What to Expect When You Visit

Articles

Derek Long
02/17/18 - Oak Grove

By Derek Long

When one visits the religious services of a particular group for the first time, one may wonder what to expect. Oftentimes, the members or those who attend regularly are familiar with what is going on but visitors may be left in the dark. We hope we can shed some light on the sort of things to expect when you visit during our services.

Our services and building are geared toward helping one develop spiritually. Our services will not consist of supplying a meal. The home is given the function of providing meals for our physical nourishment (1 Corinthians 11:22, 34), not the church. We do not have a kitchen or a place where meals are ate. We will seek to supply you with “the food which endures to everlasting life” (John 6:26-27). Our services will not focus on recreation, games, or entertainment. We do not seek to create an environment focused on social activities but a spiritually focused environment. God has given the church the mission of being the “pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). We seek to uphold and proclaim the truth in our assemblies.

Our Bible classes will seek to examine either a Biblical text or topic. We attempt to make applications to our lives fromthe Biblical text as we rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15) and use it to guide us in how to live our lives (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We at times break apart into different groups to study topics appropriate for a certain age range or gender. We have classes in the auditorium for anyone who wants to attend those classes. At the present time, we also have one class for kids on Sunday morning and Wednesday night. We also have a ladies class during our Bible study time on Wednesday evening.

Our services will include the singing of songs. We normally sing between 2-5 songs but on the first Sunday night we devote more of the service to singing. We seek to follow the New Testament commands and examples which illustrate for us how the early disciples sung praises to God and songs to one another (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 14:15). We do not read of the early church using instruments of music in worship to God and so our singing is without the accompaniment of mechanical instruments of music.

Our services will include prayers being led by various men. We typically have a prayer toward the beginning of the service and one toward the end. We have other prayers throughout the service at different times as well. The early Christians engaged in prayer when they gathered together (Acts 2:42). Praying is something we should constantly be engaging in (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Our services will include Bible teaching. The early Christians “continued steadfastly in the apostles’

doctrine” (Acts 2:42). To continue in the apostles’ doctrine required them learning what they apostles taught. When Paul gathered on the first day of the week with the disciples at Troas,

he “spoke to them and continued his message until midnight” (Acts 20:7). We strive to have lessons which will edify and teach those who have gathered together how to be pleasing to God.

Our morning service on the first day of the week will include a time when the disciples come together to break bread (Acts 20:7). We will engage in partaking of the Lord’s Supper as we remember our Lord and Savior’s death upon the cross for our sins (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). It is not a common meal but a reminder to us of what Jesus did on our behalf. We do this every first day of the week.

Our services on the first day of the week also provide an opportunity for the saints to give as they have prospered (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Members are not told how much to give but they give as they purpose in their hearts (2 Corinthians 9:7). We do not solicit funds from visitors but do have a time for member’s to give as they are commanded to do.

We seek to be friendly to those who attend our services. If you get the opportunity to come, we would enjoy getting to talk with you before or after. After the services, if you have questions about things we do or say, we would be thrilled to have the opportunity to talk to you about such things further. We hope you can assemble with the church of Christ at Oak Grove soon!