We Believe…
…that God created the world and loves all His creation (Gen. 1:1; John 3:16). We recognize Him as the Father of all mankind & the ultimate authority in heaven & earth (John 5:19).
…that the Bible is the inspired word of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17). We hold no other creed or authority outside of the Bible.
…that Christ is the only hope of salvation (John 14:6). He is the Son of God, has all authority and deserves our recognition as Lord and Savior (Matt. 28:18-20).
…that the church is the body of Christ (Col. 1:18). It is made up of those who believe, love, and obey Christ.
…Forgiveness from sins is found in Christ, through faith, as one repents and is baptized (Acts 2:38).
Who are We?
We live in a very diverse and pluralistic culture, a melting pot of ideas and identities. What sets us apart from all the rest, or is there a way to be set apart? It doesn’t have to be complicated and so “deep” that it can’t be understood. While there are things in the Bible that are difficult to grasp, there are other things that are too simple to miss. Here is our story:
The Story
Simply put, the story of the Bible is that God created the world, put man and woman in a special place he created called the Garden of Eden. Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted man and woman,(Adam & Eve) to disobey God, which, as result, led to their being expelled from the garden to toil and live on their own. But, God already had a plan in mind to restore this relationship with man and began unfolding it.
The People and the Plan
God worked through people like Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses and others down through centuries, revealing himself and his nature, his love and faithfulness. He established a covenant with people called the Hebrews, later called Jews, and made them his people, his witness to the world. They were unfaithful to the covenant God made with them and were punished, but God had promised a new covenant, unlike the one he had made with physical Israel (the Jews). It would be a spiritual covenant.
How It Works
John tells us that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believed in him wouldn’t perish but have everlasting life. Jesus was the final act in God’s plan to restore the relationship with man in the garden. It was Jesus’ sacrifice that paid the price for our own rebellion and sinfulness, otherwise, since we are all sinners, we would each have to pay for our own sin with our own lives, as justice demands.
This Is Who We Are
The message of forgiveness and hope and peace with God and even our fellowman is what draws us together as a church. The letters of the New Testament are written to people who believed that message and turned to God for renewal of spirit and life. The church is made up of those who in and by faith have given their lives to God, we call that repentance, confessed or acknowledged the deity of Jesus as Lord, been immersed or completely submerged in water as obedience to God’s commands in order to have their sin washed away. Upon arising from the water, a new life, a new focus, a new purpose is ours. The water is not special, it isn’t holy, rather it is our faith, belief and trust in God’s power and promise to do away with our sin and make us new.
What We Do
Because of this action and the resulting new relationship with God, we meet on the first day of the week to worship Him and encourage one another. We meet at other times to carry out our God-given task of building up the church with service in many ways.
What We Aren’t
We aren’t perfect, sinless people. We do not think of ourselves as better than or more holy than anyone else. We each recognize our humanity, our sinfulness and our need for God. That’s who makes us what we are. Because of the fact that without God we are helpless and hopeless, we have nothing to boast about, except that God loved us enough to rescue us from our own selfish decisions.
What We Want
We want others to come to that same life giving knowledge and decide to let God rule their lives. That is our task. That is God’s desire for the world he created.
What to Expect
We’ve all been there…
We’ve all been in those places and at functions and events where we didn’t quite know what to expect, what to do and felt pretty uncomfortable about it. We certainly don’t want you to feel that way when you visit so allow us to explain a little about what we do and how we do it.
When you come into our building you will be greeted warmly and made to feel welcomed, and we hope you will feel at home and comfortable. You will be our honored guest. We will not do anything to make you feel conspicuous or embarrassed.
We strive to maintain the simplicity of the church in the New Testament. As you read in the New Testament, the early Christians met together on the first day of the week to remember the Lord’s death and the purpose for them being together–their faith in his death, burial and resurrection and what it meant for them.
When we meet
We meet on the first day of every week, Sunday at 9:00 am for a period of Bible class time. We have classes for all ages, from toddler to adult. We have different styles or ways of approaching teaching and try to make it both interesting and practical.
Around 9:45 we have a break and everyone begins making their way into the auditorium. You may know it as a sanctuary. Our corporate worship time begins at 10:00. Worship has a dual purpose: one is to give God the glory and honor due Him as our Savior. The second is the encouragement of one another in that act of praising God together.
What we do
We begin with some announcements to keep everyone informed of upcoming events, those who are sick, etc.
After announcements we all join together and sing. A leader leads us in acapella singing, that is, without instruments of music. The early church simply praised God in song, that is what we try to do as well.. The apostle Paul instructed the church in Ephesus to “speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and melody with your heart to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:19. Nowhere in the New Testament do you read of the gathered church using some type of instrument in their worship.
In addition to singing, we lift our hearts to God in prayer. Again, the apostle Paul instructed us in Philippians 4:6 to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” You may be familiar with the old hymn, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus.” That song speaks to our belief in and understanding of our need for prayer.
After some songs and prayer, we hear a Bible message from our minister. He strives to speak to the needs and challenges of our lives today. The Bible has the answers for our questions, but like digging gold from a mine, it takes effort to understand God’s message for us. His messages are simple and practical but based on the truth of the Bible. There are several Bible passages and examples of preaching in the New Testament. He is answerable to God for what he says and so he is careful to speak truthfully.
The Lord’s Supper is a part of our every worship. The early Christians observed it on the first day of every week and so do we. It may also be called communion. It is a partaking of unleavened bread and grape juice which represents Christ’s body on the cross and the blood he shed. He instituted this just before he was betrayed by Judas, one of his own disciples. You will find this story in Luke 22:7-23 and Matthew 26:17-30. He took the Jewish Passover feast and applied it to his own redeeming work on the cross and gave it a different meaning.
While it is a convenient time, we also have what we call a contribution. God has blessed us richly and we give back to Him some of that material blessing so the work of the church might continue and so that we can assist in other mission efforts. You will find an example of giving in II Corinthians chapters 8-9.
That is what we do during our assembly times. It is a spiritual time for us. Everything we do refreshes and renews our spirits. When you visit now, you will know what to expect and won’t be uncomfortable. We ask that you join us but leave that up to you. We force no one to participate, or to give anything. Worship to God is individual and from the heart. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to call us and ask. We would love to hear from you–and we hope to see you soon!
Cortez Church of Christ 