01 – CHRISTIAN BEHAVIOR
It is written in 1 Tim. 2:1-4, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” The Word of God teaches all Christians to pray for the authorities and government leaders, and live a peaceful life. A Christian should give a good testimony at all times, and focus on salvation of souls and knowledge of God.

02 – DOCTRINAL WARNING
Based on Topic 16 from 1993 and on Brother Louis Francescon’s teaching that when man becomes consumed with love for himself, he becomes an idol in his own heart. This elevated self-love makes it impossible for him to love God and his neighbors, denying the two great commands that encompass the will of the Almighty. Similarly, those who God chooses to bestow His Spiritual gifts, are tried and tested to reveal their reaction to two common human temptations. The first temptation is to fall into pride. Pride may appear when the people, seeing a brother manifest a gift, exalt and praise the person and not God. If a brother allows this to enter his heart, God will reproach him, for the Lord rejects the man with a proud heart, as written in James 4:6 “… Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” The second temptation is to take revenge or retribution, which can take root when those who received gifts from the Lord are wronged by others due to envy. These brethren are often criticized and persecuted without reason. This trial tests believers to see if they will rebel against the Lord and resort to seeking their own vengeance. If they react in such a manner, they are overcome by sin since they distanced themselves from charity and did not entrust judgment to the Lord (Rom 12-19-21; 1 Cor. 13:7).

03 – CHARITABLE WORKS SHOULD NOT BE RECORDED
The Gospel according to Matt. 6:2 states, “Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.” All the works of piety should be done in secrecy, as not to embarrass those receiving or exalt those who are giving. All things should be done privately, in simplicity, humility and in the love of Christ Jesus. Taking pictures or videos of those receiving any type of donation or charity, is clearly not pleasing to God, according to His Word.

04 – SELF-EMPLOYED – SOCIAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTION – CO-SIGNING LOANS
Brethren who are self-employed must, according to the law, pay their contribution to the SSA (Social Security Administration). To receive benefits from the SSA for ourselves or our family we must have a valid SS number and have paid our SSA contributions as required while we worked in the United States. When a brother or sister works independently and does not register or pay their required amount to the SSA, they and their family will not be eligible to collect benefits when they are needed. The ministry reminds the brethren that we highly recommend each family to have insurance to cover eventual funeral expenses, as this responsibility does not fall on the work of piety. Also, the brethren should be careful not to take on excessive financial commitments that will put a large strain on their ability to support their family. Use caution and good judgment before co-signing loans or opening credit cards accounts. Payday loans are especially bad and should be avoided due to their very high interest rates hurting the most vulnerable of the brethren. (Topics 1 & 2 of Work of Piety, 2016\)

05 – ONLINE PRESENCE OF THE CHRISTIAN CONGREGATION IN THE UNITED STATES
The Christian Congregation in the United States does not use any online tools and/or apps to advertise itself. Circulars, notifications, documents, points of doctrine and other topics of common interest to the brethren are posted on the official website of the CCUS ccus.org. Also, any official notices from the Christian Congregation in Brazil are available only in the official site of the CCB in Brazil, and will be digitally signed via a QRCode by the Council of Senior Elders of Brazil.

07 – THE IMPORTANCE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SCRIPTURES FOR A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE
Acquiring knowledge of the Word of God is of utmost importance for Christians. Knowing and learning His will through Jesus Christ strengthens our faith, charity, and sanctification. We encourage reading the Scriptures to learn God's doctrine and meditating on His Word to absorb and manifest His teachings in our lives. In the Bible, the Holy Spirit inspired the holy man of God, to give us instructions to keep His commandments in our hearts and teach them diligently to our children (Deuteronomy 6:6-7), meditate on His Word day and night (Joshua 1:8), and diligently study the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15) (John 5:39) (Acts 17:10-13). It's not enough to simply hear the Word of God; we must put it into practice in our daily lives (James 1:22). False theology, religious and intellectual instructions will not bring salvation to man. The Lord Jesus rebuked the scribes and Pharisees when they preached the law without true understanding and faith in the Word, saying "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:8-9). The Bible warns us that such false instructions will not bring us to salvation, as they are not the will of God. Instead, the will of God is to expose His knowledge through the commandments for it transforms our hearts through faith (2 Timothy 1:5). To see the Lord, we must have faith, and strive for holiness (Hebrews 12:14).

09 – PARENTS ATTITUDE TOWARD SERVING GOD IMPACTS OUR CHILDREN
Children generally want to imitate their parent’s behavior. The better our attitude as parents toward serving God, the more likely it is that our children will also have the desire to serve God and be counted among His children. For this reason, we recommend that parents attend the worship services regularly and bring their children with them. We must also demonstrate the work of salvation in our life and our joy to live according to the Gospel of Grace through the Lord Jesus Christ. We should teach our children to pray in the morning, at meals and before going to bed. We should also pray together as a family, uniting each other in the bond of Faith in our God. Families that pray together “abide under the shadow of the Almighty” Psalms 91:1 and will be continually strengthened by God. Reading the Holy Bible together as a family edifies the spiritual lives of all.

10 – EXPLANATIONS REGARDING THE COMMANDMENT OF WATER BAPTISM
The Word of God commands that all who believe in the Lord Jesus be baptized. Therefore, there is no need to seek a special sign to be baptized (Matt. 12:39-40). Those who are being baptized must believe in the Lord Jesus, understand that immersion in baptism represents their death and burial, and emergence symbolizes their resurrection. All who believe in the Lord Jesus and are baptized die to sin and are raised in Christ to new life. In Rom. 6:4, Paul the Apostle wrote, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

12 – EXPLANATIONS REGARDING THE COMMANDMENT TO PARTAKE IN THE HOLY SUPPER
Complement to Topic 9 from 2018 – We partake in the Holy Supper to remember the suffering and death of the Lord, until His return. The Holy Supper allows us to partake of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, as ordained by Him. In the services that precede the Holy Supper, the servants of God who preside are to teach the brethren on the importance of partaking, and explain that those who avoid participating are not in communion with the Lord Jesus. The brethren should be taught to be at peace with one another, within their families and with the ministry. Offenses should always be confessed, forgiven, and fully resolved amongst the brethren. In James 5:16 it is written “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” In Matt 5:23-24 it is written: “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” We need to admit our sins to the Lord, as it is written in 1-John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This is very important for us to have communion with the Lord and thus be worthy of partaking of the Holy Supper. Paul, the apostle wrote in 1 Cor. 11:27-30, “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.” During the service of the Holy Supper the brother exhorting the Word and the brethren must focus on the sacrifice and death of the Lord Jesus, and not elicit undue fervor or manifestations that often deviate from the spirituality of the entire service. We should not participate in the Holy Supper to seek gifts or deliverances from illnesses, deviating from the communion and reverence due unto the Lord.

14 – LUSTS OF THE FLESH
The lusts of the flesh are strong illicit desires that can lead to destructive behavior. Both these sinful desires and resulting actions are opposed to our spiritual life and conflict with our celestial calling . The lusts of the flesh include desires for power, greed, lasciviousness, and vainglory. The Holy Scriptures condemn these illicit desires which can lead to adultery, prostitution, fornication, covetousness, envy, judgment, condemnation of others and even murder. Practicing these sins is rebellion against the commandments of the Lord, and it grieves the Holy Spirit. If a person chooses to reject the Lord’s commandments and live in sin, it will result in a state of continued disobedience unless he/she repents and returns unto the Lord. Every Christian must seek strength and power from the indwelling Holy Spirit to live a life in accordance with the Holy Scriptures. We are called to be filled with the Spirit, and to walk in the Spirit. This will result in us resisting the desires of the flesh according to Galatians 5:16 where it says, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

15 – ORDER DURING THE SERVICES AND OF THE CHURCH
The participation of CCUS brethren in calling hymns to sing, testifying of the works of God in their lives, and lifting prayers to God, during the holy worship services are essential facets of worship to God. These activities are under the discretion, direction and judgment of the presiding brother who, under the guidance of God, presides over the worship services. The presiding brother is authorized and responsible for opening these services and maintaining order during the service in accordance with our faith, doctrine and teachings. If the faith, doctrine or teachings are violated, or the orderly conduct of the service is disrupted such that the integrity of the worship, and the communion of the brethren is at risk, the ministry must intervene. The spiritual ministry and/or the council of elders may remove the privilege of expression or limit the participation of anyone who is deemed unruly or disorderly and remains unrepentant.