Baptism Is Essential For Salvation

Perhaps you are wondering, "How does one become a member of the church of Christ?" What are the terms of membership?

Churches of Christ do not speak of membership in terms of some formula which must be followed for approved acceptance into the church. The New Testament gives certain steps which were taken by people in that day to become Christians. When a person became a Christian he automatically was a member of the church.

The same is true of churches of Christ today. There is no separate set of rules or ceremonies which one must follow to be inducted into the church. When one becomes a Christian he, at the same time, becomes a member of the church. No further steps are required to qualify for church membership.

On the first day of the church's existence those who repented and were baptized were saved (Acts 2:38). And from that day forward all those who were saved were added to the church (Acts 2:47). According to this verse (Acts 2:47) it was God who did the adding. Therefore, in seeking to follow this pattern, we neither vote people into the church nor force them through a required series of studies. We have no right to demand anything beyond their obedient submission to the Savior.

The conditions of pardon which are taught in the New Testament are:

1) One must hear the gospel, for "faith comes by hearing the word of God" (Romans 10:17).
2) One must believe, for "without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6).
3) One must repent of past sins, for God "commands all men, every- where to repent" (Acts 17:30).
4) One must confess Jesus as Lord, for he said, "He that confesses me before men, him will I also confess before my father who is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32).
5) And one must be baptized for the remission of sins, for Peter said, "Repent, and be baptized every- one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins ..." (Acts 2:38).

Nat Kissi - Evangelist

Brother Nat Kissi serves as minister for the Worcester Church of Christ. He is a graduate of Bibiani Secondary School in Bibiani and Theological University of America in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Worcester Church of Christ
89 Beaver Brook Parkway
P.O. Box 20087
Worcester, MA 01603
Telephone: (508) 754-8625

This Church Is To Foster The Worship Of God Worship in churches of Christ centers in five items, the same as in the first-century church. We believe the pattern is important. Jesus said, "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24). From this statement we learn three things:

1) Our worship must be directed to the right object ... God;

2) It must be prompted by the right spirit;

3) It must be according to truth.

To worship God according to truth is to worship him according to his Word, because his Word is truth (John 17:17). Therefore, we must not exclude any item found in his Word, and we must not include any item not found in his Word.

In matters of religion we are to walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). Since faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17), anything not authorized by the Bible cannot be done by faith ... and whatever is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23).

The five items of worship observed by the first-century church were singing, praying, preaching, giving, and eating the Lord's Supper.

We Believe The Bible Is The Word Of GodWe are committed to the continual study of God’s Word, the Bible, to see how we can most closely give God the personal and collective worship He desires. (2 Timothy 3:16:17)