Honeysuckle Road Congregation

Featured Message

"Omniscience of God"
12/16/2007
By: Stuart N. Tullis

What are the implications of a God who knows and sees everything?

Welcome to the Honeysuckle Road Congregation website. We hope our "web presence" will help you get to know us as well as help you on your pathway to God. If we can be of any assistance to you in this regard, please contact us.

As children of God, we are interested in pleasing God in all of our activities, especially when we assemble to worship Him together. The Scriptures teach that it should be our goal to please God rather than men, for we are called to be servants of God first and foremost (Galatians 1:10). In our efforts to please Him, we look within His word to find what He desires from Christians. It seems reasonable that if we do now what sincere people did in the first century, then we will be pleasing to God today as they were then. We have no other way of knowing what pleases God than what He has revealed to us in the Bible (1 Corinthians 2:11), therefore we strive to avoid adding anything to what is written in the New Testament. We have no creed or doctrinal statement other that what is written in the Bible. Our worship is likewise shaped by what Scripture commands us to do: “Worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).

We are led in prayer — The Bible commands us to, “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Paul told Timothy that in settings where both men and women are present, that it is the men who are to lead in prayer (1 Timothy 2:8-11). Therefore, we select Christian men from among ourselves to lead us in prayer to God. As they speak, we allow our minds to utter the same thoughts to God. We praise Him for His greatness and we ask Him for His blessing as we seek to offer acceptable worship to Him.

We sing together — We edify (build up) and instruct each other by singing together as a congregation. At the same time, our praises are offered exclusively to God (Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:19). We read that the only musical instrument authorized by God is our hearts: “singing and making melody with your hearts to God” (Ephesians 5:19). Because God has not specifically mentioned any other musical instrument besides the heart, one cannot suggest that the use of mechanical instruments within Christians’ worship is pleasing to God. What was done by David and others under the Old Covenant (the Law of Moses) is not part of the New Covenant of Christianity (Colossians 2:14; John 12:48-49; Romans 7:1-4).

We celebrate the Lord’s Supper each Sunday — This activity was done weekly by early Christians in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). The fruit of the vine (grape juice) represents Christ’s shed blood. The unleavened bread represents Christ’s body. As we eat and drink these emblems, our minds focus on the price He paid in His sacrifice on the cross and our equality as Christians in one body through this sacrifice (1 Corinthians 10:16; 11:27-30). This is the Christian’s memorial to the terrible cost that God paid for our redemption, and it is never to be taken lightly.

We study the Bible — In agreement with the psalmist of ancient times that God’s word, “is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path” (Psalms 119:105), the preaching and teaching you hear in our assemblies will not be based on personal opinions, but will feature a heavy and impartial emphasis on what the Bible says. God’s word can change and transform lives (Romans 1:16; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16-17), therefore, the more of God’s word we have in our hearts, the more like Jesus we will be! The Bible teaches: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds…” (Romans 12:2).

We take up a collection to aid the work of the church — the New Testament shows the church doing this every Sunday as well (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Our giving is an expression of our love for God and our appreciation for the seriousness of His work (2 Corinthians 8:1-8). We use the collection to help in all aspects of evangelism and edification. If you are visiting, you are neither asked not expected to take part in the offering.

We invite you to visit us whenever you have the opportunitiy. May God be glorified in all we say, think, and do!