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WHAT
MAKES US DIFFERENT?
What
makes us different from other churches in Lawton? This question suggests a
second question: Why should you become part of our church family? These are two
very good questions to ask of any church that you might consider attending. The
answer is the same for both questions. Before
answering the question of what makes us different, let’s look at what makes us
similar to other churches. There are hundreds of churches in Lawton and most of
them believe many of the same things. Like theses churches, we believe: ·
In one God, eternally existent in three Persons: Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit; ·
The Bible is the inspired word of God and is accurate in all it
affirms; ·
People are born into this world morally depraved and, because of
that, all people commit sin; ·
Jesus is the unique Son of God in that He is both God and man; ·
That Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven makes
possible the forgiveness of our sins; and ·
God will forgive people’s sins when they repent and put their
faith in Jesus. Like
other churches, we have a church building where we meet together to worship God
and do other activities to encourage Christian fellowship. However, we are a
small congregation and because of that we are limited in the number of
activities we can have. As we grow in numbers, we will add activities
appropriate for the families that attend the church. There
is one significant advantage to a small congregation and that is the people get
to know each other and to care about each other. SO,
WHAT DOES MAKE US DIFFERENT? What
makes us different is that we believe that salvation really changes a person.
Salvation is not just adding church to your life or trying to do better. The
Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If
anyone is in Christ, he is
a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become
new.” The old things that pass away are the old failed moral powers and the
things that have become new are the powers of a new moral nature. In other
words, as born again Christians, we find the power of God in our lives to live
the way God expects us to live. This power is actually God living inside us that
helps us to overcome our natural moral failures. Romans 8:5 says, “For those
who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but
those who live according to the
Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” Verses 8 and 9 go on to say, “So then,
those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but
in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.” These few verses
help us to understand what it means for the blood of Christ to cleanse us from
all sin (1 John 1:7). If the Bible says that the blood of Christ cleanses from
all sin, how much sin can we have and still be acceptable to God? Very
few Christians believe they actually can be saved from sinning. They believe
that God forgives their sins, but they feel that they will continue to sin more
or less every day in word, thought or deed. We believe that God saves Christians
from sin so that they don’t have to sin and that is the thing that makes us
different. We
do not believe in sinless perfection, as sometimes we are accused. We do believe
it is possible that a Christian could sin but that it is not necessary that we
sin. One text we rely on is 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken
you except such as is common to man; but God is
faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but
with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to
bear it.” The way of escape is listening to and obeying the
Holy Spirit. Yes, sometimes a Christian might not pay attention to the Holy
Spirit and be overcome by a temptation—the Bible sees that possibility in 1
John 2:1, “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ.” But that is the exception, not the rule. This
is not just a belief with us; this is something we have found to be true in our
lives. We do not think we are better than other Christians; we are blessed in a
way they might not yet understand. We are not smarter or more spiritual than
other Christians; it is just that God has helped us to understand that Jesus
came to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). OUR
PURPOSE Our
purpose is to share what we have found to be true about salvation from sin with
people that are looking for an experience with God that changes their lives.
There are many people, sinners and professing Christians, who are just tired of
sin and its guilt—they want to live better lives and to please God. We
invite you to “check us out.” We are people that love God and love all
people that God loves. You will find us to be understanding, caring, and
helpful. We
are not afraid of questions. Each of us understands that it took God a while to
get us to the spiritual place we are today. We do not expect people to progress
any faster in spiritual life than God takes them—but we do expect to see
people grow spiritually over time. HOW
ABOUT YOU? Do
you have a deep desire to live close to God? Do you wish you could have the
grace to overcome temptations? Are you tired of having to repent time and again
for the same sins? Do you wish you could be a holy Christian instead of a
religious sinner? If
you answer “yes” to any or all of these questions, we invite you to worship
with us on a regular basis. Come and learn. We will pray with you, study the
scriptures, and talk about what it means to be a real disciple of Jesus Christ
in this life. Revelation
22:17, “And the Spirit
and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let
him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” 580-536-4007 www.youtube.com/ChurchofGodLawton |