An Invitation To Visit Our Assemblies

 

Please consider this an invitation to visit our assemblies (information below).  Perhaps you are hesitant to visit, because you won’t know what to do or what will be expected of you. Let us put your mind at ease by telling you, in the beginning, what you can expect when you visit.  We hope you will find our approach glorifies God and benefits all who gather.

 

First, we will treat you as a respected guest. We will welcome you with kindness and courtesy before and after class and worship, but we will not call on you or single you out in any way during class or worship.  We do not want to embarrass you or make you uncomfortable in any way (James 2:1-9).  We are always pleased to meet others who are interested in studying God’s Word and worshipping our Creator.

We do not design our assemblies to merely entertain or to evoke outward displays of emotion.  We are not against having fun and want real joy to be part of our assemblies.  Nor do we ask anyone to suppress the emotions they feel when thinking about our Savior’s love.  However, our worship and Bible classes are simple, devout periods of worship and Bible study (1 Corinthians 14:33,40; 11:2). We pray that our assemblies reflect our daily attempt to be more like our Master (John 13:16-17). We will try to make you feel comfortable and welcome while providing an atmosphere of spiritual devotion, joy, drawing closer to God, and receiving power for daily living in Jesus.

 

Second, our services will be focused on honoring God. While using modern technology such as computers and projectors, our focus is the Bible.  We read and discuss Scripture in order to learn more about our Creator and Savior.  We study the Bible so that we can follow Jesus because we love Him who first loved us (1 John 4:19).  We may discuss difficult texts at times, but our focus is on practical living.  We want to know how to live each day to serve and honor God for His love, mercy, and sacrifice.  We live in grace as those set free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

The importance of God’s truth compels us to teach the whole Bible (Psalm 119:160; Acts 20:27; John 8:32).  It may be new for you to hear so many passages discussed; it may be different to listen to messages based on the Bible rather than worldly wisdom; if you are used to an entertainment-based assembly, it will be different to attend with us as we focus on God’s Word.  But we hope that the message of the pure and simple gospel will challenge you to focus on our Creator.

We preach and teach this good news in love, trusting that everyone present will apply the truth to their personal lives. We know that the gospel changes lives, because it has changed our lives.  Some of us lived in terrible sin before we embraced the grace of God through Jesus.  So, we preach and teach with the goal of helping everyone understand salvation and live a more fulfilled life (Romans 1:16; 1 Peter 3:15; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

We will willingly listen to any criticism of our work and worship. If you find anything we do or teach out of harmony with the honor and glory of God as revealed in the Bible, please tell us. We only want to do everything to the honor and glory of God (1 Peter 4:11).

 

Third, our worship will be simple. The New Testament does not prescribe our worship in detail, but we have decided to keep our periods of public worship simple.  We do this so that we will not be overwhelmed by complicated programs or distracted from God.  We want to keep our Lord as the main focus of our worship.

 

To Be More Specific . . .

 

            In our public worship, we SING together with spirit and understanding (1 Corinthians 14:15).  The purpose of our singing is to inspire each other and to express the joy in our hearts by worshipping God in song (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:17).  We encourage everyone to sing but we do not pressure anyone to sing.  Singing is an outpouring of joy, worship, and mutual encouragement.  One of the men picks out songs, announces the numbers in our song books, and leads the group in singing the songs he selects.  We invite you to sing with us.

 

            Our worship period and Bible classes also involve PRAYING together.  One of our men leads as we all pray together, usually near the beginning and end of our worship period and at the beginning of our Bible classes (1 Timothy 2:1-4).  Prayer is man’s way of talking to God.  Our prayers include petitions for our nation, our families, and our congregation; statements of praise and worship towards God; thankfulness for the many blessings already received; and whatever else is on our minds at the time.

 

            We will also remember the Lord’s death on the first day of every week. We do this by observing the LORD’S SUPPER.  In this simple memorial, we eat unleavened bread and drink the fruit of the vine in memory of His death.  We do this on Sunday in celebration of His resurrection.  Jesus’ death and resurrection form the foundation of our faith.  By remembering these two great events, we express our faith that Jesus washes away our sins in His blood and has given us eternal life (Matthew 26:26-28; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29).

 

            On the first day of every week we also GIVE A FREE WILL OFFERING for the work of the family of God at Brookhill.  As a visitor, we do not expect you to contribute anything.  All our members understand that we do not solicit money from visitors.  We never ask for contributions outside of our Sunday assemblies.  We never sell anything to raise money for our work.  Nor do we even pressure our members or ask them for specific pledges.  God’s people live in the freedom Jesus purchased for us on the Cross.  The work of this congregation is made possible through the cheerful free will offerings of our members as God prospers us (1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7).

 

            Finally, WE TEACH THE BIBLE. On Sunday morning and Wednesday evening we make special arrangements for Bible classes for all ages. We feel we have an effective but flexible Bible class curriculum emphasizing the study of Bible text with dedicated teachers who care about their students.

 

        On Sunday morning, during the worship hour, Oscar Miles, one of our men, or a visiting speaker will present a sermon designed to encourage everyone present to submit to the will of Christ and to make His teachings the foundation of their lives (Matthew 7:24-27).  We invite you to listen, take notes if you want to, and turn to the passages in your Bible to make certain the speaker is teaching the truth (1 Peter 4:11).

 

            We desire to “preach Christ and Him crucified” with the same simplicity which characterized the apostles’ presentation of the gospel (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).  At the close of each lesson, we invite any who wish to become Christians to be “buried with Him in baptism” for the forgiveness of their sins (Romans 6:3-6; Acts 2:38).  We will never single out a visitor or ask anyone to stand and raise her hand or use any other such tactic.  Neither the worship nor the invitation is designed to embarrass or to merely entertain but to teach and motivate those who wish to follow Christ (1 Peter 2:21). So please join us as we seek to serve God in a simple manner that always glorifies Him and helps us live fulfilled lives.

 

Where we meet: 

3927 Highway 72E in Killen; next to Uncle Charlie’s Flea Market, across the street and a little west of Brooks High School.

 

When we meet:

Sunday Bible Class .  . . . . . . . 9:00 a.m.

Sunday Worship . . . . . . . . . . 10:00 a.m.

Sunday Worship . . . . . . . . . . 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday Bible Class. . . . . . 7:00 p.m.

 

Come visit us. 

You’ll receive a warm welcome!