Who Are We?
We are a group of believers who accept the Bible as the inspired word of God. The writers were inspired, that is, guided by the Holy Spirit as they penned the letters that comprise the Old and New Testaments (John 14:26; 16:13; Galatians 1:11-12; 2 Pet. 1:19-21). Thus the Bible is perfect and complete (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Therefore we follow ONLY the teachings of the Bible and reject the creeds of men.
While ALL scripture inspired of God is profitable (2 Tim. 3:16-17), our standard of authority is the New Testament. Jesus came to this earth to fulfill the Old Law (Matthew 5:17-19). He successfully completed this task and nailed the Old Law to the cross (Colossians 2:14). In so doing, He established the New Covenant (Hebrews 8 & 9). The New Testament is our guide in living under the New Covenant.
Because the Bible is God’s Word, we accept that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Romans 1:3-4). He is Deity and a part of the Godhead (John 1:1-2). He came to this earth to provide the sacrifice needed to forgive our sins and that is AVAILABLE to all men (Romans 3:23-25; 5:6-8).
The scriptures also reveal what one must do to have his sins forgiven. He must first hear the Gospel (Romans 1:16; 10:17). He must also believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, (John 8:24; Mark 16:16). He must be willing to repent, that is, express godly sorrow for living a sinful life and be willing to change and begin following Jesus Christ faithfully (Acts 2:38; Luke 13:3,5; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11). He must be willing to confess Jesus as the Son of God (Acts 8:36,37; Romans 10:9). Finally, one must be baptized in order to be saved (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:20-21).
Once one is saved, he is expected to live a godly life, serving God and others as long as he remains upon this earth (Revelation 2:10; Hebrews 3:14; Matthew 22:36-40). He learns the importance of Bible study, prayer, proper worship, being a good example, doing good works, teaching others and continues to grow in all these areas.
We also believe that the New Testament gives us an exclusive and detailed pattern for the one true church. Christians are expected to join a congregation of this church. (Acts 9:26-27). There are many things that help identify the one true church. They include:
1) The name the church wears (church of God, 1 Corinthians 1:2; body of Christ, Colossians 1:18; church of Christ, Romans 16:16, etc. ).
2) How we worship God according to the pattern found in the Bible (In spirit and truth, John 4:24; Singing, Colossians 3:16, Ephesians 5:19; Prayer, 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Teaching and Preaching, Acts 20:7; The Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week, Ac.20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; and Giving only on the first day of the week, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2).
3) Its independent and autonomous organization.
4) Its local Organization (Elders, Deacons and Saints only- Philippians 1:1; The rule of the elders is limited to that local congregation, Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:1-4)
5) And the work she does (Worship God - John 4:24; Evangelism - Mark 16:15, 2 Timothy 2:2; Edifying its members - Ephesians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 14:26, and LIMITED benevolence [always and ONLY to qualified, needy Saints] ).We also believe that God wants unity (John 17:20-21; 1 Corinthians 1:10) and condemns division. He also condemns compromise of His word (2 John 9-10; Galatians 1:6-9). Thus the only way TRUE unity that pleases God can be achieved is through adhering STRICTLY to HIS word. That is why we believe all of these things are important.
Would you like to be a part of a church that adheres to these principles?
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