We’re a congregation of God’s people located in Orange Park, Florida. If you’re looking for a church home in our area, then you’ve found the right place. Anytime you visit our services you will be warmly welcomed, and you’ll find worship that is true to the New Testament. You’ll be encouraged to do what is right in the eyes of God, and discouraged from doing what is wrong.
Those of us in churches of Christ are dedicated to restoring in the present day the church of God’s intent—the church about which you can read in your New Testament. This means that we simply want to be Christians—nothing more, nothing less. We believe that if we do what people did in the first century to please God, as they were under the direction of Christ and His apostles, then we will certainly please God as well.
In Luke chapter 8, Jesus told a parable about a farmer, someone who planted seed. This farmer cast the seed around, and it fell on various kinds of soils. Only the seed that fell on the good soil was ultimately fruitful. Jesus said that the seed was the word of God. Remember that. In 1 Peter 1:23, Peter told the Christians that when they obeyed the truth, they were born again, “not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.” Notice that. Their new birth was the result of the seed of God’s word being planted in their hearts. And this special Gospel seed does not perish. That is, any time the word of God is planted in the good soil of honest hearts, Christians are born. Good and honest people receive the word gladly and obey it. That’s how they were born again in the first century, and that’s how they may be born again today.
Here at Lakeside, we are planting that first-century seed of the Gospel in the 21st century, and as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:6, God is giving the increase. Souls are being saved and the fruits of the spirit are being harvested as folks’ lives are transformed so that they are more like Jesus. In short, New Testament Christianity is being restored.
Here’s how this restoration works: Members of the Lakeside family are always looking to the word of God to find authority for everything we do in life. We can do nothing less, because Colossians 3:17 says, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.” To do something in the name of the Lord Jesus means to do it by His authority, or as He has commanded. So, we can restore New Testament Christianity only if we follow the pattern of authority that we find in the New Testament. This is exactly what the Roman Christians did, according to Romans 6:17, and their obedience resulted in their salvation from sins.
The New Testament authorizes us to obey the Gospel as a condition for receiving God’s free gift of salvation. We teach this plan of salvation at Lakeside. Here’s what the Bible says on the matter.
First, we must believe that Jesus is God’s son. Jesus said in John 8:24, “[U]nless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” Next, we must repent of our sins, that is, we must decide not to follow sin any more but instead determine to do what Christ has authorized. Peter said by inspiration in Acts 2:38, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins”. In addition, we must confess that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God. Paul wrote, “[W]ith the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10). We must be baptized into Christ for the remission of sins, and when we are, our sins are washed away in the blood of Jesus. Saul, who already believed in Jesus, still needed to be baptized in order to have his sins washed away, as Ananias told him in Acts 22:16: “Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.’” Finally, after becoming a follower of Christ, one must continue to follow Him until death. Jesus says in Revelation 2:10, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
Part of faithful living is faithful worship, or worship that is authorized by Christ and His apostles in the New Testament. Christ has charged us with worshiping God in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24). You will find just this kind of collective worship at Lakeside.
Worship doesn’t have to be complicated, because there is nothing complicated about opening your heart to God to praise Him. In New Testament worship we sing together, unaccompanied by mechanical instruments (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16), pray together (1 Thessalonians 5:17; James 5:16), study the Bible together (2 Timothy 2:15; Acts 17:11), eat the Lord’s Supper weekly together (1 Corinthians 11:23-28; Acts 20:7), and contribute weekly to the Lord’s work together (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). We speak where the Bible speaks and remain silent where the Bible is silent. Is this faithful, biblical worship exactly you’re looking for?
Are you looking for a family of believers who are committed to Christ and to loving one another?
Are you looking for enriching Bible classes for all ages, taught by dedicated teachers?
Are you looking for a place where your children can learn to love Jesus, develop a working knowledge of the Bible, and build life skills that will make them productive servants of God?
Are you looking for a place where you can get involved in meaningful service to your neighbors in your community or around the world?
Are you looking for a church with a wide variety of rich opportunities for learning the word of God and applying it in every aspect of life?
Then welcome home, to the Lakeside Church of Christ.