What to expect from our Lord’s Day assembly:
Opening announcements and opening prayer:
As the service nears the beginning, usually around five minutes or so beforehand, you will notice that everyone starts to quiet down. Please don’t misunderstand that we think it’s wrong or sinful to talk or socialize during this time, but we do our best to try to prepare our minds for the worship assembly. Noisy children are a beautiful sound to our ears! The worst sound in the gathering of the church is no children. So please don’t feel uncomfortable. Ours make plenty of sound too.
At 10:30am, one of the men will get up and say a few words and will say a prayer. We call this the opening prayer and it just sort of marks the beginning of the service.
Song Service:
After the opening prayer, we will proceed with three songs. These will likely be led by three different brothers, one at a time. You will also notice we don’t use mechanical instrumentation in our worship but sing acapella. We believe that God determines how He wants to be worshipped. The only time we see music in the New Testament is in Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16. Both times, the instruction was to simply sing and make melody in our hearts. Some point to the Old Testament to show that mechanical instruments were used in the Old Testament, but those people fail to believe the same when it comes to animal sacrifices, restrictive diets, or worshipping only at the temple in Jerusalem. We believe the church Jesus established is bound to New Testament laws, as told to us in Hebrews 8:13. (The Bible says, “When he speaks of a new covenant, he makes the first obsolete.”) We are not bound to Old Testament laws anymore, unless they are commanded to us in the New Testament writings. Mechanical instruments were not added to worship services until 1593 AD in the Catholic church. For 1593 years, all churches sang acapella. In fact, the word acapella as originally in Latin means, “As in the manner of the chapel.” Because we do not want to add or change what God desires, we simply sing and make music in our hearts as He tells us.
Opening Remarks for Sermon:
After the third song, the brother who is preaching the sermon that day will get up and give a 5-10 minute introduction to his sermon. (This is options, but common most of the time.)
Main Prayer:
Prayer is powerful and makes God happy! God wants to hear from His children. The main prayer is typically a little bit longer than the opening prayer, but one brother will lead the prayer and will ask specifically for God’s blessings in various needs.
Song After Prayer:
An additional song after the main prayer. (Also optional, but common.)
Sermon:
The brother preaching that day will get up and give his lesson. These usually run around 30-45 minutes, sometimes shorter, occasionally longer.
Gospel Invitation:
One theologian once said, “Every road in England leads to London.” We believe that what is being taught from the pulpit should be a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is essentially a word that means, “good news.” The gospel of Christ is the good news that Jesus came and died for our sins. We want everyone to know that. We also want everyone to know that Jesus is imploring you to obey the gospel. To access salvation means being obedient to the gospel of Christ. At the end of the sermon, the brother will extend an invitation to obey the gospel. There will be an invitation song. The preacher will outline how the Bible teaches one is to be saved and give an opportunity for someone to walk forward to obey that and be added, not to the Cedar Terrace Church of Christ, but to be added to the church Jesus died for. This is also a time where Christians can go forward to ask for prayers for encouragement or forgiveness of sins. Either of these take place during the invitation song.
Communion:
We observe the communion every Sunday morning. The communion is the purpose of our gathering. Luke teaches that in Acts 20:7. We observe the communion the same way Jesus died. After the invitation song, two brothers will get up. One will give a short message regarding the communion (usually only 2-3 minutes) and the other brother will pass the communion emblems from person to person. The first emblem is one loaf of unleavened bread. The brother will say a prayer for it and it will be passed from person to person, each one taking off a little piece and eating it. This unleavened bread represents the body of Christ that was sacrificed for our sin. After everyone takes of the bread, the brother will pick up a cup containing fruit of the vine (grape juice). It will also be blessed, and then passed around to each person, each taking a sip of it. In the denominational world around us, you will find many different types of communions. Some use wafers and water, some use tortillas and soda, some take it multiple times per week, some take it on Christmas and Easter, some use individual loaves and cups, some only have the pastor take it on behalf of the congregants. The Lord Jesus asked us to partake of it every first day of the week and to do it just like He did it. So that is what we do. The accounts of this special observance can be found in Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and 1 Corinthians 11.
Collection:
After the communion has been observed, the brother will then pass a basket around for Christians to give a portion of their money back. We do not ask of money, we do not ask for a certain amount, however, we are told that Christians are to “give cheerfully” in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7. We do not observe the “tithe” as they did in the Old Testament, for the reasons mentioned earlier. But we do give money every Sunday, an amount that each of us individually have determined in our hearts, and that money is strictly for needy saints and to further the gospel, those two being the only two reasons given in scripture to use the treasury for.
Closing Announcements:
After the collection, the brother who served communion will then make a few closing announcements.
Closing Song:
After the closing announcements, we will have a closing song.
Closing Prayer:
After the song, there will be a closing prayer. After this closing prayer, services are concluded and you’re welcome to socialize.
Special Considerations:
Children are welcome! We do not have “Sunday School,” but invite the children into the audience with their parents. Sunday School was only started over the last decade, and initially was a way to allow the parents to focus without the distraction of the children. However, children gain so much from the worship service too! We know that children make noise, talk during services, etc. But they are welcome and loved. Please read Matthew 19:13-15: “Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.” Right behind the last row of the pews is a cry room where you are welcome to take your children for diaper changes, attitude changes, etc. :)