The Church

Jere Frost

The church of Christ at this place is nothing but a church. There is no social program, nor does the church have a kitchen, fellowship hall, gymnasium or television lounge. This church does not promote fun, frolicking, frivolities or feasting. It has no ball teams, skating parties, hay rides or wiener roasts. We are attempting to try to “hold” young people with the truth of the gospel. This church specializes in being a church.

The church of Christ at this place is not a member of any organization larger than itself. It has no organizations within it smaller than itself. (Its classes are not organizations but mediums of teaching, being a part of the teaching program of the church.) It sustains organic ties and contributes to no organizations outside of itself. As we said before, this church specializes in being just a church.

This is not an apology. We believe that being a church is enough for the church to be. (That’s all that Jesus made it!) And that involves much on the positive side.

Jesus established the church for spiritual purposes. It is a “spiritual house”. The “stones” of which it is made are people who are also the priesthood, in order to offer up acceptable spiritual sacrifice (worship) to God through Christ (1 Peter 2:5). Therefore, we meet to worship God (we have not yet discovered a better reason for meeting) just as Christians did in the New Testament. We are careful to do as they did, namely, to sing and pray, and on the first day of the week to partake of the Lord’s supper and give liberally (1 Cor. 14:15; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2). We are equally careful not to do anything as worship that He has not authorized for worship, such as counting beads, burning incense and playing  musical instruments. We want to do all that He wants and nothing that He does not want. After all, a church of Christ must worship as authorized by Christ.

The Bible teaches that the church has work to do (we take it seriously). This important work is recognized, emphasized, and done by the church of Christ at this place. It is the preaching of the gospel of Christ which is God’s power to save, and therefore of the utmost importance and urgency (Eph. 4:12; Rom. 1:16). The church, of all the institutions and organizations in the world, is the one to which God committed this work. His church is “the pillar and ground of truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). Churches of Christ therefore are to sound out the word of truth. The church at Thessalonica sounded out the work in Macedonia and Achaia; the church at Philippi financially supported Paul as part of its evangelistic work (1 Thess. 1:8; Phil. 4:14-17). The teaching of divine truth to its members is an integral part of its work as the flock if fed spiritual truth and the body thus builds up itself (Acts 20:38; Eph. 4:12,15-16). The secondary work of ministering to the needs of the saints is to be done as the need arises, and is thus done by the church of Christ at this place (Acts 6:1-6; 2 Cor. 9:1ff).

Yes, this church specializes at being a church. (It’s a full time job!) Besides, to be of Christ, a church cannot be anything except a church.