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| Q: | I am a lifelong WELS member and my mother-in-law was raised in the Catholic church. She became a member at the church I belong to, but only for one year. She decided to become a member at her friend's church, which is nondenominational. She says that she was led by the Holy Spirit to go to this other church. She says that her church is the right church. I believe that I am led by the Holy Spirit and believe that I am at the right church. How can we come to an understanding and an acceptance of this? She has done a 180 degree turn since switching churches, almost cult-like and it is starting to put a split among her children and family. She is so sure that those of us that are members of a WELS church have the wrong beliefs. | ||||||
| A: | Many Christians today are confused about being "led by the Holy Spirit." Nowhere in the Bible does God promise to lead us by his Spirit through our own feelings, emotions, dreams, visions, etc. The only way someone can be led by the Holy Spirit is to be led by the Word he inspired (cf. 2 Peter 1:21 and 1 Corinthians 2:13 where both Old and New Testaments are said to come from the Holy Spirit). Therefore, the only way someone can be certain the Holy Spirit is leading them to a certain church is to check that church's teachings against what the Bible teaches. A person may still be led to a church that does not teach the Word of God purely. But that person is not being led by the Holy Spirit. Ask your mother-in-law to get a statement of faith from her church and compare that statement to what the Bible teaches. This is something any WELS church is ready to do. If she is sure WELS Christians have wrong beliefs, then it is her obligation to show from Scripture what these wrong beliefs are. | ||||||
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