FAQsHere are some of the top questions asked about our church and christianity.
- What does the Church of Christ mean?
- What is non-denominational?
- What is the plan of Salvation?
- What do you need to do to be saved?
What does the church of christ mean?
The term 'church of Christ' is a scriptural reference (Romans 16:16) commonly used today to describe the Lord's church. It is simply a name which means the church that Christ built as seen in Matthew 16: 18 & Ephesians 5:23. It can be used in interchangeably with other descriptions like 'followers of Christ,' 'children of God,' and even just 'the church.' Simply, we are all followers of Christ, who have heard, believe and obeyed the gospel in accordance to the scriptures.
The church of Christ is not the physical building and is not where we meet. It is the people who makes up the church, children of God. The church was founded back in the first century when Jesus ascended to Heaven in Acts 1. It has existed since then and has not been lost, nor is part of any restoration act.
There are several core ideas and teachings from the bible that must be adhered to and obeyed. There are some which are purely tradition and logistically the way it has been done. An example of this would be the Lord Supper. The scriptural teaching would be that there are only two elements, the bread and the fruit of the vine. Jesus instituted the Lord Supper on the night of the Passover feast as described in Matthew 26: 26. Traditionally, the Lord Supper has been taken from small trays which have been passed around, and the fruit of the vine has been drunken from small cups. This doesn't hold a lot of relevance when taking the Lord Supper. It doesn't matter whether you drink from plastic cups or glass cups, you take it standing or eating. As long as when you do take it, you examine your heart before you eat and drink and you come forth to God remembering what He has done for us and do it to proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11:26 - 31).
What is non-denominational?
The term non-denominational is a hard term to define. It indicates the separation between a non-denomination group and a denomination group. There is only one true church. There is no division or denomination in the church of Christ. We don't associate ourselves with any particular named group or 'religion', nor have a written creed or no headquarters. There is no superiority amongst the members, nor inferiority. Every child of God is equal in the site of the Lord. There is no official membership listing, only what is describe in the scriptures as the Lambs Book of Life. The name we have given ourselves, is more like a description, as described above.
The only division that exists is a geographical one. The membership to the church of Christ is not our decision or at our discretion. It is up to the individual and with God. There are many church of Christ congregations, not only in Australia but around the world. We have open fellowship with those teaching doctrinal purity and practicing the truth. Some scriptural examples we have are the church of Corinth, Galatia and Ephesus. They all had the same belief and taught the same thing. Even though there may have been some problems which are described in the letters, they were all part of the one church, the Lord's church.
We are told in the letter to the church in Ephesus that there is one body with many members. This is talking about the church. There is only one church but many people in the church. There is no mention of earthly headquarters or different churches. There were people who were saying they followed Apollos, Paul and Cephas, however, they were rebuked and taught to follow Jesus. This was considered a division among men, a division created by man.
What is the plan of Salvation?
What is the point of church? Why do so many people around the world worship God? Is all this sacrifice and godly living all really necessary?? The answer is YES! WHY? you may ask... Well...
It is because we want to be saved! Saved from what will happen to us after we die. There is no turning back once we die, we will be judged one day which will decide whether we go to Heaven or to Hell. Both places are eternal homes for our souls. We need to make sure that we are in the right place - Heaven!
This is where the plan of Salvation comes in. Salvation is the term used in the scriptures to signify what God has and will do for us. God sent His only beloved son, Jesus to die on this earth so that through the shedding of His blood, we may have eternal life. (based on John 3:16) On Judgement Day (we don't when it will be), we will be judged for sentencing and the evidence will be what we have done in our lives. However, no matter what we do, or what we say, we will never be good enough. Jesus died for our sins and He will stand up for us before His Father. If we obey him, by believing, and be baptised, Jesus will wash away all our sins.
So what was the plan? The plan was for Jesus' to come down on this earth, from the right hand of His Father, to be humiliated, persecuted and killed on the cross, so that we may have our sins forgiven, so that through the grace and compassion of God, we may spend eternal life with Him in Heaven.
What do you need to do to be saved?
There are only a few steps that you as an individual need to take to be saved, to have the hope of eternal life in Heaven!
Step 1
Hear the Word of God: To be able to know and understand what it truly means to be saved and know what Jesus did for us, you need to study the Scriptures (the Bible). The Holy Bible is the Word of God and if you need to help to study it, please contact us!
Step 2
Believe: Jesus did an amazing thing for us, and you have to decide whether you truly believe that He is the Son of God, that He came down to this earth and was sacrificed so that we, through the Grace of God, might be saved.
Step 3
Repent: Part of the plan of Salvation, is to acknowledge that man (me and you) have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. Simply, we are not good enough. However, if we truly are sorry what we have done as man, to have turned our backs against God, then we need to repent.
Step 4
Be Baptised: Accept God into your hearts and confess that He is the Son of God, and be baptised into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (based on Acts 2:38). When you are ready to accept that we're not perfect and that you need God in your heart, obey His Word by being baptised into water. Read the account of the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8: 26 - 40.
Step 5:
Live for God: After you have believe and have obeyed, it doesn't end there. God needs us to worship Him, to do His work, for us to be servants. We also need to abide in His Love and His Word. We cannot think that we are saved and go and commit adultery, although when we do sin we can turn back to God. But we need to have a heart of repentance and the attitude to live truly for our Creator. We also now have the job, the 'responsibility' to let other people out in the world know about God and His love... His plan for our Salvation.
