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Welcome to the webpage of the Vanduser Church of Christ. We're very excited at the prospect of using this avenue to teach God's word. We hope that you will stop by frequently and take a look. We plan on adding new articles, sermon outlines, etc. on a regular basis.
We want to invite all in our area to visit the services of the Vanduser Church of Christ. Our congregation is comprised of individuals who have determined to go back beyond the religious traditions and doctrines of men, and choose to Bible as their only creed (1 Peter 4:11).
We are just Christians, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, because we have obeyed the gospel (Mark 16:15-16). This means we have....
1. Come to simple, trusting faith in Jesus by hearing His word - John 8:24; Romans 10:17 2. We have repented of our sins (Luke 13:3-5; Acts 17:30; 2 Cor. 7:10). 3. We have made the good confession of our faith verbally (Romans 10:9-10; Acts 8:37). 4. We have been baptized (immersed) in water so that our sins may be washed away (Acts 22:16). 5. And, as Christians, we strive to live faithfully to God and serving our fellow-man (Rom. 12:9- 21).
We Are Not A Denomination. Nor are we inter-denominational. It is a desire to wear no other name but Christ's and to be known simply as Christians, members of the body of Christ - the church of Christ (Acts 11:26; 1 Peter 4:16; Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18; Romans 16:16).
Our Emphasis Is Spiritual, Not Recreational/Social. Our building is designed to facilitate our worship. Though we recognize it as our individual responsibility and priviledge to seek association socially with fellow-Christians, the nature and work of the church (collectively) is spiritual and the treasury of this local congregation is used only to promote its God-given work (1 Timothy 3:15; 1 Thessalonians 1:8).
We Strive To Be The Same Church Described In The New Testament. Is this possible? Yes! Everyone who will learn, believe and be guided by the plain and simple teachings of God's word will be a New Testament church. This is because the same "seed of the kingdom" (Luke 8:11) - the gospel of Christ planted in honest and good hearts - will produce the same fruit NOW as it accomplished in the first century: CHRISTIANS! We realize we are fallible and are subject to error. We admit we may be wrong in our application of scripture and if we are shown from the scriptures our error, we are willing and anxious to change. Any thing less would be arrogance and sinful.
We Have No Human Authority. We are not governed by any man or group of men to legislate what we do. Jesus Christ is the Head of His church (Ephesians 1:22). We have no intercongregational organization, but are congregationally independent. We have no man-written creed book to follow, but take ONLY the Bible as our all-sufficient guide (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Peter 4:11).
Our Plea Is For Religious Unity. The unity God's word requires is a unity based on the doctrines and commandments of the New Testament. This is what Jesus prayed for (John 17:20-21) and what the apostle Paul pleaded for (1 Corinthians 1:10ff.; Ephesians 4:1-6). Unity and love for one another were marks of discipleship among New Testament Christians and is what we seek today (John 13:34-35; Acts 2:44-46; Acts 4:32). Religious division (denominationalism) is the result of those who have departed from "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).
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