Growing in our faith is an adventure
Read on to find the best next step for you!
Follow Jesus
In life, we are constantly faced with decisions and choices, but the most important decision anyone can make is to follow Jesus. The Bible teaches that all of us have rejected God our Creator (Romans 3:23). The result of that is we are spiritually dead and will one day be physically dead. (Romans 5:12, 6:23, Ephesians 2:1-2) However, God in his grace and mercy sent his son Jesus to live the life we should have lived and to die the death that we deserved. Jesus’ death was not random or without meaning. The Bible teaches that on the cross Jesus took on our sin and became the perfect sacrifice. He paid the penalty that we deserved. In doing so, Jesus made a way for us to be reunited with our Creator God. (Romans 5:8-10) This does not happen automatically, though. We have to repent of our wrongdoing and rebellion and we have to put our faith and trust in Jesus. (Romans 10:9-10,13, John 3:16) This can be done simply by praying a prayer where you:
- Admit your need. (I am a sinner)
- Become willing to turn from your sins. (Repent)
- Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose from the grave.
- Invite Jesus Christ to control your life through the Holy Spirit. (Receive him as Lord and Savior)
To learn more about how to become a follower of Jesus or to let someone know that you made this decision, please contact our office.
Get Baptized
What: Water baptism is a visual and symbolic demonstration of a person’s union with Christ in His death and resurrection. It signifies that a person’s former way of life has been put to death and that he or she has been raised to walk in newness of life. Symbolically, it also signifies a washing away of sin and union with other believers. (Rom. 6:3-4; Col 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21; Acts 22:16; 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:4-6)
Why: We believe that baptism is an important step of obedience for every person who has accepted Christ as his or her Savior. In fact, we believe it should be your first big step after accepting Christ. We don’t believe that baptism is necessary for salvation, but it was a command of Christ, and therefore we should obey it. In addition, baptism is also a way for Christians to identify themselves with Christ and follow his example. (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 10:48; Luke 3:21-22; Gal: 3:27)
Who/When: Based on the Great Commission and what we see practiced in the book of Acts, we believe that baptism is for those who have professed faith in Jesus Christ. In other words, we believe that baptism should take place after salvation, not before. How soon after salvation should someone get baptized? Again, when you look at the book of Acts, you see that baptism was, for most, their very first act of obedience after becoming Christians. Therefore, Christians should be baptized once they come to a point where they truly desire to publicly confess their born-again experience, their commitment to Christ, and their desire to serve and fellowship with other believers. (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:4, 8:35-38, 9:17-19, & 16:32-33)
How: The meaning of the word baptism (Greek: baptizo) is to dip, submerge, or immerse. Therefore, based on the meaning of the word, along with the example of the Ethiopian official in Acts 8:38-39, we believe that people should be baptized by immersion. We also believe that this mode of baptism best illustrates and represents our union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
Here at Linworth, we celebrate baptisms at our quarterly Celebration Service. If you would like more information about baptism or if you would like to sign up for the next one, contact us office.
Join a Life Group
At Linworth, life groups are an essential strategy for building community and facilitating spiritual growth. (Acts 2:42-47)
In life groups, we have the opportunity:
…to build acceptance, trust, openness, and intimacy with other Christ-followers.
…to discover God’s truth and learn how to apply it in our lives.
…to help fulfill the Great Commission by teaming with others to share our faith or serve the poor.
…to enter into and be transformed through healthy confrontation.
…to receive wise counsel from friends who know and understand me.
…to “see” examples of Christ-likeness.
To learn more about our Life Group or to see a list of our current ones click here.
Serve in a Ministry
At Linworth, we believe that every member is a minister and that one of the main functions of our pastors and leaders is to equip the members in the church for the work of ministry. The Holy Spirit has given each Christian spiritual gifts which are meant to be used to bless and serve those both inside the church and outside the church. (1 Peter 2:9, 1 Corinthians 12:4-5,27, Ephesians 4:14-16)
Below is a list of our current ministries:
Evangelism/Missions
Children--Cross Crew
Middle School
High School
Women
Men
Family
Linworth Homeschool Ministry
Worship
Benevolence
Food Pantry
Homework Help
ESL
Life Matters
Building
Landscaping
Safety Team
Design/Communications
IT
Racial Reconciliation
Fitness
For more information contact us here or visit the ministry pages on our website.
Take a Class
As a church, and as followers of Jesus, we believe it is important to be a lifelong learner. In fact, the word disciple means “learner or student.” In addition to our Sunday morning services and our Life Groups, we offer some additional resources to help you in your journey of knowing God and his word better. Below is a list of some of the classes we currently offer:
- Emotionally Healthy Spirituality
- 7 Keys to Effective Evangelism
- Discover Life (Alpha Course)
- Various Women’s Bible Studies
- Knowing the Bible Classes*
For more information about any of these classes or to find out when the next one starts, please contact us here.
*Knowing the Bible is a separate ministry from the church, but we host the classes and the leader of the ministry is a member of our church.