WHEN YOU ATTEND A SERVICE
What to Expect…
We want you to visit us at the Heber Springs Church of Christ and we want you to feel comfortable. We know an unfamiliar place can be intimidating. Let us tell you what you can expect when you honor us with a visit.
NOTE: This is not intended to generalize what we believe– OR cut-short the deep, intimate relationships between each member and our mighty God. Each of these acts or details are parts of our worship that are intended to express our love, need for, and gratitude towards our Heavenly Father… We are simply striving to express these things with a consistency that mirrors that of the New Testament church as we serve others, worship God, and long for Heaven.
Background
A brief description of our background may help you understand us better. Our congregation began as a part of “The Restoration Movement”. The movement’s goal was to “restore” the New Testament Church in our time: to determine from the Bible what the Church was like in the beginning, and to be like that. We believe this is a worthy and reverent goal that each congregation must constantly question. We want to be a Bible-centered church. Although we can agree that some our conclusions aren’t flawless, our practices are sometimes colored by habit, preference, tradition, or convenience– and we would like to do our best to worship/live as the Bible instructs, deeply considering both things spoken of and circumstances which it is silent about.
Now, let us walk you through a worship service. There may be some variations from this description because every Church of Christ is autonomous.
Setting
Across the globe, many congregations meet in homes or rented facilities. However, most, for the sake of convenience, have built a building where the Church can meet together. When you first enter our church building, you will find a series of hallways leading to numerous classrooms where we hold Bible Study together. For our worship service, we all joint together in what we refer to as the “auditorium”. There are no reserved seats, so feel free to sit anywhere you choose. We’re just glad you’re with us.
Singing
One of the first details you may hear about the Church of Christ — and something that might seem strange — is that the music is “a cappella”. That is, throughout the entire worship service, we sing without the accompaniment of musical instruments. As a congregation, we consider this to be a conviction, not just a preference. Many directly associate this idea with our “restoration” heritage. Rather, as we are seeking to worship according to the New Testament pattern- we find this to be an important detail to study about and practice with consistency. Since the New Testament leaves instrumental music out, we believe it’s best to exclude it also (1 Corinthians 14:15; Ephesians 5:18, 19; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 2:12). Others, within the religious community, may consider us narrow on this point: but we hope you will respect our reason and conviction on the matter. Knowing the reasons we feel this way and paying further attention to the intimate words we are expressing to God: we also think you will find the singing beautiful, as everyone participates & contributes their own voices, expressing their hearts to God.
Prayers
There will be several prayers during the service. It is a gift from God, that we might learn to trust in his power in our lives and we might grow in our relationship with him by practicing healthy communication to the One who best understands our needs.
The following is a list of Bible Truths in Luke 11:1-13, the story of Jesus teaching about prayer.
- Jesus prayed. Luke 11:1.
- Jesus taught the disciples to pray to God: – As a Father. Luke 11:2. – With a desire to see God honored in the world. Luke 11:2. -With a desire that God’s kingdom come into the world. Luke 11:2. – Recognizing their total dependence on God for provision of their daily needs and for protection from evil. Luke 11:3-4. – Asking for God’s provision and protection. Luke 11:3-4.
- Jesus taught that believers should pray together for the provision and protection of all believers. Luke 11:3-4.
- A person should be bold and persistent, not fearful or shy, in making requests of God. Luke 11:8-9.
- A person can pray to God at any time and in any situation. Luke 11:5-9.
- Jesus taught the disciples to ask for God’s blessing and He promised that God would answer. Luke 11:9-10