Where We Meet
When We Meet
SUNDAY
9:30 AM Bible Study
10:30 AM Morning Worship
1:30 PM Afternoon Worship
WEDNESDAY
7:00 PM Bible Study
WHAT YOU MAY FIND TO BE DIFFERENT
Beautiful A Capella Singing
The whole congregation sings a capella (without mechanical instruments), just as they did in New Testament times (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). Visitors may sing along or simply listen. Many first-time visitors comment on how beautiful the singing is. Some say they find it easier to focus on the song’s meaning since the words are more easily understood than with musical accompaniment.
Lord’s Supper Observed Each Sunday
The church of Christ has communion every week, just as they did in New Testament times (Acts 20:7). It is a highlight of the week to commemorate Christ’s death and celebrate his promised return.
Our Leadership
WE STRIVE TO BE
Friendly
The Forest Hill church of Christ strives to be a “visitor friendly” church. Since many of our members were at one time visitors themselves, we know how it feels on a first visit. We make it our goal to be the friendliest church you have ever visited. We aim to treat others the way we want to be treated, like Jesus said (Matthew 7:12). You’ll receive a warm greeting and find assistance to locate your class (or your children’s) and/or a comfortable seat in the worship service. You will not be singled out, made to stand, encouraged to give any “testimony,” or in any other way made to feel embarrassed. The services are simple, reverent, practical, and meaningful.
Bible-Based, Christ-Centered, Heaven-Bound
When you visit, you will meet people who, just like you, sincerely want to follow the teachings of the Bible and please God with their lives. You’ll find that every sermon and class is based on the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16,17). In fact, members and visitors are urged to bring their own Bibles and follow along. We strive to do Bible things in Bible ways, and to call Bible things by Bible names – nothing more or nothing less. We seek to exalt Christ in our songs, prayers, sermons, and lives (Colossians 1:18). An air of hope fills the church as we think of the beautiful promise of heaven for God’s faithful children (Revelation 21).
WE STRIVE TO PROVIDE
Free Materials
You will find free booklets, pamphlets, tracts, and back issues of publications displayed in the entrance areas. These are free to any member or guest. A personal home Bible study (open Bible or video) is available for those who want to know more.
A Place for Everyone
Christ’s church is made up of all kinds of people (1 Corinthians 12; Galatians 3:27-28). You will find members of all races, educational backgrounds, and economic levels who feel comfortable in our services. We mean it when we say, “Everybody is welcome.”
Emphasis on Family and Bible
The church of Christ places a great emphasis on Bible school. We feel that children are important and that our God-given responsibility is to assist parents in teaching them about their origin, purpose, and destiny. They should come to know their Creator, Redeemer, Lord, and Savior early in life (Ecclesiastes 12:1; Matthew 19:14). They have been born into a mixed-up world, so we try to ground them in the simple truth so they will know right from wrong.
So bring your Bible and come for that visit you’ve been thinking about. We’ll save you a seat!
GOD'S PLAN OF SALVATION
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12).
You must believe and have faith in God because "without faith it is impossible to please Him: for He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called "Sinner's Prayer" that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the "Sinner's Prayer" to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, it will not save you either. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thessalonians 1:8)
You must, with sincere heart-belief, confess that Jesus is Lord. He is Lord whether you confess it or not, but it is unto your salvation that you must acknowledge His deity and His ownership (Romans 10:9-10). This confession is the external expression of an internal spirit of complete submission to every aspect of His word and will. As with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save (Matthew 7:21).
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!)
Once you are saved, God adds you to His church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God's grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God's grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)