The Church of Christ

This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.*

THE CHURCH OF CHRIST, WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?

Are you familiar with the church of Christ? Do you know what sets us apart from denominational groups? Do you know of our purpose and the benefits of becoming a member? Have you ever seen, heard or visited us and asked, "Who are these people?" It is the purpose of this writing to address these questions.

We Are Christians

Members of the church of Christ, otherwise known as Christians, believe in the eternal and all powerful God, the creator and sustainer of all life (Genesis 1:1; Acts 17:27-28). We believe that God has a desire that all men everywhere be saved from their sins and that God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die as a sacrifice for all mankind so that this would be possible (John 3:16-17). We believe that God's entire plan for man is revealed in His inspired and therefore inerrant Word, the Bible, and that the entire Bible is the Word of God (II Timothy 3:16-17). We believe that mankind must be obedient to that plan in order to be saved eternally (Matthew 7:21; John 3:16).

We Are Obedient To God's Plan

Members of the church of Christ strive to be completely obedient to the New Testament pattern in all things. This means that there is no place for the doctrine of men (Mark 7:7), but only for the Word of God (I Peter 4:11).

We have been obedient to God's plan for entrance into the kingdom. This means that we have heard THE GOSPEL (Romans 10:17; I Corinthians 15:1-4), we have believed that Jesus is the Christ and died for our sins (Mark 16:16), we have repented of our sins (Acts 17:30), we have publicly confessed Christ (Romans 10:9,10), and we have been immersed in order to receive remission of our sins (Acts 2:38). God then has added us to the church (Acts 2:47).

We strive to be obedient to the New Testament pattern in our worship. This means that when we assemble to worship on the Lord's day (Sunday) we will offer up verbal praise (Hebrews 13:15) and prayers to God (Acts 2:42); we will partake of the Lord's supper (Acts 20:7); we will give an offering (I Corinthians 16:1-2); and we will hear the Word of God proclaimed (Acts 2:42).

We observe God's plan for the organization of the church. The New Testament teaches that the head of the church is Christ (Ephesians 5:23), that each congregation having men who meet the necessary qualifications must have elders (I Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; I Peter 5:1-5), that deacons are to be appointed to carry out special areas of work (Philippians 1:1; Acts 6:1-3), and that members work in subjection to the authority of the elders as long as their decisions are in agreement with New Testament teaching (Hebrews 13:17). Working with a local congregation is an evangelist whose function is to proclaim God's Word (II Timothy 4:1-5).

We also strive to be obedient to God's plan for living. We strive to live pure moral lives (Galatians 5:16-24). We strive to live at peace with all men (Romans 12:9-18). We strive to be good workers (Titus 2:9-10; Ephesians 6:5-9). We strive to be good citizens (Romans 13:1-7). We observe Bible teaching in regard to the family (Ephesians 5:22-6:4).

We Are Known Only By Biblical Terms

The Bible refers to the church of Christ and to its members in various ways. Some of those names which refer to the church of Christ (Romans 16:16) are the Body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:27), the Kingdom (Matthew 16:18-19), the Body (Ephesians 1:22-23), a nation (I Peter 2:9), and the House of God (I Timothy 3:15). The members of the church of Christ or Christians (I Peter 4:16) are also called brethren (Galatians 6:1), disciples (Acts 11:26), children of God (Galatians 3:26), and the saints (Romans 1:7).

We Have Great Spiritual Blessings in Christ

We possess some things no other people possess. These possessions are not material but rather are spiritual in nature. Christ teaches that material possessions should not be of primary concern to the Christian (Matthew 6:19-33; I Timothy 6:7-8). Some of the spiritual possessions of Christians include the message of salvation revealed in God's Word (Matthew 28:18-19), hope for everlasting life (Hebrews 6:17-19), an advocate or someone to plead for us (I John 2:1), a high priest who sacrificed once and for all time for sin (Hebrews 7:22-8:2), and the promise of salvation when Christ comes again (Ephesians 1:13-14; II Timothy 2:10).

We Look Forward To Christ's Second Coming

Members of the church of Christ are looking forward to the second coming of Christ. This event was promised by Christ at His ascension into heaven (John 14:1-3). Both those faithful Christians who have died and those faithful Christians who are alive when Christ comes again will meet Him in the air (I Thessalonians 4:13-18). Material things will be burned up, they will cease to exist, but the spiritual things will continue (II Peter 3:8-13). The faithful Christians will receive a crown of life (Revelations 2:10), a reward in heaven (Matthew 5:12), and eternal life (Romans 6:22-23).

We Are Open To All Mankind

God, Christ and all Christians desire that you become one with us, a part of the kingdom, a member of the church of Christ, a Christian (Matthew 11:28-30; John 17-20,21; I Timothy 2:3-4). We want you to realize that this life is short (James 4:14) and we want you to think very seriously about the condition of your eternal soul. We know that all will spend eternity in either Heaven or Hell (Matthew 25:23-46) and we want it to be Heaven for you.