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"The churches of Christ greet you..." Romans 16:16Following is a brief introduction to the churches of Christ...When did Jesus start His church?Acts 2:41-42, 47 (approximately A.D. 30) says:
This was the beginning of the Lord's church that He promised that He would build. Can we be "just Christians" and part of Jesus' church today?You can be just a Christian! Does this sound strange? With about 300 religious groups in the U.S. and thousands world-wide, it might appear impossible to be a Christian without being part of a denomination. It is not only possible, but there are actually millions of “Christians only” in the U.S. and other nations. Why the name "churches of Christ?"Who are these people who seek to be Christians only? The congregations (or group of people) of which they are a part are usually known as “churches of Christ.” This term is intended to denote our desire to belong to Christ’s church. The Bible says, “All the churches of Christ greet you.” (Romans 16:16) However, in addition to "churches of Christ", it is just as correct to describe Jesus’ church by other names, such as the “body of Christ” (I Corinthians 12:27), the “household of faith” (Galatians 6:10), “the church of God" (I Corinthians 1:2), etc. These and similar Biblical phrases are not proper names, but descriptive expressions which show how the church is related to Christ and His Father. Why wear only the name "Christian?"Individually, Christ’s followers are known as “Christians” or “disciples”. “The disciples were called Christians first in in Antioch.” Acts 11:26 (NKJ)
Never in scripture does a human name prefix this God-given name of Christian. Paul was one of Jesus’ apostles and wrote many of the New Testament books. Yet Paul did not want disciples to be called “Paulists” or “Paulite Christians.” (See I Corinthians 1:10-17, 3:3-8) A distinctive plea?Churches of Christ strive to have a distinctive plea. We firmly believe both in the inspiration of the entire Bible and in its sufficiency to guide us in all matters of faith. (See 2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Bible tells us of the death of Jesus Christ and His atonement (payment) for our sins by His shed blood. It tells us that all men will be rewarded or punished in another life for the way they have lived here (2 Corinthians 5:10). We insist that the moral principles of Jesus are absolute truths to be followed and proclaimed in the personal righteousness of the Christian. We not only believe that the Bible is inspired, but also that it is our ONLY guide in religious faith. God’s word frequently warns us against changing the divine message (see Galatians 1:6-10). We, therefore have no man-made creed or catechism to present, but accept Christ as our only creed and the Bible as our only guidebook. We plead for the restoration of New Testament Christianity, rather than a reformation of existing religious bodies. While many things have changed in the twenty-first century, the teachings of Jesus and His apostles have not. God’s word is truth (John 17:17) and can save today as surely as it did in the first century. Jesus said in John 8:31-32 to those who believed in Him:
Looking for a church home?If you would like to find a church of Christ in your area:
If you would like us to locate a church of Christ in your area, please send an email to: help@bibleabc.net Note: Please include your city and state (or zip code) and country (if outside the U.S). We will attempt to locate a congregation in your area and we will email you with this information. Although those who are in the churches of Christ are striving to follow the Bible in their actions and teachings, at times we fall short or make mistakes. If you visit a congregation, please check to see that what is being taught and practiced is in accordance with the Bible. If you have questions or comments, please bring them to the attention of the elders or preachers there. We have provided some information in this website (such as Lesson 2, The Church That Jesus Built) to assist you in understanding the scriptures about Jesus' church. Would you like to start a congregation of the church of Christ in your area?We pray that you will find a faithful congregation of the church of Christ in your area...and that we may assist you in your spiritual journey. If you would like to start a church of Christ in your area, please email us. Please include in your email that you would like free information on starting a church of Christ in your area. Our email address is: help@bibleabc.net Note: We are NOT affiliated with the following groups which have similar names:
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"Then
those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about
three thousand souls were added to them.
"...but if anyone suffers as
a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him
glorify God. 1 Peter 4:16 (NAS) 