Beliefs
How did the Church of Christ get Started?
In today's society, there are so many viewpoints about going to church and worshiping God. Now then ever, the idea of “emotional” worship has become the “norm” where worship is more of a concert and place of entertainment. The problem with this is that the bible does not teach or have any examples of this type of worship.
The church of Christ was founded by Christ himself, back in AD 33 and is the church that Christ died for. We can read about the first church ever mentioned about in the bible in Acts 2.
This very special day is called the Day of Pentecost, and on this day, there were all nationalities present. The Bible tells us that from Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews, and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs were there to hear the first gospel sermon. The people were so amazed when they could hear and understand what was being said in their own language, as God had allowed the twelve apostles to be able to speak in all the languages that were represented there on that day.
And the bible teaches us that after Peter preached the very first gospel sermon, which brought to light what these people had done, which was crucifying Christ himself, the bible says “ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Acts 2:37 Then Peter replied to them in Acts 2:38
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Later on, we read that on that day those who were “pricked to the heart” were added to the church, and about three thousand souls obeyed the gospel. Acts 2:41
What is a Worship Service Like?
Once the First Century church was established as mentioned above in Acts 2, the bible teaches that the members of the church continued steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine. Acts 2:42. Over the years, men have begun to adopt their own doctrine, and many worship services that take place on Sundays, do not continue in the apostle's doctrine. The bible teaches that “ God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24. Worshiping God in spirit means by his authority and in truth means by our actions. Book, Verse, and chapter must be found for anything we do in our worship service, for it to be pleasing to God. The bible teaches us to assemble upon the First day of the week and does not forsake the assembly. Hebrews 10:25
You can expect the following during a worship service:
Congregational Acapella Singing: The bible teaches us that songs should teach spiritual truths and encourage. And we should speak to one another with the songs we sing. Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16.
Prayers: We make our requests known to the Lord, in humility and thankfulness to God through Jesus Christ. Acts 2:42, I Thessalonians 5:17
Bible Preaching: Lessons are brought forth to the congregation using a book, verse, and chapter which exhort, rebuke, and give us the tools we need to live a life pleasing to God. Acts 9:29,
2 Timothy 4:2
Voluntarily Contribution: Guests are not obligated to give anything. The bible teaches us to give of our means on the first day of every week, but this is only expected if you are a member of Northside. This is to ensure that the Lord's work is carried out in a scriptural manner.
1 Corinthians 16:1-2, and 2 Corinthians 9: 6-7
Lord's Supper: The Lord’s supper consists of unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine. Its purpose is to commemorate the death of Christ and the sacrifice he made for our sins.
Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, and Acts 2:42
How does one become a Member of Northside?
Northside Church of Christ is made up of individuals who are committed to serving and working for the Lord. The bible teaches that the Church is made up of many members and each must do its part. The work we do is not to attract a big crowd, but to be pleasing to God by encouraging other members and doing all we can, to see each other succeed spiritually. To be a member of Northside the following steps must take place according to the scriptures:
One must Hear the Gospel: The gospel is the good news which saves men from their sin. One must hear the gospel, and understand how their lives do not align with the good news.
Romans 10:17
One Must Believe the Gospel: Once one has heard the gospel, they must then be able to believe that the gospel is true and is the only way to live a life that is pleasing to God and to be saved. Acts 2:37, Hebrews 11:6
One Must Repent of their Sins: Once a person's heart has been “pricked” and they believe, they must then put that belief to action, and repent and turn away from their sins. This is usually the one thing that causes one to lose his soul, as giving up our old life, to have a life that is pleasing to the Lord can be challenging, but is the only way to truly be added to the Lord's Church. The bible teaches us “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” 2 Corinthians 7:10. Our motive for repenting must be that we are godly sorrowed that we have wrong God, and we want to get our lives right with him.
One must Confess their sins: Confession must be done once one has repented. Christ said in Matthew 10:32-33 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”
One must be Baptized: After one has confessed their sins before men, to have their sins washed away, they must be baptized in the watery grave of baptism for the remission of their sins. This will make one be born again, and they will be like a newborn baby, who has no sins. Then one will be added to Christ's Church. The Church we can read about in the bible. Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, 1 Peter 3:21, & Romans 6:3-7
And the bible says that every time a sinner repents of their sins, that the angels rejoice in Heaven. Luke 15:7 Doesn't this sound so sweet! The feeling this is, when you lay your head down at night, and know that you are right with the Lord is a blessing that one can only get by obeying the Gospel of Christ!
Once one obeys the Gospel, there are Seven things that one must do to make it to Heaven which is known as the “Fruit of the Spirit” found in Galatians 5:22-23. This is where God has provided you with his Church, his people, to help you with your walk with him, and your quest at your mansion in the clouds! John 14:2
If you have found that you have a desire to obey the Gospel and be right with the Lord, it is our honor to assist you to see what God would have you to do. Or if you have already obeyed the Gospel and would like to work with the brethren at Northside please contact Larry Woods at 270.282.3706
Is there a Headquarters for the Church of Christ?
The church (a group of Christians) is a non-denominational church that overseas and does it's own work individually. Just as the churches we read about in the bible, were responsible for their members, and worked independently of the other Churches of Christ. The Lord has not authorized us to work as an organization with other churches or have a headquarters office, that dictates what we do. We like to say that our Headquarters is located in Heaven, and Jesus Christ himself is the chief! These scriptures give examples of how the Church operated in the new testament, which shows how each church did its own work, with its own funds and overseers. (1 Corinthians 16:1-2, Acts 20:28, &1 Peter 5:2).
According to the pattern outlined in the New Testament God’s plan is for there to be:
Overseers(pastors, elders, bishops) of the congregation (Acts 20:28), appointed as a result of meeting God’s qualifications (1 Timothy 3:1-6), are the spiritual backbone of the congregation.
Deacons, who are qualified, carry out the necessary work to keep the congregation moving smoothly (1 Timothy 3:8-13).
An Evangelist who teaches & preaches God’s Word in public & at any other opportunity.
Goals and Objectives:
With the many options and choices to choose from on every corner in regards to religion, there is nothing but confusion and chaos. Jesus came to this world to live and die for his church. And he stated that he would build his Church in Matthew 16:18 and that the gates of Hades would not overcome it. Although religious groups today will say that “any church will do” or “all Churches are Churches of Christ”, Jesus said that “I will build my church”. This means that any Church that is going to be pleasing to Christ, must follow the pattern that he set forth, and the only pattern we have is found in the new testament. According to our bibles, there is only “ONE” body (Ephesians 4:4) & “ONE” faith (Ephesians 4:5). And although it seems okay to go to any church, the bible makes it clear that the Lord is not pleased with division (1 Corinthians 1:10 & John 17:20-21), it was prophesied from among His own followers people would “turn away from the truth” (2 Timothy 4:3-4 & Acts 20:28-30).
So how do believers know if they are following the authentic and one true faith? And how can believer’s be united as one? The only way this can take place is that we all follow the same standard, and use God's Authority, and not man's. The Christians here at Northside, believe, that the bible is our only guide, in knowing whether or not, our worship, teachings, and beliefs are pleasing to God. We believe that Christ has all authority in heaven and on earth and that we must follow Christ and not man. (Matthew 28:18, Acts 5:29).
Our main objective is to ensure that our church, members and congregation are pleasing to God. And the Bible is the only book we will use to align these things to ensure truth. Our bible classes offer a time to delve into the word of God together, ask questions, discuss and to learn more about the Word of God. The old testament is used for learning purposes only not our law (Romans 15:4) and we study it, to gain encouragement from those old bible stories and characters, and to remember that the God of those times, is the God we have today! The new testament, however, is what we will be judged by, and this is what we use as our law and study to ensure that we are worshiping in spirit and in truth.
Questions:
During your visit with us, you will be treated as our special and honored guest! The only thing we require of our visitors is to simply come in, find a seat, and have an open mind, and an open bible. We never single out our visitors in any way, but will just announce that we are glad to have you in our presence. After our bible study and worship service is over, you will be greeted with hellos and handshakes, and we will ask you general questions, just to get to know you more, and to see how we can be of assistance to you in your spiritual walk with the Lord. Any questions you may have about our services, and/or beliefs, we welcome, so don't hesitate to ask away, and together we will take our bibles, and search the scriptures to find the answers that are pleasing to God.