DOCTRINE="Something Taught, Teaching"

The pattern of our formal worship service follows the outline given in Acts 2:42:

     "AND THEY WERE CONTINUALLY DEVOTING THEMSELVES TO THE APOSTLES' TEACHING AND TO FELLOWSHIP, TO THE BREAKING OF BREAD AND TO PRAYER."

These elements are the foundation of the life of the congregation;

1.     The Apostles' Teaching,                                                    2.     Fellowship,                                                                              3.     The Breaking Of Bread,                                                           4.     Prayer

 THE APOSTLES' DOCTRINE

     When Jesus instituted His Church on Pentecost Sunday, A.D. 34, He equipped the Apostles with the wisdom and power to lead the Church by their baptism into the Holy Spirit.                                     

     By the gifts which He made available to them, they were enabled to know the will of God and establish that Church as He desired.  At the first, they made this will of God known by their teaching and preaching.  As they were able, they and the first-century Prophets wrote down this information as the Holy Spirit directed them.  These writings were then gathered together into what we know as the New Testament, a collection of 27 books containing the Gospels (4), the history of the first century Church (1), the epistles, or letters, to the Churches (13), the general epistles (8), and the book of prophecy (1).

     These writings, when completed, contain the complete will of God for His Church.  We need to know this will of God so that we can be obedient to His commands to be included as members of His Church.

     The study and exhortation from this Word of God is an important part of our formal worship service. 

FELLOWSHIP

      The Greek word which is here translated as "fellowship" is the word "koinonia".  The literal translation of this Greek word is; "participation", "fellowship", or "a contribution".  This "sharing together" includes many things which provide fellowship.  Our worship by the bringing of tithes and offerings is a regular part of that fellowship and is part of our formal worship service.

THE BREAKING OF BREAD

     The Breaking Of Bread refers to the practice of partaking of the loaf and the cup as a memorial to the sacrifice of Jesus which He made on the cross of Calvary. 

     This memorial was established by Jesus Himself on the night before He was condemned and killed.  In the Church described in the New Testament, which was directed by the Apostles, the practice was to observe this memorial each Lord's Day.

     The elements used in this memorial are the loaf, (a bread made without yeast), and the fruit of the vine (or the cup).

     Throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament, yeast is a symbol of pollution or contamination.  The use of bread made without yeast shows that the body of Christ was free from all sin.

     Because the fruit of the vine used at the Passover meal was fresh grape juice, squeezed out of the grapes, that which we use in our Lord's Supper memorial is fresh grape juice containing no alcohol.  Fresh grape juice contains no yeast, and thus shows the sin-free life of Jesus whose sacrifice we are remembering.  Never, in the New Testament record, is the word "wine" used in connection with the cup of the Lord's Supper.

PRAYER

     Prayer is an important part of a reverent worship service.  As readying and studying the printed Word of God is the means of our hearing God speak to us, prayer is our means of speaking to God.  This makes the conversation truly a two-way communication.  Jesus said that the Father wanted to hear from His followers.  He often spent long periods of time in intimate conversation with His Father while He walked on the earth.

BAPTISM

One of the doctrines of Christianity which has been a source of discussion, argument and even division is the teaching on baptism. Baptism is the transliteration of the Greek word "baptizo" which is properly translated "immersion" or "dipping"..

In every instance in the New Testament where the word "baptize" appears, it always means to dip or immerse the candidate in something.

The Baptism of the Spirit is immersing the receiver in the Holy Spirit, giving that person the attributes of the Spirit.  See Matthew 3:11 and read the verses before and after to see the explanation of the teaching.

Whenever baptism is used to describe the washing away of sins it is always immersion in water in the name of the Lord Jesus.  See Romans 6:1-14 for the explanation of the spiritual significance of this physical activity.  Throughout the book of Acts, whenever people were converted to Christ, they were immersed