"The Churches of Christ Greet You"
(Romans 16:16)
Across the
world there are about 2,000,000 members of the Church of Christ. Our purpose is to bring honor and glory
to God by living lives that reflect God’s love in us and our faith in His Son
Jesus Christ. As God,
through Jesus, is reconciling the world to Himself (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians
5:19), we are guided only by God’s inspired word and have no standard of faith
and practice other than the Bible.
Each
congregation is called the “church of Christ.” We do not wear this name as a sectarian badge; rather, we
wear it because it clearly shows ownership of the church. The church does not belong to any man. It’s Christ’s (Matthew 16:18; Acts
20:28; Romans 16:16).
Each member
is called a “Christian.” This is
sometimes a little confusing to people as they will ask, “yes, but what kind of
‘Christian’ are you?” The New
Testament says that those who became Christians under the preaching of the
apostles were simply called “Christians” (Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28; 1 Peter
4:16). Later, the apostle
Paul had to correct the Corinthians for using names that divided them (1
Corinthians 1:10ff). Following
Christ’s example, we avoid such division (John 17:20-23).
Penitent
believers become Christians when they are baptized into Christ upon a
confession of Jesus Christ as God’s Son and our Savior (Galatians 3:27; Romans
10:10; Acts 8:37).
The worship
of the church is simple and sincere.
Each Sunday Christians:
v
Pray;
v
Sing
Accapella Hymns;
v
Study
the Bible in a class which is suited to the age of those participating;
v
Partake
of the Lord’s supper;
v
Hear a
Bible lesson designed to encourage and challenge all;
v
Contribute
a free-will offering as they have purposed in their own hearts.
God wants
our worship to be “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).
Christianity
is “everyday life.” Everyday members of the churches of Christ are to be
helping those in need (James 1:27;Galatians 6:10), involved in personal
evangelism (Acts 8:4), applying God’s word to their lives (Titus 2:11-12) and
showing love for each other and their fellow man (John 13:33-34). This is not an exhaustive list. When, as a Christian, you “love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
mind, and with all thy strength” (Mark 12:30) you will never need a list!
The church of Christ is dedicated to being the same church you read about in the New Testament. Our desire is to restore the simple and vital connection with God in doctrine, practice, lifestyle and zeal.