Many people hesitate to visit a church unless they know what it will be like when they attend. Hopefully, the following will be informative and also cause you to want to visit with us.
Our assembled worship procedures are simple, devout, spiritual and orderly. It is not characterized by displays of frenzied emotionalism and excitement, but is designed to draw the worshipers closer to God and help provide enduring spiritual strength as we glorify God together. Each element of the worship service finds its origin in the commands, examples, statements, and necessary inferences found in the New Testament.
Our purpose is to glorify God in all that we do (1 Corinthians 10:31). Therefore, we have no man written creed books to follow. We are governed in faith and practice by the Bible alone. While recognizing the valuable lessons that can be learned from the Old Testament, we seek to conform to the rules and pattern of the New Testament (Hebrews 1:1-2). We hold that the Bible is both verbally inspired and infallible in content (2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Corinthians 2:11-13). Consequently, when the Bible speaks upon any given subject, its pronouncement is accepted as final. None may, with impunity, alter a single word of it (Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:6; Revelation 22:18-19).
For this reason our worship consists only of those things which the New Testament reveals were engaged in by Christians in the first century. We sing (Colossians 3:16), pray (1 Timothy 2:8), give of our means (only members are expected to give - 1 Corinthians 16:1-2), partake of the Lord's supper (Acts 20:7), and hear the word of God proclaimed for our edification and instruction (2 Timothy 4:2). We seek to do all these things with the attitude which Christ enjoined when He said, "God is a Spirit; and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24).
SINGING - The New Testament commands Christians to sing in their public worship (Ephesians 5:19). For this reason we have congregational singing and encourage all to participate. There is no choir or special groups, but simple congregational singing. We do not use mechanical instruments of music in the worship, because we find no Bible authority for their use in the worship of the church.
PRAYER - The congregation is led in prayer by one of the men in the assembly. We pray to praise and thank God, and to ask for our needs and the needs of others (1 Timothy 2:1-4).
PREACHING - The lessons and sermons are designed to teach God's word so as to encourage compliance by those who listen with an open heart. Those who lead in the teaching always and only appeal to the Word of God as the sole and only source of authority. The preaching you will hear will be Bible preaching. We hold that the Scriptures are sufficient for our every need (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
THE LORD'S SUPPER - Like the church in the time the New Testament was written, we partake of the Lord's supper each and every first day of the week (Acts 20:7). The supper consists of unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine as memorials of the body and blood of Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:20-34).
GIVING - We do not take up a collection every time we meet, but only on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). If you attend our Sunday worship service when the collection is taken, you are not expected to give. This is the responsibility of our members, not our guests.
YOU WILL NOT BE INTENTIONALLY EMBARRASSED - When you visit us, you will be our respected guest. At the close of the sermon those who wish to become Christians will be invited to come to the front of the auditorium to let their wishes be known, but there will be no tricky propositions or singling out of people by asking them to stand or raise their hands. Nor will any one go among the audience urging people to go forward. When you meet with us, you will hear the word of God preached and people will be urged from the pulpit to act upon their faith in God and His Son by yielding to the demands of the gospel with deep spiritual conviction.
OUR INVITATION TO YOU - We extend to you a most cordial invitation to visit us. It will be our pleasure to have you as our guest, and we believe that you will be benefited by coming.
Copyright © 2024 MIDWESTCITYCHURCHOFCHRIST.COM - All Rights Reserved.
Powered by GoDaddy Website Builder
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.