About Us - Cortez Church of Christ

Cortez
Church of Christ

Leadership... Shepherds Deacons Minister Secretary

We Believe...

...that God created the world and loves all His creation (Gen. 1:1; John 3:16). We recognize Him as the
    Father of all mankind & the ultimate authority in heaven & earth (John 5:19).

...that the Bible is the inspired word of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17). We hold no other creed or authority
    outside of the Bible.

...that Christ is the only hope of salvation (John 14:6). He is the Son of God, has all authority and
    deserves our recognition as Lord and Savior (Matt. 28:18-20).

...that the church is the body of Christ (Col. 1:18). It is made up of those who believe, love, and obey
    Christ.

...Forgiveness from sins is found in Christ, through faith, as one repents and is baptized (Acts 2:38).

...
....

WHO ARE WE?

We live in a very diverse and pluralistic culture, a melting pot of ideas and identities. What sets us apart from all the rest, or is there a way to be set apart? It doesn't have to be complicated and so "deep" that it can't be understood. While there are things in the Bible that are difficult to grasp, there are other things that are too simple to miss. Here is our story:

THE STORY

Simply put, the story of the Bible is that God created the world, put man and woman in a special place he created called the Garden of Eden. Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted man and woman,(Adam & Eve) to disobey God, which, as result, led to their being expelled from the garden to toil and live on their own. But, God already had a plan in mind to restore this relationship with man and began unfolding it.

THE PEOPLE AND THE PLAN

God worked through people like Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses and others down through centuries, revealing himself and his nature, his love and faithfulness. He established a covenant with people called the Hebrews, later called Jews, and made them his people, his witness to the world. They were unfaithful to the covenant God made with them and were punished, but God had promised a new covenant, unlike the one he had made with physical Israel (the Jews). It would be a spiritual covenant.

HOW IT WORKS

John tells us that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believed in him wouldn't perish but have everlasting life. Jesus was the final act in God's plan to restore the relationship with man in the garden. It was Jesus' sacrifice that paid the price for our own rebellion and sinfulness, otherwise, since we are all sinners, we would each have to pay for our own sin with our own lives, as justice demands.

THIS IS WHO WE ARE

The message of forgiveness and hope and peace with God and even our fellowman is what draws us together as a church. The letters of the New Testament are written to people who believed that message and turned to God for renewal of spirit and life. The church is made up of those who in and by faith have given their lives to God, we call that repentance, confessed or acknowledged the deity of Jesus as Lord, been immersed or completely submerged in water as obedience to God's commands in order to have their sin washed away. Upon arising from the water, a new life, a new focus, a new purpose is ours. The water is not special, it isn't holy, rather it is our faith, belief and trust in God's power and promise to do away with our sin and make us new.

WHAT WE DO

Because of this action and the resulting new relationship with God, we meet on the first day of the week to worship Him and encourage one another. We meet at other times to carry out our God-given task of building up the church with service in many ways.

WHAT WE AREN'T

We aren't perfect, sinless people. We do not think of ourselves as better than or more holy than anyone else. We each recognize our humanity, our sinfulness and our need for God. That's who makes us what we are. Because of the fact that without God we are helpless and hopeless, we have nothing to boast about, except that God loved us enough to rescue us from our own selfish decisions.

WHAT WE WANT

We want others to come to that same life giving knowledge and decide to let God rule their lives. That is our task. That is God's desire for the world he created.