1140 Pratt Hwy - Birmingham, AL 35214 - 205.798.2340

Sandusky church of Christ

What We Believe...

It is important to know what a church is about before visiting. If one wishes to seek and please God it is important that each activity of such a church be in accordance with His divine will.  There is no substitute for adherence to God’s inspired word.  His ways are not our ways, and our ways are not His ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).  Since He is the One who saves, we must take care to follow His will always.

 

God said of Jesus, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased, Hear Him! (Matthew 17:5).  Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent” (John 6:29 ).  It is then clear that it is through Christ and His word that God grants salvation.   It is only by following Christ’s teaching and example that we obtain the right to become God’s children.  “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12 ).  We cannot afford to follow any one else as our authority.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). 

 

With this we introduce ourselves simply as Christians.  Jesus died for our sins and gave instructions on how to become His disciples.   We have obeyed those instructions and claim to be nothing more than disciples of Christ, or Christians (devoted to Christ) as in Acts 11:26.

 

       Who Are Members?

 

Members of the local church are those who have been saved and added to the body of Christ.  The scriptures state the conditions of salvation clearly.  Jesus said, ^“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16 ).  He also said “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem ” (Luke 24:47).  Echoing these words on the day of Pentecost, Peter instructed  those who believed his message about Jesus and asked what they should do: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

Those who have complied with these conditions and who are resolved to live the life of a Christian are welcome to our membership.

   

By the way - We Are Not Denominational

 

We take this very seriously. We are not only non-denominational; we are opposed to denominationalism. Our rejection of denominational involvement results from our effort to do only what Jesus authorized. He did not establish denominations. Early Christians were not members of denominations; if they could be Christians without denominational connections, so can we and so should we.

 

Denominations wear names other than that of Christ.  They have structure and activities that have no authority in scripture.  And by definition they are divisions, whereas Christ desired unity.  “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 1:4-6).

 

We are known as a church of Christ because we desire to give all honor to Him and because churches under His direction were known as “churches of Christ” (Romans 16:16 ).  We consider any other scriptural designation equally acceptable.  We recognize no other head but Christ and have ties with no earthly organization or association of churches that would separate us from others who are Christians.  All decisions are made locally in harmony with what we believe to be the instructions that Christ has given through His apostles.

   

All based on scripture

 

The only way we can follow Jesus is by following His word.  Jesus said, “If you continue in My word, then you are my disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31 -32).  In addition to the words Jesus spoke while He was on earth, we have the words that He spoke through His apostles.  Jesus said to them shortly before He was crucified, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:12 -14).  Consequently, Paul could write, “. . .the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord” (I Corinthians 14:37 ). 

 

Our purpose is to speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where it is silent.  We dare not go beyond what is written (I Peter 4:11 ; II John 9).

 

Since Christ is our only head, and since the New Testament represents the teaching of Jesus, scripture is the final authority in all matters.  Recognizing no earthly authority, it follows that we can accept no man-made creed.  Our only manual, discipline or catechism is the New Testament. The first written man-made creed was produced in 325 A.D. by uninspired men.  If Christians could please God without human creeds for 300 years, we can surely do so now. 

 

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:16-17).  All we need to know about how to be saved from sin, organize and manage a church, preach to the lost, conduct our lives, fight Satan, and find courage to endure the difficulties of our lives we can find in the scriptures.  What could man’s wisdom add to what God has revealed in His word?

 

What to expect in our Worship Service

 

Worship is not something we do to please ourselves, but to please God.   As already noted, God’s ways are not our ways.  “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24 ).  This means that we must worship as He directs.  God showed mankind very early that He is not pleased with just anything men may do in worship to Him (See Genesis 4:3-5; Leviticus 10:1-2.)   Following are the things you will observe us doing in our worship and the reasons we do them. 

  

Prayer

 

We pray because of the many scriptures that authorize it, such as Acts 2:42 ; 12:5 and 16; 16:25 ; 20:36 ; I Thessalonians 5:17; I Timothy 2:1-5.

 

The last verse cited above says, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”  Since Jesus is the only mediator between God and men, we pray only through Jesus.  The practice of praying through Mary or any of the “saints” is shown by this passage to be futile.  Doing so is without Biblical authority and is a tradition of men.

  

Preaching

 

Like prayer, the importance of preaching the gospel is so widely accepted as to need no comment.  Some prominent scriptures are Acts 20:7; Romans 1:15-17; I Corinthians 1:22-24; Galatians 1:8-9.  In our worship, sermons are presented in a simple practical manner to encourage understanding and compliance with truth among those who hear.

 

In our services, public leadership is by men only.  This is not because we do not value the role of Christian women.  It is simply because of our determination to follow scripture.  Two scriptures are especially relevant:  “Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says” (I Corinthians 14:34 ).  “And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence” (I Timothy 2:12 ).  In classes women do teach other women and children as authorized by Titus 2:3-4.  Christian women are a great blessing to the church in many ways, but their role is not public leadership according to the scriptures.

 

 Giving

 

In the scriptures we learn of the work that is assigned to the church, namely: conduct of worship, preaching the gospel, edifying the saints and providing for them when they are in physical need.  When the church unites to do these things, funds are necessary.  Definite instructions are given for raising funds to accomplish the last of the activities above:  “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come” (I Corinthians 16:2).  A collection was to be made each “first day of the week” so that no special collection would be necessary when Paul arrived. 

 

No specific instructions are given in scripture for collecting funds to accomplish the other works assigned to the church.  However, if this was God’s way of obtaining funds for “for the saints” it is a strong recommendation for the same method of raising funds for other works.  One thing is certain: There is a consistent pattern throughout the New Testament for obtaining funds by free will offerings according to the ability of the giver.  There is no command or example that would authorize assessing each member or raising funds by raffles, bake sales, business ventures or by any other means.  

 

Consequently, all of the work of this church is funded from the one collection taken each Sunday morning in which members voluntarily give “each one as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (II Corinthians 9:7).  Visitors are not expected to contribute to this collection; it is considered the responsibility of the members of the congregation.

  

The Lord's Supper

 

Partaking of the Lord’s Supper should be to every Christian one of the most meaningful experiences possible.  Jesus said, “This do in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19-20; I Corinthians 11:24-25).  Communion should never be looked upon as a mere duty, but as a marvelous privilege.  Paul said, “as often as you eat of this bread, and drink of this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (I Corinthians 11:26).

 

In the New Testament church, the Lord’s Supper was taken every Sunday.  Both secular and Biblical history show that as long as the apostles lived, it continued to be a weekly observance and only centuries later was it reduced to an inferior monthly or quarterly ceremony.   I Corinthians 16:2 establishes that the church met each “first day of the week” and Acts 20:7 notes one of the primary purposes for such a meeting: “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.”  Consequently, when we come together on the first day of each week, it is to “break bread” in the Lord’s Supper. 

 

 Singing

 

The inspired apostle Paul wrote, “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).  In harmony with these instructions, we sing in our worship.  We do not use an instrument since neither this passage nor any other authorizes the church to sing with instruments. 

 

Instruments were used in Old Testament worship along with incense and animal sacrifices, but they were never a part of the worship of the church.   Secular history shows that instrumental music was only added to the worship of the church several hundred years after the apostles died.  To add pianos, organs, guitars, etc. to the worship without divine authority is to leave the teaching of the scriptures and follow the doctrines and commandments of men (Matthew 15:8-9).

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In Summary

 

We are a group of God-fearing men and women, young and old, who have joined together to constitute a congregation such as those described in the New Testament. 

 

We are simply Christians (Acts 11:26 ; 26:28; I Peter 4:15 ,16), followers of Christ.  As a church we are “of Christ” (Romans 16:16 ).  We do not wear or accept designations that are not found in the scriptures, and we do not subscribe to any creed drawn up by fallible men.  Christ is our only creed, and the Bible our only guide. 

 

We are striving to be a church after the pattern found in the New Testament: in how we become Christians, in how we live as Christians, in what we teach, in the work we do together, and in the way we are organized.  Our purpose is to speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent.  It is our great desire to honor God, in following Christ and in learning, teaching and following His word. 

 

We are your neighbors and your fellow-workers.  We are people saved from sin by the grace of God and we are interested in the salvation of others.

 

We want heaven to be our eternal home as well as yours.

  

All are welcome

 

When you visit us you will be greeted in a friendly, kind and courteous manner.  The loving characteristics of the congregation (the attitude of those who love God) will help you to avoid any uncomfortable feeling of being a stranger.  We hope to see you among us.

 

Please, feel free to browse through our website and contact us with any question you may have.