Stevens Point Church of Christ

Welcome!

We will sincerely appreciate your being with us. We pray that the worship will bless and encourage you. We also hope that you will want to return. Perhaps you are not familiar with the worship in a congregation of the Church of Christ. We know that the unfamiliar can be distracting and confusing. As we praise God and honor Jesus Christ, we do not want you to be distracted or confused.

Our Worship:

Our singing is without the accompaniment of instruments. We encourage everyone to participate in the singing as we praise God and Christ. As we sing, we want our spirits to commune with God through His Spirit. When Christianity began, Christian worship was very simple. It could occur anywhere among any people in any culture. All that was necessary for Christian worship was minds, hearts, and voices. We seek that same simplicity.

Public prayers will be led by men chosen from the congregation. Most worshipers participate by simply bowing their heads. You will be welcome to assume whatever submissive posture you are comfortable with in prayer.

Each Sunday we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus through Communion. As Jesus instituted, we eat the unleavened bread to remember the physical body that He surrendered to death, and we drink the fruit of the vine to remember His blood given for our forgiveness. Communion, also called the Lord's Supper, is a memorial act for Christians to observe.

Each Sunday, members give money to support the work of this congregation. Such contributions fund the Lord's work. We do not expect visitors to contribute. If a visitor chooses to contribute, we gratefully accept the gift. However, the work of this congregation is the responsibility of its members.

Following the morning sermon, we commonly sing a song of reflection and invitation. This is done to encourage each person to reflect on the lesson and make purposeful application. The invitation is offered for two reasons. The first is to encourage Christians who want the help and encouragement of public prayer to come forward during the invitation song. The second is to provide a convenient opportunity to the person who in faith and repentance wants to be baptized into Christ. We understand that Christ's invitation is open every day, and every hour. Any time is the appropriate time for prayer or baptism.

Who are the Leaders?

Every church of Christ is self-governing. We are under the leadership of elders (also called “bishops” and “shepherds” in scripture). Additionally, we have special men appointed as deacons who take the lead in certain duties. You can read about the qualifications of elders and deacons in 1 Timothy chapter 3 and Titus chapter 1.

The minister is a person who has been hired by the elders for the purpose of public teaching.

We would love to meet you and always welcome your comments and questions! Ask anyone to point us out.

What We Believe:

1. We are committed to non-denominational Christianity and wish only to serve God and teach from His word.
2. We believe that “all scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).” As Peter put it, “No prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21).”
3. We believe that man is lost in sin. As Solomon once observed, “There is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20).” Paul said, “…all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).”
4. Jesus came to save us from our sins. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:16-17).” The apostle Paul recognized what a gift this was--“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief (1 Timothy 1:15).” We believe that He is the only way that God has given us to be free from sin. “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He (the predicted Messiah), then you will die in your sins (John 8:24)
5. Salvation is “by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8).” We do not “earn” our salvation.
6. Our faith is demonstrated by our works (James 2).

How Do We Accept the Gift of Salvation?

The “gospel” is the good news of Jesus Christ. Paul said, “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures…”

We “re-enact” the gospel (death, burial, and resurrection) of Christ in baptism (immersion in water). As Paul said to the Romans, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4).”

In fact, it isn’t just a matter of being baptized into his death (to sin), but we also come up intending to live a new life. This includes further growth, an increasing dedication to the Lord, and a willingness to live according to His principles.

Further Questions:

We would love to answer any questions that you may have. We look only to the word of God for our direction, and will be glad to study it with you.

Visitors: