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May 15, 2011The family of God here at Dowagiac Church of Christ wishes to extend to you a warm welcome. If you have questions about our worship services and why we do what we do, we will be glad to give you a biblical answer. The uniqueness of the Church of Christ is that we are trying to restore to the best of our ability those things that we see the first century Church doing. We are also working hard at building the spirit, unity, and love that Jesus taught and prayed for. We have no clergy, but are working together as equal co-workers trying to serve one another and the area in which we live. Come study with us, grow with us, and serve with us as we strive to do God's will in all things.
NEW
CLASS
ON
SPIRITUAL
GIFTS
The religious world has made the subject of spiritual gifts sound complicated and mystical. The fact is that it a very simple subject that basically tells us what our beliefs actually DO for us, what they enable us to be as believers that we could not be if we were not believers. Our class in spiritual gifts is off to a good start. This class is a part of our evening worship service. I believe you will find this study to be biblical, clear, easy to understand, personal, and helpful. There is even an exercise to help you find your personal gift or gifts. Plan to come tonight and regularly to allow yourself to grow and understand what the operation of the spirit in the life of a Christian means.
FAMILY NEWS
PROGRESS. The basement is finished, and furniture is being purchased and classrooms are being decorated for our growing children's classes. If you have some items at home that could be used to decorate the classrooms, please contact one of the ladies so we can make the area attractive for our visiting kids, as well as our own children. We are also building our food pantry back into a cry room so that nursing mothers and families with children that need special attention during our worship will have a place to go and still hear activities going on during the worship hour.
The growth in our children's class attendance means we are going to need more teachers. There is a lot to learn in teaching kids, but we have people who have had experience and can help. Volunteer to be a part of this vital work.
TODAY'S LESSON
Greg Sterling is preaching this
morning, so there is not a sermon outline as we normally have in this
space. This provides an opportunity for us to remind our members and
inform our visitors about what this congregation is about and what our
plans are for the future.
This congregation of the Church of Christ believes that the restoration plea is valid. That plea is that all men need to use the New Testament and only the New Testament as a guide for what we do in our worship and service to God. We try very hard not to follow any tradition or opinion of anyone man or group of men. What we do in worship we can show either was commanded by God or was practiced by the church of the first century or both.
In this congregation we have a special dedication to the pleas and prayers of Jesus that we love one another and that we be one united in Christ (see John 13:14-35; 15:12-17; 17:21-22; 1 John 3:10-23). In the past there has been a failure to do these two things not only in this congregation, but in many of our sister congregations and in the assemblies of many denominational groups in the area. Our teaching and preaching is not centered on "issues," nor are we in the judging business that Jesus condemned in passages like Matt 7:1-3; Luke 6:37.
It is our hope that in the coming year we can reach out to people who have been discouraged with the church and/or religion in general because of the conduct of human beings. We believe that all the Bible says is true and we do not wish to compromise any statement of God, but we also understand that compassion and a desire to serve are also characteristics God teaches us we as His followers must have. If you have gone through a divorce, you are welcome here, and you will only find help and support and encouragement from this congregation. If you have had a substance abuse problem including alcohol, our desire is to welcome you and support you and encourage you to replace a destructive behavior with a constructive involvement in good things. If you need help and/or support with children, with physical needs, and especially with spiritual needs, our goal is to serve you and to bring you in to assisting with serving others.
One of the defining characteristics of the church we see in the Bible is the fact that it did not have the pyramidal structure that we see in man-made religious groups today. This pyramid structure contributes to politics and power struggles within the organization. In 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 Paul addresses a congregation that had allowed that to happen. People were claiming special honor by virtue of who had baptized them into Christ. Paul trounces this view by thanking God that he did not baptize any of them. Paul calls them and us to the realization that it was Christ who died for them and that they were baptized in the name of Christ, not any great man or preacher (verse 13).
We do not have a preacher here who wears a special title or has any special recognition or authority. Our unity is preserved by the fact that we are all of equal value and our decisions are made as a group, not by one authority figure. We have chosen to work together to address the needs in our community, not to hire one person in which we invest authority to do the work. We support many mission works to prison ministries, orphan care, and ministering to the blind, but our local outreach has been benevolent work to families needing food and clothing, and to educational work on evidences for the Christian faith.
During the first week of August of this summer we plan a special outreach to those who have been discouraged and disenchanted with the church and/or religion. We have secured a booth at the Cass County Fair, and our theme for this year will be "Do You Need to be Restored?" Our message is that if you have turned away from the church because of mistakes you have made that you feel have separated you from the church, be restored--we want to welcome you home and help you be restored to God. If unkind and belligerent religious people have driven you away, come to a place where you will be accepted and where you can serve and worship God with the past being forgotten. Have doubts about God and the Bible caused you to drift away? Let us show you how strong the evidence is and how you can build a dynamic living faith. Have personal needs driven you to unwise sources of help? Let us help you find positive and unencumbered solutions to physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
The Church has answers and can be a dynamic force in this area. Be a part of it!
This congregation of the Church of Christ believes that the restoration plea is valid. That plea is that all men need to use the New Testament and only the New Testament as a guide for what we do in our worship and service to God. We try very hard not to follow any tradition or opinion of anyone man or group of men. What we do in worship we can show either was commanded by God or was practiced by the church of the first century or both.
In this congregation we have a special dedication to the pleas and prayers of Jesus that we love one another and that we be one united in Christ (see John 13:14-35; 15:12-17; 17:21-22; 1 John 3:10-23). In the past there has been a failure to do these two things not only in this congregation, but in many of our sister congregations and in the assemblies of many denominational groups in the area. Our teaching and preaching is not centered on "issues," nor are we in the judging business that Jesus condemned in passages like Matt 7:1-3; Luke 6:37.
It is our hope that in the coming year we can reach out to people who have been discouraged with the church and/or religion in general because of the conduct of human beings. We believe that all the Bible says is true and we do not wish to compromise any statement of God, but we also understand that compassion and a desire to serve are also characteristics God teaches us we as His followers must have. If you have gone through a divorce, you are welcome here, and you will only find help and support and encouragement from this congregation. If you have had a substance abuse problem including alcohol, our desire is to welcome you and support you and encourage you to replace a destructive behavior with a constructive involvement in good things. If you need help and/or support with children, with physical needs, and especially with spiritual needs, our goal is to serve you and to bring you in to assisting with serving others.
One of the defining characteristics of the church we see in the Bible is the fact that it did not have the pyramidal structure that we see in man-made religious groups today. This pyramid structure contributes to politics and power struggles within the organization. In 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 Paul addresses a congregation that had allowed that to happen. People were claiming special honor by virtue of who had baptized them into Christ. Paul trounces this view by thanking God that he did not baptize any of them. Paul calls them and us to the realization that it was Christ who died for them and that they were baptized in the name of Christ, not any great man or preacher (verse 13).
We do not have a preacher here who wears a special title or has any special recognition or authority. Our unity is preserved by the fact that we are all of equal value and our decisions are made as a group, not by one authority figure. We have chosen to work together to address the needs in our community, not to hire one person in which we invest authority to do the work. We support many mission works to prison ministries, orphan care, and ministering to the blind, but our local outreach has been benevolent work to families needing food and clothing, and to educational work on evidences for the Christian faith.
During the first week of August of this summer we plan a special outreach to those who have been discouraged and disenchanted with the church and/or religion. We have secured a booth at the Cass County Fair, and our theme for this year will be "Do You Need to be Restored?" Our message is that if you have turned away from the church because of mistakes you have made that you feel have separated you from the church, be restored--we want to welcome you home and help you be restored to God. If unkind and belligerent religious people have driven you away, come to a place where you will be accepted and where you can serve and worship God with the past being forgotten. Have doubts about God and the Bible caused you to drift away? Let us show you how strong the evidence is and how you can build a dynamic living faith. Have personal needs driven you to unwise sources of help? Let us help you find positive and unencumbered solutions to physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
The Church has answers and can be a dynamic force in this area. Be a part of it!