What We Do
The Northwest church is an assembly of Christians who are seeking to worship and serve God in the way that He has directed. To accomplish this, we use only the Bible as our guide.

This section of our web site tells you a little bit about the things you'll see and hear during our worship assemblies. We are always delighted to meet others who are interested in spiritual things, and we invite you to any of our services. Please feel free to come and observe our assemblies.

The Bible is Our Only Guide
One of our most basic convictions is the belief that the Bible is the inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). God's Word is the truth (John 17:17), and it is our responsibility as His people "to speak as the oracles of God" (1 Peter 4:11). When you visit our assemblies, you'll see a simple yet reverent worship service. This is because we strive to be pleasing to God by only practicing religious activities that can be found in the Bible. We know that human beings are fallible, so we don't follow man-made creeds or doctrines. Everything we do in our worship can be found in the Bible as a command from God or as an example of how Christians worshipped in the New Testament. Jesus said, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).

Preaching and Teaching the Word of God
The Psalmist wrote, "How sweet are Thy words to my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth… Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:103, 105) Since the knowledge of God's Word is so critically important to every Christian, preaching and teaching are a central part of our worship assemblies. A sermon is presented by one of our evangelists, one of our elders, or other Bible teachers at each of our worship assemblies on Sunday (10:30 a.m.; 5:00 p.m.).

Someone once wrote, "Everyone ought to love the Bible. Everyone ought to be a regular reader of the Bible. Everyone ought to strive to live by the Bible's teachings. The Bible ought to have central place in the life and working of every church; and in every pulpit." We completely agree with this sentiment and along with other important worship activities, we give "central place" to the study of God's Word. Please bring your own Bible, and come study with us.

Our Bible Classes
In addition to the sermons that are presented in our assemblies, we have Bible classes on Sunday morning (9:30 a.m.) and Wednesday evening (7:30 p.m.) each week. While there is value in hearing one individual speak about God's Word (sermons), there is also great value in more in-depth Bible study and discussions. Our classes are led by teachers who have spent many years in a careful study of the Bible, and as a student, you will be invited to ask questions and participate. The Bible is God's way of speaking to us, so there is nothing more important than reading, studying, and sharing the Bible together.

Our teachers are completely committed to God, and to a careful study of His will. Our deacons and Bible class teachers have planned a Bible class curriculum that will take our students (adult and children) completely through the Bible in a few short years. We hope you'll take advantage of this resource for you and your children.

Curriculum for 2005-06 Children's classes (PDF)

Worship in Song
When we assemble to worship, we speak "to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs," singing with thankfulness in our heart unto God (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16). We simply sing, without the use of musical instruments, because we want to please God and worship Him the way He has directed. We follow the example of Jesus and the inspired instructions we read about in the New Testament (Matthew 26:30, Ephesians 5:19, James 5:13). It builds us up to blend our voices in songs of praise and devotion to God.

Prayers To God
Through our study of the Bible, God talks to us. In our prayers, we talk to God. The Bible is filled with passages that emphasize the importance our pouring out our hearts in devotion and praise to God in prayer. The apostle Paul wrote, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be make known to God" (Philippians 4:6).

Prayer is not only an important part of our daily lives before God, but it is a vital part of our worship during our assemblies. Again, the New Testament church is our example. "And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" (Acts 2:42). Prayer is always a part of our assemblies at Northwest.

Communion - The Lord's Supper
The night before His death, Jesus set up a memorial that the Bible calls "a communion" of the body and blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16), or the "Lord's Supper" (1 Corinthians 11:20). In partaking of the Lord's Supper, we are reminded of God's enormous love and Jesus' great sacrifice on the cross. Every first day of the week (Acts 20:7) we remember Jesus' death upon the cross for our sins by eating unleavened bread and drinking the fruit of the vine. These elements symbolize Jesus' body, which was crucified on Calvary, and His blood, which was shed for the forgiveness of our sins (Matthew 26:26-28). When we do this each week, we are following the example that Jesus and His apostles gave us and that the Christians in the New Testament followed (1 Corinthians 11:23-29).

Giving As We Have Been Blessed
The Lord's church has been instructed to take up a collection for the financial support of the Lord's work. The apostle Paul gave this instruction, "On the first day of every week, let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made with I come." Every first day of the week, we take a few minutes during our worship service to take a collection from our members. Through this act of worship we have the privilege of returning to God a portion of what He has blessed us with so generously. If you are able to visit our assembly, don't feel obligated in any way to make a contribution to our congregation. When the plate comes by, please feel comfortable just passing it along.

Office Phone

(763) 533-3336

Elders:
	Richard Jones	(952) 946-1473
	Rick Lanning	(763) 425-2385
Evangelists:
	Andy Cantrell	(763) 533-3336
	Rick Lanning	(763) 425-2385