|
|
|
|
| Our Beliefs |
| What the Christians at Okolona believe about: |
| Jesus |
|
“The Word became
flesh and made his dwelling among us.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the
Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
“He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn
over all creation. For by him all
things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by
him and for him. He is before all
things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:15-18
|
| Our Mission |
|
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:18-20
|
| Our Salvation |
|
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained
access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of
God. Not only so, but we also rejoice
in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character; and character, hope.
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love
into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still
powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man
someone might possibly dare to die. But
God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more
shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies,
we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having
been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but
we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now
received reconciliation.” Romans 5:1-11
“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into
Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order
that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,
we too may live a new life.” Romans 6:3-4
|
| Our Life In Chirst |
|
“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that
one died for all, and therefore all died.
And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves
but for him who died for them and was raised again.” II Corinthians 5:14-15
“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the
desires of the sinful nature. For the
sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is
contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that
you do not do what you want. But if you
are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.” Galatians 5:16-18
“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the
sake of Christ. What is more, I
consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain
Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes
from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that
comes from God and is by faith. I want
to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing
in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain
to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:7-11
“But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made
complete in him. This is how we know we
are in him. Whoever claims to live in
him must walk as Jesus did.” I John 2:5-6
|
| Our Teaching |
|
“When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence
or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was
with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and
fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise
and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that
your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” I Corinthians
2:1-5
|
|
| |
| Visitors are Welcome |
|
The members of the Okolona Church of Christ would like you to
visit us. We understand that visiting a church can be an uncomfortable experience.
If you give us a couple moments of your time, we'll try to explain
what goes on at a typical Sunday worship service.
|
| Background |
|
Our heritage is the "The Restoration Movement".
Our goal is to restore the New Testament church in the world today. To do
this, we study the Bible to determine what the church was like in the beginning and
attempt to imitate that example. We are a Bible-centered church however our
conclusions are not flawless.
|
| Setting |
|
Okolona meets in a building on Outer Loop. We do not believe
the building itself is holy but do believe that when Christians meet together, God is
among us. We usually worship in a room called the auditorium. There are pews
and chairs and you are welcome to sit wherever you feel comfortable.
|
| Singing |
|
Words to the songs being sung are projected on a screen. Additionally, in front of the seat will be two song books. One is
hardbound and has traditional songs in it; the other book has more contempory songs
inside. One of the unique things about the churches of Christ is that we sing
"a cappella". That is, we sing without any musical instruments.
|
| Prayers |
|
There will be several prayers during the service. We pray
for specific needs of our members and our country. We also pray to God thanking him
for blessings including the sacrifice of His son for us.
|
| Preaching |
|
During the worship service, most often our pulpit minister will
give a sermon.
The sermon will last usually from
25 to 35 minutes and we think you will find it refreshingly Bible-centered.
|
| Invitation |
|
At the close of the sermon, the preacher will extend an
invitation. This is our way of setting aside a time for those who would like to ask
for prayers. He will also encourage those who wish to be baptized to come to the
front of the auditorium as well. There may be several or no one to respond. No
one will be singled out in any way. If someone responds for baptism, you will
witness the baptism during this service. We believe in baptism by immersion and for
the remission of sins.
|
| Lord's Supper |
|
If you visit on a Sunday, the Lord's Supper will be included in
the worship service. We observe this memorial each week. During this time, plates will be passed that contain unleavened bread.
This symbolizes the body of Jesus. Each person particiating will break off a
piece of the bread and eat it. Next, trays filled with small cups of "fruit of
the vine", usually grape juice, will be passed. This represents the blood of
Jesus. Each participant will drink the contents of one of the cups. If you
choose not to participate, just pass the plate or tray to the person next to you.
|
| Offering |
|
Also on Sunday containers will be passed to take up a financial
offering. As our guest, you are not expected to make a donation. Please just
pass the collection plate to the person next to you.
|
| What is Expected of Visitors |
|
Nothing! You are welcome to participate in any or all of the
service by do not feel obligated to do so. You may be asked to fill out a visitor's
card. This will provide us information so the church can write you to thank you for
your visit. If you do not feell comfortable in giving some or all of the
information, don't. It's not required.
|
|
We hope this has given you a basic understanding of who we are. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.
|
|
|
