Church of Christ
Riverside
Who We Are
Our Worship
Our worship is reserved for God alone. It is offered to Him in spirit and in truth. Real worship comes from the heart as well as the lips. We come together on the first day of each week to remember the death of Christ by partaking of the Lord’s Supper. Prayer, singing, giving and preaching are also a part of our worship each Lord’s Day. Unlike many churches, we do not use musical instruments in our worship, just as they were not used by the church of Christ you read about in the Bible. Though musical instruments were authorized by God for worship in the Old Testament, they were not authorized by God for worship in the church of the New Testament.
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Matthew 4:10 “Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.”
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Acts 20:7 “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. “
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1 Corinthians 16:1-2 “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.”
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Colossians 3:16-17 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Churches of Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ promised to build His church, “and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). He kept His promise; He built His church. The church belongs to Jesus; it is the Lord’s church. He paid for His church with His blood (Acts 20:28). Fifty days after conquering death by His resurrection, the Lord Jesus began adding saved souls to His church (Acts 2:1, 47). He added the souls which gladly received the gospel, believed it, and obeyed it (Acts 2:41). These obedient believers enjoyed harmony, unity, charity, and joy (Acts 2:42-46). These were the first members of the Lord’s church (Acts 2:47).
The church that Jesus built exists upon one standard and one standard alone: the doctrine of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:42; Philippians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 1:10; 4:17). The Lord’s church is not a denomination, nor does it include denominations. There are no creed books; the Bible is the only source of doctrine (Acts 2:42; 2 Timothy 3:16). There is no need for councils, synods, or authoritative conventions; Jesus rules as the Head of His church through His unchanging Word (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 3:16-17; Hebrews 13:8). Those who readily receive this Word become obedient Christians (Acts 2:41; 13:26), while those that reject or revise Christ’s Word have rejected salvation (John 12:48; Galatians 1:6-9).
Anyone willing to obey Christ’s gospel can be added to the Lord’s church. God “would have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (I Timothy 2:4). It is the responsibility of the church to take the saving gospel of Jesus Christ to all the world. Having spent three years teaching and training His apostles, Jesus issued a final instruction just before ascending to the right hand of the Father: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus expects His church to share His saving gospel with a lost and dying world.
Our Members
Our members encourage us. We recognize our need for each other and strive to develop stronger relationships in the Lord. We love and serve one another. We build up the church.
1 Thessalonians 5:11-15 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.