To be properly identified is part of life. We name our babies, sometimes before they are even born, because it is important that they have a proper designation. We have various forms of identification as we grow up. The schools keep meticulous records based on who we are; we get a Social Security card very early in life so we can work and the government will know who we are; and what child has not rejoiced when he was old enough to get a driver’s license, itself a part of the modern day identification process.

The church of the New Testament had certain marks of identification. It was obviously something different from Judaism, different from the pagan religions of the Gentiles, and different from the immoral masses of non-believers of its day.

The New Testament church was a worshiping group of people. Rome tried desperately to suppress such assemblies, but was not able to do so. The worship services included singing, praying, teaching, giving and observing the Lord’s supper. It was a simple service, characterized by simple devotion, not pomp and liturgy. It was an effort on the part of the Christian to seek God and His approval through spirited worship.

The New Testament Christian can be easily identified because of the kind of attitudes he possessed. He didn’t render evil for evil; he answered questions about his faith with meekness and fear; he taught an other-worldly view regarding what was important; his love for his fellow disciples was an evidence of his love for God; and he could be seen from afar as a light in a dark world.

The New Testament church had no national organization. One of the marks of its identity was its autonomous nature, each congregation doing its duty, preaching, worshiping, and edifying itself in love. It even cared for its own benevolent needs in acts of love and kindness. It had Elders, deacons, and evangelists to assist it in its mission. It was self-sufficient, operating from its own treasury and determining how its moneys should be used.

The New Testament church used the gospel message to bring forgiveness of sins to those who would listen and obey. It saw the gospel message as important enough to merit its strong support and recommendation. It didn’t see the message as some formula for entrance into some secular organization, but as a means for being saved from one’s sins. It preached what Christ preached: faith, repentance, and baptism, just as He initiated it in His great commission. It supported both the preachers and the preaching financially.

It is the purpose of this congregation to be like that one we can read about in the New Testament, to be identified by the same marks which were characteristic of it. We do not see ourselves as some sort of “movement,” but simply as a group of New Testament Christians dedicated to the principles of truth as set forth in the New Testament, and, with Christ as Head, doing those same things they did in New Testament times.

Come along and be with us.