About

“The one who existed from the beginning is the one we have heard and seen. We saw Him with our own eyes and touched Him with our own hands. He is Jesus Christ, the Word of Life. This one who is life from God was shown to us, and we have seen Him. And now we testify and announce to you that He is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was shown to us. We are telling you about what we ourselves have actually seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ,” (1 John 1:1-3).

The Apostle John wrote this from his own unique perspective, as a personal eye-witness to the necessary evidence required to support the claim that Jesus was no ordinary man, but God in the flesh. Not only did he witness Jesus being put to death through the Roman instrument of torture by crucifixion (John 19:1-37), but he personally examined the empty tomb Jesus had been buried in when news broke out that the body had gone missing (John 20:1-10). John witnessed the resurrected Jesus alive and well, seeing the very scars made from puncture wounds incurred from the nails in His hands and spear thrust into His side (John 20:19-31). John spoke with Him, interacting with and even eating meals with Jesus after He arose (John 21:1-14, 24), providing further undisputible evidence that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

After witnessing Jesus ascend through a cloud into Heaven before his very eyes (Acts 1:9-11), John, along with the rest of the Apostles, went on to share their personal eye-witness testimony with others, even further confirming the validity of their claims with the presence of miraculous signs and healings which accompanied their message (Mark 16:19-20; Acts 3; 4:33; 1 Thess. 1:5; Heb. 2:3-4). So convincing was their testimony, that upon the very first delivery of the gospel of the resurrected Christ to an audience consisting of the very ones who vehemently condemned Jesus as a blasphemous heretic demanding His execution (John 19:1-16), around 3,000 of them completely changed their minds concerning Him and became His disciples (Acts 2:22-42). Despite the steady crushing waves of brutal persecution (Acts 5:40; 8:1-3; 9:1-2; 16:22-24; Rev. 2:10-11), the preaching of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ continued to bring forth numerous believers as Christianity flourished and the Lord’s Church grew (Philippians 1:12-20; Rom. 1:14-17).

Consequently, the Marietta/Reno Church of Christ is made up of individuals who have been unable to resist the powerful testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the proofs of His resurrection. Our lives have been completely transformed by His teaching as we strive to put it into daily practice in faithful obedience to Him. As His obedient disciples, we strive to walk in His steps as we seek to live a life of love and service towards others (John 13:34-35; Matthew 25:31-40), and live to the praise of His glory upholding the truths in His Word (Ephesians 1:1-14). We pray in full confidence that the resources provided on this site will help you draw closer to Christ, enabling Him to fully accomplish in you the redemptive work He completed through His suffering upon the cross: to redeem you back to the Father in Heaven (1 Peter 2:21-25).