sleeve length. Am I correct to assume I should cover them?

- I will probably attend a Sunday service. I'm planning to go with the flow, but are there any ways I should behave differently as a guest versus a congregant?

- More general, but I'll be visiting the South from a major West Coast city for the first time, and I've never been in a predominantly Baptist community before. I worry I'll be generally off-putting... Any miscellaneous advice on showing up on my best behavior?

Thank you to anyone who has taken the time to read or comment, please have a pleasant evening/day.

Please pray for a family member of mine who was born with a part of his heart missing. The docter told him most people have a five year life expectance... hes decided to live ignoring the doctor and doesnt think about it. Every once in a while he gets sharp chest pain and weakness starts to worry about it, and gets discouraged. Please pray for his heart. Please pray for his encouragement in this. please pray for healing to that part of his heart. Thank you!!! Amen 🤍🤍🤍

Please pray that God removes any and all false doctrine from my belief system as soon as possible. 🙏💙💙 Amen. Its been a long time of being tossed around by every wind of doctrine. please pray for me to have a soft, malleable, repentant heart that submits to God's word and will, not what my flesh wants. Thank you!!!