Welcome to the North Meadville church of Christ's online presence! We would first like to invite you to visit us in person! Second we would like to introduce ourselves a little...
We are a local body of Christians. We are of the church Jesus Christ built. When Jesus walked the earth, he spoke of an event that would change history forever. He spoke of a church that would be built. In fact, when speaking to Peter he said he would build His church - and the gates of hades would not prevail against it.
His church is not a brick and mortar ediface. It is not a building. It is a people. They are called several things in the New Testament, from saints to the called out, to living stones, to the faithful brethren, to kings and priests to our God, but there is a peculiar name by which they are identified. This name was foreseen by Isaiah, who wrote "For Zion's sake I will not hold My peace, And for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, And her salvation as a lamp that burns. The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, And all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, Which the mouth of the LORD will name" (Isa. 62:1-2). This unique and special name is "Christian: 'And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch' (Acts 11:26)."
Christians. Called after the name of Jesus Christ, because it was He who built His church. This is why Peter tells us "nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Salvation is only in Jesus Christ. When that salvation comes we are Christians.
Why is that so important? It is important because it will help you understand why we call ourselves what we do, why we worship the way we do, why we are interested only in what the Scriptures teach, why we need to be able to prove our actions clearly within the pages of Scripture. Within the pages of Scripture we are told several key foundational things: Jesus is the author of salvation to those who obey Him (Heb. 5:9); that He purchased the church, his body, the family of Christians with His blood (Acts 20:28); and that God is seeking those who will worship him in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:24).
We at the church of Christ at North Meadville strive to be the same as the first century church of Christ. The Bible teaches us the doctrines and worship of men are vain and that we must seek God’s righteousness instead of our own. Our worship must be in spirit and in truth. We wear no man made names, we teach no man made doctrines, we participate in no man made worship, we have no creed but the Bible, striving to love and glorify God in both name and deed through diligent obedience to His will. We know that if we seek Biblical authority for all that we practice, believing what the first Christians believed, living how they lived, teaching only what they taught, and worshiping God how they worshiped, we can be today just what they were then; Christians only. By doing this, we are absolutely assured of living our lives in accordance with the will of God.
Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. The bible teaches that there is only one God and one faith. In a world filled with religious contradiction, it is hard for sincere people seeking the truth to know with certainty that they are on the right path. The first century Christians were the first ones to hear the gospel. They received their instructions directly from the source and were saved. Today, we have their instructions recorded for us in the New Testament. They followed in the footsteps of Jesus and found the pathway to eternal life. We can follow their path in the footsteps of Jesus and find our way to a home in heaven too. Eternity is forever and we only have this one life to live for Jesus Christ. When we pattern our faith and lives after those we know to be faithful Christians, we are assured beyond any doubt that we are walking the path that must be right and that can never fail.
We share a great joy in our hope in Jesus Christ and it is our sincere desire to share this joy with everyone. Jesus Christ came to save all who are lost and His salvation is offered to whosoever will. All are invited to come join our family in Christ and learn more of the Christians who make up the New Testament church of Christ. You are heartily invited to contact us for bible studies, for questions, or to attend our worship services. You will find us to be a loving and sincere group of Christians who seek only to serve God as God would have us and to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to all who would accept Him.