For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land
-Song of Solomon 2:11-12
What Should You Expect When You Visit The Hilltop Church Of Christ?
Visiting an unfamiliar church doesn't have to feel uncomfortable. The members of the Hilltop family are a friendly group and want to make your visit a pleasant and rewarding experience.
How the Worship Service is Conducted
We try to make our worship as close to God's word as is humanly possible. Based on the teaching and practice of the Apostles and scriptural authority, our worship consists of several biblical practices that honor God & His Beloved Son while teaching and strengthening the members and visitors.
PRAYER
Prayers are a part of our worship service. Jesus taught us to be persistent in prayer. Paul said , "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting."1 Tim 2:8 (KJV) And to, "Pray without ceasing." 1 Thess 5:17 (KJV) We are to pray for one another. James said, "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. James 5:16 (NASB)
TEACHING/PREACHING
The teaching, preaching & reading of Gods inspired Word are important elements in our worship service. After Jesus' resurrection and just before he disappeared into the clouds, he gave his apostles what is known as the great commission. He said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 ``Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'' Matt 28:18-20 (NASB) Paul asks the questions, "How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? Romans 10:14 (NASB)
SINGING
We sing but do not use instrumental music during our worship service. Congregational singing "a cappella" style is done in accordance with the New Testament scripture, seeing that the early church was commanded to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs and make melody in their hearts.
"speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord." Ephesians 5:19 NASB. The term "a capella" is Italian. It is derived from: "a" in the manner of + "cappella" chapel, choir. The expression means "in chapel style" in Italian. There is strong evidence that musical instruments were never a part of Christian worship until several centuries after the apostles left the earth.
LORD'S SUPPER
The original church of Christ met upon the first day of the week to observe the Lords Supper. "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight."Acts 20:7 (KJV) Christ instituted the Lords Supper just before his crucifixion and the apostles and the early church observed the practice upon the first day of the week.
CONTRIBUTION/OFFERING
Paul instructed the church in Corinth to give on the first day of the week according to how each individual Christian had prospered. "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. 2 On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside, and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come." 1 Cor 16:1-2 (NASB) All the work of the local congregation, including benevolence, missionary and other evangelistic efforts, are funded by free will offerings by the members. Visitors are not expected to contribute.
In an effort to fullfil the Great Commission of Matthew 28 we are currently involved with the World Bible School to teach people from many nations around the world the Gospel. Members of the congregation currently have dozens of students on several continents being taught the plan of salvation. As a result we have had students obeying the Gospel by being baptized into Christ. Visit the World Bible School at http://www.wbschool.org/
We have also been active in supporting the Obong School of Preaching in Obong, Nigeria. If you would like to see more on the work in Obong and Dr. Moses visit http://www.cris.com/~mmcoc/index.html
Dr. Moses and his wife Jessie 'width' is a duplicate attribute name. Line 1, position 37. Brother Ray Exum has been active in evangelizing the French speaking world for several years now. The Hilltop congregation has supported bro. Exum's work in the French Bible Study work from nearly the beginning . Visit the website (brush up on your French!) at http://www.ecolemondialedelabible.org/ . You can also see some of his sermons at http://clcoc.org/sermons.htm .
