Our Mission: Building for the Glory of God
Our Beliefs
The Biblical Plan of Salvation
One will hear of a wide variety of avenues for admission to the many denominations and other religious organizations today. Still many others have no plan for admission but admit members on the profession of having complied with God’s expectation of them in some previous organization. It is possible and understandable for those denominations to do what they wish, as they are human organizations. However, in the church that belongs to Christ, it is utterly necessary to follow the Bible as the guide to admission to church membership. The Bible describes admission to church membership as a new birth (John 3:1-21). Since physical birth requires a male and a female to produce a new offspring, so too, does the spiritual birth. “The word of God is the seed of the kingdom” (Luke 8:11) [Male]. The word is planted in the human heart (Luke 8:12) [Female]. When the word is believed, it germinates and conception takes place. Luke 8:11-15 describes the influences that prohibit the word from taking hold in the human heart.
No one can be born again until he or she hears or reads the word of God and obeys it (Acts 15:7). They must believe what they have heard (Romans 10:9-10, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11). The message of the gospel will convict a person of their sins if they believe it. This state of belief causes the believer to repent of their sins. Sins are transgressions of God’s laws (1 John 3:4). All have sinned (Romans 3:23). Repentance is a deliberate change of allegiance from Satan and self to God. Once a person repents in the privacy of his or her heart, he or she must publicly confess faith in Christ (Matthew 10:32, Romans 10:9-10). The confession of faith in Christ leads one to the final step for being born again, baptism (Acts 8:12, 36-39, Mark 16:15-16). Baptism is a burial in water (Romans 6:1-5, Colossians 2:12).
The person is brought forth up out of the water, having been buried just as Christ was on that person’s behalf. He or she is baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:27) and becomes a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), hence, the new birth! Every person who comes to Christ must take the same route since God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34).
The Biblical Design of Worship
Worship is an integral part of the Christian’s life. It is an opportunity to pay homage to God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His son. It is an opportunity to be taught of His ways and to fellowship with His saints. Worship nurtures the spirit and facilitates the Christian’s growth in the Lord. Worship must follow the scriptural pattern (Hebrews 8:5).
The worship of the church consists of five basic components: singing (without instrumental accompaniment), prayer, teaching (preaching), giving (collection), and communion (the Lord’s Supper). These acts occur each Lord’s Day (Sunday) which is the first day of the week and none is omitted. It is necessary for the leaders of the church to be diligent in preserving the order of worship without additions and innovations. Such innovations as taking communion on special occasions and days, i.e., Christmas, New Year’s, weddings and funerals are all increasing in popularity. Additionally, instrumental music or simulated rhythmic “mike thumping” and other techniques are beginning to take on the air of entertainment. Gimmicks to raise money for the mission of the church have been around for a long time and will not likely go away. Leaders must be watchful and knowledgeable of these and other tendencies to move away from scriptural worship.