What To Expect At Our Church
~ Fellowship ~
At Raleigh Church, you'll be warmly greeted by a congregation of like-minded believers who are actively seeking to grow closer to Christ through daily discipleship. We believe that Christian fellowship is one of the major purposes and benefits of the Lord's church. Christ not only designed His church to be a light in this dark world to bring honor and glory to God, but also as a counter-culture to this world in which believers can find loving fellowship one with another as they seek the common goal of worship and discipleship. This is for the purpose of encouraging and admonishing each other in the Lord as we travel the path of Christian discipleship together.
Acts 2:42; Heb 10:24-25; Eph 2:19;
~ Worship ~
Sunday morning worship begins at 10:30am and continues until around 12:00pm. Our worship services consist of three basic parts: singing, praying, and preaching. We believe this is the simplicity of the New Testament pattern of public worship in the Lord's church that was established by Christ Himself and His apostles and that is set forth in God's word. We also believe in family-integrated worship. We believe that the entire family should worship the Lord together and not be segregated. The family was the first institution created by God, and we believe that God commands families to worship together as one family unit. At Raleigh Church, you will find a simplistic worship service that excludes all worldy attractions and activities and focuses solely upon worshiping Christ in spirit and in truth.
John 4:23-24;
~ Singing ~
We have 30 minutes of congregational singing starting at 10:30am. At Raleigh Church, the musical instrument used during worship is our voice. The practice of the early (primitive) church was A Cappella singing of praises to God. God created these instruments, our voices, to sing praises to His name. We believe that God has commanded us to have joy flow from our heart in the form of songs. The songs sung are chosen by the congregation. Each person is able to participate during the praise service not by only singing but also by selecting songs that God has laid upon their hearts. We believe that singing is an essential and vital part of the New Testament worship service, as instructed by God's word.
Eph 5:19; Col 3:16; Heb 2:12; James 5:13; 1 Cor 14:15;
~ Praying ~
At Raleigh Church, prayer is a deep and vital part of our worship, both in preparation for the worship service and during the worship service. Prayer is the means that God has given unto us to communicate with our Father, make our petitions known unto Him, and beseech Him to be with us and bless us in His service. We believe that without the enabling grace, blessings, and manifest presence of God all our efforts to worship Him would be in vain. Prayer is the essential means in which we beseech God by His mercies to bless us in our endeavors to worship Him and to ask Him to spiritually manifest His presence among us so that we can feel and experience His close communion and fellowship with us in our hearts and souls. We also take the time to allow the congregation to announce any prayer requests or thanksgivings that are on their heart. We truly believe that the prayers of God's people avail much!
1 Thes 5:17-18; Heb 4:16; Eph 6:18; Phil 4:6; 1 Tim 2:1; James 5:15-16; 1 Pet 3:12, 4:7;
~ Preaching ~
At Raleigh Church, we believe the preaching of the gospel should be 100% Christ-centered. Whether it is a doctrinal sermon or a practical sermon, all the preaching should be centered around and focused upon the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and His ultimate sacrificial work on the cross. Preaching is God's prescribed means of declaring the finished and victorious work of His Son, bringing eternal life and immortality to light, and instructing believers in righteousness. We believe that the preached gospel is only intended for believers and that the power of preaching only finds its intended effect in those that are already saved and already believers. The preaching of the gospel is God's chosen means, under the New Testament dispensation, to reveal Himself to His people in this time world, declare the finished work of His Son, instruct His people in righteousness, and save them that believe. We also believe that preaching must be anointed by the Holy Spirit and empowered by God through the work of the Comforter for its full effects to be realized and experienced.
2 Tim 1:10; 1 Thes 1:5; Rom 1:16-17, 16:25-27; 1 Cor 1:18, 1:21; 1 Cor 2:1-5; 1 Cor 15:1-2; Titus 1:2-3; 1 Pet 1:12;