Welcome to Area IV church of Christ...!

The Area IV church is a group of Christians who are striving together to serve Jesus Christ. We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God, providing us with everything we need to know about life in God's kingdom. To learn about God’s will, the Christians at Area IV regularly study together, pray together, and encourage one another in our walk with the Lord.

We would love to have you worship with us as we seek to serve God faithfully in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24).

What to Expect When You Visit!

When you visit, you may expect to be treated as an honored and respected guest. We are simply a group of Christians, without denominational names and practices, who want only to serve our Lord to the best of the abilities that He has given to us. We have no human creeds to set forth doctrine because the Bible contains all the Christian is to believe (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Isaiah 34:16). In keeping with our effort to carefully follow the Bible, our worship consists only of those activities authorized by direct command, approved example and necessary inference in the New Testament.

We have no special services, nor do we esteem one Lord's day over another - they are all highly regarded! On each Lord’s day, i.e., each Sunday, the first day of the week:

· We celebrate His life and sacrifice each Lord's Day in the partaking of the Lord's supper, the breaking of unleavened bread and drinking of the fruit of the vine, which the Lord has given us commandment to do every Lord's Day! (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29)

· We praise God and edify one another only through singing without playing mechanical instruments (Colossians 3:16), and offer prayers of supplication and thanksgiving (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

· Through sermons, we encourage and exhort one another to “continue steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42)

· On Sunday only, we take up a collection from members of our congregation so members can give as they have purposed in their hearts (1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 9:7). As a visitor, you are our guest, so please do not feel any obligation to give.

We believe the purpose of this church is spiritual in nature and focused on worshipping God. So, two principles govern all we do:

· “Let all things be done for edification” (1 Corinthians 14:25)

· “Let all things be done decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40)

In addition to our worship services, we have Bible classes on Sunday morning for all ages. These classes offer us an opportunity to study God’s Word.

What Is Our Goal Or Purpose For Existence?

We are motivated by a sincere love for God to worship and serve Him. You will find that in our assemblies we emphasize the reading and studying of God's word, the Bible. Our strong desire is to spend eternity in heaven with God and to have everyone join us.

The Gospel is For All!

Our primary mission is to preach the good news of salvation by grace through faith. If God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, then the least we can do is to make known this love to our fellow man by bringing lost souls to the Christ and by encouraging one another to live faithfully unto death.

Our purpose for existence is therefore spiritual in nature. "Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5). Being a spiritual house, we meet to worship God just as Christians did in the New Testament days. We are careful to do as they did, namely to sing and pray; and on the first day of the week we partake of the Lord's supper and give as God has prospered us (cf. Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 14:15; 1 Cor. 16:2). We try to be equally careful not to add anything to our worship that He has not authorized lest we worship in "vain" (Matt. 15:7-9).

The Nature of the Church

All who are in fellowship with Christ are members of His spiritual body, the church universal (1 Corinthians 12:12; Colossians 1:18). The universal church is a spiritual body, with Jesus as its head and saved people throughout the world as members of His body (Ephesians 1:22-23; Acts 2:47). As such, the universal church has no earthly or physical organization.

Christ’s pattern for His church includes the saved joining themselves with others who have dedicated their lives to the glory of Christ (Acts 9:26). As a member of the body of Christ, every Christian supplies a needed function to the body, primarily in the context of the local congregation (Rom. 12:1-5; I Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 4:16). Wherever Christians extend fellowship to each other in worship and work, we find a congregation or local church. In the Bible we read about churches in Jerusalem, Rome, and other places. These were not different kinds of churches (as is so prevalent today), but congregations of Christians in various places.

These congregations were independent and self-governing, each having a plurality of elders (also known as bishops and pastors) watching out for their souls (Acts 20:17,28; 1 Peter 5:1-4). Assisting the elders were deacons who ministered to the needs of the congregation (Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:8-13). The members were dedicated to following the example of the Lord in their daily lives (Ephesians 5:1-2).

The Area IV church seeks to be such a congregation of Christians -- a church of Christ -- in our community.

The Authority of Christ

We accept Jesus Christ as Lord and we respect His authority. Jesus said, "And why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46). Adding to, or taking from, the simple instruction of Jesus is to fail to honor Him as Lord. We have no conferences, synods, councils, nor earthly headquarters because Christ has not authorized these. Also, such man-made systems only serve to compete with Christ's authority and often bind human traditions upon others, which Jesus condemned (Matthew 15:3-9).

How Can One Become A Member Of This Church?

Become just a Christian! We urge all to accept God’s gift of eternal life in His Son (Romans 6:23). God’s plan for salvation involves:

· Sinners were told, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38).

· Repentance is toward God and faith is toward Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21)

· Upon belief, we confess Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:10)

· Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16).

· Once you are baptized into Christ, you are then to live a life of faithful service to Christ (Revelation 2:10).

When one is saved, he is added by the Lord to the church. "And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:47). Therefore we accept into our fellowship all who willingly confess their belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and will repent and be baptized (immersed) for the forgiveness of their sins. Obeying these commandments makes a person just a Christian. We wear no other name than Christ's and seek to be no other kind of church than the one described in the New Testament. Wouldn't you like to be just a Christian?

If You Would Like To Learn More?

If you want to learn more about God’s gift of eternal life in His Son (Romans 6:23), we offer to meet with you personally, either in your home or at the building where we worship, to discuss the Bible. To help you in your personal Bible study, we offer free tracts upon request.