A Special Welcome to Our Visitors…
To those who are visiting with us today, we want you to know that you are our honored guests! We thank you for being present to worship with us this morning. We invite you to return as soon and as often as you can.
Some who visit us for the first time find themselves wondering about the Church of Christ. We have even been asked, “What is the Church of Christ?” Perchance a similar question has crossed your mind, the following brief article should answer that question for you.
THIS IS THE CHURCH OF CHRIST“Though these churches are all free and independent of any general hierarchy, each local congregation, having elders to oversee its affairs and deacons to assist them, yet they are united in a common faith and voluntarily co-operate in sending missionaries and in doing benevolent work under the direction of local churches. Membership depends only on: (1) Faith in and confession of Jesus Christ as the Son of God; (2) Repentance from sin; (3) Baptism by immersion.
Their worship consists of the five acts specifically authorized by the New Testament: (1) Reading and preaching the Bible; (2) Observing the Lord’s Supper as a memorial; (3) Contributing money to the Lord’s Work; (4) Praying; (5) Singing (a cappella) psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
In faith and practice they date back to the founding of the church of the New Testament on the first Pentecost after Jesus’ resurrection. They call for a complete return to the New Testament, and seek to restore in their worship, organization, and life, the pattern of New Testament Christianity. Rejecting all party names, creeds and organizations in their abhorrence of divisional denominationalism in Christendom, they plead for unity of all believers on the basis of the Bible alone…”
Encyclopedia Americana
10 Reasons For Considering The Church Of Christ:
1. You can read about it in the New Testament. (Romans 16:16.)
2. It has no creed but the Bible, binds no name on its members but Christ’s name. (1 Peter 4:16; Acts 11:26.)
3. It strives to speak where the Bible speaks and to be silent where the Bible is silent. (1 Peter 4:11.)
4. It exalts Christ as the only Head of the church. (Colossians 1:18.)
5. Its acts of worship are patterned strictly after the New Testament example. (John 4:24; Acts 20:7; & Ephesians 5:19.)
6. It teaches that scriptural unity can be achieved on all disputed doctrinal questions. (1 Corinthians 1:10; John 17:21.)
7. The Church of Christ pleads for the unity of all believers in Christ. (Corinthians 3:1-5; Ephesians 4:4-6.)
8. It is not a denomination, nor a group of denominations, but the body of Christ. Its founder is Christ Himself. (Colossians 1:18; Matthew 16:18.)
9. Its aim is to save the souls of sinful people by leading them to Christ, through the proclamation of the gospel; then to further teach those converted to live godly in Christ Jesus and to do good. (Romans 1:16-17; 1 Cor-inthians 15:1-4; & Galatians 6:9-10.)
10. Its future—eternal glory with Christ. (Ephesians 5:23; & 1 Thessalonians 4:17.)
Author Unknown