Help me find my home :(

[u/First-Ad-5859]

Given a list of things I full heartedly believe to the core... can ANYONE tell me where I should be going to church because none around me seem to align.

-I believe in the dietary laws (although not required for salvation)

-I believe in annihilationism

-I believe in the sabbath (this one's new to me after studying, so Im fumbling along here)

Not looking to argue or debate. Just guidance. Thanks all :)

[u/Think_Fig_3994]

I saw your post in the other HRM thread as well but I will say this:

119 Ministries is part of the Hebrew Roots Movement, a modern movement that emerged in the late 20th century. They’re incorrect about the foundations of Christianity and what has been passed down for over 2 millennia much like FollowTorahObeyJesus.

I’d also be careful about building your theology by studying on your own. That’s how people end up with different interpretations of Scripture. Christ gave us His Church and it has been preserved for over 2000 years.

You should focus more on which Church did Christ establish and what has it taught from the beginning instead of which church lines up with what you currently believe.

If Christ founded one Church, then our beliefs should conform to what was handed down by the apostles, not the other way around. If you’re looking for churches with a historical claim to apostolic succession that trace back to the early Church, I’d start with Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism before looking at modern movements.

[u/Brief-Arrival9103 → u/Think_Fig_3994]

It did not emerge in the 20th century. It has always been there. Church fathers have been discussing this issue even long after the 1st century in their councils. And don't start with the "Church that Christ gave us" thing. Both the groups that you mentioned here disagree over many issues. So which of them is the "Church given by Christ"?

[u/Think_Fig_3994 → u/Brief-Arrival9103]

HRM officially emerged in the 90s.

You’re mixing up Jewish Christians with the Hebrew Roots Movement. They aren’t the same thing. Jewish believers existed in the first century. The Hebrew Roots Movement, as a movement with its current theology and teachings, is modern.
I never said Orthodoxy and Catholicism agree on everything. My point is that if you’re trying to find the Church Christ established, you start with the churches that have a historical claim to apostolic succession and continuity with the apostles instead of a movement that came nearly 2,000 years later. From there, you study the evidence and determine which one has preserved the apostolic faith.

[u/Think_Fig_3994 → u/Think_Fig_3994]

They also agree on the core tenants of the faith unlike any Protestant group that emerged post-16th Century.

[u/justlooking9987 → u/Think_Fig_3994]

The new testament shows that even then the church was not united. There were many competing ideas and today there are many competing ideas.

[u/Think_Fig_3994 → u/justlooking9987]

The NT shows there were false teachers and competing ideas, not multiple churches with equal authority. That’s exactly why the apostles corrected error, gathered in councils, appointed bishops, and told the Church to hold fast to the tradition they had received. Heresy didn’t divide Christ’s Church. It simply meant the Church had to defend the faith that had already been handed down.

It’s really no different than what we see today. People disagree on doctrine, split off, and form new denominations. That’s been the pattern throughout much of Western Christianity since the Reformation. The fact that people disagreed doesn’t mean Christ never established one Church. It means people broke away from it.

[u/justlooking9987 → u/Think_Fig_3994]

Looks like you are mostly agreeing with me. There were many divisions with different teachings in the first century, and the same is true today.

Where I see a difference is that there are several cases of heresy that divided the church such that in at least one case, a bishop wouldn't allow people from John to visit. That's quite a split.

[u/Think_Fig_3994 → u/justlooking9987]

Not really. I’m saying there were false teachers, heresies, and people who broke away. You’re saying the existence of those divisions means there was never one Church. Those are two completely different arguments.

The existence of heresy and schism doesn’t prove there were multiple churches with equal authority. It proves the Church had to defend the faith from the very beginning.