CCLC | Christ’s Church of Labette Co. exists for a unique purpose:
We believe we have a responsibility to represent the Church found in the New Testament. After years of denominations establishing their own rules aside from the Bible, a group of preachers from several denominational backgrounds got together around the year 1800 to “restore” the New Testament Church back to its original Biblical blueprint. From those humble and committed believers was launched a fellowship of Christians who:
wanted to wear the name “Christian” only (no other human or denominational names were needed).
believe, practice and preach the Bible only (no other human creeds or man-made doctrines allowed).
We pay particular attention to how people in the New Testament responded when receiving Jesus as their Lord and Savior. With all the confusion over how to receive Christ in the religious world today, we believe we are safe in God’s Will by going back and following what they did in the New Testament. We would challenge you to read the book of Acts and see what people were told to do when receiving Jesus as their Savior. (Example: Acts 2 : 36-40 says;)
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”
Our purpose today is not to be one more religious group trying to win people to our way of thinking, but to represent the Church found in the New Testament and win people only to Jesus!
We do not believe that we are the only Christians, but we do want to be Christians only.
OUR BELIEFS AND THE GOSPEL
What is the Gospel?
The gospel is that the Kingdom of God has come through Jesus of Nazareth. He is Christ, the King, God’s one and only Son. He died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and was resurrected on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. In His great love and by His amazing grace, God our Father saves everyone who repents of their sin, believes the gospel, and follows Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus returns on the last day, the great Day of Judgement, all Jesus’ followers will enter the eternal Kingdom of God.
[1 Cor 15:1-5; Jn 3:16; Eph 2:8-10; Mk 1:15&17; Matt 25:31-46]
The Bible
We believe the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, to be the divinely inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings. It is the ultimate and final authority in all matters of faith and practice. (Psalm 19; 119; John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
God
We believe there is one true and infinitely perfect God, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, eternally existent in the three persons: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:16; Acts 5:3-4; Colossians 1:15-16; 2:9)
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross – a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. He arose bodily from the dead, He ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Father, He is now our High Priest and Advocate. (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 14-15; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 9:11-28; 1 John 2:1-2)
Holy Spirit
We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Jesus Christ and, during this age, to convict men of sin, regenerate the believing sinner, and indwell, guide and empower the believer for godly living and service. (John 14:16-17; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 1:13-14)
Mankind
We believe God created both man and woman sinless in His image, but mankind, through Adam’s sin, fell into sin and all of mankind is therefore separated from God and subject to His wrath. All people are sinners by nature and by practice and are unable to remedy their lost condition. (Genesis 1:26-27; 3:1-24; Psalm 51:1-17; Isaiah 53:5-6; 64:6; Romans 3:10-18, 23; Ephesians 2:1-3)
Salvation
We believe salvation is a gift freely offered by the grace of God to all who repent of their sins, accept the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross as the sacrifice for their sins, and by faith receive Jesus Christ as Savior. All who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God, a relationship in which they are eternally secure. (Mark 1:15; John 3:3-23; 10:28; Romans 3:23; 6:23; 8:15-16, 28-30; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 4:5-7; Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 9:22; 1 John 1:9)
The Church
We believe the true Church is the body of believers, and Christ is the Head. We also believe in the local Church – believers gathering together in local assemblies for the purposes of instruction, prayer, fellowship, worship, exhortation, encouragement, observance of the ordinances, and to be witnesses to God’s saving grace in the world. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-47; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:4-6; Colossians 1:18)
Ordinances
We believe the Scriptures prescribe two ordinances for the Church: water baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Believers are baptized in water as a testimony to their spiritual identification with Christ, and regularly celebrate the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of His death and in anticipation of His return. (Matthew 26:26-30; 28:18-20; Luke 22:14-20; Romans 6:1-11; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29)
Angels and Satan
We believe angels were created by God as His servants and ministers to His people on Earth. We also believe Satan was created as an angelic being, but was removed from his position for his pride, and now actively works to frustrate the purposes of God. (Ezekiel 28:12-19; Daniel 12:1-2; Matthew 25:41; Ephesians 6:10-12: Hebrews 1:14; 1 Peter 5:8-9; Revelation 12:12:4-920:7-10)
The End Times
We believe in the personal, physical and imminent return of Jesus Christ, at which time the believer will be resurrected to eternal, unbroken fellowship with God, and the unbeliever will be resurrected to eternal punishment and separation from God. (John 14:1-4; 1 Corinthians 15:24-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-12; Revelation 20:15)
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