What is the Church of Christ?
The Churches of Christ are part of what is known as the Restoration Movement. The goal of this movement was and is to break away from denominational creeds and traditions and to restore the worship practices, organization, and government of the early church established by Jesus and his disciples. Scripture provides specific examples and instruction in these matters. Therefore, we consider ourselves to be non-denominational and believe this is God’s desire for all of Christianity. Members of the church are to be known only as Christians, rather than some name referencing denominational affiliation. The church of the New Testament is not about splitting up Christians into various divisions. (John 17: 20-21; Ephesians 4: 4-6; 1 Corinthians 1:11-13, 3:3-7).
What is Our Creed or Doctrine?
We have no creed other than that proclaimed of Christ (John 6: 68), and use no book or authority other than the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We consider all penitent believers who have confessed the name of Jesus as the Son of God (Romans 10:9; 2 Corinthians 9:13; Hebrews 4:14) and been baptized (immersed) for the forgiveness of their sins (John 3:5, Acts 2:38, Romans 6:1-4) to be our brethren (Acts 2:41, 47).
What to Expect When You Visit?
You will notice that our assembled times of worship are simple. We don’t consider this to be a theatrical production, full of flashing lights, bands, and fog machines. Rather, this is a time of praising God in simplicity. Initially, you will be cordially welcomed. Typically, the entire congregation will join together in singing several a capella songs (without instrumental accompaniment); we share taking communion or the Lord’s Supper, where each Christian eats a small bit of unleavened bread, representing the crucified body of Christ Jesus and drinks a small amount of grape juice (fruit of the vine) representing Jesus’ cleansing blood. Also, during our assembled worship, there will be reading of Scripture and prayer. After communion, young children, typically aged 3-10 years, are dismissed to attend “childrens’ church” in a classroom. Your young children are welcome to attend that or remain with you. Our minister will deliver an inspirational or instructional sermon or lesson and an opportunity will be given to our members to contribute financially to help support our missions and other aspects of the congregation. Visitors are not expected to contribute. At some time during every service, an invitation will be extended to anyone seeking to put on the name of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, or to ask for prayers on their behalf.
What do we mean by “A Spirit Filled Church”?
Perhaps you noticed the tagline “A Spirit Filled Church” on the Welcome Page of this website or on the sign at our building facility. We read in 1 John 4:11-13 “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us his Spirit.” One of the foundational principles of our belief and practice is to encourage one another to live our lives manifesting the “fruits of the Spirit” as outlined in Galatians 5:22-25. You might say that this represents “Our Vision”—to be A Spirit Filled Church.
- Galatians 5:22-23 Some Ways the Fruits of the Spirit Work Individually and Collectively
- Love – in the ways we speak and act towards each other
- Joy – in the moments we have to celebrate new birth and spiritual growth
- Peace – refrain from conflict, seek peace among ourselves and in the body
- Patience – with our efforts to seek and save the lost, and with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who will sin and fall short
- Kindness – towards those in need, even if they are angry, bitter, or contentious
- Goodness – our actions should be governed by what is good
- Faithfulness – to our spiritual family and to the Lord
- Gentleness – when we are helping a brother or sister who has fallen, we restore them with a Spirit of gentleness
- Self-Control – to guard against temptation and giving it a foothold in our lives and the life of our spiritual family
In 2 Peter 1: 5-8, these Christian virtues or fruits are reinforced, along with self-control, steadfastness, and brotherly affection. Verse 8 tells each Christian “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from becoming ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Christian should never stop growing spiritually.
Griffin Church of Christ 