Our Worship Service

We realize that not everyone is familiar with the way we worship God, so this brief introduction will hope to guide you so we can experience uplifting and authentic worship together when we meet.

Family News (Announcements)

We begin with a greeting, announcements and prayer requests to inform all members and visitors.

Opening Prayer

"...they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers." - Acts 2:42
  • The congregation is lead in prayer by one of the men of the congregation.
  • The prayer normally consists of praise to God, thanksgiving, and requests to Him for those who are ill or sin-sick (1 Tim. 2:1-2)

Singing of Psalms, Hymns, & Spiritual Songs

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." - Colossians 3:16
  • The entire congregation is asked to join in praising God through various songs as we follow the song leader.
  • You are welcome to join in! (It is encouraging if you do.)
  • Visitors often notice that we sing “a cappella,” which is using one type of vocal music that means "in the style of the church"; therefore, we do not to use instrumental accompaniment in order to reflect the only kind of worship found in the New Testament church.
  • We hope you find our worship simply Biblical, engaging, and encouraging (Ephesians 5:15-21; Colossians 3:15-17).
Want to Learn More About the History of Singing in the Church?​​
www.insearchoftruth.org/articles/music_history.html

Scripture Reading

"Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law." - Nehemiah 8:3
  • The sermon is preceded by a reading of scripture by one of our young men.
  • This reading is directly from the Bible is usually connected to the sermon (Nehemiah 8:2-8; 1 Timothy 4:13).

The Lesson (Sermon/Preaching)

"So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading."
​- Nehemiah 8:8
  • The preacher will usually present a 25-35 minute sermon along with a slideshow presentation.
  • The focus of the sermon is the Bible and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
  • Ideally, the  preacher will focus on one main passage from the Bible, but occasionally a topical lesson is presented with many Bible passages presented.
  • The preacher's focus is to preach God's Word to help the listeners learn more about God and how to focus their spiritual journey through life, without adding to or taking away from God's Word.
  • We believe the Word of God is powerful and wise in directing our lives for the best possible way of life! (2 Timothy 3:14-17; Hebrews 4:12)

The Lord's Invitation

  • At the end of the sermon or lesson, the minister and elders offer an invitation to the congregation.
  • This time (usually during a song) provides an opportunity to those who believe they are ready to follow Christ.
  • Those people can go to the front where the elders and/or the minister will greet them and address their need privately.
  • Also, anyone who has been struggling with their faith can ask for the prayers of the congregation and/or repent of public sin.
  • The elders of the church will come forward and sit with people who respond and lead a prayer for God to bless them and heal them spiritually.
  • If anyone is in need of receiving salvation, someone will take their confession of Jesus as the Son of God and the Christ, then they will be baptized in water in order to receive forgiveness of sins by the blood of Christ and be added to the Lord's Church by God Himself (James 5:16; Acts 2:36-42).

The Lord's Supper (Communion)

"For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes." - 1 Corinthians 11:26
  • ​Each week we celebrate communion with one another and the Lord in remembrance of His death (Matt. 26:26-29, Acts 20:7)
  • Men come to the front where someone will share some thoughts to help us focus on the meaning of the communion, lead us in prayer, and then pass trays containing “unleavened bread” or crackers.
  • The unleavened bread symbolizes the pure body of Christ as He died upon the cross for our sins.
    • Everyone is invited eat of the unleavened bread at this time as we reflect upon the sacrifice Christ made for us.
  • The "fruit of the vine", or grape juice, symbolizes the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross for us.
    • Everyone is encouraged to drink the juice as they reflect on how God loves us and was willing to offer His son on the cross for us.

The Collection (Giving)

"On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper..." 1 Corinthians 16:2
  • Christians give as a part of their trust in God, and visitors are NOT expected to give.
    • In fact, visitors are asked to simply fill out a visitor card and place it in the collection basket as it is passed.
  • The money collected is what the church entirely depends upon to provide for the building, the ministry staff, and all of its various services and ministries as seen in the New Testament pattern of the Church (1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5; 9:6-8).

Closing Prayer & Song

The congregation is lead in prayer by one person. It consists of praise to God, thanksgiving, and requests. 

Then, everyone sings one last song together before the worship service is over.

Our Worship is...

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A Time of Celebration
Worship is not about us – it is about God!  The church gathers to worship God – to praise Him, to thank Him, to love Him, to obey Him, to please Him. The appropriate avenues of worship include:  singing, praying, preaching, giving and communing with our Lord in the Lord’s Supper. Through these Biblically-authorized avenues we celebrate the salvation promised through Jesus Christ.

A Time of Edification
When the church worships as a collective body of Christ, each worshiper also experiences fellowship with one another.  As a community of believers we are built up, strengthened, edified, and equipped for greater service.  We enter to worship – we leave to serve!

A Time of Reflection
Worship affords a special time in the presence of God – a time to think, to pray, to study, to evaluate life, to make new commitments.  Worship with brothers and sisters in the church should always be an encouraging experience that reminds us who we are and who God is – why we are here and what we should do to further his kingdom.

The Plan of Salvation

If someone desires to follow Jesus after learning about Him, then that person will want to be baptized to follow the examples in Acts. Baptism is an act of obedience and is done by immersing (burying) a person in water, just like Christ was buried in the earth.  

We need to...
1. Hear the Word of God (Romans 10:17, Matthew 7:24-27)
2. Believe that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God (John 8:24, 20:30-31, Mark 16:15-16, James 2:24, Hebrews 11:6)
3. Repent of our sins (Acts 17:30, Luke 13:3, Galatians 5:24)
4. Confess Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9-10, Matthew 10:32-33, Acts 8:36-37)
5. Be Baptized by immersion (Acts 2:38, Galatians 3:25-29, 1 Peter 3:20-21, Mark 16:15-16, Matthew 28:19-20)
6. Live Faithfully (Revelation 2:10, Romans 8:1-4, Galatians 5:16, Colossians 3:17)
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