I’m new to church. What is church?

The church was established by Jesus. He wanted the church to be a place where God could meet with His people, regardless of race, creed, color, or financial ability. The church, as we know it, was established after the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. We worship on Sunday morning to commemorate His resurrection from the grave. In the early church, the disciples would go to the synagogue and pray. They would pray three times a day for help, guidance, and strength. Today, we sing songs and hymns to glorify and honor Him, and we testify to the wonderful things that God has done in our lives daily. There are various messages that pastors preach. Most pastors pray for guidance to preach the message that the congregation needs to hear. Many messages are evangelistic, presenting the gospel message to those in the congregation who are not Christians. This gives an opportunity for the lost person to be saved.

There are specific services where there is a baptism. Baptism is the second commandment of promise that Jesus instructed the early church to do. Only after a person has been saved and confesses Jesus as Lord do we baptize the new believer. This is a symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus died on the cross, was placed in the grave for three days, and rose again, and now He is alive forevermore. Baptism is that symbol; we are submerged in water and baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This shows the world that we are now following Christ forevermore. We are new creatures in Christ.

There is the communion service. We take the bread, which represents the body of Christ, and the wine (grape juice), representing the blood of Jesus that was shed for our sins. We eat and drink this as a memorial to what Jesus did when He died for our sins. In the early church, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet as a token of humility. This shows the equality between the disciples and Jesus Himself. Jesus came to serve the needs of humanity. We, as Christians, are to serve the needs of fellow Christians and our lost community.

In many services, the minister preaches the history of the church and how we are to live in this current world. The Old Testament was given as a schoolmaster to build lessons for the New Testament. The New Testament was given to us to live a righteous life today. God also gave us the revelation of our future and what life after death is like. It teaches the eternal punishment for the devil and his angels and the unbelievers. The Bible teaches the reward for the saints of God, eternity in heaven. This is where God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit dwell. We shall live and reign with the Trinity forever. Amen.

At salvation, God gives all believers the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was promised to all believers by Jesus before He was crucified on the cross. He expressed that the Holy Spirit would dwell in the heart of every believer. The Holy Spirit is God’s ambassador to all believers. The Holy Spirit proclaims the good news of Jesus in our life. Like a father who chastises his children to live a good and moral life, the Holy Spirit also chastises our life. The Holy Spirit leads, guides, and proclaims the truth that leads to our sanctification. The Bible states, “Greater is He that’s in you than he that is in the world.” Simply stated, the Holy Spirit is stronger and more powerful than Satan. You and I can do all things through the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.