CONTACT US
(918) 683-9111
Mon-Thurs 9 am to 4:30 pm
3600 E Shawnee Rd, Muskogee, OK 74403
OUR
Vision
Connect with God
Luke 19:10 tells us “For the son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Jesus came to save the lost. Connecting the disconnected is just a restatement of Jesus’ mission. The Bible says that everyone has sinned (Romans 3:23) and that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Isaiah 59:2 reveals that our “iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” In other words, sin separates and disconnects people from God. We desire to connect people to Jesus so they can experience His forgiveness and life for He is the only Way to God (John 14:6).
Connect with others
It is impossible to live the Christian life disconnected from the church. According to scripture, the church is comprised of connected followers of Christ, which make up the "body of Christ" of which He is the head. Ephesians 1:22-23 says, “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” The body of Christ is made up of all believers in Jesus Christ from the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2) until Christ’s return.
There is the universal church—all persons who have made Jesus their Lord and Savior. There is the local church where members of the universal church can fully apply the “body” principles of 1 Corinthians chapter 12: encouraging, teaching, and building one another up in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. The writer in Hebrews 10:24-25 encourages Christians saying, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
“Connecting the disconnected” is the driving force behind everything we do. This is not only what Jesus came to do, but it’s also the marching orders He gave His followers before He ascended into Heaven. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus declared, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Grow as Disciples
Christians never stop growing, as we are constantly being transformed into Jesus’ likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18). This transformation is the result of discipleship. A disciple is one who learns from Christ, lives in Christ, and leads others to Christ. Colossians 2:6-7 says, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” A disciple will look like their teacher (Luke 6:40). We desire to grow in our relationship with Jesus so we can know and become more like Him.
As mature disciples of Jesus Christ we move forward in our faith, knowledge of God's Word, and our love for others. "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (II Timothy 3:16-17). Paul wrote in Colossians 1:28-29 (ESV), “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” At NCC our hope is that every follower of Christ will mature in biblical belief and character, and be ready to serve.
OUR
Beliefs
About God
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three are co-equal and are one God. Gen. 1:1,26-27,3:22; Ps. 90:2; Matt. 28:19; 1 Pet. 1:2; II Cor. 13:14
About Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate his power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven and will return again someday for His disciples and will eternally reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Matt. 1:22-23; Isa. 9:6; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Heb. 4:14-15; I Cor. 15:3-4; Rom. 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; I Tim. 6:14-15; Tit. 2:13
About The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ, and lives in them from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer spiritual gifts when they are saved. As Christians we seek to live under His control daily. II Cor. 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; I Cor. 2:12, 3:16; Eph. 1:13; Gal. 5:25; Eph. 1:13; Gal. 5:25; Eph. 5:18
About The Bible
The Bible is God’s Word to us. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance and influence of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is the Truth without any mixture of error.
II Tim. 3:16; II Pet. 1:20-21; II Tim. 1:13; Ps. 119:105, 160, 12:6; Pro. 30:5
About Human Beings
People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by sin that separates people from God and causes many problems in life. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude that separates people from God and causes many problems in life. Gen. 1:27; Ps. 8:3-6; Isa. 53:6a; Rom. 3:23
About Salvation
Salvation is God’s free gift to us but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness, can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith, we are saved. Salvation begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.
Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:8-9; John 14:6, 1:12; Tit. 3:5; Gal. 3:26; Rom. 5:1
About Eternity
People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is hell. “To be eternally united with God is Heaven. Heaven and hell are real places of eternal existence. John 3:16; John 2:25; John 5:11-13; Rom. 6:23; Rev. 20:15; Matt. 1:8; Matt. 2:44,46
OUR
Values
Connect
Evangelism – Relational Evangelism is our main strategy to connect the disconnected in our community. This takes place when members of NCC share their faith naturally in the course of their daily lives (Matthew 28:19-20). In the original language of the New Testament it reads “as you are going… make disciples…” We are commended in 1 Peter 3:15 to “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” It is the expectation of every disciple of Jesus to constantly share the Good News of Jesus in words and in actions
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Worship – A second strategy is our Sunday morning worship service. For most newcomers, the worship service is the first place they will come when someone invites them to church. So, our services are designed with outsiders in mind. Everything, from the greeters, to children’s check-in, to the music, lighting, videos, message, etc is designed to connect the disconnected to Christ and to our church.
Missions – Our third strategy is in our missions. We are commissioned in Matthew 28 to make disciples of “all nations” so we aggressively participate in reaching people in other parts of the country and around the world. NCC is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention for the purpose of missions. We give monthly to the cooperative program which supports foreign missionaries around the world. We are currently developing a strategy to reach our surrounding communities better with the Gospel. We also financially support missionaries all over the world who are planting churches, raising up leaders and reaching the lost
Grow
Small groups – To benefit from all that God has in store for us, we must be around people who will help us become more like Christ. We believe that the best way for spiritual growth to take place is in the context of small group relationships. Growth is relational. Life change happens in the context of caring relationships. In a group, you will be able to care for and be cared for by others.
Prayer – Jesus made it clear by His example and His teaching that prayer is necessary to hear from God. In Matthew 21:13 Jesus told His Disciples that “‘My house will be called a house of prayer…” making it clear that prayer should always be a priority for Gods people. Jesus talked about prayer, but He also modeled a prayerful life. He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before going to die on the cross for our sin, and Luke 5:16 reveals that Jesus “often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
Bible Study – There are two primary ways in which we will study God’s Word. The sermons given each Sunday are designed to “teach, rebuke, correct, and train.” 2 Timothy 3:14-17 declares, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” We also believe that as believers we are to study the scriptures on ourown. Luke tells us in the book of Acts that the Bereans were more noble than the Thessalonians because they not only heard the Word but they studied it day after to day to see if what Paul was preaching was true. Therefore, we should strive to be the same way and study the Word of God on our own.
Maturity
Serving – Ephesians 4:11-13 reveals that Jesus “…gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Maturity in Christ then is based on how much we look like, think like, and act like Jesus. One of the greatest, most amazing characteristics of Jesus was how He became a servant for us. In fact, Jesus said of Himself in Mark 10:45, “The son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many.” Therefore, serving God and others is a measure of maturity.
Generosity – God was generous with us in sending His son as the payment of our sin debt. He has also been generous in everything else. He has given us the World to steward (Psalm 24:1), meanwhile He is building another place for us to enjoy Him forever in Heaven (John 14:3). Therefore, we are going to be generous in giving back to His Kingdom work. We will contribute on an “as needed basis” to projects at our church and on a “regular basis” as to not hinder the advancement of the Gospel and the care of the congregants. Our generosity is seen through our financial giving, our using our talents and gifts for serving others, and the time we offer give to the building up of our church.
Multiplying – The reason that we are Christians today is because the model of discipleship is a model of multiplication. In Acts 2:47 the Lord added daily to the number of disciples that were being saved. By Acts 6:7 we read, “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem…” The reason is that a Disciple of Jesus is someone who makes Disciples that makes Disciples. The Discipleship model that Jesus taught is a multiplying system that exists so that as many people as possible (the nations) will hear and know His Gospel. Multiplication is less about managing an institution and more about fanning a Kingdom Movement. A desire to multiply is founded in the great commission as modeled by Jesus so that as many lives and communities as possible are changed.
