At the Anthony church of Christ in Ocala, Florida we are committed to providing scriptural worship services, Bible Studies and spiritual guidance to anyone and everyone in the Ocala area who is interested in serving the Lord.
Our Mission
Jesus said that the two greatest commands are to love God and love one another (Matthew 22:37–39), and that is our mission. First, everything we do is borne from a desire to love and please God. Our aim is to be loyal to “God and the word of His grace” (Acts 20:32). This is why we are not part of a denomination, and why we do not subscribe to any creed, confession, or human authority.
Jesus said that those who love Him will keep His commandments (John 14:15), and for this reason we strive to make sure that everything we do is in keeping with God’s word. Many people in our society believe that organized religion is nothing but a big business, and frankly, many churches have created such an image by focusing on raising funds to sponsor elaborate programs. In the New Testament, however, there is very little emphasis on money, because the work God has given local churches is very simple and modest.
We share love with each other in our fellowship together, and we share the love of God with those who are not Christians by preaching the gospel. In our assemblies we join together in worship, following the pattern of what the early Christians did as recorded in the New Testament. We sing, pray, take the Lord’s Supper, and have preaching. The members of the church give of their means to support this work.
But we also share with one another outside of our assemblies, supporting and encouraging one another. We deeply care about one another, and we hope that sense of family togetherness is obvious when you visit. After all, Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34). Our community is very diverse, and in many cases this diversity leads to racial and ethnic tension. But while the members of this congregation come from many backgrounds, we are united by the common bond of the love of Christ.
Our Message
The Bible is a large collection of many stories, but all of these stories have a common theme: God’s plan to save man from sin. The central message of the Bible is that sin disrupts man’s relationship with God, but through Jesus Christ this relationship can be restored. The Bible teaches that Jesus died to save us from our sins and rose from the dead to reign as King. The central theme of our message is “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
The message of the gospel not only tells us what Jesus did to save us, but what we must do to receive this gift. The New Testament teaches that we must put our trust in Jesus and His sacrifice for us (John 8:24). Jesus is not only a Savior, He is also a King, and we must surrender our will to His, something the Bible calls repentance (Acts 17:30). Further, the Bible teaches that we must be buried with Him in baptism, in which we put our faith in the working of God to save us (Colossians 2:12).