[396 words]
Many seem to be confused as to what it means to be a member of the church of Christ. The following observations will be helpful in clearing their minds.
• We are a band of imperfect followers of Jesus. We have been saved, not because of our goodness or merit, but by the wonderful grace of God (Titus 2:11).
• We are people who truly believe that Jesus is God’s only begotten Son (John 3: 16), that He actually came down from Him as our Savior and put our lives in His hands.
• We have been baptized by immersion into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19), for the remission of our sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).
• We have not attained perfection nor do we know and understand all things in God’s Word, but we ever strive to please the Master (Philippians 3: 12-14) and search the Scriptures daily to determine what He wills for our lives (Acts 17:11).
• We are pilgrims on a life-long journey in search of a heavenly city whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10).
• Since Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18) and since His word will judge us in the last day (John 12:48), we are content to follow the New Testament of Christ as our only rule of faith and worship.
• Our goal is to be a church of Christ just like those we read of in the New Testament and to whom Paul referred in Romans 16:16.
• We are content to worship in the simple and sincere way set forth in Scripture. We attend church services, not to be entertained but to honor and adore our Creator. We need no pageantry or professional performers to stir us to worship and adoration (John 4:24).
• We are a people who care for each other. We bear one another’s burdens as we fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).
• In our worship we honor the Father and Son. In our work we seek to save those who are lost in sin by teaching them about Christ (Luke 19:10; Mark 16:15-16). We labor that God’s will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).
Selected
via church of Christ at Northridge
Dayton, OH