At Macedonia, "There's a Place Just for You Here With Us!"
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve (or worship) God acceptably with reverence and Godly fear: Hebrews 12:28
What kind of worship service can I expect at the Macedonia Church of Christ?
We pattern our worship service as closely as possible to what we find in the early church of the New Testament. We use what is taught in the New Testament as our guide to conduct our worship of God in our services here at Macedonia.
God's word teaches us on how He is to be worshipped.
Jesus said, in Matthew 4:10, "...you shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve."
Jesus said, in John 4:23-24, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."
If we worship God in spirit and in truth, we cannot worship anyone or anything else.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth concerning worship, "Let all things be done decently and in order." (I Corinthians 14:40)
Our worship service here at Macedonia consists of the following:
…praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
Psalm 150:4
Singing...
Eph. 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
We sing hymns to praise, honor, glorify, and thank God for his blessings. We sing hymns to edify one another and to teach.
I Cor. 14:15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
Our worship in song is enhanced by the accompaniment of the piano.
Col. 3:16 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.
Pray without ceasing... I Thes. 5:17
Prayer...
Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
The congregation is led in prayer to God by men at different times during our worship service. We pray to communicate to God. We pray to praise God. We pray to thank God for the blessings that we have received from Him. We pray to God to ask Him for our needs and the needs of others.
I Tim. 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
Acts 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, ...
The Lord's Supper...
Luke 22:14-20 14 And when the hour was come, he (Jesus) sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 15 And he said unto them, "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God." 17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come." 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, "This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me." 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."
We also remember the sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus through the taking of the Lord's Supper ( I Corinthians 11:20-34). We do this every first day of the week, (Sunday) just as the early church did for this reason. The early church set an example and a pattern for taking the Lord's Supper. (Acts 2:42) (Acts 20:7).
II Cor. 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Tithes and Offerings...
I Cor. 16:1-2 1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
The first day of each week (Sunday), when we gather, we worship with our tithes and offerings. This is done by receiving a collection of tithes and offerings from the membership and placed into the common treasury.
We make no pleas for money from our visitors and we offer no embarrassing propositions designed to apply any pressure to give. If you are a visitor please do not feel embarrassed to pass the collection plate to your neighbor without giving. If you would still like to make a contribution it will be greatly appreciated.
The members of the Macedonia Church of Christ understand that it is the responsibility of the members of Macedonia to give freely and willingly as they have been prospered the past week to support the work of Christ's church here at Macedonia. (I Corinthians 16:1-2; II Corinthians 9:7-15).
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Preaching of God's Word...
II Tim. 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
There will be a Christ centered sermon, designed to teach and uplift all who are present in our worship services. The preaching in our service is plain, simple, and most importantly, based solely upon the Bible. The theories and doctrines of men are not taught or preached. The preacher urges you to take notes and check what you hear against what your Bible says. (Acts 17:11) There is never any attempt to preach or teach anything other than what is found in God's word.
Acts 20:7 ... Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
An Invitation...
Acts 2:37-41 37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Before the close of the worship service, the preacher will fully explain God's Plan for Salvation and extend an "invitation".
This invitation is simply a time to invite those who are convicted in their heart to make a decision concerning their salvation and want to become a Christian and be added to the Lord's church if they have not yet done so, after accepting God's terms for salvation. (Please see God's Plan for Salvation above.)
A Christian who may have not been living their life in that close relationship with God as they once did may come forward during this time of invitation. They may want to publicly recommit themselves to Christ so they might strive to live their lives in such a manner to once again have that closer relationship with God as they once did.
Also, any Christian is encouraged to come forward during the invitation who may feel they need public prayer for a concern that they have in their life.
Please remember the invitation to become a Christian is never closed even after the worship service is over. Any of the members here at Macedonia would be happy to talk to you at anytime day or night concerning your salvation. Please contact us if you have any questions.
The congregation of the Macedonia Church of Christ invite you to visit with us and be our honored guest this coming Lord's Day as we worship God together in spirit and in truth.
