Conducting an in-home sabbatarian Christian fellowship

Can't find a local sabbath-keeping Christian church where the true gospel is taught in all its fullness? Here is a suggested simple informal outline to follow so that you can conduct a fellowship group in your home!

1. Friendly welcome to all by the moderator.

2. Moderator or a volunteer from the group to offer the opening prayer to invite the presence of the Holy Spirit.

3. Moderator asks a volunteer from the group to read the Statement of Purpose.

4. Moderator or a volunteer from the group to read the Statement of the Gospel .

5. Sacred hymns sung by the group for approximately 15 minutes. (the song leader might ask members for favorite hymn selections. Someone who can play the piano or a synthesizer is nice to have).

6. Moderator asks the group members if anyone has a short message to give or paper to read (five minutes normal time limit, ten minutes by special request to extend time.) Followed by brief question and answer period if necessary. Limit possibly to two or three such messages.

7. Open with prayer and then begin the group study and open discussion of the word of God, each taking turns in reading a chapter. (A mutually agreed upon time limit might be set at the beginning of the study).

8. Sacred hymn sung by all or special music by a gifted individual.

9. Observance of the Lord's Supper. Reverently distribute the bread and grape juice of the communion meal to the group. Read appropriate Bible texts, pray over the communion meal and partake of each emblem of the Lord.

10. Closing hymn and prayer by the moderator.

11. (Optional) Have a fellowship pot luck lunch or dinner. An afternoon walk or or some other Sabbath activity might be planned. Be sure to take some gospel tracts with you to give out which have your group's name, address, and email or phone number on them with an invitation to join in your fellowship group (pray to win others to Christ). Also the afternoon is a good time to baptize new believers in Christ who have expressed a desire to trust Christ as their Savior and Lord. (If any in your group have a swimming pool or if there is lake or river in your area this can be a wonderful day of baptism celebration, fellowship, and public testimony to the gospel of Christ.)

 

Statement of Purpose (to be read slowly with a slight pause after each sentence).

We as sabbatarian Christians meet together each Sabbath to enjoy the mutual benefits of Christian fellowship, to study of the word of God, to grow in the love and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and to encourage each other in our efforts to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the world.

We believe in the biblical teachings of the historic evangelical Christian faith as outlined in our commonly held Statement of Faith.

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Statement of the Gospel (to be read slowly with a slight pause after each sentence).

We believe that the Gospel is the good news that the Lord Jesus Christ has suffered and died for the sins of the world !

Because of His infinite love for the fallen sons and daughters of Adam, God Himself in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ has come into this sin darkened world, lived a sinless spotless life by perfectly obeying and fulfilling the Law of God. He then died for our sins in our place as our atoning sacrifice upon the cross of Calvary. As the Second Adam, our Lord took upon Himself our sin and guilt. He is our sin bearer, substitute, and redeemer.

Our Lord Jesus Christ was reckoned and treated as a sinner in the eyes of Divine justice so that by God's unmerited grace alone, in Christ alone, atonement and redemption and reconciliation have been accomplished for us all. Jesus lived, and died, and arose again from the dead. He then ascended into Heaven where He ever lives to make intercession for us as the one and only mediator between God and Man.

All who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance for their sins are justified freely by God's unmerited grace through faith in His sinless life and atoning death. By faith in Christ we are personally forgiven of our sins and declared righteous. Our names are recorded in the Book of Life and we are accounted worthy of eternal life.

Every justified believer in Christ receives the sanctifying gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit and we are born again from above as we begin to humbly walk in loving obedience to God's word and His commandments.

On the Last Day our Lord will come again to raise those of us who have fallen asleep in Christ and to save those of us who are alive as we eagerly await His return. Amen.

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